GROUP TRACK TEST 1950s SPORTSCARS

technical issues: the ratio of third gear to Fairthorpe (minus Fairthorpe Electron tree) is ready to go fourth is not quite right and the gearshift itself is mounted in a place that requires an Air Vice Marshall Donald Bennett’s decision awkward reverse flex of the wrist to work. to marry a 1098cc Coventry Climax engine to But, other than a touch of high-speed a chassis fitted with newfangled fibreglass understeer at the fastest point of the Craner bodywork in 1956 spawned the rarely- Curves, and a tendency to wander a bit seen Fairthorpe Electron. under heavy braking, the Fairthorpe is Our version (later, and with bigger engine) quite an impressive package. was bought for £5000 by VSCC racer Rob Cobden, who wants a fresh challenge after six Electron proved a Xxxxx Gait nullaortis capable package augaxxxit atio dolore or seven years developing his pre-war Riley. “I found the car completely derelict in a garden in the Isle of Wight,” explains Cobden, who used to race touring cars in Australia. “It had been sat out in the open for 30 years – the engine was seized up and the chassis was completely rotten with a tree growing through it!” Our test is the first time this Electron has run properly since the completion of Cobden’s 18-month restoration project, and it’s a surprisingly capable little car considering. Its relatively short wheelbase makes it quite nimble and the car has a neutral balance that makes it very accessible to the uninitiated driver. As you may expect with a car that hasn’t done much running, there are a few small

WEIGHT 580kg SIMON HADFIELD SAYS: ENGINE 110bhp Coventry Climax CUBIC CAPACITY 1220cc “Because there was an engine issue, I couldn’t really make a proper comment on it. Recreating a YEAR OF MANUFACTURE 1959 (first made in ’56) I needed more laps. I also didn’t fit it very well, but to me it felt a bit too stiff.”

Elva Courier – Mk7s, Mk8s and the like – and thought it Not having to worry much about gear would be a nice thing to have in the family,” changing is just as well, because the explains Simon. “But Mandy’s so taken with Elva is a real handful. Hadfield’s own Elva Courier mirrors the Formula Ford that we’ve got to wean her off “It oversteers,” warns Hadfield bluntly late-’50s open-top sports-racer philosophy of it and get her to do something more difficult!” as AUTOSPORT is strapped in for a run in the the Electron. He bought the car from America The Elva’s 1.6-litre engine produces more left-hand-drive car. He’s not wrong! But the golden age four years ago for his wife Mandy to race. bottom-end power than the Climax, making interesting thing about the Elva is that it “We’ve done a lot with Elva sports-racers it more driveable in third and fourth gears. wants to oversteer, so once you get over an instinct to instantaneously correct every slide, Elva has nervous and just run with it, the car comes alive. oversteer traits Park in April, with further MG Car As confidence builds, you can drive this Club events planned at Brands Hatch, car at ludicrous angles through the corners Motorsport boomed during the 1950s, and a new club is devoted Silverstone and Thruxton, plus trips to and end up feeling like a total hero on-track to celebrating that golden era for racing. BY BEN ANDERSON the Bentley Drivers Club’s Silverstone – something Lotus Cortina fan Hadfield Club meeting and Castle Combe for clearly identifies with. the circuit’s in-house historic festival. he 1950s was a time of branch out on his own. “We’re trying to cater for 1950s rapid technological change With help from fellow AMOC sports and GT cars run as they were in Tin motorsport, as the world members John Turner, Richard Bell and period,” says Campbell, who will captain emerged from war and patriotic Jim Campbell (no relation), plus Alfa the Aston Martin team. “We’ve come up manufacturers entered a new battle Romeo racer James Wiseman, Mark has with a list of the cars that raced in the in the field of domestic motoring. founded the Fifties Sports Car Racing ’50s and most have done Le Mans.” The Aston Martin Owners Club’s Club (FISCAR) to run a series of races Six of those cars, each representing a 1950s Team Challenge was an evocative for period sports-racers and GT cars. different marque eligible for the series, celebration of this era, bringing The new club hopes to become have come to a chilly – but sunny – together like-minded enthusiasts and “the focal point for drivers and Donington for an exclusive track test owners for relaxed weekends of friendly enthusiasts who are passionate about ahead of the start of the season. marque-based team competition. competing in legendary sportscars, The idea is to give AUTOSPORT Unfortunately, instability and from the era that gave birth to the a flavour of what fans can expect to uncertainty have wrought havoc world sportscar championship,” see from FISCAR in its first year. Ace WEIGHT 680kg SIMON SAYS: within the AMOC recently, so long- according to its website. historic racer and preparation expert ENGINE 120bhp MG time Aston racer and Team Challenge FISCAR has secured six race dates for Simon Hadfield is also on hand to give CUBIC CAPACITY 1622cc “We’re a preparation firm but we have the worst-handling car! We’ve struggled with it. organiser Mark Campbell decided to its first season, beginning at Donington feedback and advice to the owners. YEAR OF MANUFACTURE 1959 (first made in ’58) It’s much better now than it was and we hope that we can make it nicer still.” ALL PICS: MICK WALKER 0123456789 0123456789 [[1L]] autosport.com March 15 2012 March 15 2012 autosport.com [[2R]] GROUP TRACK TEST 1950s SPORTSCARS

Austin Healey 100/4 famous 1955 Mille Miglia in a Healey. mounted behind the front wheels, so for Abecassis Jr started racing last season a ’50s car it’s reasonably well balanced. TATE’S NOT-SO- and will continue to cut his motorsport teeth “A lot of people run alloy panels on their Our example of the 100 ‘Big Healey’ in the new FISCAR series this year. The car’s cars, which you’re not supposed to do, MODERN ERA (so named because of its ability to reach preparer – Healey nut Paul Woolmer – says but this has a completely original body 100mph when it was first produced in 1953) it’s a great machine to learn in. so it’s a proper thing.” belongs to Jonathan Abecassis, whose “It’s an easy car to drive, like all the The 100/4 is a fantastically solid car and Donington is back on-track grandfather George finished 11th in the Healeys,” he says. “The four-cylinder engine is completely lacking in vices, which would inspire great confidence in beginners. ‘Big Healey’ felt solid It has a very forward driving position that as a rock on-track Lotus Elite Rapid Elite behaves like makes you feel right on top of it – like you’re a modern racing car in a massive retro go-kart. It’s not particularly powerful, but has great poise and a very Like almost everything ever produced by Chapman homologated everything under the driveable engine. The transmission also Colin Chapman’s team, the Lotus Elite was sun!” says Arculus. “When they were first WEIGHT 576kg contains a useful overdrive function to way ahead of its time. Simon Hadfield’s father produced, everyone said they were a racing ENGINE help keep the motor pulling when it feels George said it ‘looked like a spaceship car for the road. They were very advanced 115-120bhp AFTER A WORRYING COUPLE OF YEARS, like it might run out of puff. had landed’ when the lightweight, low-line for the ’50s and it’s delightful because it Coventry Climax Donington Park is back to full health and coupe first appeared next to its gargantuan does exactly what you want it to.” CUBIC CAPACITY new managing director Christopher Tate peers of the period. As expected, the Elite is by far the best of 1216cc sees historic racing as a key part of Brian Arculus’s example is one that’s our cars technically. It’s light, fleet-footed, it MANUFACTURED the circuit’s future. regularly embarrassed newer 1960s cars in stops, it turns and its Tony Mantle-prepared 1961 (first made, ’58) To that end there are 12 bespoke the MGCC’s Equipe GTS category and latterly engine is strong. You can easily work up racedays for historics in 2012 (out of Julius Thurgood’s Grand Touring Greats series. a sweat driving this car because it Donington’s newly increased total of 60) The ex-Jaguar XK champion says he originally encourages you to go faster. and some of those will be unsilenced. bought the car for his wife Pat. Despite a slightly unsettling tendency to “We’ve got four prongs with what we “The lovely thing about Elites is you can float through the fastest point of the Craners, are building here,” Tate says. “Bikes, be pretty confident they’re straight because it is eminently capable, and the only car of prototypes and GTs, touring cars there’s nothing you can really do to them – our six that feels like a modern racer. and club racing, and historics. “This is a track they look forward to driving on and historics are important to WEIGHT 987kg SIMON SAYS: SIMON SAYS: ENGINE 200bhp BMC us. Plus we want more people to know CUBIC CAPACITY 2660cc “The Healey was fantastic – it just felt really solid. Apart from the chicane and Redgate, “The Lotus Elite is a real racing car – it’s a Formula Junior with two seats! about, and go to, our [on-site] museum. YEAR OF MANUFACTURE 1955 (first made in ’53) you could just drive it using the overdrive switch. I felt like Fernando Alonso!” The brakes were fantastic, it handled well, but was a bit too nervous at high speed.” “Kevin Wheatcroft [circuit owner] feels this very strongly, and I feel to bring modern single-seaters here isn’t making the most of our facilities.” The only disappointment is that loaded, do things start to go wrong. In this Hadfield got a shock According to Donington Park’s new managing Early ’50s Lancia was a revelation the Vintage Sports-Car Club won’t be Aston Martin DB2/4 when he braked in DB2/4 situation the car goes crazy: yawing wildly as director Christopher Tate, the Lancia Aurelia holding it’s traditional SeeRed meeting the steering goes light. Nowhere at Donington was the Grand Tourer that all continental this year, but Tate hopes it will return: FISCAR vice chairman Mark Campbell has is this more likely to occur than in the grand prix drivers of the period drove to and “The VSCC has always been a part of owned and raced his silver Aston DB2/4 ultra-fast Craner Curves and, when it does, from the races. Husband and wife Jason and Donington and, looking to 2013, we (once owned by newspaper tycoon Lord the driver is immediately demoted from Louise Kennedy acquired their example in have to find a way of making it work.” Beaverbrook) for a decade. It’s a proper, captain of the ship to total passenger. 2007 and have – true to form – taken it all l Kevin Turner old-school Grand Tourer – the sort of car AUTOSPORT even manages a wild spin at over Europe to compete in races, hillclimbs British grand prix racers of the day would the Old Hairpin while lapping another car… and tours. Jason even uses it for the shopping! drive to and from the circuit. “Everyone should drive the Aurelia at least DONINGTON’S 2012 Xxxxx Gait nullaortis HISTORIC CALENDAR “Everyone says the Golf GTI was the augaxxxit atio dolore once,” says Louise, who has also driven a TVR world’s first hot hatch, but it had all been Griffith and Ford Falcon. “It drifts so perfectly March 17-18 HSCC done before!” exclaims Campbell. “There was that it makes you feel like Fangio!” April 8 MGCC nothing else much like it in its day. It’s the The Lancia is a bit recalcitrant at first, but a May 5-6 Donington Historic Festival only car I’ve ever raced. My father had the change of ignition coil eventually gets it going. June 4 MSCC ex-Le Mans DB2 (from 1952, which Campbell When you first climb in, it looks and feels very July 28 HRDC now owns) and I used to hate them, similar to the Aston and thus you expect it July 29 AMOC but I’ve grown to love them.” to behave much like the DB2/4 on-track. Lancia Aurelia B20 September 15-16 CSCC AUTOSPORT experiences a similar Nothing could be further from the truth. October 13-14 Masters Finals emotional journey when driving the Aston. Like the Aston, the Aurelia’s weight makes It feels very ungainly to begin with – like it feel short of power, but you simply can’t trying to manoeuvre a massive boat in a tiny fault its handling. The car has all the poise WEIGHT 1150kg harbour – but once you find the correct and grace of a ballerina, and is so capable ENGINE rhythm it’s hugely rewarding. The trick is to I’m convinced it could drive itself. 135bhp Lancia V6 plan well ahead for every turn, get the car They say top Formula 1 drivers use a tiny CUBIC CAPACITY to take a set path and then run with it, percentage of brain capacity to actually 2451cc threading carefully through every bend. operate a car; the Lancia is so good that MANUFACTURED Only when you upset the car by, say, trying it could help any driver imitate Michael 1953 (first made, ’50) to alter course slightly when the Aston is fully Aston goes crazy if you upset it Schumacher at his peak.

WEIGHT 1225kg SIMON SAYS: SIMON SAYS: ENGINE 190bhp Vantage straight-6 CUBIC CAPACITY 2922cc “This is the car with the most pre-war technology – a girder of a chassis and a big engine. “I was blown away by the Lancia. It was so incredibly capable. A good gauge of a car is that Tate sees historics as YEAR OF MANUFACTURE 1954 (first made in ’53) It’s lovely, but heavy, very soft, and can’t accept you changing your mind in the corners.” you feel you could lap consistently in it for hours. My dad always said they were special!” key to Donington future ALL PICS: MICK WALKER 0123456789 0123456789 [[1L]] autosport.com March 15 2012 March 15 2012 autosport.com [[2R]]