Back again! The desert is too lonely!

Hi All,

Like Meat I've also been into the desert for about 60 days - an editing and publishing desert!

For the past 19 years I've been writing a book on the history of the original Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg. The original circuit lasted from 1961 until 1987 when it was drastically altered. As I was over my deadline from my publisher I've had to work round the clock on the final edit and design. The book will be in coffee table format and will consist of about 275 pages and 250 photos. I'm now so far behind with other projects and correspondence I won't be able to die!

At the inaugural meeting on November 4, 1961 a local national F1 race was held and the Nine Hour, starting at 2pm and ending at 11pm was introduced. The Nine Hour became hugely popular particularly with drivers and teams from the US, the UK, Europe and Scandanavia as it gave them the opportunity to escape the cold winters in the Northern Hemisphere to race in Africa in the heat of spring/summer.

During the mid-1960s following on from the Nine Hour a series of Three Hour races were introduced across the country and these events become known as the Springbok Series.

The GT40s and Mirages were main players and a little later I'll do a posting on the victories, placings, drivers, chassis numbers, etc. I'm sure that there are some GT40 fans and historians out there who would appreciate this historical input.

Best wishes,
Andre 40
 
Welcome back Andre !
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Hersh
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Hi Mike,

As I’ve been out of circulation for a while I’m now catching up on projects mentioned earlier.

The new GT40 Mk11 with full monocoque of which I posted pics, some time ago, should be ‘off the line’ by about October/November. As I’ve also made clear in the past I’m not involved with the project other than on a friendly basis. However, with the same company I’m having a serious look at another car from that era and if it come off I’ll be directly involved. We’ve tracked down all the tooling, jigs moulds, etc, which would mean another precise copy of a car, ie monocoque, copies of the original magnesium wheels as opposed to aluminium wheels (LM6) which are often incorrectly referred to as ‘mag’ wheels. More later! Clue. The original cars were generally not Ford powered by some early ones were.

Hopefully later this week I’ll post details and pics of another project and affiliated projects. If certain parts arrive on time I’ll be able to post.

A car on which I would like an opinion from forum members is a replica of the Ghia designed Ford RS200 which enjoyed a short life in Class B rallying before the formula was banned in 1984. I’ve had discussions with RS Automotive in the UK on building the car which I personally like. Even now I think the shape is stunning and I like the cheeky rear end with large airfoil/wing. With chipped two litre Cosworth turbo engines they go like greased lightning.

The replica was built by the original owners of the project with full permission of Ford of Great Britain as long as there were no interchangeable parts for the original cars. The wheelbase is longer and all body panels are slightly different to comply with Ford’s wishes. The replicas, which are rear wheel drive, as opposed to 4x4 as on the originals, also have twin coil-over-shocks at the rear which was purely designed for rally conditions. If we were to go ahead with the project I would ask the GT40 guys to redesign the space frame chassis to accept the GT40 front and rear cast uprights and wishbones. For road use and possibly circuit racing I believe that race proven suspension would make sense. After all it’s all Ford!

Question is would there be a market for the car in the US? Many of my well-informed car and racing enthusiast friends don’t know the RS200, which could also be the case in the US.

Never give up!
Andre40
 
The RS200 was a great car and was tested and raced by the current SCCA Pro Rally driver,Mark Lovell.
A couple of companies in England are doing look-a-like.Banham is one of them.
An original RS can be bought in England for around $45-50,000 U,S. acording to this months Classic and Sports car.
I would personally prefer to see the Lancia 037 Rallye replicated as it was only rear wheel drive and would thus be more original than a two wheel drive RS.
I think the 037 is a beautiful car and would be great see have a little italian flair in a replica,engines are readily available from Alfa 164,75(Milano) donors as are the transaxles from the same.
The Lancia Stratos is a very popular car in replica form and is also very true to the original.
Just my little pipe dream.
 
Hi Guy's
here's a note from my desert, keep tripping over Lola T70!! and GT40's Mk11's hope to be out of here in late June.

Smoke signals tell me that the Gurney Weslake valve covers will be under way by mid June.

Regards
Chris
PS. I still think the Porsche 906 is the way to go for a really good replica.
PPS. Anyone want to buy a Sunbeam Tiger V8 rust free?
 
Chris

I'm a little slow today, so forgive me.
Are you working on MK II bodies similar
to the MK I that everyone raves about?

Probably should be a seperate thread
as I don't want to confuse readers with the
mono MK II that Andre has advised us about.
Thx

MikeD
 
Andre, good to see you posting!

I personally have always been fascinated with the RS200. With AWD and the power potential of the engine, it's a potent combination. I picked up an English sports car mag a few weeks ago that tested two of them, one in road trim, one in race; I believe the race version did 0 - 60 in just under 3 seconds and the road car was just a couple of ticks behind. Seems like a replica would have a limited market because most people simply have no idea what an RS200 is, but I know I'd buy one if it were in my price range.

The thought of the RS200 and your mention of your writing project brings to mind a thought I've had before--I wish someone would do a book on the Group B era of rallying, which saw some insanely fast machines put into production. Perhaps someone has already done such a book, but if so I've missed it. Anyhow, how about it, Andre? Your next project? Just try to trim the deadlines down a bit on this one--
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Hi Mike

sorry for being cryptic. Yes, I have just made the mould for the MK11 rear clip. They will be available from the middle of June.
The reference to the Lola T70 was my guess at Andre's next project.
I'm still jet lagged from my 25,000 mile trip to Newzeland with Roy Snook, we stayed with Brian Stewart (thanks again Brian) and also had the opportunity to meet Dave Brown. Still coming to terms with what a fantastic place Newzeland (South Island) really is.
This Forum is a great place to meet people all over the world of like minds, and a fantastic resource. Thanks to all concerned, and lets keep it interesting with no legal threats or bickering.

Regards
Chris
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Hi Fran,

You mention the Banham RS200 replica!

This replica uses the MG Maestro as a donor vehicle and these are cars that that can be purchased in the UK for the equivalent of about $150. In the Banham RS200 replica the engine sits up front and you have optional seats in the rear!

Paul Banham I’m sure is a clever businessman who has spotted a niche market whereby he plonks Audi TT look-alike bodies and others , etc, on dirt cheap donor vehicles like Maestros, Metros and Skodas. However, I draw the line at his RS200. This has to be nothing short of sacrilege. How about a Ferrari P4 replica based on a Fiat Uno donor, a Lola T70 replica based on an Opel Kadett donor or worse still a GT40 with a VW Beetle as a donor. Suddenly I’m not feeling to well! Like JR Ewing I feel like heading for the booze cabinet!

In an earlier posting I said ‘Find the good in every situation’. I’m now going to contradict myself!

Keep it authentic!
Andre 40
 
Andre,
I totally agree ,tha Banham is horrendous .I recently saw another one from England made by a company that does Lotus Seven replicas and it looks a lot better in its execution as it is at least tube frame and can be made AWD using a Sierra 4x4.
I am English and have driven most of the junk cars that Banham uses,using one of these as a donor is just perfuming the pig.

[ May 28, 2003: Message edited by: Fran Hall ]
 
Andre, Fran mentioned Lotus Seven replicas. There is at least one such manufacturer--Tiger Sportscars--that does an AWD, twin-engined Seven with motorcycle powerplants. They actually fit side-by-side in the Seven's engine bay.

How about an RS200 replica with a couple of turbocharged 1300 cc Suzuki Hayabusa engines for power? I'm told they will make an easy 300+ bhp at relatively mild boost levels, and they have six-speed sequential boxes to boot. That would be a setup to do the original RS200 justice--AWD, six-speed box, 600+ hp...
 
Fran,
Reference my other post on the RS200 thread. Banham actually has the molds from Ford, so you could always buy a body and then work magic from there. Spanning through the Quaife catalogue next to me I see some RS200 front and rear uprights at £700 and a whole page devoted to RS kit mmmmmm
 
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