Your Golden Epoch?

92859 Views 2680 Replies 48 Participants Last post by HiFi, 15 h ago

Trisha

Discussion Starter · Oct 1, 2020

Most motor racing folk look back to their favourite eras from time to time because we have brains that store memories. Like all 'disciplines' motor sport, in all its forms, has gone through highs and lows, but even during troughs, we can often reflect on something that has been stored in our minds with affection.

As usual your views and images will always be of great interest. And thanks.

A few memory joggers below.

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beardy56

· #741 · May 14, 2021

A few pre-war cars on the Goodwood hill climb

[Video] Nine bonkers pre-war hillclimbs at FOS | GRR (goodwood.com)

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Trisha

Discussion Starter · #742 · May 15, 2021

Nice clip of Goodwood, Keith. Thanks for posting it.

Kit Spackman

· #743 · May 15, 2021

That FIAT is mind blowing!

28 litres and only 4 cylinders, each one must be the size of a dustbin!

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Trisha

Discussion Starter · #744 · May 16, 2021

A die-cast of Vittorio Jano's Tipo B Alfa showing the 'split' propshaft, designed to seat the driver lower in the car. Introduced in 1932, the Tipo B was the world's first single-seater GP car, and was especially successful in Nuvolari's hands.

Older chaps might recall Jenks going on, ad nauseam, in his explanation as to why the Tipo B is NOT a P3.

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Ecurie Martini

· #745 · May 16, 2021

Trisha said:
Jenks with Marcel Masuy at Solitude, 1952, competing with their Norton-Watsonian. This is just one reason why Jenks was so infuriatingly intransigent in his views about safety in motor sport.

Never did anything like that but it called to mind my days of hanging on by my toes over the rail of a 17' racing dinghy. A beam reach in 20 kts of breeze was a drenching experience.

EM

EM

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Wobble

· #746 · May 16, 2021

beardy56 said:
A few pre-war cars on the Goodwood hill climb

[Video] Nine bonkers pre-war hillclimbs at FOS | GRR (goodwood.com)

This was a lot more entertaining and enjoyable than the few minutes of GT3 I watched on the box today before I got bored with it.

Kit Spackman

· #747 · May 16, 2021

Trisha said:
A die-cast of Vittorio Jano's Tipo B Alfa showing the 'split' propshaft, designed to seat the driver lower in the car. Introduced in 1932, the Tipo B was the world's first single-seater GP car, and was especially successful in Nuvolari's hands.

Older chaps might recall Jenks going on, ad nauseam, in his explanation as to why the Tipo B is NOT a P3.

That's an intriguing transmission system.

Did they have a diff at the forward end of the propshafts, or were there two diffs, one at the end of each propshaft, or no diff at all, or even a split rear axle?

Trisha

Discussion Starter · #748 · May 16, 2021

Kit

The diff is at the rear of the gearbox. Twin propshafts run in torque tubes to separate bevel gears for each rear wheel.

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Trisha

Discussion Starter · #749 · May 16, 2021

A couple of later Alfas, Kit. Regrettably, the mid-engined 512 didn't turn a wheel in anger due to the War.

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Trisha

Discussion Starter · #750 · May 20, 2021

Bolzano Garage, 1950s.

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Gripping Pneus

· #751 · May 20, 2021

An interesting photo. I am curious as to why the garage is thus named as Bolzano was way north of any of the Mille Miglia routes AFAIK.

The recovery truck looks like an ex US Army vehicle - liberated perhaps?

Abarth Mike

· #752 · May 20, 2021

Kit Spackman said:
That's an intriguing transmission system.

Did they have a diff at the forward end of the propshafts, or were there two diffs, one at the end of each propshaft, or no diff at all, or even a split rear axle?

According to my surfing the Type A had two engines, two gearboxes and two drive shafts. So the Type B dual drive shafts appear to be a carry over?

Gripping Pneus

· #753 · May 20, 2021

I don't think so. The arrangements were quite different in that the Tipo A had a separate clutch, gearbox, propshaft and final drive unit behind each engine with the propshafts running parallel so that the final drive units were almost touching. After the second race a freewheel system was fitted behind each gearbox to help cornering as there was no differential.

The Tipo B had a clutch, gearbox and diff fixed to the engine with a dead space between the short half shafts. No one knows why this arrangement was chosen. It is widely written that it was to get the driver seated lower, but study of the car shows this not to be the case. The driver sits as high as in any of the conventional cars. There may have been a marginal saving in unsprung weight by having the diff. as a sprung part, but then there were two propshafts and final drives which would appear to negate that saving.

Both cars were successful.

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beardy56

· #754 · May 21, 2021

Maybe not really Golden Epoch but check out 3:42

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matthew77

· #755 · May 21, 2021

I wish Scalextric or Slot It would make the 2 Volvos.

Kit Spackman

· #756 · May 22, 2021

Pendle do a lovely resin kit of the Volvo 850 Estate, in road, race and Police versions.

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Trisha

Discussion Starter · #757 · May 26, 2021

Debut of the first GP March at Brands 51 years ago.

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David Lawson

· #758 · May 26, 2021

The debut of the March 701 was at the South African Grand Prix when Jackie Stewart and Chris Amon set identical times to share the front row of the grid.

David

Trisha

Discussion Starter · #759 · May 27, 2021

Press launch, Brands!

David Lawson

· #760 · May 27, 2021

I was talking race debut for the South African GP. If you are talking press launch then the works car was photographed at the factory with Granatelli in attendance but the press launch itself was with the works car and the Tyrrell run car at Silverstone where both cars ran on track.

David

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