Chateau Impney Unleashed

The world famous 1959 Old Yeller 11 (2) of Max Balchowski now under the care of Ernest Nagamatsu.

Reg Barker’s 1964 Alfa Romeo. Listed as a Sprint GT but looks suspiciously like a GTA to me but I failed to bring a magnet. Reg rescued the car from 25 years of storage in 1998. Power comes from a 1962cc engine.

Robert Lawrence’s 1965 Alpine A110. The entry list shows the car as running a 1996cc engine.

Ian Baxter opposite locks his 1937 1960cc Alta 61 IS.

Dating from 1948, Amy Tomlin’s 3420cc 6 cylinder Alta Jaguar here in action.

Roland Duce’s 1956 Aston Martin DB3S.

Roland Duce’s 1956 Aston Martin DB3S again.

One of several Mercury powered specials, Robert Manson’s 4800cc V8 1949 Baldwin Mercury Special.

The front-wheel-drive 1960 1098cc Bond Formula Junior of Andrew Tart.

Roland David’s unique 1966 four-wheel-drive 3500cc V8 Brabham BT21 X about to lose a muffler.

Jonathan Cobb’s 1954/55 3.4 Liter BRM Jaguar MK1 sports car.

Unfortunately the Bugatti T51 of Edmund Burgess crashed later in this run, with the car overturning. Whilst Edmund walked away from the wreck he was taken to hospital and then admitted to intensive care though he has now been released from intensive care and is described as stable. The Daily Mail newspaper ran and sequence of shots showing the car overturning.

Self-taught mechanic and motor racing enthusiast Phil Chapman longed for a car he could drive on the road during the week and then race on the weekend. His first car, the Chapman Mercury MK1 was built in 1946 with power coming from a 3900cc V8.

Phil’s third car, the 6000cc V8 MK111 proved to be very successful and allowed him to compete in hill climbs and sprints throughout the 1950s and 60s winning numerous awards and actually competing in the original Chateau Impney Sprint events. Phil raced the MK111 until 1964 before reluctantly selling it to fund his next project, CM MKIV with his own design of four wheel drive.

Only in its second year the fame of the revived Chateau Impney Hill climb has spread all the way to Los Angeles California and to the attention of Ernie Nagamatsu who brought over two cars for this year’s event. The 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 has been owned by Ernie of over 32 years. He discovered the car in the workshop of Max Balchowsky. He also entered Balchowski’s Ol’ Yeller.

Dr Spike Milligan’s 1953 ex-Roy Salvadori 1960cc Connaught A7. One of just 10 A7s built, Dr Milligan bought the car 27 years ago having first seen the car 63 years ago during a visit to the Connaught works with his father.

George Cooper’s (no relation) Cooper MG prototype as first raced in 1950 by Stirling Moss.

Paul Woolley’s 1959 1997cc Cooper Monaco.

Ex-French Motor Cycle racet George Cousy designed the Cousy No 2 500cc F3 car raced now by JB Jones.

They may only have 500cc, but the 1950s F3 cars offer spectacular action as demonstrated here by Mike Riley’s 1952 single cylinder Creamer Special. Syd Creamer was a Jaguar dealer from Kensington in London who made, or modified a total of 5 cars.

Westie Mitchell’s 1963 1100cc De Tomaso Formula Junior.

A slightly earlier Formula Junior single seater, the 1960 Elva of Phoebe Rolt.

ERA line up: five ERAs were entered in this year’s event of which four are shown in this shot; R7B, R4A, R4D and at the back of the queue R3A the mount of Barrie Whizzo Williams.

The fifth ERA entered is show here; Ben Fidler’s 1936 1488cc ERA B Type.

Another Mercury powered special, Jim Payne’s 1953 4200cc Fairley Mercury Single Seater Special complete with bonnet mascot.

Guy Broad’s 1952 1997cc Fraser Nash Le Mans Replica.

Bo Williams driving the ex-Ecurie Francorchamps/ Olivier Gendebien 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Europa owned now by Roy Kent..

Niall Dyer’s rebodied Ferrari 250 GTE. Found in California in a poor sate of repair, Niall originally entrusted the car to an American workshop who in addition to badly damaging the chassis managed to go bust. Niall brought the car back to the UK whereupon he entrusted the car into the care of GTO engineering who turned the remains into the car of his dreams.