The Roaring Season

Thanks Guys. He died Christmas 1989 aged 74 (which was just about 18 months after I got my first Amstrad PC) and he would have embraced Photoshop and the digital age with open arms, as he was already into programming in basic - on a Sinclair Spectrum!

I used to go to the photographic works as a kid - and loved it! Many happy hours spent in the darkrooms (and the canteen...) during school holidays, with a great staff then later, washing and drying prints. Not a lot of help with my ability or otherwise to take photographs, but part of a great learning experience from a great Dad.



We celebrated what would have been his 100th birthday July 2nd this year. I still miss him.

More specials...

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I am always amazed how some specials are just gorgeous, and others are just .........well words fail me. I suppose you already know all of these.......The Maserari, then Roy Rowe in his V860 special are the two I know, and everyone knows the GCS.......the other 2 I dont know........4 gorgeous and one ungorgeous !!!!!!!!!

Agree AMCO! Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but I suspect many are keener on some form of engineering expression than aesthetics.

I've popped Mistrals in as Specials

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ERC wrote:Agree AMCO! Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but I suspect many are keener on some form of engineering expression than aesthetics.

I've popped Mistrals in as Specials

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ERC, great photos and two of my favourites - Ol' Yella II from the USA [ in my Laguna Seca 1982 thread is a photo of it back then ] and the Northland Special - Does Fred Courtney still have it ??

Roger Dowding wrote:the Northland Special - Does Fred Courtney still have it ??

Yes
Green car is an MER owned by the family of HRSCC stalwart Ray Hawke

Yet more. A bit of a delay as the laptop has had to go away with software issues so I can't upload from my back up drive during the evenings whilst the TV is on as background. Mind you, I can't concentrate on the Roaring Season when Rachel Hunter is on TV anyway...

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You have to hand it to Lord March. Inviting the Wacky Racers proved hugely popular.








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For Sale - contact the owner! Needs a good home and someone who is going to use it... Never crashed and maintained regardless of expense. Laps Hampton Downs 1:12.5 and a very, very successful car.

Targa, Leadfoot and circuits - including Highlands.

One of the best driven Capris around and started a local trend for 'Peranas'!

Personally, I'd like to see it stay around here!

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Yet more specials.

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One of my all time favourite cars and as a one off, probably deserves categorising as a special.










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Once again, if any have already been posted, my apologies.

The Ferguson was MY all time favourite race car.......could have been developed into some quite SPECIAL......but I think was outlawed after one season. Looks so low on the track. Was it because it had 4 wheel drive that it was banned....cant remember. Stirling Moss and Innes Ireland drove it among others. I think there was a lot of power loss through the 4wd system, so needed more go from the engine. Was great in the wet though. Has it recently passed through the auction system and got a very respectable price.

It used to be on display in the Donington Collection, but since Sir Tom passed away, Kevin seems to have shifted his WW2 vehicle collection in and quite a few of the exhibits that made a visit such a fascinating experience, have gone, particularly many of these unique vehicles. The Tec Mec Maserati is another that has gone and the March that used to hang on the wall is owned by Roger Wills, who also has a 6 wheel Tyrrell. I'm not sure where that one came from.

The Ferguson sold at auction 2010 and I'm not sure who owns it now as it has been linked with the Ferguson Museum and also the Rolt family. No doubt someone will know!

On my last two visits to the UK, I haven't bothered going through the collection, but I'd love to get a list of all the current cars on display, but suspect it wouldn't be a patch on what it once was.

Maybe a trawl through my old pics will produce another specific museum batch, but many are on slides and much slower to scan, so that isn't going to happen any time soon. Many of those published recently are either digital (post May 2004) or were scanned some time ago, apart from a couple of films. It is just so time consuming scanning negatives and slides that I sometimes wonder why I bother!

Last batch of specials, the first of which is another absolute favourite - the second definitely not. Once again, beauty being in the eye of the beholder...
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Something went a bit wobbly, with pics not showing up, so re-posting this, the last set of the specials. Another total favourite to start... and finish, even though this was the first time I'd seen this in action.

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The next set is for want of a better word, "Groups". My preference in collecting is specific cars rather than group photographs, so this is a mix over the years, in date order, from Dad's 1956 pic of the 500cc brigade entering Gerards at Mallory Park. Not a very good pic and the weather wasn't too good - (typical August day), but deserved keeping rather than binning. Probably the second race meeting I ever attended.

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Brands Hatch 1971. The car at the rear was a huge crowd favourite driven by film star Stewart Granger's son, Jamie. It was in the programme as 'RWJ MG Special'. No match for Neil Corner's D Type Jag and at 1350cc, the smallest engine in the field by 650cc. From memory, not only did he get a standing ovation from the crowd, but he was also pressed into doing a lap of honour!


Historically, the only ERC driver's Group picture taken to date - January 2003, with series sponsors Geoff Bonham (Leisuretime - MGB), Greg Bellingham (Tracer Interiors - XJS Jaguar) and fellow committee member from the early days in blue shirt, formerly MGCC Auckland President, Derek Prior, who got me into the ERC set up! Yours truly with the Marcos of course. Shows how low it is compared to the MG! (It may be up for sale next year - emphasis on MAY...) Pic probably taken by Simon Brown.




Pity the Auckland Council wiped out the Domain Hillclimb by demanding a $5,000 fee. OK to pump our rates money into a Hero (sic) parade though...


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More group pics

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Goodwood 2009 - the last of the front engined GP cars gave us arguably some of the best looking Grand Prix cars of any era.


The Goodwood members' car park on the Friday morning was getting busy with a great variety of classic cars.










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Ray ERC, great photos and agree those front engined single seaters Formula One and others are great ; Blue and White are they Scarab's ??

Yes Roger. They certainly are. They look quite low when alongside the older Vanwall and P25 BRM.

The fact that we rarely see this sort of machinery in NZ just makes Goodwood so appealing. Back on my bucket list again, if only because I now have a camera capable of getting many of the shots I really want, from the public areas too. Those taken 2009 were on a pocket compact Canon, which was great for static shots, but far too limited for action, though my new compact Canon has a x30 zoom and a far quicker acting shutter, which is impressive.

Ray,

Enjoyed your photo of the Austin Sevens and MGs at the Chelsea Hill Climb. Austin BL5577 is a factory Austin Nippy. I bought it in 1964 as my first car and sold it four years later. Many years ago I found it again and bought it back. It has also run a few times in the Roycroft event at Hampton Downs. In the end common sense prevailed and I sold it and the "Blue Brick" Buckler and bought a MG TF1500. I believe the Nippy is now in the South Island.

Graeme Banks