Special Saloon

[Steve Barnard]

Can anyone cast any light to the possible history on this car? Photos attached.

Thanks
Steve

[Mike Harte]

Didn't a query about this car come up recently on here, or possibly it was on one of the Facebook pages?

[Steve Barnard]

Yes I think it was on Facebook, I’m looking to restore it and hopefully race it , it would be nice to know some history about the car , the owner and builder
Thanks Steve

[VIVA GT]

It may help jog a few more memories if you add anything you know about the car yourself, what part of the country did you buy it from, what engine/gearbox/other mechanical components did it come with, when did it last race and that type of thing.

[Steve Barnard]

Hi I haven’t got much information about the car , I think it was from the Reading area , I have only recently purchased the car, it had been in a lock up for over 30 years, it came with a pinto , 5 speed ZF and Atlas axle with 4 link and watts linkage, also a box of bits, in the box was a exhaust manifold,swirl pot , fuel pump and other parts that you would associate with a BDG on mechanical injection, I don’t think it was ever run with the pinto, any information would be helpful, thanks Steve

[E.B]

On the X (aka Twitter) Thundersaloon account are some pics of the car along with a link to an ebay ad, but it also mentions of the car as "..... believed to be the ex Jim Evans Ford Escort Mk1 Turbo which was seen racing at Croft in the mid 70s. "

This link should go direct to the tweet I refer to https://twitter.com/Thundersaloons/s...26126651691424

[Steve Barnard]

Thank you

[morninggents]

Jim's Escort, which he raced up until the end of 1976, was Turbo Pinto powered. But it was a steel shelled car whereas this looks like a spaceframe car. I don't think the car had BBS wheels when he had it. Are the body panels steel or fibreglass? Jim sold the car to someone in Scotland iirc.
It was painted white with broad red and blue stripes up the centre of the car from front to rear.

[Steve Barnard]

The car came with the pinto , but looking closer I don’t think I was ever run with that engine, there are a few clues that lead me to think it was run with a BDG on mechanical injection, it is full Spaceframe and the body is fibre glass except the window openings which are steel from the original shell , I don’t think it is Jim’s car ,
Thanks

[Jdexocet]

A mate of mine had a space frame mk 1 in 1977/78 with a bad, might have been a big. He was based in Newquay Cornwall.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Jdexocet

A mate of mine had a space frame mk 1 in 1977/78 with a bad, might have been a big. He was based in Newquay Cornwall.

Is that Chris Sims you'referring to? He was from the Newquay area but I only remember him racing a Viva?

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Is that Chris Sims you'referring to? He was from the Newquay area but I only remember him racing a Viva?

That was exactly what I thought too (fancy that, me remembering a Viva racer!)

[GCCheddaris]

I posted a picture of Chris Sims on Baubles Picture Parade a little while ago driving a Vauxhall Magnum at Thruxton in 1975. A photographer from Newquay (a colour one at that...), he went on to race a Chevette a couple of seasons later.

Regarding Jim Evans, is it my imagination or did he drive a BDA powered Avenger in about 1977/78 before moving on to a spaceframe turbo powered Escort (possibly the subject of this thread). I'm sure I remember an interview with him in Autosport where he mentioned buying a Formula Two March which was the the basis of his Escort turbo. Of course, it could all be my imagination. If only Autosport were to archive their back issues online like Motor Sport...

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by GCCheddaris

I posted a picture of Chris Sims on Baubles Picture Parade a little while ago driving a Vauxhall Magnum at Thruxton in 1975. A photographer from Newquay (a colour one at that...), he went on to race a Chevette a couple of seasons later.

Regarding Jim Evans, is it my imagination or did he drive a BDA powered Avenger in about 1977/78 before moving on to a spaceframe turbo powered Escort (possibly the subject of this thread). I'm sure I remember an interview with him in Autosport where he mentioned buying a Formula Two March which was the the basis of his Escort turbo. Of course, it could all be my imagination. If only Autosport were to archive their back issues online like Motor Sport...

I feel safe to post pictures now as Bob's not around to criticise!

[morninggents]

Originally Posted by GCCheddaris

Regarding Jim Evans, is it my imagination or did he drive a BDA powered Avenger in about 1977/78 before moving on to a spaceframe turbo powered Escort (possibly the subject of this thread). I'm sure I remember an interview with him in Autosport where he mentioned buying a Formula Two March which was the the basis of his Escort turbo. Of course, it could all be my imagination. If only Autosport were to archive their back issues online like Motor Sport...

I never heard of Jim in an Avenger BDA.

Jim raced his Escort turbo up to the end of 1976. He then built a Skoda (based on a Chevron B19/21/23 - I forget which) which he raced in 1977 until selling it late season to Norman Hodgson.
Maybe the F2 March was the basis for his Lotus Esprit Turbo which frightened the Zakspeed Capris at Donnington a year or two later.

[GCCheddaris]

You're quite right, Jim bought a March 762 for the 1978 Northern Formula Libre season and sold it on to Paul Gardener for the following season. Gardener wrote it off at Croft and Jim bought back the wreck and salvaged the undamaged parts which were used on his Lotus Esprit. Apparently Jim was interviewed in the March 27th 1980 copy. My information was gleaned from the March 762 Chassis History thread.

Jim's Skoda was based on a Chevron B19 which was updated year on year and, according to Allen Brown ended up as a B19/21/23/26 owned by Mark Cole.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Attachment 78375
I feel safe to post pictures now as Bob's not around to criticise!

That's it. There were pictures of Chris & the car in the Kilbirnie Hotel who must have sponsored or had something to do with Chris when I stayed there years back.