Yellow Race Cars - I Got a Bunch of B&W Photos!? - Page 3

Andre40 · 07-04-05, 12:49 PM

Forgot to mention. The building in the background was the original CAV factory.

Andre 40

BenL · 07-04-05, 03:07 PM

[ QUOTE ]
In September 1968 my brother and his wife visited us in London and I took the opportunity to organize a joy ride for him in golf course designer, Commander Harris’s yellow GT40 with Borrani wire wheels. I don’t have Ronnie Spain’s book in front of me but will check chassis number and will post.

[/ QUOTE ]
It chassis number is 1025. This is the yellow Shell car I mentioned earlier in this thread.

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone know where the Harris and Guthrie cars are today?

[/ QUOTE ]
You can see a picture of Harris' 1025 from 1997 at: http://www.racingicons.com/gt/1025.htm

In 1971, the Guthrie car was sold to Gil Jackson in New York. The Trevor Legate book says he still owns it (as of 2001).

Legate's notes for 1009 are interesting. It says that 1009 was badly damaged in 1968. So Guthrie rebuilt 1009 using Alan Mann's XGT-2.

Bryan Wingfield bought the badly wrecked chassis and restored it as 1009. So depending upon how you view things, now there are either two 1009s, or the chassis number of the Guthrie car is no longer 1009, but now XGT-2.

Andre40 · 07-04-05, 04:20 PM

Thanks BenL.

Isn't amazing how many GT40s changed owners, characters and colours beyond recognition over the years.

One example was Peter Sutcliffe's open topped dark green P40 that he co-drove with the late John Love in the 1966 Kyalami Nine Hour. It was allegedly returned to FAV and converted to Coupe form. No doubt you'll know about this car.

Regards,
Andre 40

RobBeddington · 07-04-05, 06:55 PM

[ QUOTE ]
In September 1968 my brother and his wife visited us in London and I took the opportunity to organize a joy ride for him in golf course designer, Commander Harris’s yellow GT40 with Borrani wire wheels. I don’t have Ronnie Spain’s book in front of me but will check chassis number and will post.

[/ QUOTE ]

Andre, this is a very small world indeed. 1025 was owned by Ollie Harris when my father-in-law raced it at the Brighton Speed Trials. The speed trials were also in September 1968, so you and he must have driven in the car within a matter of days of each other ... !

Father-in-law serviced/prepared Ollie's GT40, Ferraris etc, and he is seen at the wheel at Brighton in the photo in Ronnie Spain's book. Sadly, I think Ollie committed suicide some time in the 1970s.

Do you have a higher resolution copy of the above photo (or other photos of Ollie's car) that I could pass on?

Rob

Andre40 · 07-04-05, 11:27 PM

Thanks Rob,

Small world indeed. I have other stories that I'll post one day to prove just how small the world is. Also coincidences that are quite bizarre! It'll be in keeping with Carrol Shelby's recent comment that 40 years went away and have come back again.

I took four colour slides that day and will be able to make high quality prints from them. I could either post them to you or give them to you when I come over for the Goodwood Revival Meeting in September and other meetings, also in Robin Hood country to see what Andy Burrows is up to.

Sad to hear that Oliver Harris, a well known golf course designer with a beautiful home and a collection of exotic cars comitted suicide. But then one never knows what troubles people or what goes on in their minds

Interesting comparison between Americans and Brits. Brits, in particular former public school boys, which I assume Oliver harris was, are of course taught to bottle it up and keep the still old upper lip whereas Americans are generally much more open with their feelings. The latter probably the better when you have problems. South Africa, a former British Crown Colony with strong American influence, probably somewhere in between.

Interesting old world!!
Andre 40

Fernando Gonzalez-Bunster · 07-04-05, 11:44 PM

Hi Andre,
Your drawing makes me realize that we met at the CAV factory when I was working with James Fisher and Oliver Macleod Smith in the early days of CAV. I imported the first cars to the USA with my company USAGT40. I hope you're well and enjoying life.

Andre40 · 07-05-05, 03:14 AM

Hi Fernando,

Great to hear from you again!

After nagging GTD for six years I co-founded CAV with James and Oliver.

On the day of the CAV launch you hit the headlines on SATV, remember?

Sad that CAV didn't work for either of us but life goes on and other doors open.

What are you doing these days? Still into cars?

My E-mail address is andreloubser@telkomsa.net.

Best regards,
Andre

Doc Watson · 07-05-05, 04:37 AM

Ron, a picture of P1079 I found............

Doc Watson · 07-05-05, 04:43 AM

..........and P1027.......

I'va also got an original rear clip for my build which was a racing spare from P1041, also yellow..... Jean Blaton was the original owner.

Andre40 · 07-07-05, 02:13 AM

Hi All,

Just re-reading my post above, July 4, 10.27 pm.

There is of course no such thing as a still upper lip. Mind you if you are totally relaxed and unstressed I suppose you could have a still upper lip. Stiff upper lip was of course meant as in Brit! Typo!

Regards,
Andre

Ron Earp · 07-07-05, 07:31 AM

Doc 1027 is a very nice looking yellow one. I find the yellow GT40s without stripes sort of like a dog without a bone, sad. I'll have to start selecting a proper yellow for the car, but I'm not too concerned about making it "the" yellow for a particular car, just concerned about making it a yellow I like. Pale yellows do not do it, I like the full rich yellows that, although maybe not really visible, have a slight hint of orange to give it fullness, sort of like 1027 in the picture immediately above.

R

**patbarry** · 07-08-05, 11:23 PM

I'm with you Ron, the yellow with a bit of orange flavoring look much better. Print one of the pictures on quality photo paper and then take it to a paint store to get it matched. Paint it out on an aluminum panel and see if you like it. You can buy pints at automotive paint stores or get a quart of urethane at an industrial paint store.