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Bit easier to see!

Gordon Spice's Arden (ex BMC works Mini RBL 450F) at Oulton in 1970..

Pete wrote:Gordon Spice's Arden (ex BMC works Mini RBL 450F) at Oulton in 1970..

Does anyone know if this still exists ?

Think that's the car that went to Frank Gunn in 71 and then to Eric Paterson/ Jimmy Patrick in the mid 70s. They never raced it, so converted to road car?

Pete wrote:Gordon Spice's Arden (ex BMC works Mini RBL 450F) at Oulton in 1970..

looks like its fitted with a prototype k series engine.......

These appeared on Ebay recently (Silverstone '67)...









This last one's pretty unusual as it's Tony Fall in the Vita car, pretty fuzzy shot but not seen a colour one of him in it before..

Pete, Have you checked with Rob Clayson that it's OK to publish his images here?

M

No mate, they're off Facebook so didn't think I'd need to. Quite happy to ask him ?

If they are on FB then I reckon thats pretty public domain.

M

Any more info on these two cars? What series, what year etc? They look similar to the current state of the mk1 racer we found recently. Bumper seam removed, and both cars seem to have the side seams removed as well (I could be wrong). And the car on the right seems to have a similar smoothing of the front gutter. It looks like these cars/series could have been the inspiration for the mods on our racer post 1967.

Leon

car 7 is driven by TERRY ATTOE ,it was a 999s split webers,fibre glass roof,doors etc.The other car the ex BILL BORROWMAN 8 port fuel injection 999s known at the time as BOX 1 driven here by TONY APCAR,TERRY finished 2nd to JOHN HOMEWOODS imp in (i think) the 1975 Kent Messenger special saloon championship. APCAR only made a few appearances in various races before dissappearing the car was very successful and almost always gave CEDRIC BELL a very hard time driven by BORROWMAN - they were the kings of Scottish special saloons for sure. Picture taken CLEARWAYS Brands Hatch. Great days.

Borrowman is relatively little known nowadays but raced Minis right from the early 60's didn't he? I did speak to him last year with a view to an interview but wasn't well at the time. Wasn't BOX1 orange in colour?

You are quite right about the colour,but my mind keeps going back to how tatty the appearance of the cars was- a classic case of function over form! look at the rear track of box1-it is so wide! must have been a beam axle. that car went down the top straight like a 1293 but could not hack it in the corners-probably the rear track width!!!

When did BOX1 in Borrowman's hands ever look tatty, well except for one noticeable incident. He ran Sportstune in Edinburgh and would have used the car as promotion for his company. BOX2 was driven by Edinburgh garage owner Jim Clark, not the more famous Jim Clark from Duns btw.

BOX1 had a 5 speed box btw.

Didn't Tom Walkinshaw start at Sportstune?

Pete wrote:Didn't Tom Walkinshaw start at Sportstune?

He might have, but his father was a market gardner. He used to race a midget and I should probably draw a veil over the purchaser of the car from TW and the engine rebuild.

iirc Bill Borrowman stopped racing at the end of 1970. You will find photos of BOX1 on Ian Nicholson's Ingliston site.

They're small photos but :

"The grid for the Hartley Whyte saloon car final - front row is Doug Niven (Escort), Bill Dryden (Viva) and Eric Smith; behind are the Minis of Bill Borrowman and Sedric Bell; next row is Jim Howden's Chamois, Jenny Birrell's Escort and Jim Dryden's Mini".
1970


Borrowman again 1966


This one features some Mini based GT cars, yellow Fisher GT in the centre and Andy Barton's Marcos on the front row:


Famous transporter..

Pete wrote:Who's car is this then....

I'll answer my own question, it's Phil Middlehurst's car as signified by the white panels he used to wear on his bonnets. Phil was a very competitive privateer from St Helen's in the early to mid 60's. In fact in his first race at the '63 Gold Cup he finished just behind Ratcliffe and Rupert Jones but at Oulton again in '64 he beat everyone, including the works Minis.

http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1964% ... 0Park.html

I'll have to ask him who prepared his engines?! Phil is the father of current historic racer Andy Middlehurst who some may know as a Jim Clark/Lotus afficianado and five times winner of the Glover Trophy this year at the Goodwood Revival in his Lotus 25. Grandson Chris has recently restored a Mk1 S and just snapped his leg testing a Formula Ford!


Nicked off Ebay...John Rhodes in Equipe Arden 1400...

Harry Ratcliffe. British GP at Brands, 1966