Where do racing cars go?

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally Posted by Alan Raine

I've heard of the Biggin Hill collection. I'm surprised BE doesn't do more with it.

His Swiss collection is said to be bigger than Biggin. He bought the Albert Obrist Ferrari collection for example plus many Brabhams for obvious reasons.

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

His Swiss collection is said to be bigger than Biggin. He bought the Albert Obrist Ferrari collection for example plus many Brabhams for obvious reasons.

Doe's anyone know of his intentions with all these cars, apart from making money!

[Tony Davies]

Yes, I had a couple of very good races last year, and "caught the bug" again!
Dad's mini cooper is still around. The family are considering giving it a restoration job - it is 1964 and totally original. Jack died in 2001 (aged 82), but right up to the end he was still working, and driving 100 miles a day! He really enjoyed his racing days, that's for sure!
Next year will be my 30th season with the Firenza!!! - Good excuse for a knees-up!!

[Al Weyman]

See you out there Tony, come and say hello and welcome to the site.

[benjabulle]

Originally Posted by Alan Raine

Doe's anyone know of his intentions with all these cars, apart from making money!

I'm afraid he doesn't want to make money with them Many stories can be read about his collection, sometimes from people having worked on it but I've never read any answers to this question.

[ss_collins]

Its a waste to let racing cars rot privatley - let them rot in public like the ex carraciola '38 Merc Grand Prix car in the Prague technical museum.

[Thundersports]

I'll do some research on Biggin Hill and post here when I know more..........

[driftwood]

His Swiss collection is said to be bigger than Biggin. He bought the Albert Obrist Ferrari collection for example plus many Brabhams for obvious reasons.
the story here is that Albert needed to borrow $$ for a business deal banks would not lend so he asked BE for 5 Bernies to do a deal
BE loaned the $$ against alberts ferrari collection
when the date came to repay the 5 Bernies Albert did not have the money so BE inherited the collection and Albert sank with out a trace

BE has no intentions of letting us peasants see his cars

The Brabhams he has owned since he bought the team will never sell them
has loaned 2 cars out for 1 year per annum to 2 "pals"
Gordon Murray was given his BT49 it sat in donington museum he sold car to a TGP racer
when BE found out he was not happy!

[historicmechy]

I have only ever heard stories about BE's museum, from my boss who helped to restore one of his BT52s and from another person who went to pick up the bt49 that is on loan. Both have said that it made them sick seeing all the cars in there. Most sitting there on original tyres that they finished the race on and some restored examples.

I would love the be able to have a look around but until that time i guess i will never see my favourite car, a brabham bt52!!

[Tony Davies]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

See you out there Tony, come and say hello and welcome to the site.

Thanks Al,
If the plan comes together, I'm hoping to be at Brands, April 19/20.
All the best,
Tony

[benjabulle]

For the BT49's, 2 are running in TGP. One is owned by its driver (2005 champion), I don't know for this other one. For the BT52's, all are owned by Bernie except one chassis, at BMW private museum. This is the car that ran at Goodwood, I had the chance to see it at Munich 2 years ago (last time was in 1984 at Geneva motorshow ), unfortunately I had a bad camera :
http://www.gurneyflap.com/bt52photos.html

[RTH]

This is a website called 28 days later. Recently their cameras got in to Longbridge and posted up the most amazing set of pictures

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/index.php

[davyboy]

Like everyone here I've often wondered where the cars have gone too. But not only cars, karts as well. Myself and a friend were just debating that during a liquid evening over Christmas and he was recounting a number of instances of people dumping Vauxhall/Opel Lotus chassis into skips. I imagine that fate fell to a significant number of lower-class single seater and saloon cars, as well as karts. Depressing isn't it

[driftwood]

BT49 car Glasel owns the car Gordon Murray had in the donington museum sold it to Ian Giles who raced it for 1-2 seasons
Ermanno Ronchi had a "loan" of a BT49 Simon Hadfield restored the car ran it for 1 season then it went back to BE apparently the deal was done due to their wives being friends
The 2nd BT49 is now out i would think on a "loan" basis

As for old race cars and skips
I bought 93 f3000 car in japan 8 years ago from a private owner- when i went to the team who had owned the car they told me 4 weeks earlier they had cut 1 car up threw it in the skip- im still researching the japanese words to have told him he was a nutter

[Eddy V]

Even if you only think about the cars you once used to own.
I've sold some, far too cheap because then I didn't have the space and quite often the money to keep them.
Sold them for peanuts where I should have kept them (at least three). One saloon (all built in top spec) was demolished in rallycross by some nutters, another ended up in a skip as well.

[zefarelly]

I've sold 5 different 2 door Cortinas in the last year, 1 written of rallying, 1 was a resto project, the other being used as an early Lotus resto donor, 1 for an LC race build and the other a mint road car, will stay like that. . . . .I'd imagine lots of race cars get garaged by ownbers who can afford to kep them but nnot use them . . .the question is how long can you keep it without using it before its useless . . .and therefore of little value, then you think sod it, I'll keep it anyway, its easy to see why cars dissapear for years on end

[ss_collins]

I wonder if we should post pics of forgotten racers - alan raines FF for example

[Podd37]

[quote=davyboy]Myself and a friend were just debating that during a liquid evening over Christmas


Yeah and my head still hurts!! I recently came across a Formula Ford that was sold 25 yrs ago and is still sitting in the van it was sold with. Never even turned a wheel even though it was only maybe 4 yrs old when it was sold. The guy that owns it seems to think it's worth about the same as a house in Dublin!! .