Saturday, March 31, 2018

Cheetah


The Cheetah was meant to be Cobra-killer. It was Corvette powered, with a custom-designed chassis and suspension.
There has never been another car like it. Unfortunately, the Cheetah never made production. A fire in the workshop stopped production somewhere around the 16th car.
We know for sure that 11 cars were completed. Beyond that is speculation and wishful thinking. At least 8 cars survive.
The Cheetah was conceived and created by Bill Thomas at his company Bill Thomas Race Cars. Due mainly to Thomas' connections at Chevrolet, the most recent Corvette technology was available to the pair for almost every component.
In order to get the engine (and weight) as far back as possible, it was decided to forego the traditional use of a driveshaft. On this car, the universal joint on the frame-mounted differential is coupled directly to the transmission output shaft joint.
Don Edmunds, a Thomas employee, is generally credited with the original chassis work. Once the engine, drive train and suspension were completed, Edmunds simply created a frame to cage them, and a cage is exactly what the tube frame resembles. The body was created in much the same manner. A simple wooden buck was built over the frame and the first aluminium body was hand formed. This first body had a tubular substructure for support. Then they took molds from the aluminium body, one more aluminium body was built before the first fibreglass body hit production. About this time Don Edmunds left for his own company Autoreasearch, Inc. to build racing cars on his own .
The Cheetah quickly developed a notorious reputation, although some drivers such as Jerry Titus were allegedly impressed with it's performance. The tremendous acceleration of the 377ci engine versus the total weight of 1700 pounds, combined with heavy duty Chevrolet drum brakes - which were more than adequate for a car of twice the weight- kept straight road power from being an issue for this car. In fact, it was the massive horsepower to weight ratio that, despite Titus' skill with the car, promoted its notorious reputation.
Sadly, the factory never produced the required 100 cars to qualify as a production automobile due to many circumstances - from the fire in the factory, to Chevy's lack of support, and of course the car's reputation....
Despite its shortcomings the performance was phenomenal and it had certain amount of success on the race circuits. It was first on the track in 1964 officially after a few test sessions. This was at Riverside with Jerry Titus driving the car.
A few of them were raced in club and vintage events as well as more races in Las Vegas, Riverside, Times GP, LA, Daytona, West Coast and USRRC, Daytona 12 hour, drag racing, Willow Springs, Southern SCCA and many more.
After Chevrolet Engineering completed evaluating the first factory car, it was refurbished and made its brief road racing history, as the Hurst Performance Special. The factory also drag raced this car and used it for publicity purposes.
Denny Doherty of the Mama's and Papa's owned one which he converted to a wild street car. Elvis used one in the movie Spin out.
An excellent video about the car here.

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Motorsport is our passion





Monday, March 26, 2018

Huffaker Genie


Another very rare and interesting car is being featured today. The Huffaker Genie.
The story of this car starts in 1963 when the Sports Car Club of America launched its first-ever professional series, the United States Road Racing Championship. Up to that point, the amateur-oriented SCCA had staunchly resisted the idea of cash prizes or starting money, but when many of its top drivers crossed the street to "run for bucks" at rival USAC events, SCCA realized that it couldn't hold off the inevitable, and the USRRC was born.
Joe Huffaker Sr. saw an opportunity at this moment along with many other talented engineers and designers, Huffaker decided to build a new car for the series based on FIA Group 9 regulations, for full-bodied V8-powered racing cars with no displacement limit.
After building a series of small racing specials in the 1950s, Joe Huffaker had constructed and sold some very competitive Formula Juniors while running British Motor Car Distributors' Competition Department on the West Coast. When interest in that series began to wane, he moved on to construct larger-displacement sports-racers, beginning with the little Huffaker-Genie Mk. 4, powered by a four-cylinder BMC 1100. It featured a light tube space-frame, independent coil-spring suspension, disc brakes, and a fibreglass body, all features that would be seen in subsequent models. The later Mk.5 employed a wider variety of bigger-displacement engines and proved quite successful. When the USRRC beckoned, Huffaker laid out a new chassis and body with skirted rear wheels, dubbed the Mk.8, able to accommodate V8 power, initially the 215-inch aluminium Buick/Olds/Pontiac. A larger and stronger version, dubbed the Mk.10, had open rear wheels and was capable of handling bigger-displacement engines such as the Chevrolet V8. The Mk.10s were briefly competitive in the USRRC, but newly-arrived competitors including Chaparral, Lola, and then McLaren eventually came to dominate the series, and what would become the much-loved Can-Am Challenge in 1966.
Joe Huffaker's Genie sports-racing cars are fine examples of his commitment to high-quality, light, strong chassis construction combined with good power and handling. Loud, fast, and always a crowd-pleaser...

By the way for those interested, here is one for sale.

More images here.

Motorsport is our passion





Sunday, March 18, 2018

Ultima


We don't often feature kit cars in this section, but we do when they have achieved so much. Ultima, in our opinion is a British supercar and here is why.
"The quickest accelerating and decelerating supercar of all time and multiple world speed record holder".
The exciting Ultima GTR road car is the result of over 20 years of extensive research and development and is a product that takes the Ultima marque to sensational levels of fit, finish and performance. The world renowned GTR really is a supercar in every sense of the word which has officially humbled every last mainstream car on the planet bar none. In 2006 the GTR was crowned as the quickest production car in the world, beating the likes of the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari Enzo and McLaren F1 to a plethora of world speed acceleration and deceleration records.
In 2007, the GTR was independantly timed around the Top Gear test track and was found to be a blistering 6.2 seconds per lap faster than the £450,000 Ferrari Enzo, staggering the onlookers witnessing the remarkable feat!
Aerodynamic efficiency and balance has been of paramount importance on a car that is capable of over 200mph. Attention has centred around the length the rear of the car to help clean up the airflow and thus improve down force, whilst maintaining a short front and rear overhang has ensured that the Ultima performs perfectly on normal roads taking speed bumps and ferry ramps in it's stride. These developments have been comprehensively tested at MIRA (the Motor Industry Research Association) where the group was so impressed by the results that it sought an Ultima GTR as the centrepiece for many exhibition appearances publicising the extensive facilities that they have available for car manufacturers.
The ultra clean look of the GTR and the faultless self-coloured gel coat bodywork has not been achieved through luck, but rather by design. The production car feel of the Ultima is immediately apparent, from the specially moulded headlight housings and covers to the immaculate panel fit and lack of any external body catches. Huge wheels front and back fill the wheel arches declaring it's performance potential while items such as the purpose-made electric wing mirrors combine to create the complete picture. The sensational appearance of the car has been applauded by designers and connoisseurs alike.
Whilst the GTR can be ordered as a turnkey supercar, it is also available in component form, for assembly by the home enthusiast which is how the majority of our customers prefer to purchase their GTR. As part of the GTR's gestation period, a great deal of time was spent to ensure that this is one of the easiest cars in the world to construct by somebody with no previous mechanical or car building experience.
For an Ultima owner, having an involvement in the car's construction and thus knowledge of every nut, bolt and component on the car makes every journey in the Ultima not merely an experience but an event. The sheer road presence that an Ultima commands has to be seen to be believed.
In short the Ultima is the weapon of choice for the car enthusiast that not only wants to own the quickest car on the planet but also wants to experience the intimate knowledge of the car of his desire.
The end result is a car that's causing a real sensation wherever it's seen. Journalists worldwide have been clambering to get a seat in the car and have waxed lyrical about the GTR's unique mind blowing attributes.
We, at in2motorsports.com, truly believe the Ultima to be the greatest affordable supercar currently available worldwide, and one, which offers a truly unique experience of a lifetime.
For fully illustrated history of this interesting car, now in its 31st year of production click here.
Breaking the lap time on Top Gear video here.
Ultima cars.

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Motorsport is our passion






Friday, March 09, 2018

Excalibur Hawk RS


Bob Shaw is one lucky fellow. After rearing a family, running a thriving steering-wheel business, and conquering some setbacks to his health, Shaw focused his energy on that universal aspiration - constructing the car of his dreams.
The Excalibur RS (Robert Shaw) he loaned to us for a few memorable hours is the fourth jewel in this enthusiast's crown. After rebuilding two Bugatti roadsters (Types 38 and 59), Shaw commissioned a scratch-built homage to the 1958 Ferrari Testa Rossa. The Excalibur is a tribute of a different calibre.
Shaw was a close ally of the noted industrial designer Brooks Stevens and campaigned two of Stevens's creations in vintage racing. The Excalibur RS is an appropriately modernized version of the Hawk sports roadster that Stevens designed in 1959 and developed to the scale-model stage (currently in Shaw's possession).
Stevens was a prolific designer who gave society the steam iron, pastel hues for kitchen appliances, the wide-mouth peanut-butter jar, and the expression "planned obsolescence." He also designed the Willys Jeepster, the Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, and one of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles.
Two contemporary designers - Ford retiree Herb Grasse and Dave Draper of Time Machines Unlimited - collaborated with Shaw to trim the Hawk's towering tail fins and to incorporate modern touches from Bugatti (exhaust treatment), the Ford GT40 (front end), and the Lamborghini Murciélago (scissor-hinged doors).
Chuck Rahn, a crack fabricator, constructed the chassis, which has a steel-tube spaceframe, a control-arm front suspension, power rack-and-pinion steering, and a Halibrand rear axle. The classic Borrani wire wheels wear low-profile BFGoodrich radial tires.
The finishing touch is an official Excalibur vehicle identification plate.
From start to completion three years ago, Shaw invested ten years and way too much money into this project.
Constructing the chassis consumed a year; designing and building the formed aluminium body took more than three. The interior consists of fiberglass mouldings trimmed in leather and engine-turned aluminium panels. The doors, bonnet, and boot lid all open and close at the touch of a button.
The Excalibur RS's 5.7-liter General Motors V-8 crate engine is equipped with Edelbrock throttle-body fuel injection, tubular headers, and custom valve covers manufactured by Shaw's craftsmen.
Honoring Stevens's traditional red, white, and blue livery, Shaw selected Mercedes-Benz mystic blue metallic paint, which he spotted in a London dealer's showroom, and paired it with pearl-white and brilliant-red accent colours.
Source; Historic Automotive promotion

Video here.

More images here.

We are passionate about cars.






Monday, March 05, 2018

Berkeley


Today we are talking about a fantastic, interesting and innovative little car, which actually falls into the micro car category. They were raced all over the world with some success.
Having owned one of these myself a few years back, I can tell you that they were a great idea, especially as they came about in the 1950's England!
The car was a collaboration between designer Lawrence "Lawrie" Bond and the Berkeley Coachworks factory owned by Charles Panter, which at the time was one of the largest manufacturers of caravans in Europe. It was an ideal project for Berkeley, who had developed considerable skills in the use of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), and were looking for something to fill the gaps in the very seasonal caravan market. What Panter and Bond wanted to achieve was "something good enough to win World 750cc races... but cheap, safe, easily repairable and pretty."
The early cars were an immediate success on the home market, and several derivative models were spawned over the four years of car production. Export markets, most notably the United States, were exploited and the cars earned a reputation for fun, if fragile, sports motoring on a budget. Recognising the threat posed by the newly introduced Mini and Austin-Healey Sprite in the late fifties, the company started to develop a more conventional model with the support of Ford.
The caravan market collapsed towards the end of 1960, (no rude comments please) and Berkeley's poor cash flow forced the company into liquidation on 12 December 1960, taking its car manufacturing activities with it.
After having produced about 4100 cars of various types, the workforce was laid off shortly before Christmas that year.
An attempted sale of the company to Sharp's Commercials Ltd (manufacturer of the Bond Minicar) came to nothing, and the company's assets were liquidated in 1961.
The factory was later used by Kayser Bondor Ltd to make women's underwear, but it was demolished in 2002 and the site turned over to housing. A road named 'Berkeley Close' in the housing estate provides the only obvious link to the car factory.
Number 70 is associated with the Berkeley, as it reached 70mph and managed 70mpg!
Now, about the different models.
Berkeley's first production car was the 'Sports' (type SA322), produced 1956 and 1957. Production began with two prototypes, which were seen being tested with enthusiasm around the neighbourhood of Biggleswade in the late summer of 1956. Stirling Moss drove one at Goodwood in September, and the car was launched to the public at the 1956 London Motor Show - one year ahead of the Lotus Elite which was also to be of fibreglass monocoque construction.
Bond's attractive 2-seater open tourer design capitalised on Berkeley's GRP experience, and consisted of three large mouldings with no conventional chassis. The front edges to the doors slanted forward so that when the doors were opened they hinged upwards and then closed by themselves. Although usually configured as a two seater with simple bench seat, a hatch could be removed from behind the front seat revealing a compartment normally containing the spare wheel and some luggage space which could double as a basic seat for a small child. Equipment was basic, even the fuel gauge was an optional extra.
Power was provided by a British Anzani twin-cylinder 322 cc two-stroke engine producing 15 bhp and mounted transversely driving the front wheels via a chain and three speed gearbox. The engine was already used by various motorcycle manufacturers such as Cotton and Greeves, but in the Berkeley was fitted with a Siba Dynastart to provide both battery charging and electric starting. It was a very advanced two stroke engine which incorporated a rotary inlet valve mechanism in the centre of the crankshaft. The gearbox was a three speed Albion HJR5, utilising a steering column-mounted gear change.
The car had all round independent suspension by coil springs and in spite of the tiny engine gave remarkably good performance owing to its light weight kerb weight 605 lb (274 kg) and excellent road holding. Girling hydraulic brakes with 7 in (180 mm) drums were used.
After 163 of the SA322 cars had been manufactured, a change was made to the SE328 model with a 328 cc Excelsior engine offering 18 bhp (13 kW; 18 PS). The production run ran from Jan 1957 to April 1958 with many being exported to the United States where it sold for approximately $1600, equivalent to $13,300 today. The export model was differentiated by having separate headlamps whereas on the home market they were faired into the wings.
During their production run a Deluxe model was offered which was bodily the same but featured polished wheel trims and spinners, tachometer and twin carburettors. Most of these cars had the three-speed gearbox similar to the Anzani except for the mounting flanges. All of the cars had the sloping leading edges to the doors.
Motor magazine tested a 328 cc Berkeley in 1957 and found it to have a top speed of 62.1 mph (99.9 km/h) and acceleration from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 30.6 seconds. A fuel consumption of 58.3 miles per imperial gallon (4.85 L/100 km; 48.5 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £574 on the home market.
The SE328 enjoyed considerable success and press exposure through their involvement with lightweight motor racing, and their famous drivers included Pat Moss who drove one in the 1958 Liège-Brescia-Liège rally for cars up to 500cc. The Berkeley team – a works-supported entry of six cars including BBC commentator Robin Richards – led as far as Slovenia, but slow climbing in summer heat found their weakness and Pat ended up being towed back to Italy by another Berkeley. None of the Berkeleys finished the event.
The other models were, Sports and Twosome (SE492), Foursome, B95 and B105, QB95 and QB105, T60 and T60/4, B65 and the Bandit
Surprisingly late-on in the British microcar boom of the 1950s, Berkeley's only three-wheeler model was not introduced until September 1959. It was an instant success in the UK where three-wheelers could legally be driven on a motorcycle licence, so were suitable for a motorcyclist with family. Another advantage was that the purchase and road tax fees for three-wheelers cost considerably less than four-wheeled vehicles. The T60 at its launch only cost £400.
They were fitted with the 328cc Excelsior Talisman engine like the older SE328, and the four speed and reverse type VR gearbox, and were available as both soft and hardtops.
Drive was still to the front wheels through a four speed gearbox, but a trailing arm replaced the swing axle independent suspension of the four wheeled cars. The very last cars had a revised ‘unit’ front and rear suspension layout, presumably to stop the bridge over the differential from breaking and the rear damper top mount detaching itself from the car.
In their road test of October 1959, The Motor Cycle magazine described the car as "a fascinating, front-wheel-drive sports car which combines economy with liveliness and superb cornering."
Today there is an active owner's club (see below), which provides a range of parts and services aimed at preserving the remaining few hundred cars known to survive worldwide.

Detailed look at a 700cc Enfield engined Berkeley here.

Berkeley owners club.

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We are passionate about cars