Front Engine, single seat race cars.

[pallmall]

It is time there were more threads on the single seat race cars. To start the ball rolling I bring you photos of one of the least successful race cars to line up on an F1 grid, but a make of car that still holds some magic, and interest 50+ years later.
The Scarab was well known in USA sports car racing with much success, in 1958 the owner Lance Reventlow decided to build an F1 car to take on the Europeans with an 'all American' car. The design and build period was too lengthy, problems getting the engine to run properly and produce enough power meant that it was 1960 before the car was to make its debut at the Monaco GP. The hype out of the USA had made the European teams wary that they were going to be faced with a strong competitor, however all hopes the Scarab team had turned to custard at the first practice session, with times that would have barely scraped them onto the FJ grid. In the end the the Scarab team turned up at three European races, and competed in two, and had one car at the final race of the 2.5 litre Formula, the USA Grand Prix. In 1961 one car was fitted with the Offenhauser engine that had been used for testing the car before their engine was ready, and driven in some of the British Intercontinental races before a big crash at Silverstone destroyed chassis #2 and injured driver Chuck Daigh.
If you want to read the full history of the Scarab cars I can recomend the book "Scarab" by Preston Lerner.

I have seen two Scarab single seaters, both from 1960, the #3 chassis that was never fitted with an engine. It was built and sent over for the 1960 Dutch GP without an engine, as the engine wasn't ready. It has been on display in the Donington Museum since it opened, not sure if it still there as a lot of cars have been sold recently.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab002750x438.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab001750x592.jpg

[pallmall]

The second Scarab I have seen and photographed is the now Don Orosco owned chassis #1 (or its clone) that is fitted with an Offenhauser engine, as used for testing in early 1960, and in the 1961 Intercontinental races. All these photo were taken at the Goodwood FOS in 1996.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab003750x388.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996043750x575.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996064750x445.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996063750x648.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996059750x409.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996052750x453.jpg

[pallmall]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996075750x483.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996071750x437.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996068577x750.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996065750x441.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab011750x505.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab004750x463.jpg

[pallmall]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab010750x536.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab009750x524.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab008750x546.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab007750x546.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab006750x549.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/Scarab005524x750.jpg

[Ellis]

Just the place to put a few older pics mainly from Longford Tas....
Pics courtesy of the Walkem family.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/SCAN90.jpg
Stan Jones Maserati 250F , Arnold Glass Maserati ...1959 Longford

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/SCAN87.jpg
Stan Jones 1959 Longford

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/SCAN74.jpg
Stan Jones Maserati Longford 1958

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/SCAN60.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/SCAN50.jpg
Stan Jones Maserati Longford 1958

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/SCAN49.jpg
#4 Doug Whiteford Maserati 300 S, #2 Arnold Glass Ferrari Super Squalo Longford 1958

[Ellis]

A few more Walkem family pics.....

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/SCAN22-1.jpg
Arnold Glass Maserati Longford Pits 1959

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/SCAN63.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/SCAN59.jpg
Don Elliot Baskerville cc 1959 ....Holden Grey Engine

Next pics are courtesy B Dunstan Tas....

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/DSC00059.jpg
A Glass Maserati ..Railway Crossing Tannery Straight Longford 1959

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/DSC00056.jpg
Stan Jones Maserati...Tannery Cnr Longford..1959

[beowulf]

Great photos, thanks

[David McKinney]

Thanks Ellis

Your two "Arnold Glass Supersqualo" pictures are actually the Jones 250F. The car between seems to be an FJ Lola

The Glass Supersqualo does appear in the last of your first Walkem set, alongside Doug Whiteford's 300S

Nice photos though

[pallmall]

The Southward Maserati 250F, often referred to as the Amon Maserati, but as Southwards have owned it for 48 years..............
Originally built for the Owen Organisation to race while their new 4 cylinder 2.5 BRM was being built this is another car that had a chassis swap. The BRM team borrowed the Bira car and crashed it slightly, rebuilding the Bira car with their chassis before returning it to Bira.
The car was raced by the Owen Org. drivers, at least Wharton, Collins,and Hawthorn. Sold to Jack Brabham and then to Gavin Quirk in NZ. It then went to Len Gilbert and on to Chris Amon and then Southward.The Dunlop wheels and disc brakes were fitted by the Owen Org. The bodywork was modified by Gavin Quirk, and against a Dunedin teleprah pole by Amon. Rebuilt again by Southwards in the last couple of years and a star attraction at the recent Amon festival.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/049750x451.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/048750x627.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/266736x750.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/318750x487.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/051750x626.jpg

[pallmall]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/014750x506.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/003750x502.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/276750x608.jpg

[RogerH]

Ardmore photos:
Peter Whitehead - Ferrari s/c

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3779/cc56.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/198/cc56.jpg/)

Stirling Moss - Maserati 250F followed by Frank Kleinig in the Australian Hamilton owned Porsche RS 550 (Moss raced the Porsche in the sports car race while Kleinig raced it in the GP)

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9351/cc57.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/cc57.jpg/)

[David McKinney]

Originally built for the Owen Organisation to race while their new 4 cylinder 2.5 BRM was being built this is another car that had a chassis swap. The BRM team borrowed the Bira car and crashed it slightly, rebuilding the Bira car with their chassis before returning it to Bira
Not quite, PM

Bira's 250F was crashed by a BRM driver, so the Owen Organisation gave Bira theirs, complete with his chassis number, then repaired his, with their own chassis number

To put it another way, the Amon/Southward car started as Bira's (2504) and was then taken over by the Owen Organisation (as 2509)

The car Bira won the 1955 NZ GP with, and which Ross Jensen later raced with the Piccolo body, had started out as the Owen car (2509) before being swapped and renumbered 2504 during 1954

No-one ever said sorting out 250Fs was easy!

[Ellis]

[QUOTE=David McKinney;2415]Thanks Ellis

Your two "Arnold Glass Supersqualo" pictures are actually the Jones 250F. The car between seems to be an FJ Lola

The Glass Supersqualo does appear in the last of your first Walkem set, alongside Doug Whiteford's 300S



David
Thanks for info
I sent you a PM with my email address
Can you check that the captions are now correct
My refernce book on old Longford has an incorrectly captioned Pic.
Ellis

[Steve Holmes]

Gavin, what a great thread! Good work. Am really enjoying the posts and pics. Ellis and Roger, amazing photos guys!

[Rod Grimwood]

Beautiful photos of the Scarab, just great. Mind you they are all great photos, this site is sure getting the dust of some real history, just awesome. Bet the Scarab sounded great.

[Steve Holmes]

Theres an old saying that if a race car looks right, it usually is right. That doesn't always prove to be the case, but it did with the beautiful Maserati 300S. To my mind, it doesn't get much better than this.

1868

[David McKinney]

Even if it's not a front-engined single-seater:)

[Steve Holmes]

Hmmm, can we say I tweaked the rules slightly, rather than breaking them? Just this once?

[pallmall]

I have always had an interest in Indianapolis cars, especially those from the 40s through mid 60s, must be all those early speedway and hot rod influences I got as a youngster. So, having this interest for nearly 50 years, but never having the opportunity to see any Indy cars in the flesh imagine my delight at tripping over this car at the Goodwood FOS in 1996.
This is the Lou Moore built Blue Crown Special, front wheel drive, Offy powered, an example of which won the Indianapolis 500 driven by Mauri Rose in 1947 and 1948 and Bill Holland in 1949, and the car to beat until the arrival of Bill Vukovich and the Kurtis roadster in 1952.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996099750x448.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996140750x398.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996131750x440.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996082750x450.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996087750x440.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996085750x440.jpg

[pallmall]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996081445x750.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996097750x452.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996096452x750.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996095750x452.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996094750x452.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/GoodwoodFOS1996098750x447.jpg

[105angria]

fords not a single seater but nice

[beowulf]

Aston Martin built a single seater that was as unsuccessful as the Scarab. Unfortunately the rear engine revolution was happening at the time and they were the last of the dinosaurs. As such they were never fully developed and never achieved much in the way of results.
Racing now in Historics, using , dare I mention it, modern knowledge they have shown that they would have been competitive.
Lex Davison, hated the rear engined cars even though he drove one very succesfully calling them "mechanical mice". Lex also owned an Aston Martin single seater that ended up in NZ, raced by Lional Bulcraig (spelling)from Northland.Lovely cars that are only know being appreciated. All proper racing cars have the engine up front driving the back wheels, and no roof.

[pallmall]

Both Lex Davison and Bib Stillwell had ex F1 Aston Martins fitted with 3 litre engines. I don't recall Davison racing his in NZ, but Stillwell did at a couple of NZ GPs. I thought the Bulcraig car was ex Stillwell, that car is/was in the Donington Museum.
Will do some homework to check and post some photos later.

[pallmall]

Aston Martin DBR4 and DBR5 F1, 1959 and 1960. Another front engined design that was at least two years too late appearing to be competitive. Six cars built by the factory, 4 DBR4 and 2 DBR5. According to what DSJ published the two DBR5s were scrapped by the factory, DBR4/1 was reconstructed and raced in historics, DBR4/2 broken up, DBR4/3 is the Stillwell/Bulcraig/Brewer/Donington car, DBR4/4 was the Davison car later returned to the UK and historic raced by Corner and de Cadenet, and another facsimilie car was built for historic racing.
This is DBR4/3 at Donington restored to F1 specs and body style and is the car we saw racing in NZ with Stillwell and Bulcraig.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/AstonMartinGP001750x449.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/AstonMartinGP002750x433.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/AstonMartinGP003750x557.jpg

[105angria]

assd pics

[pallmall]

I guess I have a soft spot for some of the beautiful, but unsuccessful racing cars from the fifties and sixties.
While a championship car in its normal form, this one off version has always intrigued me.
Vanwall VW6 Streamliner, designed by Frank Costin and built by Abbey Panels, built for the French Grand Prix at Reims 1957, practised, but did not race. Restored back to streamliner by the Wheatcroft Collection. (Apologies for the poor photos)

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/VanwallStreamliner001750x544.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/VanwallStreamliner002750x548.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/VanwallStreamliner003750x485.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/VanwallStreamliner005750x471.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/VanwallStreamliner006750x489.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/VanwallStreamliner007750x557.jpg

[pallmall]

A couple of photos from the web of the car since it has been made a runner once again.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/VWS001.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/Checraft/1%20FE%20Race%20Cars/VWS002.jpg

[kiwi285]

As a youngster I alway had a soft spot for the Vanwall F1 cars. All my school books had side views of this car drawn on them. I think I still have one of these exercise books now. Have never seen one in the flesh though.

'Pallmall' I see in the background of the streamliner cars I can see the early McLaren F1 cars. Do you have any specific photos of the M7 etc that are/were in the collection.

[pallmall]

Not many of the M7s from that trip, but I will have a few from other events. I will sort them out and maybe do a sixties and seventies F1 cars thread because I have a fairly large selection from that era. One of the issues with the collection displays at times was the cars tended to get jammed in close together, and the lighting was horrid, making photography difficult.

[John Medley]

The Lola pictured at Longford is the FJunior imported by David McKay and sold to Tom Corcoran

Great photos, folks!

[105angria]

sitting on the side of the road over 200 starts 2 dnfs