Cooper T51 chevy

[Maurice Barker]

I know it's an old thread, but having got it from a google search I thought I'd add a bit more to the Bob Walton story.

I met Bob in 1961 when we shared a room at the YMCA (yes the YMCA - it was cheap and most of the guys were car fanatics). As Morley said, Bob was working in the Rootes Comps dept. I was working at Standard Triumph in experimental. After about a year Bob and I got fed up with the YMCA and we moved into a flat, got evicted (too noisy a party); followed by digs and then another flat.

During that time we had many vehicles. Bob's first racer was a Lotus 7; '649' cam and 'red' crank. He blew the engine and fitted a Sunbeam Rapier engine. That was quick. When he got his ex-works Tiger it was an old MK1 alpine shape; big fins and all. He re-shelled it wth a MK2 shell. I well remember the black marks on the road outside the flat where Bob used to 'take-off'. Once he had to go down to Lola (something about bits for the works Tigers) where he spotted a Holley 4 barrel carb in the waste bin. They gave it to him and we fitted it to the Tiger, not for long, it was like flushing a toilet when you pressed the throttle.

Amongst others I had an ex-works Faithorpe Electron Minor, it was pretty well clapped-out. I reckoned it was the pressure from underneath the pistons rather than on top that kept the thing going. I sold that to Mick Moores in the Triumph Comps department.

It was about this time, 1966ish, that BMC and Sir Donald Stokes were making themselves felt and the racing/rallying programme was cutback, so I left the area for another job and haven't seen Bob since. I heard he'd gone to SA so you've added a bit more Morley, thanks.

[chunterer]

Warm welcome Maurice and thankyou for your informative contribution to this thread.

We hope you will continue to participate in discussions.

[Morley Faulkner]

Hi Maurice,
I have made contact with Bob Walton at long last. He now lives in Perth Australia. We have swapped emails and hope to get together in the not too distant future.
Bob's infamous flat was 33, Avon St. The LHD Tiger he bought off Rootes was the original prototype from USA. He converted it to RHD and we took it with us to South Africa.

I worked with Mickey Moore in Experimental and then Comps dept from 1963 to 1967.

Still keep regular contact with Paul Richardson (Ken's son) and Uk Peter Clark in Uk.

Email me if you have time,

Cheers

[Bob Walton]

…...it is that for me I can sit quietly in my office dooderling away on the keyboard finding motorsport sites like 10Tenths and better still seeing my name in print written by mates I have not seen for over 50 years, Morley and Maurice Hi glad to see you are still with us, how did we survived those days back in the ,60's. I read on line that both Chris Summers and Peter Hawtin were killed racing their V8 beasts, I tried hard to, but his nibs upstairs was looking down on me! I look longingly at the only photo I have of my old Lotus 24-Ford 289 V8 sitting on the grid at Oulton Park, great days and good to be around to remember them.
Bob Walton
Perth
Western Australia

[morninggents]

Just come across this - what a great thread.
Brings back many happy memories from my youth spent at Harewood hillclimbs. There were quite a few V8 engined single seaters around in those days and I knew Geoff Gartside who lived just outside Knaresborough. I think he had a Daimler V8 engined Cooper.

[jamesholland]

I knew Geoff Gartside well, having competed against him many times more recently in Cooper 500s

[Islander]

Originally Posted by Bob Walton

…...it is that for me I can sit quietly in my office dooderling away on the keyboard finding motorsport sites like 10Tenths and better still seeing my name in print written by mates I have not seen for over 50 years, Morley and Maurice Hi glad to see you are still with us, how did we survived those days back in the ,60's. I read on line that both Chris Summers and Peter Hawtin were killed racing their V8 beasts, I tried hard to, but his nibs upstairs was looking down on me! I look longingly at the only photo I have of my old Lotus 24-Ford 289 V8 sitting on the grid at Oulton Park, great days and good to be around to remember them.
Bob Walton
Perth
Western Australia

Bob

I'm a rookie aswell. I heard that you sold your Lotus 24 to Peter Hawtin, who's background I'm researching.

I know he passed away in 1971 and your sale was before that but can you remember where he was living at the time?

I'm trying to trace his family, he had a sister and know of a nephew called James Smith. Peter had an interesting background.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Bob Walton]

Hello Islander, I did know Peter Hawtin reasonably well, I do remember him having a Fraser-Nash Fixed Head Coupe a rare beast indeed, I think less than 10 made. He was mates with Reg Hargrave who was a close friend and work mate of mine at Rootes Experimental Dept Coventry, Reg lived in Dunchurch and Peter spent a fair bit of time at the garage nattering to us about cars, I seem to remember him living down the Fosse Way towards Burford, this being only a quick blast down a great road in the Fraser-Nash in those days!!. I sold my ex Parnell Lotus 24 V8 Ford to a fellow from Reading as I recall, he came to my flat in Coventry to have a look at it and wanted to see it running and going. No worries mate, fired it up and demonstrated its 0-60 time of approx.,4 seconds down Avon Street in a quiet residential area. On my return and peering through a cloud of Dunlop tyre smoke he already had his wallet out and the deal was done, those black tyre marks are possibly still in evidence today!! The car could well have found its way into Peter's hands at some stage I am unsure what happened to it after I sold it to the very impressed buyer from Reading. I understand Peter was involved in Youth guidance for wayward fellows, I was unaware of this perhaps he knew his limits and saw Reg and I as a lost cause. This is possibly not a lot of help with your research but brought back a few great memories. Good luck with your venture and stay safe.
Kind Regards Bob Walton Perth, Western Australia

[Islander]

Originally Posted by Bob Walton

Hello Islander, I did know Peter Hawtin reasonably well, I do remember him having a Fraser-Nash Fixed Head Coupe a rare beast indeed, I think less than 10 made. He was mates with Reg Hargrave who was a close friend and work mate of mine at Rootes Experimental Dept Coventry, Reg lived in Dunchurch and Peter spent a fair bit of time at the garage nattering to us about cars, I seem to remember him living down the Fosse Way towards Burford, this being only a quick blast down a great road in the Fraser-Nash in those days!!. I sold my ex Parnell Lotus 24 V8 Ford to a fellow from Reading as I recall, he came to my flat in Coventry to have a look at it and wanted to see it running and going. No worries mate, fired it up and demonstrated its 0-60 time of approx.,4 seconds down Avon Street in a quiet residential area. On my return and peering through a cloud of Dunlop tyre smoke he already had his wallet out and the deal was done, those black tyre marks are possibly still in evidence today!! The car could well have found its way into Peter's hands at some stage I am unsure what happened to it after I sold it to the very impressed buyer from Reading. I understand Peter was involved in Youth guidance for wayward fellows, I was unaware of this perhaps he knew his limits and saw Reg and I as a lost cause. This is possibly not a lot of help with your research but brought back a few great memories. Good luck with your venture and stay safe.
Kind Regards Bob Walton Perth, Western Australia

Hi Bob I've gained so much info about Peter Hawtin in recent months, still trying to reach his remaining family to complete the story of this intriguing driver. You said he lived in Fosse Way but any info about immediate family: brothers, sister, parents names? His parents lived in Ruislip where he was born. I've been given C initial for father and possibly Sheila for the mother. Whose garage were you referring to where the chatting took place and what year was this? Any clues you can remember?

[MGDavid]

Islander I have PM'ed you...

[RAP]

Originally Posted by Bob Walton

Hello Islander, I did know Peter Hawtin reasonably well, I do remember him having a Fraser-Nash Fixed Head Coupe a rare beast indeed, I think less than 10 made. He was mates with Reg Hargrave who was a close friend and work mate of mine at Rootes Experimental Dept Coventry, Reg lived in Dunchurch and Peter spent a fair bit of time at the garage nattering to us about cars, I seem to remember him living down the Fosse Way towards Burford, this being only a quick blast down a great road in the Fraser-Nash in those days!!. I sold my ex Parnell Lotus 24 V8 Ford to a fellow from Reading as I recall, he came to my flat in Coventry to have a look at it and wanted to see it running and going. No worries mate, fired it up and demonstrated its 0-60 time of approx.,4 seconds down Avon Street in a quiet residential area. On my return and peering through a cloud of Dunlop tyre smoke he already had his wallet out and the deal was done, those black tyre marks are possibly still in evidence today!! The car could well have found its way into Peter's hands at some stage I am unsure what happened to it after I sold it to the very impressed buyer from Reading. I understand Peter was involved in Youth guidance for wayward fellows, I was unaware of this perhaps he knew his limits and saw Reg and I as a lost cause. This is possibly not a lot of help with your research but brought back a few great memories. Good luck with your venture and stay safe.
Kind Regards Bob Walton Perth, Western Australia

Rob I have sent you a Private Message about your acquisition of this car.
RAP