Alta Sports Racing car

ianselva · 9 May 2003, 13:26 (Ref:594560)

During the late 50s, there was a trucking business at the end of my road called Falce transport, the younger brother Eric wanted to get into racing and I went with him to a scrapyard in Barking where we picked up a semi derelict sports racing car with full width bodywork, rather like a HWM that he said was an Alta. The yard was also full of scrap Merlins!
We took it back to his yard where he fitted an American V8 ( Chevvie I think) . He raced it a few times at Brands. He later rebuilt a crashed E type which he raced with some success at Brands again , often against Warren Pierce .( Laurence Pierce's father ?)
I wonder if anybody has any pictures of the Alta or any further news of Eric Falce?

eclectic · 9 May 2003, 14:49 (Ref:594652)

There is one for sale on Ian Selby's website.... £39,000!

ianselva · 9 May 2003, 15:20 (Ref:594678)

I've seen that. This one had a full width body.

Lee Janotta · 9 May 2003, 15:31 (Ref:594684)

Oh, for those days of run-what-you-brung!

Sports cars and small-block V8s just go together so perfectly, on street or track.

D-Type · 9 May 2003, 20:29 (Ref:594916)

A full width bodied Alta? I have seen photos of a French owned one so they did exist.

More common, or probably less uncommon were the cycle winged cars.

One of my favourites as a schoolboy in Kenya was a red cycle winged Alta-Jaguar. It may have been the way it was driven, or it nmay have been the way it handled, but my memory is of seeing it cornering on opposite lock in a state of controlled oversteer. Although it couldn't catch a 2 litre Lotus XV or a 1.5 litre Lotus XX it could on occasions beat a Porsche RS. On the other hand, on an off day it was beaten by an AC-Bristol. Ah, memories!

Elio · 9 May 2003, 21:40 (Ref:594948)

I`m really not up to speed on my historics however this is a shot of what was entered in the programme of the 1998 Brands Historic Superprix as an "Alta Jaguar". It was entered in the Enduro Race they used to hold on the GP loop and was driven by Philippe Le Nech and Patrice Louette (presumably French or Belgian). I don`t recall it being that quick but that may have been down to the drivers and their unfamiliarity with Brands.....

eclectic · 10 May 2003, 07:44 (Ref:595160)

Sorry the car that Len Selby has for sale is a Connaught! right era wrong car.

Vitesse · 10 May 2003, 11:54 (Ref:595276)

At least one of the F2 Altas (presumably the one in the picture?) was fitted with a sports-racing body and a Jaguar engine. This was campaigned by Phil Scragg.

David McKinney · 10 May 2003, 18:00 (Ref:595523)

Scragg's Alta-Jaguar sports had a narrow body with cycle-type guards, and so did the one campaigned later, also in British hillclimbs, by Ray Fielding. Both were built from postwar F1 Altas, but an ex-F2 car was apparently rebuilt to sportscar spec as well. I was at the Brands Hatch meeting Elio refers to and saw the car in his picture but can't help with its identity. Or with that of the subject of this thread

Ted Walker · 15 May 2003, 21:14 (Ref:600297)

I think the car in question is the Heath Alta Streamliner that ran in Jersey just post war. It also raced at Goodwood and was later owned by Jeremy Broad and was (and still is)fitted with a Jaguar engine (originally of course with an Alta}

ianselva · 16 May 2003, 08:26 (Ref:600641)

The car pictured is very similar to how I remember it , except it had no head fairing. I seem to remember it was a ladder frame with a framework that the body panels mounted to.

klaus · 17 May 2003, 18:00 (Ref:601919)

thanks Elio for his Alta picture.
I had never seen an Alta before and was very surprized to meet this rare car in Brands Hatch paddock in that year.
In the race i had big respect when passing it several times , as it looked very massive from my view inside some sheets of plywood.
at least i forgot to take a picture...

D-Type · 17 May 2003, 19:48 (Ref:602015)

Found it! Classic & Sports Car April 2002 (the 20th Anniversary edition) page 224 has another picture of the (a?)French-owned car. Sorry, I don't have a scanner so can't reproduce it.
The photo is a front three-quarter view. The car has the British style registration number MPB 77. The headlamps appear to be non-original. They look more like spotlights and are mounted in the radiator intake.
Can anybody clarify if the Scragg car or the Fielding car were the Kenya car, or is that a third cycle-winged car?

**Tim Falce** · 27 May 2003, 09:49 (Ref:611250)

Hi Ian
It's a small world. I just happened past this site and saw your post. Eric Falce is my uncle and I guess the yard was the one in Lee Park, Blackheath. I have a short clip of 8mm movie film of the Alta but I don't think we have any photos. Eric now runs a car repair and MOT garage and occasionaly races a Mk1 Lotus Escort. I have also taken an interest in racing and compete in a replica D-type.
I will pass your message on to him.
Regards Tim Falce

ianselva · 27 May 2003, 10:07 (Ref:611263)

Hi Tim
You're right it was in Lee Park. Give my regards to Eric and I'm glad to see he is still racing . I race Historic Formula Juniors now and won the FIA championship in 2000.
I see from your website that you have inherited his E type interest.

Cheers
Ian

**Tim Falce** · 30 May 2003, 07:17 (Ref:614421)

Ian, in case Eric didnt send it to you, here is a short clip of it
http://www.btinternet.com/~falcemob/Alta.mpg

ianselva · 30 May 2003, 07:46 (Ref:614444)

Tim,
That's just how I remember it , although I don't think I ever saw it in Blue. it would seem to be quite a rare historic car. It looks like it must have been an ex-works sports car of the mid fifties.I wonder what became of it afterit went to Gold Seal at New Cross ?. Maybe a later owner will see this and we may find out.
Ian

Eric Falce · 1 Jun 2003, 16:40 (Ref:616875)

Well Ian,it certainly is a long time,maybe someone can come up with an answer,the car did have an appitite for n/s half shaft's.We had a pile of old broken half shafts from the trucks we used to run,Custance and Thopson,an enginering firm at the bottom of Lee Road used to make up two or three at a time,I always carried a spare one with me.By the way,there is a black and white 8mm film of Frank driving the car across Blackheath on out test route and along the Sidcup by pass mad mile.Will get it forwarded to you.
Hope to meet you soon
Eric

neville powell · 1 Jun 2003, 17:35 (Ref:616929)

sir

i am at present restoring an alta bodied sports car .It was originally fitted to an alta chassis.The engine was then changed to aston before the car was dismantled.
I am fiting the body to a cunningham c3 chassis with suitable mods . pleas e feel fre to mail me The original colour was blue

Eric Falce · 10 Jun 2003, 04:38 (Ref:626700)

Ian
Just a memory update on the Alta ,the car was originally fitted with a Bristol engine.the actual body was built on a tubelar frame work that we lifted off of the chassie, leaving the twin tube layout of the AC type construction chassie frame. More than likly you cold have put some suspensions onto the bodywork frame and had another car,it was that sturdy, also the name HWM/Alta keeps cropping up in the old memory grey matter.
Neville, all the best with your restoration,will E mail some clips of the Alta,at present getting some still clips from the video to put on the net.

Eric Falce

fivestar · 24 Aug 2004, 22:16 (Ref:1076573)

Dear Eric, i am new to the site and one of my particular interests is ALTAS Is there any chance you could email the movie clip referred to. I tried the web link shown but could not download anything.
many thanks - Mike

Quote:

Originally posted by falcemob
Ian, in case Eric didnt send it to you, here is a short clip of it
http://www.btinternet.com/~falcemob/Alta.mpg

**Tim Falce** · 25 Aug 2004, 14:15 (Ref:1077118)

Quote:

Originally posted by fivestar
Dear Eric, i am new to the site and one of my particular interests is ALTAS Is there any chance you could email the movie clip referred to. I tried the web link shown but could not download anything.
many thanks - Mike

Fivestar, welcome to ten tenths. Sorry about the link, I deleted it by mistake. It is now back up (3mb) and if you are interested I have another B&W clip that I can email to you although it is 19mb so if you don't have broadband i wouldn't bother with it.

fivestar · 26 Aug 2004, 03:02 (Ref:1077596)

Dear Eric,
Many thanks for the clip. the car certainly looks like NBP77, the Alta Streamliner, although the front wings are cut back. I have a photo of the car as restored by Patrice Louette the current owner taken at the 2000 Goodwood revival meeting, where there a tribute to 50 years of HWM.

fivestar · 26 Aug 2004, 03:04 (Ref:1077597)

Eric, not sure if this is truncated. Can you recall if the rear axle was offset.IE near side shorter than offside. cheers - Mike

ianselva · 26 Aug 2004, 07:28 (Ref:1077686)

It was seeing that picture at Goodwood that made mne start this thread ,as it looked so similar to the car I remembered

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