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Steve Holmes
10-10-2012, 08:27 PM
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I was amazed to discover recently that this car still exists, and has been restored. I'd read about it years ago, and had assumed it long since lost, but amazingly its survived. The John Pope Special is a '70s British Super Saloon, built around a Vauxhall Magnum body, and powered by a twin-turbocharged Aston Martin V8. It was one of several wild and incredibly creative British Super Saloons to have raced during the period. It raced from 1974 - 1977. In its current restored state, with freshly rebuilt twin-turbo Aston, it has 820hp!

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More info here from Aston Martin specialists Classicmobilia (http://www.classicmobilia.com/Pages/default.aspx)

Registration Number: WNX 127N
Chassis Number: FJP0001
Engine Number: V/540/169

The John Pope Special Vauxhall Magnum bodied, powered by an Aston Martin DBSV8, twin turbo charged super sports saloon.

The John Pope Special and Tricentrol Super Saloon Championships, which took place during the 1970’s, were for large engined saloons which has a vague resemblance to a normal family saloon. With their larger wheel arches, spoilers and mostly capacity V8 engines they were driven by larger then life characters such as the legendary Gerry Marshall (Johns next door neighbour), Dave Brodieand Tony Stawson, John a retired farmer, built the John Pope special over the winter of 1974from the remains of a crashed Aston Martin DBSV8and a new Vauxhall Magnum body shell.

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Entered for the 1974 Tricentrol Super Sports Car Championships, its first race took place on 14 April where if finished a creditable 6th place. Throughout 1974it raced regularly with complete reliability finishing all races entered. John felt that the standard Aston Martin V8 engine wasn’t powerful enough, so for the 1975 season, with the help of David Morgan, Arthur Wilson and Barry Rowledge engineers from Aston Martin experimental department, they converted the engine to a dry sump lubrication and fitted two American Impellor Research turbo chargers to each exhaust bank, spinning at over 5,000 rpm they pressured the intake charge at up to 18psi (with full boost power output is in the region of 900 bhp, but the V8 is currently running with approx 600 bhp with lower boost pressure). This set up went on to be used in the Aston Martin Bulldog.

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It’s reliability record was maintained throughout the 1975 season, the car finished all the super saloon races entered, John Homewood drove the special to its first victory in August at the Lydden Circuit. In the same year John Pope took the car to the Brighton Speed Trials and won the Forrest Lycett trophy for the fastest sports car and the Carter Shaw trophy for the fastest saloon with terminal speed of 149 mph. the super saloon was continually developed and raced throughout the 1976 and 1977 seasons. John’s Super Sports Special is not only a very potent race car but also a fully road legal and was driven to most race meetings he took part in.

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The car comes with a vast history file. collection of press clippings, photographs of most race meetings, scrap books, race results, a set of slick tyres and wheels, spare turbo charger, spare fuel tank and cover, also V5.
Engine recently re-commissioned and running, the car will need fully re-commissioning.

OCTARD-USA
10-10-2012, 11:55 PM
Such a great car. I really enjoy seeing unique and powerful engines stuffed into a charming little shell. Though I didn't know of this car prior to seeing it offered for sale, back in August, I've done as much querying as the web will let me to find out more.

It was nice to hear more about it on The Roaring Season.

ERC
10-11-2012, 12:04 AM
Not the fastest or the most successful super saloon, but one of my favourites. Nice guy too. He even took part in the very popular annual Silverstone Winter Sprint Series, held on 5 consecutive Saturdays, October/November, on the old club circuit. (We often had to wait for the fog to lift before we could start...)

Add to the mix:

Mick Hill's Jag Anglia - one of the first super saloons, followed by his V8 Capri, VW Beetle 5000, and Skoda; George "Welly" Potter's 7 litre Skoda (Skoda's were popular as the rules stated that the engine and gearbox had to remain in the original position); Ian Richardson's V8 Corvair; Gerry Marshall's Vauxhalls of course and several others.

My favourite class of racing and always a crowd favourite, as was the similar formula here when I first arrived in NZ. Maybe I should post some pics...

Some are not so good, having been taken with an old Leica with a standard lens, no telephoto/rangefinder etc.

The grainy ones at Mallory hairpin (Shaw's Corner) were taken on a friends camera using the film he preferred. I stuck to Kodak for prints and slides, Ilford for B & W. Sorry abouty the poor quality of some of them, but I have boxes full of slides and 1,000's of negatives still to be scanned. Some will need extensive photoshopping I fear.

The Pope Special - Mallory Park

http://www.monza.org.nz/temp/174_0400_03.jpg
http://www.monza.org.nz/temp/174_0400_04.jpg

First season of the Bill Shaw 4.2 Rover 28/06/1970. Not a Super Saloon as such, but worth showing:

http://www.monza.org.nz/temp/170_0628_102.jpg

Bill Cox's Capri V8 - no Perana name tag required! Same date as above.

http://www.monza.org.nz/temp/170_0628_101.jpg

The amazing Hazlewood DAF Rover - another of my favourites. I think, 24/8/1975

http://www.monza.org.nz/temp/175_0824_14.jpg

Baby Bertha was sold to Paul Haywood-Halfpenny who I believe was selling one of the original Lola GTs not so long ago. Gerry Marshall's comment when PHH bought it is probably unprintable... but something about it not lasting very long. Taken at Donington, 15/04/1979
http://www.monza.org.nz/temp/179_0415_18.jpg

Mick Hill's Skoda - possibly his last super saloon - same date as above
http://www.monza.org.nz/temp/179_0415_24.jpg

Steve Holmes
10-11-2012, 03:52 AM
Wow, these photos are amazing Ray! Can we dedicate a special thread to them?

No, the John Pope Special wasn't the fastest of the Super Saloons. I wondered if maybe its very short wheelbase might have hindered it? Must have been incredibly twitchy on high speed bends. But still incredibly interesting, and a great example of how creative and original many of these cars were.

Oldfart
10-11-2012, 04:32 AM
The DAF has recently been rebuilt/restored. I had an article in Cars and Car Conversions in the last few years. What a great era.

ERC
10-11-2012, 04:36 AM
Wow, these photos are amazing Ray! Can we dedicate a special thread to them?


Go for it Steve!

ERC
10-11-2012, 08:23 PM
I remember talking to Ian Richardson (he graduated from an AC Cobra to the V8 Corvair) and his wife Pauline, who sprinted a Mini Cooper. She let him have a run in the Mini at Silverstone and his only comment was "Jeez, driving the Mini, you have time to admire the scenery, wave at marshals and just relax." It definitely wasn't the case with the Corvair!

One of the joys of super saloons, was that they all looked different and that was a real attraction, not just the engineering expertise and the sheer spectacle.

Steve Holmes
10-12-2012, 04:26 AM
Great story Ray! That Corvair was amazing. I think it preceded the similar car that raced in Australia.

Here it is, as posted elsewhere on here. Check out the rear spoiler! Imagine the drag it must produce. I'd love to know if it still exists:

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