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Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:25 pm
by mab01uk
Found a couple of photos I took in the paddock at the Brands Hatch British Grand Prix (17th July 1982) of the Unipart Metro Challenge Mini Moke support vehicle which may be of interest.
(The Datapost Metros racing on the day in the GP support races were the Group A turbo cars running in the RAC British Saloon Car Championship driven by Richard Longman & Alan Curnow).

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Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:28 pm
by JC T ONE
Nice Pictures 8-) love the carpet.


SCALEXTRIC made several Metro,s for slot racing, incl the DATA POST

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 9:14 am
by rich@minispares.com
I wonder if the datapost metros used to get lost and delayed.......


just like other royal mail services................... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 9:25 am
by billycooper
That moke reg no. is on a Green 2003 Laguna Diesel now :lol: :oops:

More Datapost Metro pics

https://www.flickr.com/photos/16788879@ ... 4382877618

Keep these pics coming mab, loving em !

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 8:03 pm
by uncle 997
Hi all.

A couple of metro pictures that I received from a guy called Ron carvel.
Ron is the brother of Dave carvel who won several championships in the metro challenge series.

I have recently bought a Maguire mini from Ron and I have posted a picture of the car in the paddock at Donnington park many years ago, the car they owned was chassis no2.

Iam currently in the process of finishing of the car I bought from them and it will be ready for blyton next year.

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 8:05 pm
by uncle 997
And another couple of pics.

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 8:14 pm
by uncle 997
Some pictures of my Maguire mini that I bought recently.

Like i said it will be ready for blyton next year.

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 8:15 pm
by mab01uk
Mini 7 Champion Chris Tyrrell raced in the Metro Challenge for a few seasons. Here are some photos I took of his Metro and battle scarred Mini 7 loaded up outside my late parents house ready to go racing and in the paddock at Brands Hatch & Silverstone. My brother Steve Bell also a future Mini 7 Champion was Chris's race mechanic in the 1980's and both are seen here working on the Metro and Mini. The photos are from different race seasons so the Metro evolved from an Austin to an MG Metro as the championship rules changed when BL wanted to promote the newly introduced MG Metro and Turbo. The Metro Challenge replaced the previous Mini 1275GT Challenge race series and was sponsored by Unipart and later BCA.

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Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 8:22 pm
by mab01uk
Austin Metro Challenge - Silverstone paddock photos - 3rd May 1982

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Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 1:27 am
by Tupers
Should I be worried that I got more excited by the Sherpa in this this picture than I did by the Metro? :P
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Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 10:36 am
by mab01uk
Tupers wrote:Should I be worried that I got more excited by the Sherpa in this this picture than I did by the Metro? :P
Some more pics with the Sherpa included just for you. :lol:

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I think this photo also includes another Sherpa in the background as a bonus! :D
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Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2014 12:05 am
by Tupers
That's a mighty fine looking Sherpa, and kudos on the bonus one. It's a shame there aren't many about these days.

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2014 12:11 am
by Pete
I had a Sherpa in the 90's, compared to a Transit it was a complete pile of sh*t! :lol:

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 1:08 am
by mab01uk
Some more of my Metro Challenge photos from the 1980's

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Photo above - Peter Baldwin - Silverstone - May 1981

Photos below Brands Hatch
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Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 10:26 am
by rich@minispares.com
some cracking period photos there mab!

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 6:46 pm
by billycooper
Love these Metro Pics :D

Back on the Sherpa trail, this was my service barge in 87, proper thing !! :lol: ;) , used to sit the service lads in the back on deck chairs, can you imagine, you would get locked up for that these days !
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Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 10:06 pm
by rich@minispares.com
nice 'tall body mgb' there billy!


the very first 'proper' job I had included the delights of driving a Sherpa (it had gone all posh by then and was a 'Leyland daf'

J734 EAG, where are you now (its not been taxed since 2004)....1) im not surprised - it was shagged then, and 2) hows that for a memory!

I used to tow it full of tools and plant, with a 4 wheel ifor Williams plant trailer behind it, it was crashed, thrashed, run on red diesel, over loaded (massively), never serviced, and generally abused - the sort of thing that would see you bummed over a barrel by VOSA now a days..........


god. I loved that van.


we also had a posher 'K' plate one, I ruined that one by yumping it over a hump in the road so hard that it shoved the front axle back when it landed - it never drove quite the same after that :lol: :lol:


I might even have a photo of the 'J' plater towing a trailer with my surf blue car on it (it broke down on the way to collect it (from Southampton....) when the fricking clutch blew up :lol:

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 9:24 am
by mab01uk
Found another Metro photo from Silverstone 3-5-1982

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Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 1:38 pm
by surfblue63
mab01uk wrote:
I think this photo also includes another Sherpa in the background as a bonus! :D
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Look at that Mk3S with typical late '70s mods. W&P arches, W&P nudge bars, tinted windows, glass sunroof, rear wiper and the long forgotten Wolfrace slot mags. It's even been upgraded with Mk4 rear lights and fog lamps. Just think, if you turned up anywhere with a car like that these days you'd probably get laughed off the field!!

Re: Unipart Mini Moke - Metro Challenge & Group A 1982

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 9:42 pm
by uncle 997
Rich,

I know what you mean with memories of vans with your first job.
When I was an apprentice at Dutton Forshaw's I used to drive the marina uni part van-GKB558N sometimes to go and collect parts and do break downs, it was great fun to drive and you could hang the back out in the wet very easily.

On the subject of metro's I will be selling my Klaxon replica Metro turbo car at the end of the month.
I have got two more races to do in it in the NW saloon championship.
It was re- built into a brand new rover bodyshell by a local garage to close to me.
The car has never been on the road since the re-she'll and it has only done 8 races in total since being re- built.
The car still retains its original turbo ID and it has a current v5 and all the correct tags for the chassis number ETC.
The car was at blyton this year and my son blew up the engine on the first morning, since then it has had a full new all steel engine fitted from Howley racing.

That engine is going to be removed and the car will be sold as a rolling shell.
Pictures can be supplied via mail if you pm me and we can discuss it further.

This is a very tidy car which has never been damaged.