22 replies to this topic

[David Kipling]

I spotted a five-years-ago query on this forum about the identity of a car: the Diva Valkyr.

I photographed a tiny GT car at Silverstone in about 1963, and my scribbled note from that time said it was a "Ginetta Prototype". Recently I have been told it is more likely a Diva, probably a Valkyr. HOWEVER, I still cannot find a reliable and clear photo of a Valkyr., so I will paste a link to my photograph.
Please e-mail me and/or post here if this car is indeed a Valkyr or even a Diva at all.

http://www.oldstox.c...ges/ginetta.jpg

(Note I have still not changed the marque name.)

Cheers from BC, Canada

[JB Miltonian]

There is a front quarter view of a Diva Valkyr on page 427 of my copy of Georgano's "Encyclopedia of Motor Sport", and it appears to be the same as the car in your picture.

Edit: Also known as the Diva "Demon"? Picture in R&T, April 1965, at the London Racing Car Show.

[bradbury west]

The other interesting thing is to try and identify to whom the 11 GT belongs behind it. Perhaps Graham Capel's 11 history will indicate something as there was quite a selection of them in period.
Roger Lund.

[dbw]

it looks like a poor man's 904.

[David Kipling]

The Ginetta Club tell me that the Lotus 11 "coupe" in the background was raced in the late 50's and early 60's by John Gould and George Gould until t was sold in 1964.

"Poor Man's 904" is right, with the Diva being an even better looker!

BTW this is my first ever "reply" on this forum, so I hope it surfaces in roughly the right spot!

[Rob G]

Originally posted by JB Miltonian
There is a front quarter view of a Diva Valkyr on page 427 of my copy of Georgano's "Encyclopedia of Motor Sport", and it appears to be the same as the car in your picture.

It does look like it, although there are some detail differences, most notably the more rounded roof as pictured here versus the flatter one in the book.

[Cirrus]

There's mention of the Valkyr and Demon on The Imp Site

http://www.imps4ever...cials/diva.html

[bradbury west]

Originally posted by David Kipling
The Ginetta Club tell me that the Lotus 11 "coupe" in the background was raced in the late 50's and early 60's by John Gould and George Gould until t was sold in 1964.
BTW this is my first ever "reply" on this forum, so I hope it surfaces in roughly the right spot!

Welcome to TNF.
Neither Capel nor Ortenburger mentions the Goulds, although there was an Alan Gough with such an 11 in '64. Perhaps your friends in the Ginetta OC could throw a little more light on the car/body constructor/Goulds etc
The high screen and side windows suggest a variation of the second version of the John Dickinson Team Garnett car, which, like the original, had been built by Lotus at Cheshunt in '61, then rebuilt totally by them in '62.
Roger Lund

[BobMic]

The car is a Diva Valkyr for sure. I have one. Do you have any more pictures or information? It had to be later than 63 AFAIK the Valkyr was built in 66 and the Demon was the protype built in 65.

Thanks,
Bob

[r.atlos]

Indeed, it must be 1965 or 1966 and the paint scheme would fit with Mike Walton's Valkyr. Doug Mockford's car was "dark".

[bradbury west]

Originally posted by r.atlos
Indeed, it must be 1965 or 1966 and the paint scheme would fit with Mike Walton's Valkyr. Doug Mockford's car was "dark".

I always thought Mockford raced one of the earlier front engined cars, like John Miles
Roger Lund

[r.atlos]

He did - in 1965.

As far as my limited knowledge about the Demon / Valkyr goes, Mike Walton started racing one single car in 1965 and Doug Mockford joined him in a second car in 1966. I think Mike had an 1800cc TC engine, Doug a 1600 cc.

Not sure whether it was here or in another thread but somebody mentioned that famous 1966 Duckham ad with Doug. I think his was the car which then went to Sweden (Björn Bellander) and subsequently to Erling Kongsfelt in Denmark.

[bradbury west]

A BB Search proves useful
http://forums.autosp...hlight=Mockford
He also did well in the '64 RedeX series. I interviewed someone for whom he drove, and who rated him very highly
RL

[pluvinel]

The car is a Diva Valkyr for sure. I have one. Do you have any more pictures or information? It had to be later than 63 AFAIK the Valkyr was built in 66 and the Demon was the protype built in 65.

Thanks,
Bob

In 1966 or 68 I was interested to buy à Diva car. A GT or a Valkyr. Diva told me they have just one car left. They offer to finish the car following my request. I still have the lettres with the offers and the technical data of the cars and a picture of the valkyr from the front a dark paint. If you are interested by some documents let me know. Documentations are in english and the lettres in funny french (sorry).

[pete53]

He did - in 1965.

As far as my limited knowledge about the Demon / Valkyr goes, Mike Walton started racing one single car in 1965 and Doug Mockford joined him in a second car in 1966. I think Mike had an 1800cc TC engine, Doug a 1600 cc.

Not sure whether it was here or in another thread but somebody mentioned that famous 1966 Duckham ad with Doug. I think his was the car which then went to Sweden (Björn Bellander) and subsequently to Erling Kongsfelt in Denmark.

Sorry for the late reply but I have only just come across this topic. I am pretty sure the Valkyr didn't appear on he race tracks of the UK until 1966. You are right, Mike Walton drove one as did Doug Mockford. My friend's father was a customer at Doug Mockford's garage and he kindly offered to take my friend and I to a race meeting at Lydden Hill in August 1966. I still have the photo of my mate standing next to the Valkyr in which Doug won both the races he entered. Unfortunately I don't have a scanner at the moment so I am unable enable to upload the picture. Incidentally, he'd also taken us to Brands the year before when he was racing the front engined Diva.

A contemporary Autosport confirms that the Walton car did have a 1800cc engine, but references to the Mockford car don't specify the engine capacity, although it definitely raced in the over 1600cc GT class.

[r.atlos]

Unfortunalety, my 1965 issues of Autosport are not complete so that it is difficult to track down exactly when Mike Walton first appeared with the Demon (as it was still called then).

What I have are the following pieces of a puzzle:

- On 16/04/1965, Autosport lists Mike Walton with a Demon with 1148 cc engine as having entered for the Autosport Championship. I suppose this corresponds to an enlarged Imp engine as mounted at the Racing Car Show in January.

- He definately did take part in the Surrey S.M.C. Sprint at Brands Hatch on 21/11/1965; his engine is now given as a 1650 cc, so probably a TC (Autosport issue dated 10/12/1965).

- He also took part in the Boxing Day Meeting at Brands Hatch as per snippet below (Autosport issue of 24/31 December 1965):



- Last but not least we have a photo in Autosport's 1965 club racing review in their issue dated 04/03/1966. It shows Gerry Marshall in an Elan with race number 105 leading Walton (#106 probably), Chris Meek's Ginetta, another Elan, an Anglia and an unidentified sports car with soft top around Druids.

Not sure whether this photo comes from the Boxing Day meeting or another race; may be Gerry's race number could help to identify the event ?

- On 18/02/1966, Autosport mentions that Walton will compete the 1966 season with a 1800 cc TC and Mockford with a 1600 cc TC.

- In his small ad of 09/12/1966, Walton now describes his engine as a 1860 cc Perdal TC:

Edited by r.atlos, 25 January 2010 - 01:58.

[pete53]

After much fiddling and swearing I seem to have managed to upload a picture of the Doug Mockford Diva Valkyr that I took at Lydden Hill in August 1966.

I have in front of me a Brands programme from April 1967 with an entry in the Motoring News GT championship event for John Markey in a 2499cc Valkyr!! He non-started though. Anyone know anything about this car?

[r.atlos]

Not more than this (from Autosport dated 21/04/1967):

[Alan Cox]

http://www.oldstox.c...ges/ginetta.jpg

Slightly OT, but the photo includes a lovely view of the back of the old Silverstone timekeepers' box, press box and pits - shades of the old Corgi Kits

[Tweddell]

Here a link to a fine shot from the 1000km race May 1966 at Nurburgring, Jeremy Delmar-Morgan and Mike Walton racing the works Diva Valkyr, later bought by mockford.
Car was parked beside track in the middle of race with some damage at front wing.
http://cdn.fotocommu...os/15503660.jpg

Edited by Tweddell, 29 January 2010 - 19:18.

[petestenning]

I have an entry list on my web site from Brands Hatch 5th Macrh 1967

entrant : Racing Preparations/ Driver John Markey/Car Diva Valkyr/ cc2500
A small field of 13 which included 4 other Diva's Mockford/Bloomfield/Graty/ & R.J Watson

Edited by petestenning, 23 April 2011 - 06:13.

[Bloggsworth]

As I read the first post my brain had an If this is Tuesday it must be Belgium moment along the lines of If the photo is 1963, it's not a Valkyr, as the first one didn't race till the Snetterton meeting in early '65 in the hands of Mike Walton. I recall that after practice MW said it understeered like a pig round Coram and the other fast corners. Don Sim and I disagreed about what to do about it, DS used the choice words "What do you know, you're only f***king 18....". It was probably another one of those weeks when we didn't get paid, I seem to recall that I was again collecting dole money shortly after.

If they had had celebrity doubles in those days, Don could have made a living as a dead ringer for Anthony Newley. He was of saturnine appearance and scurried around like a beetle in overdrive. Rumour had it that he was a flight engineer for BOAC, which would explain why his appearances in the shed behind Bloomfields were erratic. When I joined Leo Bertorelli was his partner, within short order Sir John Samuel took over, a charming man and very kind - He took a Diva down to my future father-in-law's house in Wimbledon so that he could take it for a spin. Samuel went on to make the Enfield electric cars I believe.

When I joined, Richard Scott welded the chassis and Richard Groombridge was the fibreglazier up on the "mezzanine" above the main workshop. Scott moved to Walberswick to produce chassis to order; Groombridge built his own Hustler clubmans car in which he was successful; he went on to work for Sid Marler's display company, another well known clubman's racer.

Oops! I nearly left out Ken Marshall, who came from Triumph via Lotus, where he worked in the engine shop on the other side of the double doors from where I worked.

Edited by Bloggsworth, 23 April 2011 - 18:28.

[Ted Walker]

Yes the Lotus xi GT was indeed raced by Alan Gough.