1952 Cooper Bristol

This car is making its way through a typically wet Oulton Park paddock to take part in a practice session for the Allcomers Race for Historic Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's the 1952 Cooper Bristol MkI of John Roberts which has a 1971cc 6-cylinder inline Bristol engine that was derived from the pre-war BMW 328 unit. Father and son Charles & John Cooper had started the Cooper Car Company in 1946, and at first specialised in building cars for the new 500cc class of racing that British enthusiasts had started as a simple and economical way to go motor racing after the war. This developed into the International Formula 3 class in 1950, and Cooper then ventured into the Formula 2 class by putting a 1,100cc JAP engine into one of these cars, way below the 2 litre limit allowed, but even with the lack of power the car was still reasonably competitive because of its light weight. When the World Championship was run under Formula 2 regulations in 1952 because of a dearth of the larger-engined Formula 1 cars Cooper decided to design a car to compete at that level. The 1,971 Bristol engine was chosen, but the Cooper Bristol MkI (later designated the T20) could not really compete with the Ferraris and Maseratis in World Championship races and was much more successful in minor British events. In 1953 the MkII (later T23) car was introduced, having a tubular frame chassis instead of the box section frame of the earlier car and the drive train was altered to lower the driver's seat. Although a better car it wasn't much more successful than the MkI, and the following season when the new 2½ litre Formula 1 regulations came into force the car was rendered obsolete. They still soldiered on for a few years, mainly in minor British events, and then became regulars in the historic racing scene, where they're still to be seen to this day.

1959 Aston Martin DBR4

I took this photograph on the straight between Esso Bend and Knickerbrook during the Allcomers Race for Historic Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's Neil Corner in his 1959 Aston Martin DBR4, chassis DBR4/4 - the last DBR4 built and which was never raced by the works team. The DBR4 is a car that was first built and tested in 1957 although it didn't make its Grand Prix debut until 1959. By that time the new generation of rear-engine cars had made the older front-engine cars uncompetitive and the best results it managed were Roy Salvadori's sixth place finishes in the British and Portuguese Grands Prix in 1959. The DBR4 was powered by a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine, but Neil Corner's car has the 2,992cc DB3S engine.

1938 Multi-Union

This car, seen in a very wet Oulton Park paddock at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting in June 1971, was one of the competitors in the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race.

It's the 1938 Multi-Union of The Hon. Patrick Lindsay which was based on a 1934 Alfa Romeo P3. The programme of the event had this note about this car, and the Mercedes mentioned was Colin Crabbe's 1937 Mercedes Benz W125 which also competed in this race:

 

'The Hon. Patrick Lindsay's Multi-Union was developed just before the war from Chris Staniland's 1934 Alfa Romeo, such as Peter Waller is driving today, by motor-cycle tuner J.S.Worters with backing from High Duty Alloys and Lockheeds. Not only was the engine redesigned but also the chassis, with coil spring rear suspension and Tecnauto i.f.s., whilst a single-seater body on Mercedes lines was fitted. The car was extremely fast both on road and track and its resurrection and entry today is almost on a par with that of the Mercedes for interest.'

1937 Mercedes-Benz W125

I took this photograph at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's Colin Crabbe driving the 5,663cc straight-8 supercharged 1937 Mercedes-Benz W125 out of the paddock to take part in a practice session for the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race which he won later that day. Rescued by Colin Crabbe from East Germany in the 1960s, it's the only Mercedes-Benz W125 in private hands and was subsequently owned by Neil Corner and Bernie Ecclestone. A note in the programme had this to say about the car (after discussing the expected duel between the ERAs of Martin Morris and Neil Corner):

 

'Also on the front row will be one of the fabulous 1937 Grand Prix Mercedes of 5.6 litres, the most powerful Grand Prix car ever built with an engine capable of giving over 600 bhp, perhaps double that of a 2 litre ERA. The driver is Colin Crabbe, whose brave bid to bring one of these formidable cars back into racing after a lapse of over 30 years will be watched with interest.'

1956 Maserati 250F

This was one of the competitors in the Allcomers Historic Car Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's Richard Bergel's 1956 Maserati 250F with the 6-cylinder inline 2,490cc engine, and like most of the 250Fs has a chequered history. Originally chassis 2522, it was the car with which Stirling Moss won the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix and later that season was renumbered as 2523. Towards the end of the 1956 season it was used as a test bed for the 2½ litre V12 engine but by 1957 the 6-cylinder engine had been put back and the car was later sold to Centro Sud and the chassis number changed once more, this time to 2526.

Here's Richard Bergel in the race heading towards Hilltop, and in the top right-hand corner is what was still called Esso Bend.

1949 Gordini T15

This was one of the competitors in the Allcomers Scratch Race for Historic Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's the 1949 Gordini T15 of Chris Renwick and is pictured on the straight leading up to Hilltop. The car is chassis 0008-GC, which was a works race car till 1950 and was acquired by Chris in 1971. It was later part of the Donington Collection from 1973 to 1994. The engine of the Gordini T15 was based on a Simca 4-cylinder 1,495cc unit, in which form it competed in Formula Two races, and with the addition of a supercharger it could run in Formula One.

1952 Cooper Bristol

This car took part in the Allcomers Race for Historic Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's the 1952 Cooper Bristol MkI of John Roberts which has a 1971cc 6-cylinder inline Bristol engine that was derived from the pre-war BMW 328 unit. Father and son Charles & John Cooper had started the Cooper Car Company in 1946, and at first specialised in building cars for the new 500cc class of racing that British enthusiasts had started as a simple and economical way to go motor racing after the war. This developed into the International Formula 3 class in 1950, and Cooper then ventured into the Formula 2 class by putting a 1,100cc JAP engine into one of these cars, way below the 2 litre limit allowed, but even with the lack of power the car was still reasonably competitive because of its light weight. When the World Championship was run under Formula 2 regulations in 1952 because of a dearth of the larger-engined Formula 1 cars Cooper decided to design a car to compete at that level. The 1,971 Bristol engine was chosen, but the Cooper Bristol MkI (later designated the T20) could not really compete with the Ferraris and Maseratis in World Championship races and was much more successful in minor British events. In 1953 the MkII (later T23) car was introduced, having a tubular frame chassis instead of the box section frame of the earlier car and the drive train was altered to lower the driver's seat. Although a better car it wasn't much more successful than the MkI, and the following season when the new 2½ litre Formula 1 regulations came into force the car was rendered obsolete. They still soldiered on for a few years, mainly in minor British events, and then became regulars in the historic racing scene, where they're still to be seen to this day.

1933 Barnato Hassan Bentley

This was one of the competitors in the Richard Seaman Memorial Vintage Trophy Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's Keith Schellenberg's 1933 Barnato Hassan Bentley with a 6-cylinder inline 7,983cc engine. Walter Hassan was a mechanic at Bentley in the 1920s at the time when their 3 litre, 4½ litre and 6.6 litre cars were a force to be reckoned with, winning the Le Mans 24 Hour race 4 years in succession from 1927 to 1930. He had been mechanic to Woolf Barnato and when the Bentley Company went into liquidation and was taken over by Rolls Royce in 1931 he went to work for Barnato. In 1933 he designed a new chassis frame and built a car round this and the 6½ litre (actually 6,597cc) engine from the Bentley ‘Old Number One’ Speed Six that won the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 1929 and 1930, and this car became known as the Barnato Hassan Special. It was raced at Brooklands, but not by Woolf Barnato who didn’t race there following the death of Clive Dunfee in a race in 1932. After serious damage to the 6½ litre engine at Brooklands in 1934 it was replaced by an 8 litre (7,983cc) unit and the car was rebuilt as a single seater in 1936, in which form Oliver Bertram lapped Brooklands with it at 143.11 mph – just short of John Cobb’s 143.44 mph in the Napier Railton.

1937 Maserati 6CM

This car took part in the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's the 1937 Maserati 6CM of Ray Fielding with a supercharged 6-cylinder inline 1,493cc engine. It is chassis 1540 and was at one time part of the Doune Motor Museum collection.

1953 Talbot Lago T26C

This was one of the competitors in the Allcomers 12 Lap Scratch Race for Historic Racing Cars at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's the 1953 Talbot Lago T26C of T.A.Roberts and was driven in the race by Bill Morris. The Grand Prix regulations for the 1947 season allowed for engine capacities of 4½ litres for unsupercharged cars and 1½ litres for those with superchargers. Antonio Lago increased the capacity of the Talbot straight-6 engine from just under 4 litres to 4,482cc and created the Talbot Lago T26C, a car that was reasonably successful, particularly in the 1949 season when the all-conquering 1½ litre supercharged Alfa Romeo 158 cars did not compete. The programme of this event shows the Talbot Lago to be a 1953 car, but I would have thought that since World Championship races in 1952 and 1953 were run to Formula 2 regulations it is more likely to date from 1949 or 1950.

1952 Connaught A-Type

This car took part in an Allcomers Scratch Race for Historic Racing Cars at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's the 1952 Connaught A Type of Gerry Walton, and is chassis A8. The Connaught A-Type was designed and built by Connaught Engineering's Rodney Clarke and Mike Oliver with a 1,960cc engine based on the Lea Francis 4-cylinder 1,767cc unit. Gerry Walton's car was part of the Connaught works team in 1953, and the team competed in World Championship races with drivers including Stirling Moss, Prince Bira and Roy Salvadori. 

1949 Gordini T15

This was one of the entrants in the Allcomers Scratch Race for Historic Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's Chris Renwick's 1949 Gordini T15, chassis 0008-GC, which was a works race car till 1950 and was acquired by Chris Renwick in 1971. It was later part of the Donington Collection from 1973 to 1994. The engine of the Gordini T15 was based on a Simca 4-cylinder 1,495cc unit, in which form it competed in Formula Two races, and with the addition of a supercharger it could run in Formula One.

ERA R12B

This is one of nine ERAs that competed in the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's the 1936 ERA R12B of Bill Morris, previously one of the White Mouse stable's trio of ERAs driven by Prince Bira, where it was given the name 'Hanuman'. It was originally built with a 2 litre engine as a B-type car, but in 1937 it was rebuilt to C-type specifications, thus becoming R12C, and given a 1½ litre engine. In 1939 the car was badly damaged in a crash during practice at Reims and was rebuilt with a B-type frame, reverting to being R12B and the name changing to 'Hanuman II'. After passing through various hands after the Second World War it came to Bill Morris. 

Some years after the photograph above was taken Bill Morris had also acquired the rest of the wreckage left over from the 1939 crash and using the damaged chassis frame rebuilt the car to its 1939 C-type specifications. That car was now R12C, as if the 1939 accident had never happened, and was given the original car's name of 'Hanuman'.

Mercedes-Benz W125

These photographs were taken at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's the 5,663cc straight-8 supercharged 1937 Mercedes-Benz W125 of Colin Crabbe in which he won the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race that day. Rescued by Colin Crabbe from East Germany in the 1960s, it's the only Mercedes-Benz W125 in private hands and was subsequently owned by Neil Corner and Bernie Ecclestone. A note in the programme had this to say about the car (after discussing the expected duel between the ERAs of Martin Morris and Neil Corner):

'Also on the front row will be one of the fabulous 1937 Grand Prix Mercedes of 5.6 litres, the most powerful Grand Prix car ever built with an engine capable of giving over 600 bhp, perhaps double that of a 2 litre ERA. The driver is Colin Crabbe, whose brave bid to bring one of these formidable cars back into racing after a lapse of over 30 years will be watched with interest.'

Here's Colin Crabbe just past Old Hall Corner during the race.

Maserati Tipo 26

This is one of the cars that took part in the Richard Seaman Memorial Vintage Trophy Race at the VSCC's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's the 1930 Maserati Tipo 26M (chassis 2514) of Lord Doune and was driven in the race by Martin Grant Peterkin. The 26M was designed as a single-seater car (the 'M' standing for Monoposto) and thirteen examples were built, with a 2½ litre straight-8 engine. The car above appears to be one of the six which were made into the Tipo 26M Sport for endurance racing, taking part in such races as the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio. A note in the programme about this race at Oulton Park says:

'Lord Doune, from Perthshire, has entered the Bologna challenge, his beautiful 2.5 litre Maserati to be driven by Martin Grant Peterkin on leave from Redford Barracks, Edinburgh.'

Friday's Ferrari

Here are a a couple of photographs I took at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in 1971.

I've featured this car before (on 11 May 2012) at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting in 1970. It's designated as a 1957 Ferrari 625 GP Monoposto, serial number 0712, which was built for New Zealander Pat Hoare and you can read something about the car and see more photographs of it here.

Not a very good photograph, but it shows the car on the Hill Top straight leading to Knickerbrook corner. I don't have the programme of the event, but the owner of the car at that time was Nigel Moores (of the Littlewoods Pools family), so he's probably driving it here.