Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
I thought that some of you might be interested in a small event that I was privileged to attend earlier this year.
I received an email that came from Emma at Gunhill studios: “You are invited to the Vintage Innovations launch of the freshly restored Vanguard RA4.”
The what?! Do they mean a Standard Vanguard saloon?
Straight onto the internet, oh not a saloon then!
Shortly after the end of WWII, down in New Zealand, two aircraft mechanics, Hec Green and Jack Brewer, had become partners in a Christchurch-based engineering business. Both being keen racers they had managed to obtain a copy of a report written by Cameron Earl for the British Intelligence Objectives Sub Committee, published by His Majesty’s Stationary Office, which detailed the designs of all the pre war Mercedes and Auto Union racing cars.
Both men were particularly struck by the rear-engine layout of the Auto Union, so decided to build their own racing car around the same principals. With a limited budget and a scarcity of raw materials much ingenuity was required. War surplus sales was a prime source of materials, aluminium propellers in particular being a particularly good source of metal. The aircraft engineering background of the pair was very much to the fore when it came to the design of the suspension.
The front suspension featured parallel trailing links controlled by an adjustable system of rubber ‘bungee’ cords as used in aircraft landing gear. The rear suspension was a low pivot swing axle system with Oleo struts taken from a Curtiss P40 in place of a more normal coil or leaf springs.
Power was provided by a 2068cc four-cylinder Standard Vanguard engine (Aha!) with twin SU carbs, a special camshaft designed and ground by Hec Green, and a chain driven supercharger originally fitted to an aircraft. Running on methanol, with water injection to help with detonation, and a boost pressure of 14 psi resulted in 200 bhp. The power was originally sent to the rear wheels via a Citroen gearbox but when it proved to be unreliable, was replaced by a three-speed transaxle designed by Hec Green which is still going strong some 70 years later.
Whilst in period the RA4 was simply listed as a RA Vanguard it is now known as the RA4 to indicate its position in the series of racing cars built by Green and Brewer. The first was a Wolseley-powered special that Green raced during the late 1940s early 1950s. The second was a Vauxhall powered single seater for Pat Hoare. Number 3, a two seater Fiat based on a Fiat 1100 for Des Wild. After RA4 came another rear engined machine (RA5) that Green drove to seventh place in the 1961 Lady Wigram Trophy.
It was Jack Brewer at the wheel for RA4’s maiden outing at the 1951 Lady Wigram Trophy, but the car failed to make the start due to a holed piston. They returned to the same event in 1952 and 53 but both outings ended with a DNF. RA4 did, however, win the South Island Beach Racing Championship as well as setting a national class D 1km speed record of 188.89 kmh (117 mph). RA4 continued to be raced during the 1950s. At Dunedin in 1958 Geoff Marden had the RA4 running as high as third, behind the Maserati 250F of Ross Jensen and the Cooper of Bruce McLaren, before losing a wheel. The veteran driver Les Moore (the winner of the 1951 and 52 Lady Wigram Trophy) later campaigned the RA4. Jack Brewer later recalled that Moore had modified the rear suspension and it is possible that the modification caused the rear wheel to tuck under whilst cornering at high speed at Saltwater Creek in 1960 causing the car to roll and Moore to suffer fatal head injuries.
For many years the remains lay undisturbed in a Christchurch scrap yard until being discovered by Grant Cowie, and then sold to John Holdsworth, who commissioned a new body and chassis from an Auckland workshop into which the surviving mechanical components were fitted. The end result being described as too long, too wide and fitted with a host of incorrect items. Mike Courtney then purchased the car and his brother John raced it at Hamilton, the result being a DNF due to suspension failure. The car was sold yet again in 1995 to Richard Anderson who raced it in various historical events until it was sidelined due to several head gasket failures. Anderson then decided that it was the right time to set about restoring the car, and with the help of Jack Brewer, return the RA4 to how it was when originally constructed. This included refitting the Bungay front suspension and original P40 oleo rear struts.
Following the rebuild Anderson raced the car for a few years before selling it to Rob Whitehouse and Kiwi racer Paul Radisich. It was then returned to the UK and was auctioned by Bonhams at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed where it was purchased by its current custodian Ian Jones. Jones managed to get the car running with help from a friend, and was then introduced to Gareth Burnett of historic race specialist Pace Products. At that time Ian just had plans to get it running and to race it but it soon became apparent that the RA4 needed a lot more work, which led to a 2 1/2-year strip down and rebuild. ‘On the chassis, every single joint was cracked’. The panels, none of them were straight – you could run your fingers along them and you’d slice your fingers off’. The engine was only producing 70 bhp rather than the original 200 bhp so everything within the original block was replaced, and the supercharger rebuilt. New bungees were sourced from an American aircraft company, and the original P40 Oleo struts rebuilt.
The bodywork alone took 300 hours and the paint bill quickly multiplied, even the race roundels/numbers on the bodywork were painted by a sign-writer. Having been painted various colours, including orange and green, in period the team decided on a BMW shade of silver and the resultant finish is first class, as, it has to be said, is the whole quality of the restoration. As Ian said at the launch party, his voice breaking with emotion, he hoped the end result would have made its original creatures proud. I am looking forward to seeing the RA4 race in the Goodwood Trophy at this year’s Goodwood Revival.
And then…Goodwood!
Well they made it to the event; the Vanguard team received their invite to compete in the Goodwood Trophy for Grand Prix and Voiturette cars of the 30s, 50s and 50s and in the pouring rain Gareth Burnett qualified a very respectfully 15th out of 24 with a best lap of 2.16.284 at 62.86 mph, not bad first time out of the box. The car aroused a great deal of interest in the pits with the team spending a great deal of their time explaining the car’s history, and walking from the car park to the circuit I happened to overhear a New Zealand couple talking about the car and how happy they were to see it. Unfortunately race day (Saturday) did not go so well. The Vanguard made the grid but on the green flag lap prior to the start of the race the gearbox broke. A sad end, but I bet the team will be back.
Peter Hopkins says
200bhp from an engine meant for a tractor?
Wow!