Mamba Developments

[mk1]

Before the Mamba wheel, there was the "Mamba" racing car.



I wonder if any still exist?

My Dad found this while sorting through a pile of paperwork from years ago. He was a mate of John Thornton's at the time.

M

[Jeroen Booij]

That's fascinating!
Could this have been a very early Trickett design?
If I am right he had a very low slung Mini based racer before the whole Sprint venture.

[mk1]

Its far more likely to have been something to do with Alan Staniforth & the Terrapin project, John Lived in Leeds & was a good mate of Alan's. He made some special 10" x 8" Mambas for use on the early Terrapin.



M

[Jeroen Booij]

Okay.

Quoting from a certain book:
"Staniforth was one of the very first to race a Mini in early 1960 and became quite successful in hill climbs. When he met Richard Blackmore in 1964 the two men came up with the idea of building their own Mini-based car. At first they were thinking of a two-seater but they soon dropped that and designed a single seater for sprinting and hill climbing."

That became the Terrapin.

[mk1]

I couldn't have put it better myself

[Pete]

I've a few photos of Staniforth in a white Mini, one at Aintree in '61 and another at a sprint in the north east wrapped around a lamp post !

[mk1]

Alan was a lovely bloke & a fair pedlar too. The pic of his white mini wrapped round a post could have been the start of the Terrapin, I'm sure that some bits of the MK1 Pin were robbed off a crashed Mini.

M

[Pete]

Funnily enough I supplied a few bits and bobs to his son Darrel earlier this year who's been putting together a Mk1 S rally car. I've invited him to Blyton !

[Jeroen Booij]

Funnily enough I supplied a few bits and bobs to his son Darrel earlier this year who's been putting together a Mk1 S rally car. I've invited him to Blyton !

That's perfect!

[BRI MK1]

Back in the late seventies I used to race a single seater called grad prix midgets it was on oval circuit I used my own built car with a cooper,s engine in the back a bit like a terrapin, but I remember there was a guy racing with a car called the mamba just wondering if it is the same person as I can not remember his name but I think his car had a cooper,s engine as well I will try to find some old photos and may be some photos of my car as well.

[Jeroen Booij]

Back in the late seventies I used to race a single seater called grad prix midgets it was on oval circuit I used my own built car with a cooper,s engine in the back a bit like a terrapin, but I remember there was a guy racing with a car called the mamba just wondering if it is the same person as I can not remember his name but I think his car had a cooper,s engine as well I will try to find some old photos and may be some photos of my car as well.

Was that The Black Mamba by any chance?

[Pandora]

What date would that be Mark? Leeds is close to Rotherham, where John Houghton was building Biotas and the Coldwell Mink.

Wonder if any of them were offered with the 1500cc transverse A series......

Al

[BRI MK1]

Hi jeroen yes I think it was called the black mamba, and thinking about it now it did have mamba wheels and Pandora just mention the name John Houghton I think he used to race in with us and also Paul Emery who had a Hillman imp engine in his car,thats the trouble of getting older cant remember much.It would be nice to know if there is anybody on the forum who was involved in this sport .

[mk1]

The Mamba racer referred to in the document at the beginning of the thread was a single seater hillclimber / clubman racer similar to the Terrapin. I have no idea how many were built, but there is no reason why one shouldn't have been converted for ovals.

The list dates from around 1967 / 68, unsurprisingly my Dad can't remember exactly when.

M

[mk1]

Here's a pic of it

[Matt_Tupman]

What a find, it looks like a cracking little chassis.

[Charris780]

Here are some more photos I’ve got from John thornton of the car. If anyone has information on it it would be great to know any of it, I’m trying to source one of the original cars.

[mk1]

Thanks for sharing the pics of John & his Mamba. There are some great shots.

It would be great to find on have survived all these years.

[steve1071]

Were the wheels made in Leeds, Mark?

My Mrs is from LS6 (Headingley) so we know it well. Grove Road is around the corner from Alma Road, where the Ripper struck in the 80's.

[mk1]

Yes, The wheels were originally cast in Leeds.

Here's an extract of one of my mails from John;

I actually did my apprenticeship at Allerton Motors, Opposite the then Yorkshire Penny bank, in Chapeltown, between 1958 and 1964. It was at that time I bought a Lotus Seven Mk1 direct from Colin Chapman.
My father went down to the factory and brought the kit back in and on the roof rack of his Peugeot 403.

1964 to around 1966, I worked with Bob Soper. The biggest thing we did in those days, was to fit Shock Superchargers to all types of cars, and we developed the famous, Torque Tube that fitted onto a mini carburettor.
To do just that, increase the torque.

1967 to 1968 I started my own workshop in Car Mills, down Meanwood Road. it was during this period I built the Mamba Mk1 in my fathers garage, at No 6 Grove Road in Headingley.

It was also during this time I met up with Richard Blackmore. He was in a close relationship with Alan Staniforth (RIP) of the Terrapin Stable.
Richard had the idea for a wide wheel for Minis. Till then apart from Minilite, to produce a wider wheel, you just cut the standard rim on a lathe. Got a steel band made up, and welded it up between the two halves.
Bob your uncle as we used to say.

Richard had the idea I had the facilities, so we pooled our resources, and the first wheel was produced in wood, that enabled us to have a sample cast in Aluminium.

1968 to 1969 I moved my operation into a garage at the back of Bob Soper's Shop, on Victoria Street.

1968 We had about 6 units gravity die cast in Car Mills, which were hellish to machine, as there were hardly any reference points. It was very hit and miss, but we managed to get
a set out of the six.

We played about with the mix, and had a few more cast. Interest was shown, and so we cleaned up the casting process as much as we could. But it was still very difficult to produce economically.
So the prospects of pressure die casting was looked at. The die was going to cost around £2500 then. (remember we were only lads in those days)
We managed to arrange finance, and a die was produced and off we went.
They were cast by ALCAN which I believe were in Birmingham.
We produced 5” 6” 9” and experimented with a 10”


A funny story,

We knew that we were pretty well going to be on the limits, with the hub strength producing a 9”.
So we first produced the rim which was two ally rims cut in half, joined together by welding, to produce the 9” width. We then had to test them somehow.
There was a chap called Andy something from up in the north of Leeds.
He had a very fast 1275S, and volunteered to test under race conditions.
We also knew that the RAC stewards would not pass a 9” rim, so the car was presented for scrutiny on 6” rims, and I believe, somehow they were changed for the 9”.
They worked perfect and did everything expected of them.
After that we produced a limited number of the 9” and 10”rims.
And Andy got a free set of 9"rims!

Around the end of 1970 the patent and die was sold on, to the people listed below, then it must have gone on to Halifax, not quite sure.
By this time I had left the UK and Richard Blackmore organised the new owners of Mamba Wheels.

The Mamba Hill Climb car was only produced in three versions,
The Mamba MK1 was scrapped, for the parts to be re used in the modified Mamba Mk2. This model is the one that gave everyone something to think about, including jimmy Johnstone and the Terrapins.
A Mk 3 was produced and that was sold to a chap that we all called Bing Crosby,
The destiny of that one is unknown to me.


Note on Pictures.
No 1 is the wheel as we produced it and may have been the first owner after Mamba.
2,3,&4 cuttings out of Harewood program June1967.
5,6,7&8 Mk2 in production
9 Mk 3
10Mk 2&3 Mk2 is nearest to camera.
11 Mk 2 early stages.

Its funny to note none have the ally wheels , must have been too expensive! Or
I think they had not come on stream.

Mamba 1.jpeg

Mamba 2.jpeg

Mamba 3.jpeg

Mamba 4.jpeg

Mamba no skin, steel wheels..jpeg

frame in early stage, b ack end showing shorock charger, and early exhaust..jpeg

Mamba MK 3 at top. 2.jpg