P1001

Happy New Year. Latest is the workshop in NZ took safe delivery of the 20' container before Christmas and will begin the reconstruction next week. I've been re-reading this thread and to be honest, it's been going on for so long, I'd forgotten about some of those parts.. or perhaps it's my memory fading! I do have a correction to make however- I stated the engine was out of 1041. This has now been proven to be wrong. The short motor is out of a Gt40 raced by Belgium racing driver, Jean Blaton, but it's 1042. He owned 1042 in the late 1980s/early 90s. Mathwall Engineering used to look after 1042 when painted yellow, hence the slight confusion in records. I've now got hold of original rocker shafts, that period JWA new/old stock gasket set and some very interesting photographs of 1001, which I'll post as soon as I get chance. I've also written an article which has been published in a couple of classic car magazines about the project. However, you can read it for yourselves by visiting the GT40 Enthusiasts Club's website- GT40 Enthusiasts Club - Front Page I hope you enjoy the article, which details the reconstruction to date. It's still hoped the car will return to the UK for the Le Mans Classic in July. but time will tell.. Best wishes for 2012. Andrew
 
Now home, so I can post the most impressive photograph- it's GT40P/1001, taken at Crystal Palace in 1967 when driven by Hulme/Gardner for Sid Taylor. Does anyone know anything about Alan Smith of Derby, as seen on the truck? Look at the rusty old trolley jack, by 67 this GT40 was just another race car hack, used and abused by paid racing drivers. If they had crystal balls.. "ouch".. then would they ever believe how much we cherish these cars today?.. Andrew
 

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Hi Andrew, happy new year to you. I might be wrong about some of this because memory fading is a problem for me too but I think Alan Smith? built race engines for my mates sprint car and possibly Stuart Grahams Group 1 Capri, the Brut 33 car. If I`ve remembered some of it correctly they/he built Cosworth DFV F1 engines too back in the 70s. Someone is bound to chime in now to put me right on some or all of this maybe but thats fine, I`m getting used to it these days and I`m curious if I`ve remembered it correctly?
Cheers, Kev Farrington
 
Does anyone know anything about Alan Smith of Derby, as seen on the truck?



Very well known at the time engine builder. Company is now Zytec - from google
 
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Hey, is that a D Jag out in front, and why don't the fenders match?

It's a lightweight E-type. The fenders probably do match--I think it's an optical illusion. If they don't match, it's because somebody bashed the left rear corner. :sad:
 
I've now got a set of rather rare wheels. I bought them from the collection off 1002,... the GT40 known as Felix because of its registration mark "FEL 1C". A reputable source said they were F3L wheels and I was going to use them with road tyres, keeping my magnesium BRMs with those Dunlop crossplies for show. However, they have "GT40" and "KAF" cast into a couple of the spokes. They are 10" & 11"x15" and turn out to be original early GT40 alloys, a factory alternative to the Borani spoked rims. Photo attached.. Andrew P.S. thank you for the information about Alan Smith of Derby seen in the latest picture.
 

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Hi Andrew
Do you think 1964-1965 FAV produced its own 5/6 spoke wheels because the only alternative to Borrani wires were Halibrands? Peter Sutcliffe P1009 had to get Halibrands after his Borranis broke. What I would like to know is why if they were available were all small block GT40 not using 6 spokes instead of Halibrands?
I was given the details of the earlier 1966 six spoke wheels which were American used on I think P1040 and P1007 if my memory is right at the 1966 Le Mans I have pictures and a reliable source. I think they were the 6 spoke wheels that Bruce Mclaren had on the MKIV when testing. The Mirage also worn these in 1967 but by then they were JWAE wheels (BRM?).The five spoke were definately 1968 P68 Ford 3 litre. The early US 6 spoke wheels might have been available in a five spoke version. But there are definately two different versions of them starting in 1966 (US),1967 JWAE/BRM.

By the way not that I will ever own it but Felix is my number plate FEL 1C.
Regards Allan
 
Hi Alan, I always thought the Halibrands were more associated with MkIIs as they were US manufactured and the six spoke BRMs were GB produced.. These five spokers have "GT40" cast into them, so why would they have been produced for the 68 F3Ls? I am informed there's a photo of Graham Hill standing next to the Ford factory GT40P/1008 wearing those five spoke "FAV" wheels. My BRM six spokers have "VM" embossed on them, which I'm reliably informed means they are period rims. Changing the subject slightly, I may have found a new/old stock windscreen date coded 1967.. how cool is that.. although if it's a scam.. I'll see right through it!!! Finally, thanks to the car's historian, John Christian from the GT40 Enthusiasts Club, he's found another photograph of the car, racing at the Nurbergring in the 1000 km in 1968 with Granvill-Smith and Raeburn competing.. Andrew
 

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Hi Colin.. well you got me thinking and without digging out the wheels from storage, I believe it states "KAC", not "KAF". So after some Googling, I think it was Kent Alloy or Automotive Castings who made the wheels. They became GKN Engineering... Andrew
 
I know Kent are still about and they used to do the BRM mag wheel castings for various parties. If the wheels are period then they will be suitable for Trailer Queen duties only!
 
This thread is still my favorite read. Is there any other thread with this kind of intrigue? Fascinating stuff. Continued good luck Andrew.
 
Whereas the BRM rims are magnesium and have had to be crack tested, the FAV wheels are alluminium and will be fine, despite their age.
Jimmy- nice to hear you're still enjoying the thread, as much as I am collecting the parts. I continue to receive photographs of 1001, this one being a colour shot from its earlier days when still in the Essex Wyer scheme. I know the picture is Brands Hatch, the Eagle Trophy race on 29th August 1966, driven by Alan Rees. I am reliably informed this might be the Brands scrutineering bay, but not certain. This would have been just over two months since its debut at the June 1966 Le Mans, when driven by Jacky Ickx. I've also learned that at Le Mans, the car raced for over ten hours, before going out with engine failure while lying 7th overall. I hope you can shed some more light on the attached photo... best wishes.. Andrew
 

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I note from a previous post, that Alan has been down this road before. Here's a photo curtosy of Brett McCall of 1008 with those five spokers.. described in John Allen's book as Alan Mann wheels. http://homepages.tesco.net/brett.mccall/gt40/images/preview81.jpg
Hi Andrew
I think I can sought out the confusion those Ford P68 five spoke wheels described as Alan Mann wheels that you see on P1008 would be as described for the following reason:-
The P68 was an Alan Mann Project 1968. But these wheels would have been available in either five or six spoke. Alan Mann chose five spoke. Alan Mann bought them in as his Halibrands on his lightweights through Ford. He never manufacturered them.
The five spoke were on the P68 (in 1968/69) and P1008 as shown in the colour Linden Green and with these wheels would be maybe in the mid 1994 until the colour change to White from the Brett Photos. Since thoughout its life it has been the Fords press car and although race speced has have a varity of identities P1075 and P1046 the Le Mans winners.
I would love to see P1008 with Graham Hill and the FAV 5 spoke Wheels.
The only early pictures I can find of Graham Hill with a GT40. This is journalists day with Alan Mann at Goodwood in 1965. But although the press car P1008 (running Borrani wire wheels)was there; it was not the car he was demonstrating. But P1019 running on the very rare and much sought after Halibrands.
Also in John Allen's book Ford GT40 1991 page 61 shows the a GT40 final type of wheel as the six spoke design alias the JW or Mirage wheel that was simplier than the Halibrand and was adopted from 1967 onwards. I even have a picture of Bruce Mclaren using 6 spokes on while testing the MKIV in 1967
I think the FAV started to be available in 1966 and although 6 spoke they were a slightly different design. Perhaps they were the US made ones? The Mirage JW BRM were UK made but that would be from 1967 onwards. The earlest pictures I have seen show US 6 spokes (FAV?) on P1040 and P1007 Ford France cars at the 1966 Le Mans.
My conclusion was not that the MKII's were the only GT40's to use Halibrands. But that even in 1965 to 1966 GT40 MKI would have used them for racing but they were hard to get.
But certanly the UK based racing teams used them Rob Walker (1965); Alan Mann (1966) and others. The Mirage 6 spoke was obviously JW made which continued to the BRM (I do not know the difference) from 1967 onwards because of their simplicity to make over the Halibrands.
If 6 spokes FAV/US were available in 1966 why were most GT40 MKI not using because they were hard to get??? A lot of the cars being built and deliveried in 1966 were supplied with FAV alloys.
Regards Allan
 
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This is a photo of 1053 that I took whilst watching the Tour Auto back in 2004 and is also using the 5 spoke F3L wheels.
 

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Trevor Booth

Lifetime Supporter
Supporter
#105 Rob Walker Car at FAV with halibrands when new
 

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Jim Rosenthal

Supporter
What cool old photos!!! Someone needs to invent a digital program that makes photos look like that, so I can pretend to myself that I was racing my car in the 60s.....
...on second thought, maybe that's NOT such a good idea.
 
Thanks for the updates chaps. Now I have some news for you- looking back at earlier postings, you'll see that a "Chris Bridgland" wrote saying his father used to own the car in the late 1960s. This must have been the time of Granville-Smith, Schenken and Williams racing it for the team. Well, tonight, I spoke with Chris, who informs me his parents still have a scrap book of photographs and documents relating to its time with Malaya Garage in Billingshurst, Sussex. (The car was painted yellow during this period 1968-70). Indeed, his father still has a bent conrod and piston from the engine, which finished the race on seven cylinders! It was great to talk with such an interesting gentlemen and I hope to speak directly with his parents in order to tease out further information to add to my rather large collection of history.. I'm now into three volumes! OK.. I have to remind myself it's only the bodywork I have off 1001, but it's such a great challenge to locate period items and is keeping the car's historian, John Christian, and I amused for hours.. and hours.. Andrew
 
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