Tony Vandervell and the Vanwell Racing cars

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 19

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 20

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 21

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 22

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 23

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 24

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 25

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 26

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 27

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 28

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 29

[Rod Grimwood]

Vanwall 30

[GD66]

Great stuff ! Thanks for sharing, Rodders. Lovely-looking cars.

[kiwi285]

A real favourite car of mine when I was at school. All of my school exercise books were covered with side view drawings of the Vanwall. I still have a couple somewhere with the drawings there to be seen.

It was a sensational looking car and did finally make its mark in the F1 world.

[rf84]

Tony Vanderwell was also a noted philanthropist, giving huge donations to the likes of the Royal College of Surgeons. He had inherited a lot of money from his father who was the founder of CAV (acquired by Lucas to create CAV Lucas) and added to this with the profits from Vandervell bearings.
But Tony was not as generous to his son Colin. He forbad Colin to go racing as he had seen so many deaths in motor racing and was afraid for his son's life. When he died all that Colin inherited out of his father's vast fortune was an antique "Grandfather" clock!!!! Just to add 'insult to injury' Colin soon discovered that someone had replaced the clock's original clockwork mechanism with a modern battery one making the clock virtually worthless!

[escorthvn]

Vanwall 30

Thanks Rod for posting these pics, brings back memories, Len Butler in the photo above was my boss when I worked in the engine test dept. of Vandervell Products in late 73 early 74. Unfortunately due to the oil crisis and 3 day working week we were unable to run the engines for 24hours per day as we had done when I first started there. I left because there was just no work. I have very clear memories going out to a building attached to the workshop/factory and there was still bits of the old race car in storage. I remember there were several experimental, GKN/ Vandervell cars also in storage there. Cheers Pete Bryan

[John B]

Great reading about an iconic front-engine GP car, from an era before F1 became far, far, far too complicated!

If you're interested in a model of the #26 Vanwall driven by Stirling Moss at the 1958 Italian Formula One Grand Prix, [color="#0000CD"]check this out[/color]...

Cheers, John
[color="#0000CD"]www.spr-models.co.nz[/color]

[Carlo]

A real favourite car of mine when I was at school. All of my school exercise books were covered with side view drawings of the Vanwall.

Me too.

[David McKinney]

I never liked it. By comparison with the Ferraris and Maseratis (and the BRM) the Vanwall seemed too big and bulky

Worse, it started the trend of hiding the driver so you couldn't see his arms at work

[driftwood]

Colin Vandervell was GAV son and he raced in British F3 in the 1970s
I also know the daughter "Miki " married " below" her status and was cut off from the family and she was racing Minis at Brands Hatch in the early 1970s with her husband.
Their children went Karting in the UK and 2 of the girls where very competitive and 1 was a UK champ but they do not have the "money" to go racing in cars