Vintage Special - the Bagnall - Jaguar 1949 - onwards, 1974 the " Phoenix "
Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:37 am
Bagnall - Jaguar, Originally built in 1949 according to Allan Dick by Rob Bagnall with a Mercury V8 of 4 litres, later had a Talbot 6, then apparently a Willys 77 motor and finally a Jaguar Twincam Six of 3,442 cc with C Type then D Type mods.
Graham Vercoe has quite a bit of story on the car [ E & OE ...etc ], but no photos. some notes here from Vercoe.
This photo from 1961 - 64 period,based on the Number Plate.
Car would have been with Brian Watson at this time in its life - creator of the " Missator " Ford 10 Special.
Event not known and the bodywork scruffy and looks modified from its 1949 beginnings.
Any more photos of the car would be appreciated.
The above photo from Allan Dick, and on checking my archive found another copy - from Alexander Turnbull Library archives, which I have noted as 1963 - 64.
There is this note at the " Natlib " archives [ National Library ] but the photo cannot be viewed in a good size - It is the same photo, so that is the location of the event - Palmer Road, Wellington.
" A Bagnall-Jaguar car at the Palmer Road Hill Climb, Breaker Bay, Wellington, in 1964. Photograph taken by Bruce Valentine Davis. "
Car was badly crashed by Watson at Houghton Bay Hill Climb, Wellington in the 1967 - 70 period and rebuilt in 1974, being known as the " Phoenix ".
Any more photos of the car would be appreciated.
These extracts from the Jaguar Drivers Club brief History 1950 - 1972
" 1962 was perhaps the heyday of the Mk2 3.8, with four of them racing - Ray Archibald won the NZ Saloon Car Championship in his silver Mk2, and Alistair McBeath was 2nd in his dark green Mk2. Simon Taylor raced the D-Type at Ardmore, Levin, and Wigram, but crashed and overturned at Teretonga, only to be racing again late in the year at Mount Maunganui. There were plenty of other Jaguars racing at various venues – the Gardiner Tojeiro, Cranch’s Maserati 6CM-Jaguar, the Bagnall Jaguar, ‘Mk1’ 2.4 and 3.4, Mk2s, XK120, XK140, and XK150s. "
" At Pukekohe in 1965 there were only four Jaguars racing - Australian Bob Jane drove his Mk2 4.2, Gary Bremner his Mk2 3.8, the Tojeiro was entered, as was Ivan Cranch’s Consul Mk1-Jaguar. The Bagnall Jaguar joined Bremner’s Mk2 4.0 at Levin. At Wigram, Ian Dow and Gary Bremner in their Mk2s were joined by Dave Silcock’s rapid XK120. "
" Beach races at Nelson in early January 1967 saw Bill Harris racing his Ford V8 Coupe fitted with a Jaguar XK engine, and Neil Stuart racing his Stuart Jaguar single seater. At Pukekohe there were only three Jaguar related entries – Lumsden’s Mk2 3.4, Silcock’s XK120 and the Watson Bagnall Jaguar. Only Watson raced at Levin, and only the Stuart Jaguar at Wigram. Noted builder of ‘specials’ in Jamie Aislabie fitted a Jaguar 2.4 XK engine (later a 3.8) to a Cooper sports car body and in his Cooper Jaguar he achieved modest success in hillclimbs and on the track. Ernie Sprague won the Rothmans 30-minute race at Ruapuna in his Mk2 3.8 with Ian Dow also competing in his Mk2 3.8.
By 1968, Jaguar presence on the track had waned significantly. March saw the last event for Brian Watson’s Bagnall Jaguar before the Jaguar XK engine and suspension were saved and the car sent to the dump. "
Graham Vercoe has quite a bit of story on the car [ E & OE ...etc ], but no photos. some notes here from Vercoe.
This photo from 1961 - 64 period,based on the Number Plate.
Car would have been with Brian Watson at this time in its life - creator of the " Missator " Ford 10 Special.
Event not known and the bodywork scruffy and looks modified from its 1949 beginnings.
The above photo from Allan Dick, and on checking my archive found another copy - from Alexander Turnbull Library archives, which I have noted as 1963 - 64.
" A Bagnall-Jaguar car at the Palmer Road Hill Climb, Breaker Bay, Wellington, in 1964. Photograph taken by Bruce Valentine Davis. "
Car was badly crashed by Watson at Houghton Bay Hill Climb, Wellington in the 1967 - 70 period and rebuilt in 1974, being known as the " Phoenix ".
Any more photos of the car would be appreciated.
These extracts from the Jaguar Drivers Club brief History 1950 - 1972
" 1962 was perhaps the heyday of the Mk2 3.8, with four of them racing - Ray Archibald won the NZ Saloon Car Championship in his silver Mk2, and Alistair McBeath was 2nd in his dark green Mk2. Simon Taylor raced the D-Type at Ardmore, Levin, and Wigram, but crashed and overturned at Teretonga, only to be racing again late in the year at Mount Maunganui. There were plenty of other Jaguars racing at various venues – the Gardiner Tojeiro, Cranch’s Maserati 6CM-Jaguar, the Bagnall Jaguar, ‘Mk1’ 2.4 and 3.4, Mk2s, XK120, XK140, and XK150s. "
" At Pukekohe in 1965 there were only four Jaguars racing - Australian Bob Jane drove his Mk2 4.2, Gary Bremner his Mk2 3.8, the Tojeiro was entered, as was Ivan Cranch’s Consul Mk1-Jaguar. The Bagnall Jaguar joined Bremner’s Mk2 4.0 at Levin. At Wigram, Ian Dow and Gary Bremner in their Mk2s were joined by Dave Silcock’s rapid XK120. "
" Beach races at Nelson in early January 1967 saw Bill Harris racing his Ford V8 Coupe fitted with a Jaguar XK engine, and Neil Stuart racing his Stuart Jaguar single seater. At Pukekohe there were only three Jaguar related entries – Lumsden’s Mk2 3.4, Silcock’s XK120 and the Watson Bagnall Jaguar. Only Watson raced at Levin, and only the Stuart Jaguar at Wigram. Noted builder of ‘specials’ in Jamie Aislabie fitted a Jaguar 2.4 XK engine (later a 3.8) to a Cooper sports car body and in his Cooper Jaguar he achieved modest success in hillclimbs and on the track. Ernie Sprague won the Rothmans 30-minute race at Ruapuna in his Mk2 3.8 with Ian Dow also competing in his Mk2 3.8.
By 1968, Jaguar presence on the track had waned significantly. March saw the last event for Brian Watson’s Bagnall Jaguar before the Jaguar XK engine and suspension were saved and the car sent to the dump. "