Wheatcroft cars

[davemorganfan]

I'm suffering memory loss (yes, I'm not getting any younger). Can anyone remind me about the cars produced under the Wheatcroft name in the 1970s? I remember a Formula Atlantic one, driven I think by Richard Morgan, and wasn't there an F2 car too? All designed ( I think) by the excellent Mike Pilbeam. Are the cars still around? Didn't the F2 one have an engine that was somewhat apart from the F2 norm at the time?

[PaulSands]

There was an F3 car too....Marches and Brabhams were used...check out the Donington Collection there is an area devoted to Roger Williamson

[Jeremy Jackson]

The F2 car was the R26-Abarth, driven once (I think, without checking) by Brian Henton at Thruxton 1976. It re-appeared in 19777 occasionally with a Hart engine, with Bob Evans driving.

The Atlantic cars were the R18 - I remember seeing a chassis 006 for sale, so I guess there was at least 6 built!

[PaulSands]

The F2 was a Pilbeam R26 with an Abarth engine

[Chris Townsend]

I can trace histories for at least 4 R18s.

1975 3 built:
001 Richard Morgan F.Atlantic replacing B29 Chevron sold to Brett Riley. Written off in testing accident by Brian Henton

002 Replacement car, raced by both Morgan and Henton. Henton's car at the Silverstone F2 round. Sold to Alex Blignaut in S.Africa for 1976 and used as spare car by Nols Neiman

003 Buitl end of season, maybe not raced, or even new to Blignaut. Neiman's regular car in 1976 and early '77

1976?
004 F3 car for John Bright. Used 1979 F.Atlantic by Rhoddy Harvey Bailey.

[Dan Rear]

I think a chap, who I met briefly a while ago, called Paul Gardner up here (Lancs.) has one of them. He told me its an ex-ZA car. He was working on it in his workshop with a view to getting it going in Historic F2, don't think he's been out in it yet though.

As an aside he was a pretty quick driver in various Marches in Libre in the 79s, he also had a TGP Penske PC3 a few years ago. Any idea about his Marches, Chris/Jeremy??

[IANHEB]

Dan,
I know one of the SA Wheatcrofts came back to the UK in fairly complete condition,and legend has it that it went to the Donnington collection.Would be interesting to know if Paul has that one .There is no sign here of the other one,which had been reduced to a bare tub by the mid 1980's.
Ian

[Jeremy Jackson]

R18 F. Atlantic chassis 006 was advertised by Roger Coman in Autosport Sep. 1979, as "Hardly used". Small pic has race number 20, with Hitachi decals, so presumably (if car in pic = car in advert) it had a UK Atlantic history?

[Chris Townsend]

A British Atlantic history suggests it's the Harvey Bailey car, so I guess that John Bright had several F3 chassis in 76/77

Chris

[Dan Rear]

Chris/Jeremy, pretty sure the Bright car was an ex-Morgan FAt chassis.He used it in 77, and had a big accident in early 78, replacing it with a March 773. So maybe the Harvey-Baillie car was a new tub, or used the remains of Bright's car.

It may have been new, as his mate John Collings was I think from Derby, ie near Donington, I imagine they were close to Tom W, so perhaps Tom let them have a 'new-old' car to work with.

If it was the Bright car rebuilt, is this unique, one car starting as an Atlantic, converted to F3, then back again, (ignoring dodgy Marches of course)???

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Dan Rear
.....his mate John Collings was I think from Derby, ie near Donington, I imagine they were close to Tom W, so perhaps Tom let them have a 'new-old' car to work with.

The well-known racing photographer John Colley owned and raced a Wheatcroft at one point - presumably the bloke you're referring to, as he hails from that neck of the woods.
Don't know which car, but I don't remember him ever mentioning a Tom Wheatcroft connection.

[allenbrown]

Cowman hails from the same neck of the same woods

[David McKinney]

Very true - and an even likelier connection with John Colley

[PeterMorley]

Roger Cowman certainly knows John Colley - they are both from Derby area and meet very regularly.

You can just about see Rhoddy Harvey Bailey's house from Roger's, so there is a connection there as well.

[Dan Rear]

Chaps, so we know the Colley/Harvey-Baillie/Cowman connection, but are we any nearer on where their 79 Atlantic Wheatcroft fits in with the Bright F3 car. The latter was based in Leicester, just down the road from Derby. Same car, or a completely different one ?