[Gripping Pneus]

Rover SD1 and Lotus Elan +2. Possibly the Ferrari Daytona too.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

The penultimate photo has me intrigued. Is that a prototype W154? It has the V12 engine but is styled on the lines of a W125. I recall a hill climb special on those lines too. I think it is a better looking car than the W154 or W154/M163 too.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

The 1957 Zagato-bodied 450S Maserati, regarded by Girling Foss as the second most horrible car he ever drove.

To quote from Supercars.net,

"With encouragement of Stirling Moss, Maserati had Frank Costin, an English aerodynamic consultant, design a low drag body for the 450. In just a couple days, Zagato manufactured Costin’s body, and the result was somewhat unflattering."

It was also one of Frank Costin's few failures. It was more draggy than the 450S and slower on the straight. It still retained the transmission weakness of the donor car and the transaxle failed during the race ('57 Le Mans). I had not realised that the body was initially put aside for scrap, but somebody saw it and persuaded Maserati to stick it on chassis 4012 with body mods by Fantuzzi, and it became a road car (!).I believe that this version still exists, but even Fantuzzi couldn't turn it into anything good looking.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

I highly recommend this podcast - The re-union, the collapse of British Leyland. I heard it earlier this week and it is highly relevant to this thread. They brought together top management, union reps and shop floor workers to re live the times. Illuminating.

BBC Radio 4 - The Reunion, The Collapse of British Leyland

Kirsty Wark gathers key figures from the strife-torn car giant British Leyland.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Gripping Pneus]

It wasn't only the Brits that had this type of problem though. Fiat built the Lada plant and the Italian motor industry was paid back with fake Russian steel, complete with inclusions which caused the steel sheet to self destruct even when properly painted. This gave a reputation to Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia that took decades to shake off.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

Regrettably, mud tends to stick. Quite wrongly, I still tend to think of Italian cars as rust-buckets, which is why I've never bought one.

Many, although not all, are wonderful to drive, from entry-level Fiats, through Alfas to Ferraris, but there's always that nagging doubt about bodywork surviving the much-dreaded tinworm.

Quite so. In practice, the manufacturers realised this and went OTT to get rid of the reputation so ironically they became leaders in rust proofing their products, but the damage was done. I bought one of the later Lancia Deltas and it was hot dip galvanised, then electrophoretically sprayed with zinc to give higher build coating prior to painting. The wheel arches had full plastic inserts to prevent stone damage to the surfaces. I never saw a spot of rust. I finally passed it on when the gearbox started jumping out of top gear, which was a warning of big bills to come.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

Anyone remember Martin Hines and the superkarts around the SIlverstone GP circuit? A terrifying prospect as a driver methinks.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

RAK2 was the first car I have seen which used wings to create downforce, and Fritz's son was Rikky von Opel who was Formula 1's only driver from Liechtenstein. Useful for the pub quiz?

Here is another stirring shot from the archives. It's a hill climb but more than that I don't know.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

Gripping

I've seen your pic above previously. Can't recall where. Will now spend weeks trying to remember. Got nothing more than a hunch that it might have been Hans Stuck in roughly 1928.

That sounds about right. It is on the page following your crashed Stuck photo in the book he “Co-wrote” with Ernst Burghaller. There is only a cryptic caption which is totally uninformative.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

Thanks. It's a good looking car, very much on the lines of a US speedway car. The 24" steering wheel looks daunting too.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

Don't believe him - 3 and 4 are excellent too.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

£1900 in 1953 Pricey but not as much as today.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

What colour did the Lancia Ferrari's race in? I am sure that I have seen photo's of the cars in traditional racing red, but Jochen Mass drove a replica at Goodwood some years ago which was in the darker Afa Romeo red. The original Lancia D50's appeared to be in an almost orange colour, but I have seen the sports D24's in pillar box red and darker maroon as well. Alfa 158/159's also seem to appear in rosso/red and maroon.

Here be dragons methinks.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

Re my D50 colours post, your reference to the Ferrari Museum website shows the Ferrari D50 in traditional rosso. The replica is a darker red thus:

The original Lancia D50 seemed to use a very orangey red: Its not just this photo, all the contemporary photo's I have seen show this colour.

The Lancia D50 in the Ferrari Museum is the normal rosso. I don't know whether this is a replica because I thought that all of the original cars were cannibalised. It looked used though, as if it had been properly raced.

Similarly with the D24 sports cars. Below is a shot of them before the 1954 Mille Miglia:

And one in current captivity:

 

[Gripping Pneus]

There is an authenticated story that Colin Chapman had a few employees around at his house for drinks one Christmas Day and after a few someone suggested that they take a Lotus 16 out for a bash on the road. So they did. All got safely back without being apprehended as plod was thin on the ground that day.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

I remember building a static Merit Alfa 158 with engine, so that was another.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

The yanks arrive at Monza
View attachment 285477

Can anyone tell me why they are on Alfa Romeo car transporters?

 

[Gripping Pneus]

Thanks for the valuation! I had no idea.

It is an excellent book. I believe that Duncan Hamilton was on the receiving end of his wrath after the Le Mans escapade. I must re-read Wyer's version and Hamiton's in Touch Wood.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

Here's another photo of the beast. There is a very good potted history of the car that was bought into the UK in the September 6th 1969 edition of Motor magazine, entitled "A wolf in wolf's clothing". I have quoted bits from this before on the forum as it is amusing and awe inspiring at the same time and made sufficient impression on me at the time that I took a photocopy which I still have. PM if you're a Bimo fan and want a copy.

 

[Gripping Pneus]

The first racing driver to be killed in a car bearing his own name, I venture. Another pub quiz question perhaps?