St Mary's Shutout

66stang · 18 Dec 2001, 02:10 (Ref:187144)

Why did this years Goodwood St Mary's race cut off at 1963? Was it to exclude the rapid Mustangs that dominated last year? Would love to see Sir Jack powersliding a 65 coupe around Goodwood as in the old days.

Granted, Marshall was pretty quick in the Cortina, but I would loved to see a couple of quick stangs in there to give the Cortinas a race.
Anybody know how the lap times compared to last years St Mary's? Sorry if this is an old topic, but Speedvision just showed the Goodwood segment last night.

Thanks/Jeff

simon drabble · 19 Dec 2001, 13:12 (Ref:187614)

I think you will find it was also to stop the Mini's runing with the larger engines. Its more commercially popular if a Ford or Jaguar won. Its interesting that Alfa GTA's have never been invited..

Hobson · 20 Dec 2001, 07:41 (Ref:187926)

A Volvo has....

simon drabble · 20 Dec 2001, 08:08 (Ref:187931)

NOT SURE WHAT ELSE THERE IS TO SAY!!! WERE VOLVO'S ACTIVE IN CIRCUIT RACING AT THAT TIME?? PRESUMABLY THEY WERE

TimD · 20 Dec 2001, 08:25 (Ref:187934)

Yes, they did. Les Leston used to race one. About 1961, I think. Didn't Gunnar Andersson and Tom Trana do the occasional circuit race too?

simon drabble · 20 Dec 2001, 08:41 (Ref:187936)

I BOW TO YR GREATER KNOWLEDGE JUST KNOW THAT IT WOULDNT DO IT FOR ME!!
MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ME CONCERNING SABRE SIX'S DID THEY HAVE PERIOD RACING HISTORY??? I KNOW THEY HAD RALLY HISTORY BUT I AM CONSIDERING ONE AND WOULD LIKE TO NKOW IF IT WOULD HAVE A CAT IN HELLS CHANCE OF A GOODWOOD TICKET!!CERTAINLY THEY ARE A CHEAP FIA CAR BUT I AM A BIT WORRIED ABT THEIR COMPETITIVENESS

Vitesse · 20 Dec 2001, 10:59 (Ref:187955)

Simon - Reliant Sabre, I presume? Predecessor to the Scimitar and designed by Ogle. They weren't popular race cars, as I recall - too big and heavy, I think - and probably too expensive to race in those days, when you could pick up a big Healey for peanuts and run it in clubbies any weekend.

Nothing wrong with racing Volvos either - 122s did pretty well in club races, and I seem to remember some 544s still racing in the late 60s.

simon drabble · 20 Dec 2001, 11:08 (Ref:187960)

so as I feared, they are cheap for a reason!
thx for the info

TimD · 20 Dec 2001, 14:09 (Ref:188010)

Sadly I've no record of a Sabre 6 competing at Goodwood in any meeting. I did locate two which were campaigned at the time though. PM Swinger and MJ Watts entered a pair of Sabres for the August 1964 meeting at Snetterton.

simon drabble · 20 Dec 2001, 15:59 (Ref:188046)

that is v interesting do you know what the registration of these cars? as I gather the car I am looking at has a long racing history

Ray Bell · 20 Dec 2001, 21:18 (Ref:188226)

Quote:

Originally posted by simon drabble
MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ME CONCERNING SABRE SIX'S ... WOULD LIKE TO NKOW IF IT WOULD HAVE A CAT IN HELLS CHANCE OF A GOODWOOD TICKET!!CERTAINLY THEY ARE A CHEAP FIA CAR BUT I AM A BIT WORRIED ABT THEIR COMPETITIVENESS

Didn't they have the inline six out of the Ford Zephyr Mk 3?

Stand a good chance of getting some reasonable grunt out of that then...

Vitesse · 20 Dec 2001, 23:53 (Ref:188294)

Quote:

Originally posted by Ray Bell

Didn't they have the inline six out of the Ford Zephyr Mk 3?

Stand a good chance of getting some reasonable grunt out of that then...

Chance being the operative word - 110.5mph from 108bhp apparently...:

http://www.scimweb.com/se2/index.html

Not a lot, methinks, even by early 60s standards

And you have to wonder if the guy who styled the MGB had owned one:

Ray Bell · 21 Dec 2001, 00:13 (Ref:188297)

A bit of work should coax a fair bit more than that out of it...

TimD · 21 Dec 2001, 00:51 (Ref:188307)

Does it affect the homologation if you put the Mays head on it?

Sorry Simon, no can do with the registrations - my information comes from the race programme, and the cars were also-rans, so did not feature in the Autosport race report the following week.

Didn't the works rally cars have the plates 648GUE to 652GUE? And of course there's 876HWD, which Robin Rew ran in historic sportscar races throughout the 1970s.

Ray Bell · 21 Dec 2001, 01:04 (Ref:188310)

You could run it in Australia, no problems...

Without the Mays head, unless it was listed as an option... but you'll get plenty of grunt without that. There's a Mk 3 Zephyr running here now, I'd be fairly sure it's getting at least 150 bhp.

David McKinney · 25 Dec 2001, 10:56 (Ref:189520)

Getting back to the real topic of this thread:
The organisers at Goodwood (and other Historic Festivals) like to play around with the regs from year to year, to give everyone a chance. The classic example is with the Formula Junior race at the Revival Meeting, which seems to be limited to front-engined cars one year and open to rear-engined cars the next.

Vitesse · 5 Jan 2002, 00:08 (Ref:194109)

Going back to the Sabre 6, I've found an article on them in Old Motor Oct 1980. Not much to add, although Tim was over-optimistic re the rally cars: they were 648, 649 & 650 GUE. The Rew car, 876 HWD, was ex-works and extensively hill-climbed and sprinted by Tony Marsh, Bobby Parkes and others.

Apparently there were gearbox problems with later 6s, which were fitted with 5-speed ZFs (4-speeds were better). Rear suspension was also a concern at the time ...

There is one other car pictured: 92 FRP, chassis number 130.

Incidentally, re my comment above on big Healeys: in 1970 you could buy one for just £400!!

Ray Bell · 5 Jan 2002, 00:43 (Ref:194120)

I nearly bought a BN1 for 150 pounds in 1965, it had damage to a front guard and the guy who was selling it was a panel beater and would fix it for 50 pounds.

It took me too long to sell my 403 and I missed out... missed out on Peugeot ownership for a couple of years (slipped into the mechanical frailty of Simcas!) and missed out on owning a Healey.

Of course, I might have been dead now if I'd bought it....