[Alan Brown]

On show at the Speedshow (Olympia) in January was a “highly ingenious” twin cylinder, twin cam Allen BDA 850, alloy block, single Weber twin choke carb, 11.5:1 CR, over 100 bhp (MN 9-1-75) – raced in 1976 by Peter Day in a Mini

The 1975 Tricentrol Supersaloon championship was won by Gerry Marshall, second Alec Poole and third, Tony Strawson. Race results:
Ingliston – Marshall Silverstone – Richardson
Brands Hatch – Poole Mondello Park – Marshall
Oulton Park – Poole Silverstone – Marshall
Silverstone (British GP) – Marshall Thruxton – Marshall
Mallory Park – Marshall Oulton Park – Marshall

MN announced (28-8-75 and A/S 28-8-75) that Supersaloons were to be axed; circuit owners said that the category was not competitive enough to justify races on prime dates and also had affected the grids for lesser special saloon events; a possible reprieve was suggested (A/S 25-9-75); a championship was announced for 1976 (MN 15-1-76).


Dick Adams – Blydenstein Viva 2.3 – ex-Allam Motor Services
Clive Baker – ex-Brian Muir/Martin Thomas/Ali Hussein Camaro 5.7 - acquired from Gerry Marshall
Peter Baldwin (Marshalls) – Mini Clubman (Baby B4) 1298 Allen BDA (reputed 175 bhp), Clubman front needed to accommodate the bigger engine unit (A/S 17-4-75) – and also 1.0 Holbay Ford
B Barnes – Escort 1.6
Mike Beckett – Anglia 1000
Richard Belcher (Mercantile) – Anglia 1000 ex-Goode
Martin Birrane (Adlards) – Boss Capri V8 5.0 – ex Mick Hill (second Capri) – also raced by Mick Hill at Mallory Park in August – to Chris Meek
Keith Bowmaker – Escort V8 4.7
Pat Bradley and Fred Henderson – Minor-Jaguar (sprints)
Len Brammer – Fiat 850-BLMC 1.3
Dave Bray – Escort V8 3.5
Dave Brodie (ShellSport) – Capri V6 3.4
Ralph Bryans - Escort
Philip Cartlidge – A40-Holbay Ford 1.0
Tony Castle-Miller – Fiat 600 Abarth-Lotus
Hugh Chalmers (James Ross and Sons) – Avenger-Norvic Lotus 16 valve 2.3 – built by Sandy Cormack (of James Ross and Sons) – F1 Surtees-suspended (parts bought at a Surtees sale) (MN 14-8-75 and 28-8-75) – also raced by Bernard Unett
Nigel Clarke – Mini-Ford 1.3
Phil Clarke (Kingsway) – Magnum Coupe (ex-Firenza) 2.3 sohc fi (200 bhp) – crashed at Snetterton (rebuilt with droop snoot front as a Firenza) – also raced by Tim Stock – for sale, £2700 (A/S 4-12-75)
Arthur Collier (Dealer Team Skoda) – Skoda S110R 5.0 – ex John Turner
Graham Connolly – Cortina V8 3.5
Georgie Constantine – Mini-Ford 1.0
Bill Coull – Viva 2.3 – ex Graeme Walker
Bill Cox (Red Rovers) – WRC Capri 7.0/Chevy 7.6
Brian Cutting (and Terry Van Der Zee) – Escort-Oldsmobile 3.5s/c
Brian Davison – Viva GT 2.3
Tony Dickinson – Imp-Ford BDA 1298 (190 bhp on fi), Hewland transaxle and 5-speed box (A/S 17-4-75) – and Mini-Ford 1.0 – the latter for sale with a spare damaged shell (MN 23-10-75)
Bill Dryden (SMT – sponsor James Car Deliveries) – Firenza – planned for 1975, 2.3 16-valve engine, expected to give 280 bhp+ (Blydenstein) – plans were “to keep a strong body section but using Chevron corners and front end with the engine moved 14 inches back in the frame” (MN 30-1-75) – “the front of the Chevron sports car is only 6 inches narrower than the Firenza and the plans are to mate this front end onto the bulkhead of the Vauxhall centre section, an FT200 transaxle is most likely to find a home in the back of the car along with Chevron F5000 rear suspension … all up weight of under 11 cwt” (A/S 6-2-75) – still being worked on (A/S 29-1-76) – borrowed back his 1974 car from Graeme Walker for the Ingliston Super Saloon round and other races – also raced Firenza 2.3 and 2.5 (ex-Gerry Marshall’s Old Nail)
David Edge – Mini-Holbay Ford 1.0
Jim Evans – Escort Turbo RS2000 2.14 turbo – rebuilt from 1974 with engine moved back to improve front/rear weight distribution (48:52%), E-type box and 3.0 Capri lsd (A/S 20-3-75) – also raced by Chris Ray – for sale (A/S 8-5-75)
Ian Forrest – Imp 1.0 – spaceframe – ex Brian Coyle
Divina Galica (ShellSport and Southern Organs) – Escort 1850 BDA (carbs) – built by Nick Whiting – ex-Lawrie Hickman Group 2 car which Nick Whiting had as a spare car – to carry the racing number 13 because she was born on August 13 1946 – crashed at Brands Hatch in the first race (A/S 13-2-75) – new Escort II FVC 1850 –for sale, £3500 (A/S 20-11-75)
Geoff Gilkes – Mini-Imp 850 – built by Brian Lawrence, special Allen crank, Bevan head and cam (A/S 22-5-75)
Graham Goode (Autocare) – Escort 1.3 BDA
Frank Gunn – Escort 2.0 – ex-Gerry Edmunds Racing Group 2, built by Specfab C and S – for sale, £3500, A/S 23-10-75
Fred Hall – Escort 2.1 BDA (BDG?)
Ron Hand – Anglia 1.8 BDA (hill climbs)
Colin Hawker (The Toleman Group) – VW 412/1600 Variant fastback-DFV (‘DFVW’) – all-aluminium monocoque (Gordon Murray – De Cadenet Le Mans) using the engine as a stressed member – Hewland DG3000 transaxle (MN 22-5-75, A/S 22-5-75) – also raced by Chris Craft at Oulton Park in September
Tony Hazlewood – Jaguar XJ8L-Chevy V8 6990 fuel-injected (620 bhp) (two all alloy engines bought from John Surtees who had had them built up by Weslake for Can-Am), Hewland gearbox (A/S 20-3-75, MN 24-7-75) – fibreglass front and rear sections grafted onto a XJ6 centre section – with Lola suspension (ex-Frank Gardner F5000) – project reputed to have cost over £10 000 (MN 28-8-75) – also raced by Gordon Mayers – tested by S Moss at Silverstone in October (A/S 30-10-75)
Norman Hodgson – Escort FVC (carbs) 1.8/2.0 – ex Whiting (minus engine and box)
Escort special saloon rolling shell, ex-Alan Mann for sale, £550, Norman Hodgson (A/S 27-11-75)
David Holmes – 3.8 Janglia
Oliver Holmes – 3.8 Janglia – relations?
David Howes (Howes Motors) – AMC Javelin 6.4
Martin Kent – Sunbeam Rapier 5.7 Chevy – for sale (A/S 12-12-74), £2500 (A/S 13-3-75), £1900 ono (A/S 19-6-75)
Stuart Lewis – Capri-Chevy (hill climbs)
Richard (Rupert) Long – Anglia, full spaceframed and rose jointed, 1.0 BDA, fi (145 bhp) – for sale A/S 2-10-75
Jeff Mann and Tony Mann (brothers) – Anglia 1300 Robinson BDA (replaced 1700)
Gerry Marshall (DTV) – Firenza (Old Nail) 2.3, 2.5, 2.6
Gerry Marshall (DTV) – Baby Bertha – Firenza – purpose-built chassis with lightweight detachable body panels – Repco Holden V8 (475 bhp) – Borg-Warner 4-speed gearbox (MN 29-5-75) – mechanical design by Frank Costin, build and detail work by Gerry Johnstone and others at Shepreth, much of the body work by Geoff Neale and Barry Sheppard who produced the final moulds and panels (Bill Blydenstein in MN 5-6-75) – described as “grotesque” (MN 3-7-75)
Ginger Marshall – Mini Countryman/Traveller 1.0 – part monocoque chassis – building started in 1971 but only finished in 1975 (A/S 16-10-75)
Roger Matthews – Mini-Ford 1.0 (Longman engine) – for sale, £1 500 (MN 9-10-75)
Chris Meek – Capri 5.0 ex-Birrane (and previously Mick Hill)
Dave Millington (Brook Hire) – Firenza 2.3 (16 valve 250+ bhp) – for sale A/S 11-9-75
Alan Minshaw (Manchester Liners Racing/Demon Tweeks) – DAF 55-Oldsmobile/Buick 4.8 – ex Hazlewood
John Myerscough (Westune) – Escort 1298
Mike Newman – Viva GT 2.3s/c
Doug Niven – Boss Escort 5.7 – crashed at Ingliston in April (throttle jammed) – remains for sale (A/S 1-5-75) – replaced by ex-Hawker Capri shell into which was inserted the 5.7 Boss Mustang engine (approx 475 bhp), Jaguar gearbox – for sale A/S 6-11-75
Stuart Oliver – Escort BDA 1.6
John Peachey-Austing – Mini-Imp 1.0
Alec Poole (Derek McMahon Racing/Dealer Team Skoda) – Skoda S110R Swindon BDG 2.0 – ex-Chris Meek – designed by Ray Jessop (an open monocoque tub with a 2.0 Cosworth BDG and Hewland FT200 - the monocoque carries the label ‘Auto Race Design Chassis No RJ03’) – built by Maurice Gomm – the drive shafts, the magnesium uprights and wishbone/coil suspension (front and rear) appear to be Rondel F2. (MN 28-8-75) – according to A/S 21-1-75 the car was bought by Hexagon from Tony (Monkey) Brown, then sold back to Monkey Brown who sold it to Derek MacMahon – for sale through Gerry Marshall (A/S 11-9-75) – for sale by Nick Whiting (A/S 5-2-76)
John Pope – Vauxhall Magnum-Aston Martin twin turbo (WNK 127M) – also raced by John Homewood and Nick Whiting in one-off appearances
Zekia Redjep – Escort 2.0 BDG (284 bhp) – for sale, £6000 ovno (A/S 18-12-75)
Phil Rees – Mini-Ford 1598 twin cam
Paul Rhodes – Escort 1930 FVC and Escort Hart 1.8 twin cam – both for sale (A/S 29-1-76)
Bernard Richards – Mini Clubman 1.3 Ford twin cam
Ian Richardson (Anglian Nuts & Bolts) – Corvair 8.1 Chevy – for sale by Gerry Marshall (“only to a slow uncompetitive wealthy driver as he doesn’t want to be beaten”), £7500 (A/S 5-2-76)
Walter Robertson – Escort 2.0 FVD or 1.8 or 1.9
John Robinson – newly-built Escort 1300 BDA, ZF gearbox – may also have been 2.0
Joe Baillie Russell (Geoff Nicklen) – Camaro 6.0 – ex-Brian Muir/Wiggins Teape – for sale £2200 (A/S 24-7-75) – also raced by Peter Williams
Simon Sabel – MG Gnat – rebuilt after crashed by Wally Hall (in 1973?) (A/S 21-8-75)
Mike Scott – Anglia 1000
Peter Shelton – Cortina V8 5.0
Chris Simms (Sims) – Viva GT 2.2/2.3 – written off at Llandow in June – new Blydenstein Magnum single cam
Alex Slater – Escort – ex-Alan Mann/Frank Gardner – rolling shell for sale (A/S 31-7-75)
Eric Smith – Mini 1275GT 1.3 BDA
Martin Staplehurst – Escort Rover V8 3.5
Paul Storr – Escort 1.7 pushrod or 1.6 FVA
Tony Strawson – Capri 4.7/5.0 – later Chevy (Ian Richardson) 7.2
Tony Sugden (Brook Hire) – Escort BDE 1840
P Thomalla – Trianglia 2.3 (Anglia-Triumph)
Jim Thomson (Guyson) – Firenza 2.5 (hill climbs)
Brian Thackray – Escort AVJ 1850 BDA – ex-Woodman Group 2
Neil (and Paul) Totman – Mini-Allen BDA 1.0 (105 bhp), new lightweight car (A/S 17-4-75) (also said to be ex-Sedric Bell)
Tony Wadsworth – Chevron-based Imp 2.0 sprint (Weston-super-Mare) – race debut later at Thruxton by his brother-in-law, Jonathan Buncombe (scrutineering problems included the seating position, the rear wing and the lack of a roll bar round the inside of the Imp shell – retained the conventional Chevron roll over bar) – based on an ex-Ian Harrower B19/FVD 2.0 – built up by Wadsworth, Buncombe and Dave Lawrence – immediately nicknamed the ‘Chimp’ (A/S 30-10-75)
Derek Walker (Flowflex) – Fiat 850 Coupe-Holbay/Ford 1.0 (on an old Merlyn chassis A/S 5-2-76)
Graeme Walker – Firenza 2.3 – ex-Bill Dryden/SMT – crashed at Croft and rebuilt with a new lighter shell and the mechanicals of the old car – 250+ bhp, ZF 5-speed gearbox – for sale A/S 25-9-75 and still advertised A/S 1-4-76
Wayne and Basil Wainwright – Capri-Rover V8 3.5s/c (hill climbs)
Jeff Ward – new ultra-low spaceframe built by Richard Wallinger Greetham Imp 1.0 (A/S 1-5-75)
Tony Whibley (Drake & Fletcher) – Viva GT 2.3 – or was it a Firenza 2.3?
Brian Whiting – Escort BDG 2.0 or BDE 1.8/1.9 or BDA (1840)
Nick Whiting – new Escort, ultra light space frame chassis clothed with a lightweight bodyshell, using the engine and box out of his old car which was sold to Norman Hodgson (1970 FVC Geoff Richardson – 275 bhp), (A/S 13-2-75 and 6-3-75) – wrecked at Brands Hatch in November (A/S 27-11-75) – completely rebuilt with new space frame and body exactly as raced to 24 outright wins and for sale £3500; could be based on an ex-John Robinson shell (A/S 25-3-76)
Geoff Wood – new ultra-light Escort, all glassfibre body produced by TBA Industrial Products (Rochdale), 1850 Hart BDA (260 bhp), F1-type suspension, total weight 10 cwt (MN 23-1-75) (A/S 30-1-75) or BDG
Chris Wray – Escort 1.8 – body for sale, £200, plus 1709 BDA (needing parts) A/S 2-10-75
Peter Wray – Escort 1790 (same car?)
Roy Yates – Zodiac-Chevy 5.0


For sale
• Special saloon Viva HC 1972 rolling shell, 2.3 engine and 2.0 engine, £650 ono, Lyndon Frazer, Rainham, Kent (MN 9-1-75)
• Super saloon Ford Falcon, 5.7 Boss Cleveland, £1 500 ono, 01-888 (MN 23-1-75)
• Anglia, special; saloon, Holbay 1000, Trevor Clapton, Great Milton (MN 23-1-75)
• Full race Escort rolling chassis, HD shell, 5-speed ZF, gold and brown, £700 ovno, Bob Torrie, Luton (MN 30-1-75)
• Project – Escort rolling shell, twin turbo Buick 3.5, Jaguar V12 gearbox, 90% completed, offers around £1500, Mike Jordy, Basingstoke (A/S 30-1-75)
• Capri super saloon, 5.7 Chevy, offers, Melton Mowbray (A/S 20-3-75)
• “The unique Ford Berpop”, fuel injected Oldsmobile alloy V8, F2 suspension, Mike Berman, Leicester (MN 3-4-75, A/S 9-10-75)
• Escort special saloon, rolling chassis, complete less engine and gearbox, £650, All Car Equipe (MN 24-4-75) Is this the car built for Divina Galica and crashed by her at Brands Hatch?
• V8 Escort, ex-works shell, full race engine, Heathfield (A/S 8-5-75, A/S 31-7-75)
• 1293 Escort, lightened body, d/d screamer on carbs, 5-speed ZF, £1800, Paul Everett (A/S 5-6-75)
• David Vizard/Triple C project car, Anglia, d/d Holbay F3 1000, £1250 (MN 26-6-75)
• Racing Viva 2.3, Blydenstein, fuel injected, 01-542 (A/S 3-7-75), £1450 (A/S 22-1-76)
• Racing Escort rolling shell, ex-Alan Mann, Frank Gardner car, £750 ono, Carlisle, also 2.0 alloy BDA, £750 ono (MN 24-7-75)
• Escort, ex-Alan Mann, 1.8 FVC, 5-speed ZF, Cheshire Sports Cars Ltd (Bob Howlings) (MN 21-8-75)
• Anglia, ex-Broadspeed, Vegantune 1600 twin cam, £525 ono, Trevor Cook, Nottingham (A/S 11-9-75)
• Escort rolling shell, Norman Abbott suspension, £650 ono, Carlisle (MN 9-10-75)
• Escort special saloon, professionally built, spaceframe front end with 3.8 E-Type engine and running gear, £1200, Finmere (A/S 25-9-75), £975 (MN 30-10-75)
• Escort V8, Jaguar gearbox, £400, Bolney (Sussex) (A/S 20-11-75)
• Mini-Ford, new Broadspeed/Cosworth screamer, £1295, Nottingham (A/S 20-11-75)
• Escort special saloon, ex-Alan Mann/Frank Gardner, £1300, 01-205 (A/S 27-11-75)


Ireland

David Hall – Imp 1300 Carter
Neville Johnston – Corolla 1.3BDA (hill climbs) – killed at Spelga
Mattie MacNamara – Escort FVC
Jay O’Malley – Viva 2.0 – ex-Des Donnelly
Rosemary Smith – Escort 2.0 FVC – ex-Meek, ex-Collier – presumably her previous Escort 1.8 FVC had been sold (for sale, £3250 A/S 3-10-74, £2650 A/S 19-6-75)
For sale – ex Des Donnelly Blydenstein Viva 2.3, £1250, Frayne Bros, Naas (A/S 7-8-75)