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A TRIBUTE TO TONY HILDER, RIP – 1936-2023
Nov 30th
TRIBUTE TO TONY HILDER b April 1936 d October 2023 by STEVE HOLE
RIP TONY HILDER. Sitting in one of his ‘greatest hits’ the glorious McLaren M1A
I am very saddened to hear of the death recently of gifted designer, the gentleman that was Tony Hilder, aged 87.
The son of the renowned landscape artist and book illustrator (he also did some stunning wartime posters), Rowland Hilder OBE, once described as ‘the Turner of his generation’.
From a young age, Tony was building Austin Seven specials and he was always going to follow an artistic type of career with that pedigree and gained a first-class More >
THE STORY OF TAURUS PERFORMANCE TUNING
Nov 23rd
TAURUS PERFORMANCE TUNING
Steve Hole tells the story of the almost forgotten Taurus Performance Tuning operation. Along with Speedwell and Downton Engineering, they were one of the ‘big three’ of the many Mini-orientated tuning companies of the sixties.
Founded in 1961 by Ted Marchant, using his star sign as the company name. Ted worked at a BMC dealership in Holland Park in the service department and along with his friend and colleague, Ken Pacey, they would tune friends’ engines at the weekend and in the evenings.
Ultimately, they were urged to start their own business and this resulted in the foundation of Taurus More >
THE STORY OF SCUDERIA FILIPINETTI
Nov 16th
The Story of Georges Filipinetti and SCUDERIA FILIPINETT
Scuderia Filipinetti was one of those teams that always popped up in international motorsport (usually sportscars and world endurance, in this case) in the sixties without ever really setting the world on fire. However, their cars were always of the highest quality and immaculately turned out.
The man behind the team was a mercurial character, a chain smoker called Georges Filipinetti, who hailed from Switzerland where he was a very successful businessman who also had a passion for motorsport. Described as a property developer he was mainly known for being the Swiss importer for More >
TRIBUTE TO AN ICONIC COMPANY – GRAND PRIX METALCRAFT
Nov 1st
A marvellous subject for Classic Kit Cars & Specials is GRAND PRIX METALCRAFT, which belongs right up with the very best specialist car and racing car metal bashers such as Williams & Pritchard, Wakefields, The Robert Peel Company, Maurice Gomm, Shapecraft and Arch Motor & Engineering.
Founded in 1968, by brothers Peter and Bob (b 1933) Hingerton with their friend Alf Goodenough (b 1934) in North London.
The three had met at aircraft manufacturer Handley Page in Cricklewood in the mid-fifties where they served a seven-year engineering apprenticeship in the company’s metal workshop. They then moved to Rolls-Royce subsidiary coachbuilders Mulliner Park More >
THE STORY OF ALAN FRASER ENGINEERING AND THE FRASER GT
Oct 19th
STEVE HOLE TELLS THE STORY OF THE FRASER GT
Alan Fraser had a very interesting automotive story within motorsport and the specialist car industry. Although his parents were Scottish, Alan was born in Hildenborough, Kent in 1930.
He earned the nickname ‘the little hurricane’ due to his fast and carefree driving style. It was 1953, when the 23-year-old Fraser started the Alan Fraser Racing team based at Mountains Garage, Hildenborough, right by the side of the A21. His team logo was always a Stag emblem, a tip of the hat to his Scottish ancestry.
By the time the Hillman Imp arrived in 1963, More >
THE STORY OF THE LANDAR R6 AND E.A. RADNALL COMPANY
Oct 5th
STEVE HOLE tells the story of the little-known sixties LANDER R6 kitcar and the company behind it.
The Lander R6 was a little-known, yet pretty cool sixties kitcar built by a company with a real racing car history that could trace its origins back to the late nineteenth century.
Founded by an enterprising chap called Ernest Randall in Dartmouth Street, Birmingham in 1895, the operation was officially known as E. A Radnall Company.
Under-rated Landar R6 kitcar
Back then cycling was becoming a very popular pastime in the UK and old Ernest had been a handy Penny Farthing racer. He started to produce a More >
THE STORY OF TRIDENT CARS
Sep 14th
STEVE HOLE TELLS THE STORY OF TRIDENT CARS – Images by Carol Hardy
The original Trident was a model for TVR, with styling by Trevor Fiore (original name Frost). It was built by Italian styling house, Carrozzeria Fissore
TVR, owned at that time by Grantura Plastics, run by Arnold Burton, had gone into liquidation and Bill Last of Viking Performance, a TVR dealer, for the East Anglia area (Woodbridge, later Ipswich) and familiar to the specialist car scene, purchased the last of three Trident prototypes (a convertible), with the intention of productionising it. Last also produced tuned engines for Elva, for a More >
THE HISTORY OF SMITHS INSTRUMENTS
Sep 6th
[title] SMITHS INSTRUMENTS
STEVE HOLE rounds up the story of SMITHS INSTRUMENTS whose gauges have been used in kitcars for many, many years.
The company was founded in London way back in 1851 by Samuel Smith, who set up a jewellery shop in Newington Causeway in South East London. He specialised in chronometers and other scientific instruments.
The company grew quickly but Smith died in 1875 aged just 49. The business had re-located to a much grander address on The Strand in London’s West End.
Smith & Sons merged with their new next-door neighbours, diamond merchants, Charles Frodham and by 1895 they had re-located More >
THE STORY OF THE FERVES RANGER
Aug 31st
STEVE HOLE looks at the story of the FERVES RANGER. Pix by Carol Hardy unless marked otherwise.
A great little paddock car!
Although designer Carlo Ferrari had a famous surname he wasn’t related to Enzo’s family, a point proven when he had to call his fledgling Turin-based car company FERVES, a portmanteau of FERrari VEicoli Speciali (Ferrari Special Vehicles).
His brilliant little Ranger was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show of 1966 and met with very strong critical acclaim. Best described as quirky it was based – like so many Italian Etceterinis – on Fiat mechanicals – 499cc, 18bhp twin-cylinder engine from the More >
BRIGHT SPARK!
Aug 24th
Burton Power now has stocks of the DLB198 Lucas 0.8 Ohm resistance coil for high-energy electronic ignition systems and Ford models with electronic ignition systems that use distributors.
The DLB198 Lucas coil delivers a high-performance, faster spark, that produces up to 40,000 volts!
The coil can also be used as a replacement coil for Lucas Rally electronic ignition kit FL302K and electronic ignition kits FT295K and FP299K.
Order as part number DLB198 at just £24.95 (inc VAT). For further details contact Burton Power on 0208 554 2281 or visit www.burtonpower.com ENDS.
