Colin Lindsay Posted March 12, 2022 Report Share Posted March 12, 2022 Brilliant photos - thanks for posting. A real nostalgia trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MK2 Ed Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 Thanks Mike for these brilliant photos. I've a feeling that somewhere out there is a recreation of 6003VC that we came across at a show. Possibly Stoneleigh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 Yes, John Wooley prepared a Vitesse 1600 for historic rallying back in the 1980s and managed to get the 6003 VC number re-issued. At the time there was no attempt to recreate the original 2-litre car - in fact the rally regulations of the time would not have permitted it - but the car may well have been transformed since. When John owned it the only similarity to the original was the colour! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MK2 Ed Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 I think you're right Mike, whoever took it on had continued the transformation. Hope it's still around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 Sadly Vic Elford died yesterday after a year-long battle with cancer. He started his competition career as co-driver for David Seigle-Morris, notably finishing first in class on the 1960 Alpine Rally in a TR3A, WVC 248. But decided he could do a better job behind the steering wheel and successfully persuaded Harry Webster and Graham Robson to give him a try. Driving an early Vitesse 407 VC in the 1962 RAC Rally he set several 'top ten' stage times before the gearbox collapsed. The ensuing 90-minute change at the Penrith Standard-Triumph dealer resulted in the team going OTL, but this was the start of an illustrious driving career. God speed, 'Quick Vic': 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Works Spitfires Posted March 15, 2022 Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 On 13/03/2022 at 13:28, MK2 Ed said: I think you're right Mike, whoever took it on had continued the transformation. Hope it's still around. https://www.canleyclassics.com/?archive=vitesse-rally-car 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MK2 Ed Posted March 15, 2022 Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 7 hours ago, Works Spitfires said: https://www.canleyclassics.com/?archive=vitesse-rally-car Thank you so much for this, great story and a great effort on your part to save this special car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 What a depressing week; sadly now Willy Cave has died. A very skilled and experienced navigator, here seen getting back in to 3VC, the TR4 of John Sprinzel, on the 1962 RAC Rally (15th overall): 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2022 Three Heralds from 1962 today, all 1200s. Two Johns, Fairer and Bowdage, in their saloon 516 DJJ on the Monte Carlo Rally. They ran out of time and were classified a lowly 244th, but no doubt were happy to be able to say they took part - every rally competitor's dream in the 1960s: Next we have H Watson and F C Mitchell on the Tulip Rally in saloon HW 22; they finished 84th: And finally B Petch and H Miller in their coupe VPN 550 on the RAC Rally; unfortunately I have been unable to find full results for the RAC so cannot report on their performance: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2022 Oh dear! Egg on face time - it was bound to happen sooner or later. I've already given you that pic of HW 22 in an earlier post, so let's give you another one from the 1962 RAC Rally, this time saloon 38 DFJ... sorry, no further information available: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2022 The 1960 RAC Rally again, but not a rally car in sight! Here are a set of photos of a 948cc convertible owned by the Publicity Department on loan to a member of the motoring press covering the rally: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gully Posted March 18, 2022 Report Share Posted March 18, 2022 Great to see pictures of the RAC Rally taking place in the Highlands - thank you. Gully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2022 I would welcome suggestions for the locations, my knowledge of Scotland is pretty limited. I believe that's Ben Nevis in the background of the third shot, and there has been a suggestion that the fourth is by the Crinnan Canal (wherever that is!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 Three 'bubble-top' Spitfires for you today. January 1964 saw the first outing for a Works-entered Spitfire when Roy Fidler and John Hopwood took 412VC to second overall in the Welsh International Rally: Next we have Terry Hunter and Patrick Lier in ADU7B who came 3rd in Class in the 1964 Alpine Rally: And finally Val Pirie and Susan Reeve who retired ADU467B on the 1964 RAC Rally: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 On 18/03/2022 at 20:08, Mike Costigan said: Crinnan Canal 9 mile "short cut" 1794 to 1801 in the digging. Started under John Rennie as Engineer, completed by Thomas Telford in the role. We where up there 2018, in the motorhome. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 Ah! One 'n', that's why I couldn't find it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 5 minutes ago, Mike Costigan said: Ah! One 'n', that's why I couldn't find it! Neither could we, we "happened" across it wandering up the West coast of Scotland!. Eventually ending up on Skye. (in the "wet"😭). Want to go back up the East side this "Summer" but before the "wee beasties" hatch (hopefully). Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2022 Three pics from the 1959 Alpine Rally, the first continental outing for the Triumph Herald. Two cars were entered, both coupes, Tiny Lewis and Tony Nash in TL5, and Barker and Donnely in WYT 393. Lewis and Nash (car no 101) finished 9th overall, winning an Alpine Cup: Barker and Donnely (car no 100) came 22nd: The two cars in Parc Ferme: 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DVD3500 Posted March 23, 2022 Report Share Posted March 23, 2022 Is it me or aren't Heralds/Vitesses the cutest rally cars ever?! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2022 Couldn't agree more! I thought I'd got them out of my system, but I still have a hankering for another one... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 TR4s on the 1962 Tulip Rally today - three Works entries plus one private entry, Thuner and Gretener in no 10 finishing Second in Class (24th overall, behind the MGA of Aaltonen and Palm), Sutcliffe and Fidler in no 12 Third in Class (30th overall), Sprinzel and Robson in no 15 Fourth in Class (35th overall), and Hamblin and Johns in the private entry no 17, 69th overall. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2022 The majority of my photos are from the major international rallies of the day, but here are three from more minor events - I have no details of owners, drivers or entrants. This one is taken at a Bugatti Owners Club hillclimb at Prescott in 1959: Next, the British Automobile Racing Club Goodwood meeting of September 1960: The Royal Scottish Automobile Club will no doubt take excepting to my describing their international rally as a minor event, but it attracted very few foreign entries. This shows a very early entry of a Triumph Spitfire, dating from 1963: 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 We'll leave the rally stages today and head for the motor shows. First of all, the 1959 Paris Motor Show, held at the beginning of October, here's a 948cc saloon all polished up ready for the public to appear: Two years later, a couple of views of the new 1200 convertible prepared for the 1961 London Motor Show at the end of October: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlubikey Posted March 30, 2022 Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 Mike, I'm loving all these great photos you have. If you keep them coming, I'll keep loving them! I used to sometimes get a lift to primary school with the lady from round the corner in her red Herald convertible in the mid-60's. Happy days! Cheers, Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 Still plenty to come, Richard; good to see you've got a Standard Atlas, I've owned a couple in the past and loved them - I cannot access the Standard Motor Club links, any chance of starting a thread on this forum? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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