LBL 590E

[Simon776]

It was in very 'low' spec at Mini 30 I cadged a lift round on the presentation lap. The owner was getting on a bit then. Is it the same chap who owns it now. Dave

It was owned by Phil Shaw at that time.

[Pete]

It was in very 'low' spec at Mini 30 I cadged a lift round on the presentation lap. The owner was getting on a bit then. Is it the same chap who owns it now. Dave

It was owned by Phil Shaw at that time.

That's the fella, he kindly brought it up to Arley Hall, shame it turned out to be a mud bath! It's easy to have believed it was a Mk2, don't think I'd taken any pics of the back to reveal the giveaway rear window!

[NZmember]

Correct Niall
John's car is correct and was given the Mk2 look when he first had it. I'm sure he wrote about putting it back to mk1 appearance in the MCR mag. He sold two Cooper S to buy it which was probably a good investment idea considering the price of ex-works cars these days.

As well as blowing the head gasket on the 'Downs' he was running in front of me on Robert Young's 12 car rally in Kent when I came across a strange object in the fog. It was the underside of his car poking up in the air after he'd gone straight on and into a ditch. Amazingly, no damage. Respect for John for using the car in anger.

[Simon776]

As well as blowing the head gasket on the 'Downs' he was running in front of me on Robert Young's 12 car rally in Kent when I came across a strange object in the fog. It was the underside of his car poking up in the air after he'd gone straight on and into a ditch. Amazingly, no damage. Respect for John for using the car in anger.

That was on a Fosse - unless he did it twice!! There was a picture in the MCR Magazine

[251 ENG]

It was the Fosse .

We were just pulling it out with land rover when police turned up

[fricsman]

It was in very 'low' spec at Mini 30 I cadged a lift round on the presentation lap. The owner was getting on a bit then. Is it the same chap who owns it now. Dave

It was owned by Phil Shaw at that time.

That's the fella, he kindly brought it up to Arley Hall, shame it turned out to be a mud bath! It's easy to have believed it was a Mk2, don't think I'd taken any pics of the back to reveal the giveaway rear window!

Might have a photo of it at Arley Hall, I'll check later.

[VKA305H]

Doesn't this complicate matters on originality? If the car left the works as a mark 2 that's how it should have stayed really. However each to their own. Cheers. Brian

[Pete]

Doesn't this complicate matters on originality? If the car left the works as a mark 2 that's how it should have stayed really. However each to their own. Cheers. Brian

I don't think it did, it was modified to look like a Mk2 later on by the sounds of it, as so many were. It is curious it was restored like that though when Phil had it and that's what threw me I think. Most were putting their works cars 'right' by the late 80s (and road cars for that matter) which often involved a donor shell..

[Simon776]

Phil never really did a great deal with 590 other than get it running. I don't think it had an MOT during the years he owned it as he couldn't sort the electrics sorted out.

[NZmember]

Simons, correct as always....... 1999 Fosse. I broke down on Robert's 12 car.
http://www.elise-s160.co.uk/fosserally.htm

Pictures of 590E in the ditch. Funny, I remember seeing much more of the underside but he had just gone in there. Perhaps John had tried shifting it by the time Mark Anderson took the picture.

[Simon776]

Sorry Derek John & Mark were either running immediately in front or behind us on the Downs and I don't think they lasted long before the head gasket went but I do recall seeing some pretty lairy driving as they tried to make up lost time.

[IslandBlue]

Simons, correct as always....... 1999 Fosse. I broke down on Robert's 12 car.
http://www.elise-s160.co.uk/fosserally.htm

Pictures of 590E in the ditch. Funny, I remember seeing much more of the underside but he had just gone in there. Perhaps John had tried shifting it by the time Mark Anderson took the picture.

I seem to recall we drove past that too... Think that was the same year we ended up at the end of a track (the wrong one ) in a very muddy field with a couple of red and white cars. Funny how the driver always gets to stay in the car while the navs get out and push, but I suppose the drivers would say it was our fault they got into this mess!

[spoon.450]

It would be nice to re-unite Ron Crellin and Paddy with John's 67 Flowers car LBL 590E, as we did with Paul's 66 Flowers car GRX 309D last year. I'd also like to compare build specs of both cars, with them being for the same event and driver / co-driver team ( although a year apart ). Can anyone pm me contact details for John please ?

Thanks
Dave

[LMM76C]

When talking about this reg number as "the car" or "a car", it might be worth researching a bit as to just how badly damaged it was on the 68 Acropolis after it was sold to David Friswell - and exactly where it was between a sole works rally appearance on the 67 Flowers and as a works recce car on the 68 Monte? A bigger blank space than even GRX309D had before recce use was confirmed. Other recce appearances? Plate switching for recce cars to use LBL590E reg no/tax disc??

Comparison with the 66 and 67 Flowers Group 2 spec. would be interesting. Probably not much real mechanical difference but quite a lot visually to become the "definitive" Gp 2 spec. car of the post 1.1.66. Appendix J. One item I spoke to Paul about at Bingley last year when dashes came up was that I simply don't know enough about the Flowers format (extent of main roads/co driver driving) to know whether a route card holder was likely to have been fitted. If there was one on a 67 Flowers car it would more or less confirm 66 too.
But then how much is really certifiable as 67 Flowers spec. on the "car" now...

[spoon.450]

Yes, good points Keith...thanks for that.