43 replies to this topic

[TomWDFarley]

I am searching for any published articles (plus any memories you may have) on Chris Summers and the cars he drove in the 1960's. Cars such as the Cooper Chevy and Lotus 24 Chevy.

If you have any information or magazine/book references I would be most interested - Thanks in advance.

[TomWDFarley]

I should have added that I would also be very interested in any photos of the cars - thanks

[Geoff E]

For starters, he is mentioned several times in this thread:- http://forums.atlasf...&threadid=54934

[David McKinney]

He first came to note in a car called the Farley Special, but I guess you knew that?
His grounding was in hillclimbing, a subject covered in detail by Chris Mason's book Uphill Racers. If you haven't got that you should find a copy, as it provides lots of info on Summers's early career

[Pete Stowe]

Chris Summers’ obituary from Autosport 3.9.70

"The death at Snetterton last Monday of Chris Summers removes from the British Motor racing scene a character who had been in the sport for over 20 years. A garage owner from Ansty, near Coventry, he began motor-cycle racing at the age of 18 in 1949, but after a serious accident switched to cars, starting with an MG TA in 1950. He progressed through an enormous variety of cars: 500cc Formula 3 machines, an 1172 Special, the famous ERA Remus, the Arden-Climax sports car and the fearsome Farley hillclimb car, which he used to fight every inch of the way up Shelsley Walsh.
After some success with a Lotus 11, he bought one of the early Lotus Elites and had several good runs, finishing third in class in the 1960 TT and having a race-long battle for the lead with the late Dickie Stoop’s Porsche in the Autosport three hours at Snetterton that year. A Formula Junior Lotus 18 followed, and then a Climax-engined Cooper Formula 2 car, and when in 1962 Chris replaced the Climax unit with an old 4.5 litre Chevrolet V8 he was really starting a fashion.
With this, and a Chevrolet-engined Cooper Monaco, Chris had much success in Formula Libre racing, hillclimbs and sprints, and he later built up a Lotus 24 with a Chevrolet engine and raced this on and off for many years, resurrecting it briefly in the early days of Formula 5000.
In fact, Formula 5000 was obviously right up Summers’ street - he could even claim to have invented it! - and so it was no surprise when he bought the ex-Sid Taylor/Lanfranchi/Gardner/Widdows Lola T142 from David Good earlier this season. John Harris, who helped prepare the car, had a drive in it at Silverstone, and Chris had his first outing in it at the Oulton Park Gold Cup the other weekend, finishing tenth overall and seventh F5000 home.
Summers, a big, burly figure, was one of the old school, spurning seat harness and flameproof overalls, and invariably racing in shirt-sleeves with gritted teeth. At Snetterton apparently a tyre had been deflating for some laps: at very high speed on the long Norwich Straight the car went out of control and crashed heavily. Summers was thrown out and died later in hospital."

Ted Walker www.ferret1.co.uk should have plenty of photos of Summers.

[TomWDFarley]

Thanks for the responses so far...and the link to the photograph website is great.

"He first came to note in a car called the Farley Special, but I guess you knew that?" As you may have guessed from the surname - my father is John Farley who built many of Chris's cars including the Farley Special in the 50's and the chev engined cars in the 60's

I believe the Cooper Chev had a good first season in 1962 - is there a website with race results for meetings in that year? Or is it a case of getting hold of old Autosport and Motorsport magazines?

Thanks again,

Tom Farley

[Barry Lake]

Tom

A scan I did some time ago of the Motor Sport story has been sent to you.

Could you please confirm receipt. If there's any problem I will send it again.

[Pete Stowe]

Originally posted by TomWDFarley
I believe the Cooper Chev had a good first season in 1962 - is there a website with race results for meetings in that year? Or is it a case of getting hold of old Autosport and Motorsport magazines?

Most of Summer’s racing would have been at club meetings so I think you’ll probably have to resort to back issues of Autosport and Motoring News.
For 1962 I can give you details of his races in the Cooper-Chevrolet at Castle Combe:

9 June 1962 Formula Libre (10 laps) 1st 89.20 mph - led from start to finish despite lacking 3rd gear.

7 July 1962 Formula Libre (10 laps) 1st 91.49 mph - led from start to finish. Fastest lap 1 min 11.2 sec, 93.03 mph - new outright circuit record.

8 September 1962 Single Seater Racing cars (10 laps) 1st 91.64 mph - led from start to finish. Fastest lap 1 min 09.2 sec, 95.72 mph - new outright circuit record.

[Jimmy Piget]

Some single seater wins by Chris Summers :

1959
Mallory Park (GB) (Apr 25) Chris Summers (George Nixon's Cooper / Coventry-Climax F2)

1960
Mallory Park (GB) (Apr 18) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Ford-Cosworth F Junior)

1962
Castle Combe (GB) (Jun 10) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)
Castle Combe (GB) (Jul 7) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)
Snetterton (GB) (Aug 19) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)
Silverstone (GB) (Sep 1) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)
Snetterton (GB) (Sep 2) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)
Castle Combe (GB) (Sep 8) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)
1963
Oulton Park (GB) (Jun 15) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)
Snetterton (GB) (Aug 18) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)
Silverstone (GB) (Aug 31) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)
Oulton Park (GB) (Sep 7) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)
Silverstone (GB) (Sep 14) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)

1964
Silverstone GB) (May 18) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)
Castle Combe (GB) (Jun 27) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)
Snetterton (GB) (Jul 19) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)
Croft (GB) (Aug 3) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)
Castle Combe (GB) (Aug 15) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)
Snetterton (GB) (Aug 16) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)
Oulton Park (GB) (Aug 29) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)
Silverstone (GB) (Sep 12) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)
Castle Combe (GB) (Oct 10) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)

1965
Silverstone I (GB) (Jun 7) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)
Silverstone II (GB) (Jun 7) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5400)
Leinster Trophy (IRL) Dunboyne (Jul 17) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5000)
Silverstone (GB) (Aug 30) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5000)
Nottingham Trophy (GB) Silverstone (Aug 30) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5000)
Oulton Park (GB) (Sep 4) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5000)
Lakeside Trophy (GB) Mallory Park (Sep 19) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5000)
Castle Combe (GB) (Oct 9) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5000)

1966
Silverstone (GB) (Aug 29) Chris Summers (own Lotus / Chevrolet 5000)

[Geoff E]

Originally posted by Pete Stowe

For 1962 I can give you details of his races in the Cooper-Chevrolet at Castle Combe:

9 June 1962 Formula Libre (10 laps) 1st 89.20 mph - led from start to finish despite lacking 3rd gear.

7 July 1962 Formula Libre (10 laps) 1st 91.49 mph - led from start to finish. Fastest lap 1 min 11.2 sec, 93.03 mph - new outright circuit record.

8 September 1962 Single Seater Racing cars (10 laps) 1st 91.64 mph - led from start to finish. Fastest lap 1 min 09.2 sec, 95.72 mph - new outright circuit record.

Just to add to Peter's comments, his Castle Combe book gives the engine of the Cooper to be 4.6 litre.

[Pete Stowe]

Originally posted by Jimmy Piget
Some single seater wins by Chris Summers :

1962
Castle Combe (GB) (Jun 10) Chris Summers (own Cooper / Chevrolet 5400)

Jimmy, for your records the correct date for this meeting was 9 June 1962. This is from the official program, which also gives the engine capacity as 4638cc.

[TomWDFarley]

Thanks to everyone for the race listings - especially with the dates as that will help me target the right copies of Autosport!

Tom Farley

[Jimmy Piget]

Thanks for the corrections, Pete.

They are to appear in my 2004 updates !

[David McKinney]

A bit of earlier stuff:
In 1956 and 1957 he raced an 1100cc Cooper-Climax sportscar, winning his class in a number of small events. The following year he had a few drives in J H Whitehouse’s Arden-Climax, and won three minor sportscar races. Then in 1959 came the F2 Cooper-Climax, which he overturned at Mallory Park on an early appearance, but won the 26/5 libre race at the same venue, and was also fifth in the F2 race at Whitchurch.
Driving the Farley Special in hillclimbs, he was third in two Shelsley Walsh championship rounds in 1958 and in another in 1959, and also third at Rest-and-be-Thankful in the earlier year.

[Ted Walker]

He also raced a Lotus Elite.

[David Beard]

Originally posted by Ted Walker
He also raced a Lotus Elite.

And a TVR entered by "Research Garage"

No. 19, Scalextric Trophy International Grand Touring Car Race, supporting the International Trophy at Silverstone 1962. (or at least he was entered for for it.)

[taylov]

As a teenager I was a great fan of the Formula Libre driver Chris Summers. I recall watching his Lotus-Chevrolet at the Crystal Palace in 1964.

I recently found a couple of his awards offered on eBay. Can anyone assist with details for one of these.

The meeting was at Mallory Park in 1961. The award was from the Nottingham Sports Car Club and was for a third place finish. Can anyone with Mallory Park programmes from 1961 fill in the details as to the date and the race?

many thanks, Tony

[RAP]

The only fit seems to be 7th August 61 when Summers was 3rd in the F Libre race with his F1 (ie old F2) Cooper.

[taylov]

Originally posted by RAP
The only fit seems to be 7th August 61 when Summers was 3rd in the F Libre race with his F1 (ie old F2) Cooper.

Thank you for your help on this. This fits with with what little I had found. There were N.S.C.C. meetings at Mallory Park in 1961 on 3 April; 22 May; 2 July and 7 August 1961 and I had already excluded any of Summers' Formula Junior races.

Tony

[David Beard]

Lotus Chev at Snetterton 64...




By David Betts

[Stephen W]

There are three photos of Summers in his Cooper-Chevrolet at Crystal Palace on EBAY:

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...Y...A1|240:1318

Check them out if interested!

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Stephen W
There are three photos of Summers in his Cooper-Chevrolet at Crystal Palace on EBAY:

Presumably after he converted it to a Lotus-Chevrolet

[taylov]

Originally posted by Stephen W
There are three photos of Summers in his Cooper-Chevrolet at Crystal Palace on EBAY:

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...Y...A1|240:1318

Check them out if interested!

The ebay listing states "CHRIS SUMMERS IN THE COOPER-CHEVROLET CHASING DENNY HULME AT CRYSTAL PALACE, SEPTEMBER 1964, THREE BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS2

I was there that day and still have the lap chart I made. The race was the 25 lap Anerley Trophy, a rare Formula libre race at the Palace.

It certainly wasn't Denny Hulme that Chris was chasing. JR Pearce took the lead, Chris led laps 3 to 6 before being overtaken by Frank Gardner's Repco Brabham-Climax, the Lotus Chevy dropping out on lap10.

I have a couple of Chris' minor awards in my collection - a great hero of mine from my teenage days.

Tony

[bill p]

1965 Phoenix Park in the Lotus 24-Chevrolet (chassis no. 942). Coloured metallic mid-green with gold wheels.

[taylov]

Could anyone identify the date & location of this happy scene, please. Not Brighton as the race number seems too low. Photo is marked ?Mallory.

Thanks

Tony



From Simon Lewis Transport Books, copyright 2009

Edited by taylov, 07 January 2010 - 16:41.

[john winfield]

Could anyone identify the date & location of this happy scene, please. Not Brighton as the race number seems too low. Photo is marked ?Mallory.

Thanks

Tony



From Simon Lewis Transport Books, copyright 2009

Lovely photo! From what little background I can see it looks as if they might near the finish line at Silverstone, with the sweep of Woodcote behind. Or is that stand too small?

[RWB]

Can I throw in the Kumbang 500cc car and the Arden Climax, the latter Austin 7 based creation winning at Crystal Palace in 1958.

[Lotus18910]

Tony

 

I am the current owner of the Chris Summers Lotus 18 FJ car. Whilst I have a good amount of history/info on the car I would appreciate anything you know of his time with the car however insignificant it may appear.

 

Best

 

Colin 

[RobMk2a]

I don't know the answer but I am also interested, as Chris Summers raced Anthony Oakes Richards TVR MK2 Grantura with an Arden tuned MGA engine reg 1886 UE at Mallory Park during 1962, the car was also entered in July 1961 but Im not sure if Chris or Anthony was driving. However Chris did race the TVR earlier at Rufforth in Oct 1960. The TVR was entered by Anthony's Research Garage in Nuneaton.

Much earlier in Sept 1958 Chris also raced an Arden Climax reg OP 6457 at Oulton Park.

Rob Pennington

[RAP]

Tony

 

I am the current owner of the Chris Summers Lotus 18 FJ car. Whilst I have a good amount of history/info on the car I would appreciate anything you know of his time with the car however insignificant it may appear.

 

Best

 

Colin 

 

Colin. Are you aware that Formula One Register has very full records of Formula Junior races ? GO to the Print-to-Order section

www.formulaoneregister.com/print-to-order/

RAP

[Lotus18910]

RAP

I have comprehensive records of the cars outings in 1960. I am keen to obtain detailed photos of the car during that season.

Thanks

Colin

[bradbury west]

Are you familiar with the Revs Institute/Collier Faoundation photo archives? I would also be very surprised if Ted Walker at Ferret Photographic cannot help you, unless you have already spoken to him. He is a most obliging archivist.
Usual disclaimers
Roger Lund

[raceannouncer2003]

Here is the link to the Revs Institute/Collier Foundation photo archive:

 

https://revslib.stanford.edu

 

First, limit your search by year to 1960

 

Then, search for Mallory Park Summers (all words)

 

A couple of appropriate photos should come up.

 

Vince H.

[bradbury west]

Many thanks for putting up the link, Vince. I cannot do it.
Roger Lund

[Stephen W]

There is also LAT for photos.

[Rupertlt1]

I've looked and no sign of Summers, Lotus, at Mallory Park, 1961, at Revs:

 

RGDS RLT

[Lotus18910]

RLT

A search on Chris Summers Formula Junior will reveal photos

[raceannouncer2003]

I've looked and no sign of Summers, Lotus, at Mallory Park, 1961, at Revs:

 

RGDS RLT

 

Try 1960.

 

Vince H.

[Lotus18910]

Revs digital library has 4 photos of Chris Summers campaigning his Lotus 18 FJ in 1960

Mallory Park x 2
Silverstone British Empire Trophy
Brands Hatch Kentish 100

[RAP]

Motoring News 7 July 1966 report on BRSCC Oulton Park Formula Libre race says ".... Chris Summers (Cooper-Chev)..... Summers' retirement."

 

He is not listed in the programme so must have been a late entry.

 

What strikes me as odd is him  said to be driving a Cooper in 1966 as he had been racing his Lotus 24 Chev since 1964.

 

I wonder if this report is correct - was anyone there that day & maybe marked up their programme or took a photo ?

 

RAP

[Tim Murray]

In both their event preview and race report Autosport said that Summers would be/was in the Lotus. This from Francis Penn’s race report:

Chris Summers, who might have made a race of it, never seemed to hit on all eight with the big Lotus-Chevvy 24 and went out with transmission troubles on the 12th [lap].

His mention in the event preview would seem to indicate that he can’t have been that late an entry.

[Doug Nye]

Here's one of the Revs images - Mike McKee's 18 leading Chris Summers' sister car, Mallory Park, July 31, 1960

 

 

Copyright image from the Revs Digital Library - original photographer George Phillips

 

DCN

[RAP]

In both their event preview and race report Autosport said that Summers would be/was in the Lotus. This from Francis Penn’s race report:

His mention in the event preview would seem to indicate that he can’t have been that late an entry.

Thanks Tim. I had missed the preview in Autosport but I'm looking at the prog and Summers is not in it.  Of course, back then it would have gone to print a week or two before the event and clubs often issued competitors/press with a typed entry list that was more up to date along with the final instructions.

RAP

[Stephen W]

Thanks Tim. I had missed the preview in Autosport but I'm looking at the prog and Summers is not in it.  Of course, back then it would have gone to print a week or two before the event and clubs often issued competitors/press with a typed entry list that was more up to date along with the final instructions.

RAP

 

It still happens. Programmes usually get sent to the printers on the Tuesday before the event. Entries may still be OPEN right up until Saturday morning, in fact I have seen people arrive at a venue on Saturday morning cash in hand. Does make life as a commentator a tad harder!