Just A Mix Of Pics - Ray Green Collection

[ERC]

There are some cars where the colour schemes are photogenic, like these two.

Steve O'Donoghue - Mirage

Michael Clark - Crossle

At this time of the year, I traditionally update my back ups and make an effort try and file all those pics still in limbo, old stuff recently scanned awaiting dates, and/or those pics where I can't identify the car.

As I've said before, I kept a diary from 1964, but my ex-wife nicked the 1969/1970 diaries and from then on, I didn't bother again until about 1990. So pics taken between 1968 and 1990 are often the difficult ones to file. Non race meeting dates are the most difficult, as there is no race programme!

Leafing through old diaries, occasionally there is a Eureka moment when I can fix a stray car pic, such as one taken outside J A Pearce wheels in Hounslow, showing a Ford Mustang, which they have asked to reproduce, I believe for a display at Silverstone.

[Ray Bell]

Filing pics can be a problem, lately I've been troubled trying to work out when I took this one:



It's not just that I don't know when it was, but I don't remember being there!

[ERC]

Maybe we should start a new thread Ray, 'Information required'? We should get far more views than in a personal picture collection.

Milan has been brilliant in answering some of my queries, but I have a fair pile that even he may not be able to help. Some will remain a 'best guess' for the date, but if the subject is identified, at least it can be filed somewhere, even if the date is an approximate year, and 00, month and 00 day.

Normally, I need the exact date, and if a car, the make. Location is then of lesser importance.

[Ray Bell]

If someone could access the data in the picture I might find out I didn't take the photo...

That's always a possibility.

[Dale Harvey]

The photo is obviously in Sydney and it would be the LEADFOOTS lunch. These lunches were started for Lotus Elite owners / drivers and associated persons. This one would be when Sir John Whitmore came out to race an Elite and Lotus Cortina at Eastern Creek for the Tasman revival Meeting. I recognize five or six people in the room. I don't think this shot should be in this thread though.
Dale.

[ERC]

I don't think this shot should be in this thread though. Dale.

There are quite a few that shouldn't really be in this thread Dale, but it is a public forum! As I suggested earlier, we need a thread for those sorts of pics.

As an aside though, when my favourite jazz musician, Chris Barber, stopped racing his own Lotus Elite, also used as a road car, he carried on as an entrant of Lotus cars and I think Sir John Whitmore drove for him on more than one occasion.

[ERC]

I don't think this shot should be in this thread though. Dale.

There are quite a few that shouldn't really be in this thread Dale, but it is a public forum! As I suggested earlier, we need a new thread for those sorts of pics.

As an aside though, when my favourite jazz musician, Chris Barber, stopped racing his own Lotus Elite, also used as a road car, he carried on as an entrant and Sir John Whitmore drove it for him on several occasions and later, an early (fragile) Lotus Elan.

Chris is 90 years old and in a rest home now, having hung up his trombone August 2019, which is sad, but has always had a passion for cars.

[ERC]

Back to the pics...

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Dale Harvey
The photo is obviously in Sydney and it would be the LEADFOOTS lunch. These lunches were started for Lotus Elite owners / drivers and associated persons. This one would be when Sir John Whitmore came out to race an Elite and Lotus Cortina at Eastern Creek for the Tasman revival Meeting. I recognize five or six people in the room. I don't think this shot should be in this thread though.
Dale.

I tend to agree, Dale, however I posted it in response to the comment by ERC about finding or dating pics...

Your post, though, has helped me date it and prove it wasn't mine. Brian Caldersmith sent it to me to post on TNF on the occasion of Sir John Whitmore's death. It was accompanied by a couple of others, one a portrait painted by Brian and Brian sent this pic too, Sir John along with John and Chris Barber.

The occasion was Brian's last visit to the UK, he writes that they had not met in 30 years, "You need to know about 1960s racing (and Jazz) to understand the significance."

"Here we are in a pub outside London (Potters Bar) with Warren King, a long term Lotus employee."



I'm sure ERC would appreciate that one now he's mentioned Chris Barber in this thread.

And the 'Leadfoots' gathering was about the time of the 2006 Tasman Revival meeting.

[ERC]

Yes Ray. Always happy to get hold of Chris Barber pics.

A few more - most aren't mine of course. Note the dress code back then...

With then wife Ottilie Patterson

[ERC]

Off colour for a couple of days, hence no posts!

More Chris Barber OBE. He retains a good friendship with Sir Jackie Stewart and Bernie Ecclestone and if anyone deserved a knighthood for music it is Chris. He broke the USA's racial discrimination on musicians (see the film, Green Book) by bringing the black blues artists to the UK, and introduced the blues to the UK, in the very early 1960's.

When he retired from racing, he supported not only cars, but motorbikes and cycles and a rally car. The Lotus 47 shown here.

Shown before, my painting of him and his Lotus Elite at Mallory Park 1962, where he made the fastest 14 from 3 heats, to run in the final - beating the Team Elite entry... Presented to Chris on stage at Mansfield, Notts, celebrating 50 years of the Chris Barber band 2004.

With Chris 2005, when we were over in the UK after mum died and needed a weekend away from the house clearing.

[ERC]

Back to the cars...

Classic Trial

ERC Series - not long before the right steering assembly threw a wobbly, ending Paul's day early.

Historic Saloons

Formula Junior

[Ray Bell]

I like the blue one...

An Italian FJr by the look of things, Fiat 1100 powered. What make is it?

[928]

put your mouse on the car and the answer is revealed

[ERC]

Allan Cattle - 1959 Volpini.

You are correct 928, it should show the filename, but not always. It may depend on the computer system, or browser, as others have commented that it doesn't work for them.

Maybe a right click, 'save image as' should show the file name.

All my own pics are year - 3 digits; month - 2 digits; day - 2 digits then a 2 or 3 digit sequence, usually followed by the make of car - but not always.

[Ray Bell]

I post remotely from this site so a right click, click on 'view image info' and you get the details with mine.

But it's true, I should have tried harder!

[ERC]

Sheridan Broadbent got to grips very quickly with the BMW and I suspect will be catapulted into the faster Arrow Wheels group!

In some ways, it is sad, but totally understandable, that there is a steady shift to later saloons and GTs.

Had ERC stuck to it's BMC 4 cylinder origins, it would have folded decades ago. Even at the more purist minded TACCOC run meetings, we no longer see hordes of Lotuses, Morgans, Lotus Cortinas, Triumphs, Reliants, Jaguars, Austin Healeys, Ferraris etc., or even Minis.

[ERC]

ERC Series

Three TACCOC & Formula Junior stalwarts.

[ERC]

I'm not a huge fan of Americana, but that doesn't stop me taking photographs to add to the library, currently standing at 2500 American road cars.

Quietest Caffeine & Classics yet, due to the proximity to Christmas, but still plenty to look at.

[Ray Bell]

See if I can match that...







So far we're down a Caddy and up a Metropolitan, but the Plymouth is too early too...



Hmmm... I just have to try harder.