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That was bad luck regarding the brakes.
So... is there an OBL 45F out there at the moment....and if so, how much of it is from the original car ?
Pics anyone ????

Talking of OBL 45F, there was also the Mk1 recce car that wore the number..



and the works entry for Tony Fall/Mike Wood for the '68 Gulf London which is pictured here I think at Oulton Park, I'm not sure without checking that this was even documented in the Bill Price book?



Wasn't there a circuit racer entered with this number on aswell?

Going back to the parts on Ebay, I did ask the seller if there were any more to come and he did reply that there weren't. He did give me the full story of his dad's car which he says got totalled at Crystal Palacein the early 70s (Mini 7).

I don't think that's Oulton Park. It's not p*ssing down and the car would have been muddy just getting across the paddock field on arrival. It may be before the start at Manchester Airport hotel.
Fall was competitive on SS1 Oulton. Maybe the rain helped:
Ake Andersson, Scania Vabis 911 Clean
Bengt Soderstrom, works Escort TC 14
Bjorn Waldegaard, Scania Vabis 911 20 (half spin)
Ove Andersson, works Escort TC 23
Tony Fall, works Cooper S 25

See MCF Works cars database too.

From the MotorSport archive (1968 Gulf London).

"The only car from Abingdon was a Cooper S (OBL 45F) entered in the groups 5 and 6 category and driven by Tony Fall and Mike Wood. This had a limited slip differential and "something special" under the bonnet. We never discovered what that special something was, for the engine compartment did not appear to be opened even during scrutineering. However, the car retired on the second stage when the differential failed and broke the sump."

Some grainy footage from Oulton in '68. OBL appears a few times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8dA2CaOfXI

Also some footage from '67, can't make out the reg on the Works car

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwzzeDpfC1c

surfblue63 wrote:Some grainy footage from Oulton in '68. OBL appears a few times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8dA2CaOfXI

Also some footage from '67, can't make out the reg on the Works car

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwzzeDpfC1c

GRX5D in 67.

SMOKE GREY wrote:


GRX5D in 67.

Yes it got stuffed didn't it?

Another great shot of post Abingdon OBL 45F on the '72 RAC courtesy of Roger Platt (foreground) and Tom Seal in the fetching hat..

Pete wrote:From the MotorSport archive (1968 Gulf London).
However, the car retired on the second stage when the differential failed and broke the sump."

Perhaps technically correct (in that no time card may have been handed in at the finish of SS2 - the first forest stage) and all that a reporter would have known. For historical record, it was still running after SS2 Dyfnant.

Lots of 'new' photos turning up on Facebook, came across quite a few just this week of works cars post Abingdon and lots of people who aren''t backed up, want to talk about them and who were around at the time, often the owners. Quite refreshing!

OBL 46F with Roger Jones in Wales, mid 70s..




Ronnie McCartney with another works number on his car, doesn't look much like the Acropolis car though. Apparently ended up wrecked and literally buried!

Interesting pics Pete. It's good to see some from the 70's

Thanks Pete for those photographs especially that one of the great Ronnie McCartney. Ronnie beat the works cars in his private entered Cooper S to win the Circuit of Ireland

Alan

Great pics Pete, thanks for posting. I was offered OBL 46F in the early 70's but I couldn't afford it. The chap wanted £900 for it and my Mk2 S was only worth about £600! Missed an ex works car for £300!!! Interesting to see it blue as it was Antelope when "new" into Clubman body as a recce car for the World Cup Rally in 1970. Looks like a few other bits had changed.
Also great to see more pics of OBL 45F. What a history this one has! It just seemed to be beaten into submission time after time. It was on that TV programme somewhere in Ireland but how much of it is original I wouldn't like to guess! Keep the photos coming and thanks again. Cheers. Brian.

That reminds me of the Aston Martin DB5 Vantage Convertible I was offered in the 80's. It had been barn stored for about 10 years & was covered in a thick layer of chicken shit. I decided against it as I couldn't easily store such a big car & the £3000 price tag was pretty steep for a young lad in his 20's.

WHAT A FOOL!

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/18213/lot/353/

Mark,
You may be interested to read this web page, because after purchase from Bonhams for that money, the car was totally gutted again!
http://www.postvintage.com/restorations ... ertible-2/
Almost unbelievable.
The owner is part of Morrisons.
G

OUCH!

All that glisters is indeed NOT gold

VKA305H wrote:Great pics Pete, thanks for posting. I was offered OBL 46F in the early 70's but I couldn't afford it.

Yes I think a few people were offered it by the sounds of it. Super Oscars in effect!



These photos are on about half a dozen different threads on here, we should try and get them all on just one?

Do we know if the blue OBL 46F Clubman is ( basically ) the previous antelope car ?

The front wings look to have been trimmed on both blue an antelope versions. Also bonnet pins look the same and the screen rubber insert finisher is missing on both.

Pic of the Antelope car, when new at the Works ?