Production Saloons from the 80's

[rallycrosscraig]

Anyone on here remember (or involved in?) the Monroe/Uniroyal championships?

Capri's/Starions etc and the Willhire 24 hrs at Snetterton?

I've just bought a load of VHS videos of those old championships and will be putting ithem on dvd at some point if anyone wants a copy for a bit of nostalgia let me know....

[terence]

I used to pit crew at the Wiihire for Chris Conoley,I know he would like a copy as and when.Let me know when they are ready please.

[gfm]

Yes please. Did 3 Snet 24 hours, Won one (M3), one 3rd (Capri), one DNF (RX7)

[kelvin88]

my dad raced proddys in the ex Mike Smith cosworth.

[kelvin88]

ps i got loads of the vids but i wouldnt mind having them on dvd if you can do that rallyXcraig!

[chunterer]

Yes please, I used to love the 80's Uniroyal series!!

Massive grids, great racing etc..

People like Sven Platt (whatever happened to him?), John Cleland, Skid Scarborough and Gerry Marshall sideways around Woodcote hairpin on the old Silverstone club circuit was a fantastic spectacle!

When I finally get round to hooking up a scanner i'll post some old pics of these prodsaloon cars for everyone!

[TSA]

Hi, my Rover raced in the '86 prod saloon championships and did the 24 hour race that year as well, if you have any footage from 86 rallycrosscraig I'd appreciate a copy.
Thanks
Tim

[rallycrosscraig]

Tim picked up those videos on thursday and watched the first one today - great memories, watched 86 Willhire. Was your car the Istel Rover, white with a blue stripe?

[TSA]

Yes, that's my car. There were 2 Istel cars built for the '86 championships, but only mine was used for the 24 hour race. I didn't think it lasted too long in the race though?

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by TSA

Yes, that's my car. There were 2 Istel cars built for the '86 championships, but only mine was used for the 24 hour race. I didn't think it lasted too long in the race though?

Run by Colin Davids for you and Tim Harvey?

I've got a paddock shot of the 2 lined up somewhere - i'll dig it out!

[TSA]

Yes, the cars were run by Colin Davids and driven then by Tim Harvey and Tim Goss, but not me. I've owned it since 2004 and only have some photos from old Autosports. I've never seen a photo of the two cars together, so it would great to see one.
Thanks

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by TSA

Yes, the cars were run by Colin Davids and driven then by Tim Harvey and Tim Goss, but not me. I've owned it since 2004 and only have some photos from old Autosports. I've never seen a photo of the two cars together, so it would great to see one.
Thanks

Sorry TSA I assumed when you refered to the 86' car as your car you were Mr Goss!!

But sure I had the paddock pic of the cars lined up when I was hunting for the Grp A pics I posted, but can't remember where I put them afterwards!!

I'll post it on as soon as I can!

Out of interest what had the car been doing these last 20 years before you got hold of it?

[TSA]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Out of interest what had the car been doing these last 20 years before you got hold of it?

Until I bought it, the car hadn't been raced since 86 and had been used for track days. I don't know what happened to the other car but would be interested to know.

[chunterer]

Ok, It must be one of these two cars then.

The Golf was also run by Colin Davids for Vic Lee I think?

[Chris Griffin]

...but can you tell which is yours Tim?

[chunterer]

Good point Chris!!

Not the sharpest of images admittedly, but it's the only one I had.

Could've swore I had one with a side view, but it turned out to be Bob Irving's car from the year before.

Hopefully you will be able to trace the history by the numbers on the cars which seem to be 3 and 4. The round at Thruxton where the pic was taken was a Monroe, not a Uniroyal round I believe.

[TSA]

Originally Posted by Chris Griffin

...but can you tell which is yours Tim?

Not yet Chris, but it's another piece of the jigsaw, thanks a lot for posting it Chunterer.
And yes the Golf was run by Colin Davids for Vic Lee.

[chunterer]

No worries

Slightly off topic, one thing that might be interesting to check on TSA is as this shot was taken in 1986, why the the cars had the old style front splitter and not the deeper type splitter that the Group A cars had homologated for them that season. Does your car have the deeper splitter on it now?

I've got another pic from 1985 actually that shows Bob Irvings similar car with the deeper splitter too. Perhaps it was just preference?

ARG might have actually got this kit homologated after TWR ran it on a French superproduction car in the early 80's or something like that?

[TSA]

Originally Posted by chunterer

No worries

Slightly off topic, one thing that might be interesting to check on TSA is as this shot was taken in 1986, why the the cars had the old style front splitter and not the deeper type splitter that the Group A cars had homologated for them that season. Does your car have the deeper splitter on it now?

I've got another pic from 1985 actually that shows Bob Irvings similar car with the deeper splitter too. Perhaps it was just preference?

ARG might have actually got this kit homologated after TWR ran it on a French superproduction car in the early 80's or something like that?

Still slightly off topic...I don't know why the cars have the early splitter on them, I'd love to know. I have (what I assume to be) a static publicity photo taken at the start of the season of one car with the later splitter, but all the Autosport race photos show the cars with the early splitter. When I bought the car it had an early splitter fitted with 'Colin Davids Racing' lettering on it.

What I find confusing is that cars ran with the twin plenum injection system but twin plenum cars are supposed to have the later splitter.

The car still has an early splitter, but now with a single plenum injection system as I run it in the CTCRC Group 1 Championship which requires the cars to be in pre '83 spec.

[chunterer]

Due to popular demand, this thread is back!

A few guys in the Metro Turbo thread were talking about Gerry Marshall and the cars he drove so here's your chance to explore this further..

Fire away...

[GBRM]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Due to popular demand, this thread is back!

A few guys in the Metro Turbo thread were talking about Gerry Marshall and the cars he drove so here's your chance to explore this further..

Fire away...

Whilst at work I can only use my memory (which is full of Droop Snoot Firenza at the moment!!) but I reckon Gerry Marshall's Production Saloon cars driven of the '80s goes like this:-

80 - Dolomite/Capri
81 - Capri
82 - Capri
83 - Capri
84 - Monza
85 - Monza/Strada
86 - Monza/RS Turbo/Strada
87 -
88 -
89 - Cosworth

As for Production Saloon cars prepared something like this

80 - Various Dolomites and Capris
81 - As above
82 - As above plus Sciroccos
83 - As above
84 - Monzas/Capris
85 - Monzas/Capris/Strada/Astra GTE
86 - Monzas/RS Turbo/Uno Turbo/Strada/Astra GTE
87 -
88 - N/A
89 - N/A

I'll update the list when I get home and if anyone has additions/deltions then please fell free to add I

I could aslo add some of the other cars raced but off topic!!

[GBRM]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Due to popular demand, this thread is back!

A few guys in the Metro Turbo thread were talking about Gerry Marshall and the cars he drove so here's your chance to explore this further..

Fire away...

Whilst at work I can only use my memory (which is full of Droop Snoot Firenza at the moment!!) but I reckon Gerry Marshall's Production Saloon cars driven of the '80s goes like this:-

80 - Dolomite/Capri
81 - Capri
82 - Capri
83 - Capri
84 - Monza
85 - Monza/Strada
86 - Monza/RS Turbo/Strada
87 -
88 -
89 - Cosworth

As for Production Saloon cars prepared something like this

80 - Various Dolomites and Capris
81 - As above
82 - As above plus Sciroccos
83 - As above
84 - Monzas/Capris
85 - Monzas/Capris/Strada/Astra GTE
86 - Monzas/RS Turbo/Uno Turbo/Strada/Astra GTE
87 -
88 - N/A
89 - N/A

I'll update the list when I get home and if anyone has additions/deltions then please fell free to add I might digg out some photos too.

I could aslo add some of the other cars raced but off topic!!

There were some great cars and drivers in those days, Gerry, Tony L, Squeaker Williams, Patrick Watts, Karl Jones, John LLewelyn, John Cleland, Tim Harvey, Colin Blower, Skid Scarborough, James Kaye, Ivan Dutton, Martin Carroll, Ian Taylor, the list is endless!!

[Peter Mallett]

Of those above, Skid recovered the Capri and still runs it occasionally in the CTCRC Group 1 championship. According to a conversation I had with him the car was rolled by someone in Ireland(?) then repatriated and restored.

Ron Aubrey owned it in '95/96 (ish) after which Skid bought it.

[GBRM]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Of those above, Skid recovered the Capri and still runs it occasionally in the CTCRC Group 1 championship. According to a conversation I had with him the car was rolled by someone in Ireland(?) then repatriated and restored.

Ron Aubrey owned it in '95/96 (ish) after which Skid bought it.

Skid's Capri is one of the cars that was built but's it's not the actual Autoplan Capri that Skid raced against. That was a 2.8i when all the others we 3.0.

Skid did tell me a month or two ago which one it was, I think it was Eric Cook's car but I could be wrong.

I think I may have twisted his arm into bringing it out in a CTCRC event, if not I'll definitely get him in my car for a race and I think he's also planning to run it in the Spa 1 hour wacky race.

[chunterer]

I was once advised, possibly by Gerry, that he sold that car to a guy called Harald Hagan in Ireland who apparently spectacularly rolled it at some point. The it came back over here in Skid's hands.

Anyone remember a rather wild Capri driver in about 1985 called Sven Platt. Gerry would've been in the Monza at the time?