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george
United Kingdom
862 Posts |
 Posted - 08/11/2012 : 13:17:50
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| In the very early 50s Cliff davis ,who will always be linked with the xpag engined JOY 500[still the most successful partnership in motor sport]raced a modified N type.Does anybody have any idea of the identity of the car[im led to believe he did not own it].Geoff |
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MaGic_GV
United Kingdom
868 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2012 : 21:56:51
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Cliff Davis' famous xpag engined Cooper was built up by Lionel Leonard, who had previously built an N special - and I think other MG engined specials. I don't know if Davis raced it, but it seems a likely candidate...
Graham
"I'd rather be happy than right anyday" Slartybartfast, Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy |
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Colin McLachlan
United Kingdom
991 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2012 : 10:27:29
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Not really connected, but by odd coincidence an AC Ace I owned in the late 60s showed in its logbook that it had previously been registered JOY 500. This had been changed to 923 CTF long before I bought it.
Colin
PA 0613
MG3242
Register No. 2591 |
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powerplus
United Kingdom
599 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2012 : 20:35:04
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George,
I think the N special to which you refer is MG NA AYT 197, which Lionel Leonard bought in 1937 and used before the war as his family car. During the war various modifications were made to the car including alterations to the body, addition of an ENV (Rapier) pre-selector gearbox, and supercharger along with various engine modifications. With the assistance of Harry Lester, in 1948, the car acquired a new 'Lester' style pointed tail body, which it carries to this day. Hydraulic brakes, were fitted later. In Lionel Leonard's hands the car was very successful in hill climbs, sprints etc having been recorded at around 115mph at the Brighton Speed Trials in 1948. I believe that Leonard sold the car around 1951, having acquired the Cooper MG.
On page 58 of the 2002 Triple-M Yearbook a photograph shows "F.C.Davis' supercharged MG" on the starting line at the VSCC Silverstone May, 1951 meeting - the implication being that Davis owned the car and I have seen other photos of him driving AYT 197.
I owned AYT 197 from 1970 to 1977, having acquired the car from John Creswell Crabtree who in turn bought the car from Raymond Guy Ford in 1967. I have a dim recollection from a conversation with Crabtree, that Ford bought the car from Cliff Davis.
AYT 197 is currently undergoing some restoration work in Wrexham after a long period of inactivity.
Powerplus. |
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Colin Butchers
United Kingdom
1487 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2012 : 10:00:10
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I have been told by someone who is a specialist on Harry Lester cars that the body currently on AYT197 was actually built by Lionel Leonard himself in the style of the Lester cars. However, Harry Lester did build the front cowl but allegedly never received payment for this as Leonard reckoned that it did not "work properly" and caused the car to overheat.
Colin B. |
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