1966 Janspeed Unipower GT

[Pete]

Engine in and running....

[mk1]

Looking good Pete!

Any idea on an ETA yet?

[Pete]

Looking good Pete!

Any idea on an ETA yet?

Essentially it'll be ready for paint at the end of this week, whether it gets done in time for Shelsley is another matter (should be). The dash I'm leaving until I have a much better idea of what Janspeed did to it but my best guess so far is that they kept the original factory aluminium arrangement/gauges and am pretty sure painted the panel mat black. There's still exhaust issues to sort, lights to source and fit and logos to sort.

[mk1]

Pete, If you are going to have an exhaust made, I can't recommend Tony Law in Leeds highly enough. Brillinat pipe bender!

http://www.tonylawexhausts.co.uk/2410/frames.php

[rich@minispares.com]

I wish engine access in the gtm was as easy as that! - its much more of a 'building a ship in a glass bottle' exercise!


speaking of gtms, wouldn't the maniflow exhaust of one of those be a decent starting place?

[rpb203]

Morning Pete,

I see that you are looking at getting an exhaust made, do you have one for a pattern? Although mines for a 998 engine so the pipe size for the manifold may be slightly smaller, you are more than welcome to borrow mine as a pattern. I'll see if I can send across some pictures.
Cheers

[Pete]

Pictures would be good Gary thanks, I need to get one made I think as this one's just too fekin loud!! I'll look into the GTM idea Rich. The exhaust manifold looks like it may well be the original Janspeed item.

[rpb203]

Hello Pete,

Couldn't manage to upload the pictures, an operator issue not the system!, so have e-mailed them to you instead.

Cheers Gary

[Pete]

Ta for that Gary. We had the car on the rollers on Thursday and have concluded that the crap exhaust currently fitted is costing alot of horses and peaks at lower revs so a new exhaust is now a priority. Sounded great though!

A little more hisory, Triple C's Brian Harvey told me that Piers Forester bought the car off him after knocking on his door one night. Forester wasn't short of a bob or two. Brian's last event in the car was at Santa Pod at the end of May 1968. However Triple C reported that the car was sold to Gideon Lloyd (still no clue who that was) who I have evidence of racing it until the end of the year at Brands, Snetterton etc and who put the Brabham wheel on etc, his first event that I've found is the end of June '68 at Snetterton. Coincidentally though Piers Forester is on the entry list for Tootal Special GT race (under 1150cc) at the 1968 Brands Hatch Mini Festival in an 1150cc Unipower GT on June 2nd (between Harvey's last event and Lloyd's first event), so I suspect Harvey's story is the correct one and that perhaps Forester wanted this car specifically for that race? I know he raced another very similar car to mine in 1968 (yellow with a central stripe ,different filler location and single piece windows) so I need to find pictures from that event to see what he was driving....

http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.u ... val_68.pdf

[fricsman]

So much excellent research on the history of your car going on Pete, well done, keep at it, it's great reading!

[turbocox]

does anyone know the results of race B

[Pete]

does anyone know the results of race B

Given time I should be able to find either an Autosport or MN with the event in it. Will get back to you but most reports only mention the front runners/winners.

Into paint next week, Tartan Red No.2, still having exhaust/manifold woes though!

[Pete]

Brian Harvey has been back in touch and has sent me copies of the contact sheets from the 'Cars and Car Conversions' staff photo shoot with the car in (February I think) 1968, here's a few shots scanned from the sheets, sadly low res but I suspect this is as good as it's gonna get.

Harvey leaning into the car:



Harvey in the centre with the glasses :



Janspeed had painted the dash panel black :



Helicopter takes off to take some over head shots...



This is the shot taken from the chopper, it was featured in Baggot's Mini Racing book but despite contacting Baggot we still can't locate the original(s)!



A comment from Brian on the above shot :

"From the right – Martyn Watkins – one time Editor of Triple C; Anne Bailey (CCC staff), Julian Berrisford – MD of Triple C, Tony Youlten – advertising exec and racing driver – one time Clubman’s Champion – drove a Mini for Triple C in the (what was then) the BTCC. I am sitting in the car and all the rest were advertising agency execs. I don’t remember any of them by name. The location was Denham aerodrome which Ken Gregory leased for his air taxi business. The helio was his company’s and we used it to give joy rides to the admen. This was a promotion day for Triple C in an attempt to show the admen we were for real and serious about what we were doing. It worked!"

[rpb203]

Pete,
They are still really good shots, well done for getting hold of them. Much better that the A4 photo copy of the lot that I had!

Gary

[Pete]

Brian is sending me the prints Gary, I'll make copies for you.

The car definately won't be at Shelsley, just will not be ready in time. Next deadline of many then will be Manchester Classic Car Show in September or maybe a trip to Castle Combe.

[rpb203]

Cheers Pete,
That would be excellent.

[Pete]

Been looking for race programmes for a while, the car did about a ten races with Mabbs I reckon in 1967 and similarly with Lloyd in 1968 plus all the speed events with Harvey in the first half of '68. This is one of the last it did in '68 at Snetterton on October 6th, number 115 (still not found a photo of that)...



Also found a programme from 30/07/67 with Mabbs at Combe, and one from 7th July '68 with Lloyd racing against Piers Forester in his very similar yellow Unipower GT. Will scan them soon and try and put up a list of known races.

Still in the queue for an exhaust at the moment..

[rpb203]

It also ran at Snetterton in June '68 wearing number 71.

[Pete]

Yup, this race Garry, Lloyd's first in the car I think (need to pin down an exact date) :



Also just (literally) found a programme from 9th Sept '67 with Mabbs in the car at Crystal Palace, another new confirmed race I didn't know about and as yet have no pictures of!

[Pete]

Mabbs with some sideways action and fastest lap at Castle Combe, August 20th 1967 :