Special Saloons - the post 1975 (ish) cars

[Andrew Kitson]

Gerry Marshall in Baby Bertha holding off Jonathan Buncombe in the Imp bodied Chevron B19 'Chimp'.
Silverstone GP circuit May 1976.
Anymore pics out there?

[Andrew Kitson]

Mickj - There you go! Turner's 5 litre Chevvy V8 Skoda.

[Andrew Kitson]

John Turner's Skoda leads Mick Hill's Capri and the rest - Thruxton 1975.

[Andrew Kitson]

I think this may be Arthur Collier. Not certain. Car is entered by Derek McMahon who was Derek Daly's backer in his early days.

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally posted by TimD


I'm trying to remember who took on "Baby Bertha" from Gerry Marshall. She never seemed to go quite as well when she left his care.

I think it was Paul Haywood-Halfpenny who still races classic saloons and historics now.

[Andrew Kitson]

Walter Robertson's DFV Skoda.

[mickj]

Andrew
Thats not the DFV. Walter had a yellow 1, the car pictured is another Robertson from Scotland.

[mickj]

Andrew
The Skoda pictured was powered by a Capri GA motor.I think Walter Robertsons Skoda had a BDA motor prepared by Colin Bennett Racing.

[Andrew Kitson]

The VW Beetle 5000cc Chevy at Donington in 1982. Not sure who the owner / driver was at this time.

[Rutle]

Only a small image I'm afraid - but one of my all time favourites from way back then - the Colin Hawker DFVW. And his Capri wasn't half bad either!

[Andrew Kitson]

Tony Hazelwood's Daf V8 in 1973 at Brands.

[Andrew Kitson]

Remember Tony Hazelwood's Jag, after the DAF?
Found this in an old MN.

[Andrew Kitson]

A Donington GT grid with super saloons to the fore in the late 70s.
Walter Robertson's DFV Skoda on pole, Mick Hill's 7 litre Skoda Phoenix alongside with his ex-5 litre Chev Beetle behind. Also in the background is Baby Bertha.

[Dan Rear]

When Supersaloons were really strong in the mid-70s, I'd say Baby Bertha was quickest, it very rarely got beaten anyway at any track as I recall.

Later on when things got more sophisticated, I guess it depends which track. At the more twisty ones, I'd go for a 2 litre Skoda, perhaps Derek Walkers or Robertson's. For the longer and quicker circuits, maybe the DFVW, Mick Hill's 'Phoenix' or Whiting's MK2 GA Escort.

One of the quickest of these GTs I ever saw though at Mallory was Nicky Ellis' BDG Elan. That walked a Modsports race once, OK, not against very much, but his fastest lap was better than all the Super/Special saloon records up until that time, early 1980. It also went well in Donington GTs against the Skodas. Whatever happened to that Car/Driver, they were sensational that day.

Dan

[Bob Riebe]

I hate to dig up an old item, but I am wondering. OF these Super Saloons, how long or how many were modified production cars (unibody, frame, or sub-frames onto which a roll-cage chassis was attached) and when did they become ground-up tube frame thingies.
Bob

[Jeremy Jackson]

Bob,

Frank Gardner raced an ex-KarKraft Boss Mustang in the British saloon Car Champ in 1970, and Dennis leech also in 1970-72 in his Boss 302 (But was 7.1 litre engined by 1972)

Martin Birrane drove one in 1971-73, but alas, none of them won the championship! (But Gardner won the over 1600 or 2000cc class in 1970)

And the only photos I have are on transparency, which I can't scan, so sorry about that! Hope someone else has some though.

[Keith Norris]

I have just bought the remains of Mick Hill's old V8 Beetle. Can anyone help with photos of the car with its bodywork removed?

[Speedy norm]

It would be nice to see the grid re-created again but this is one branch of historic motorsport lost forever. With the resurgence of historic racing in the early eighties a lot of these cars, in particular Skodas reverted to their former lives - Chevron B19/23 Ian Richardsons Corvair now a Mclaren M8 again? The DFVW of Colin Hawker was built on the chassis of Gordon Murry's Duckhams special which Alain De Cadenet did Le Mans in 1973. Where is this now?
I remember a comment from an Autosport journalist in'75 - Baby Bertha was a racing car made into a saloon, the rest were saloons made into racers!

[Andrew Kitson]

An example of the single seater basis of so many super saloons. The Players Corvair-bodied F5000 Lola raced by Frank Gardner down under in 1976.

[Jonny Apex]

Originally posted by Andrew Kitson
A Donington GT grid with super saloons to the fore in the late 70s.
Walter Robertson's DFV Skoda on pole, Mick Hill's 7 litre Skoda Phoenix alongside with his ex-5 litre Chev Beetle behind. Also in the background is Baby Bertha.

I've just got onto this thread and this image pretty much brought tears to my eyes. Donington, along with Mallory and Cadwell, was one of my regular circuits as a kid in the Seventies and Eighties.

Correct me if I've got it wrong, but wasn't it Walter Robertson - borrowing, I think, another competitor's yellow Skoda - who rolled it out of the chicane and pretty much into the spectator area after contact with Doug Niven's Beetle?

So many years ago, so apologies if I've got a few things wrong. But it was a monumental shunt and I recall the car pretty much going over my head as I watched. Driver got out OK.

And Donington - without the hospitality suites on the inside of Goddards!

Please, post more of Mick Hill, Jeff Wilson, David Auger, Nicky Ellis, Peter Baldwin etc.

[petestenning]

Have you seen that Tony Hazlewood has obtained his former DAFF55 Supersaloon, with the aim of rebuilding and racing it!!!!.
Is this the start of something?

[Andrew Kitson]

Yes, saw that! And Keith is rebuilding the Beetle, Baby Bertha exists - could be a case for a 'superloon' revival race at the Silverstone historic meeting for example, as the BRDC were so supportive of the class in it's day and many of the 70s supersaloon drivers are members!

[Tim Barry]

Originally posted by Keith Norris
I have just bought the remains of Mick Hill's old V8 Beetle. Can anyone help with photos of the car with its bodywork removed?

Keith, good to hear you have bought the Beetle and good to know that some people never learn!

The Trojan that Mick Hill came to look at in Kent was the unique Ian Ward run T102 which is sitting quietly less engine in my garage at the moment. Have spent too much time, effort and money getting the March GA race ready that the Trojan has had to take a back seat. If you want to take pictures or borrow the spare wishbones, etc., then let me know. I believe that the Beetle used the front suspension and complete back-end from the Trojan (engine, gearbox and rear suspension). I have some contemporary reports of the building of the Beetle and I think some pictures somewhere. Sorry, I don't have your phone number!

[Flagman]

some bigger engined cars naturally raced in the upper capacity classes there also, like Bob Trotters V8 Escort,

IIRC that car was intended to have a 2 litre engine (BDG or something) - but Bob blew it up first time out testing and as he couldn't afford to get it repaired/replaced, he bought a Rover V8 from a local scrap yard, spent about £150 on new bits and used that instead.

After Bob stopped racing I think the car went down south and was raced at Lydden and Brands.

Incidently - I saw Bob a couple of years ago in the paddock at Oulton Park - mechanicing for his son, who had just started racing in the Fiat series.

[Nordic]

Wendy Wools VW

Heres a shot from the wendy wools series, Karmen Ghia, not sure of the driver but i think it was Dave something

Vauxhall

Is this the transpeed Vauxhall?

Reliant

Ginger Marshall and his Reliant

Stag

Mr Hart and his Stag, in a mod saloon race.

Full index here, some skoda & Imp. not many shots, and not great, but a few memories brought back.

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