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I am surprised that you needed two guesses ;-)

 

Correct!

 

 

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Andreas, 

 

It was the spindly upright gear lever that looked so like the Alvis TD21 lever. I don't know if this also used a David Brown gearbox, it may well have. Then I remember the gear lever looked just like the one on my brother's DB4GT Zagato but the steering wheel was obviously older (I think probably a Bluemel's one) against the Borrani alloy/wood steering wheel in the DB4GT. I am now going to have to search for a car I have not posted before. 

 

Wilson

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Wilson,

 

I am always impressed with your detailed knowledge. Sometimes this maybe makes guessing even more difficult. The photos were taken at a nice classic car rallye close to Vienna (not my car, I used my E-Type).

 

Best,

 

Andreas

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We have considered for some years getting a DB2/4 for classic rallying, given that they are delightful to drive but the problem is that they are somewhat fragile and the W.O. Bentley designed engine (originally for Lagonda) is a nightmare to repair well. Our later Astons with the Tadek Marek designed straight six engine in various sizes, 4.2L and 4.7L, are far more robust, especially considering they have all had Richard Williams' magic wand waved over them. 

 

Wilson

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I don't think I have done this one before but I have rather lost track. 

 

Wilson

 

PS I hope I managed to alter it before anyone saw that the makers name was on display

 

 

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The Veglia gauges (speedometer and oil gauge) do suggest Italian, the shifter and gate look Ferrari, and the added Veglia KPH gauge suggests you used it for rallies, not to mention the bit of rally book in the lower right corner.  I suspect the key fob is misleading since there were only 35 GTO 250s made, but I could be wrong considering how many other interesting cars you've had/driven.  But where do we go from there?  So many Ferraris and so little time.

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Well that did not take long. This is 3527GT, the third GTO made and dates from 1962. It is also one of the most original, with all the main components, those which it had on leaving the factory, other than the front bodywork, which was destroyed by hitting a milk lorry on a supposed closed road, during the 1962 Tour de France. Lucian Bianchi was driving and it was a long way in the lead at the time of the accident. They rebuilt it overnight but the French organisers docked them points at the finish, for having non-standard bodywork, which dropped them to 7th. Apparently Lucian Bianchi having worked all night on the car, had to be physically restrained from taking it out on the stewards. The only other notable win in period was the Angolan Grand Prix in December 1962, again with Lucien Bianchi. It has been far more successful as a historic racer and rally car, than it was in period. It is as easy to drive as a 1300 VW Golf with no bad habits at all usually, although just after this picture was taken, the brand new clutch failed (faulty batch from Fictel and Sachs). You do have to sit and warm up the 19 litres of oil in the dry sump system for some time before moving off. 

 

William's turn. 

 

Wilson

 

 

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"they are somewhat fragile and the W.O. Bentley designed engine (originally for Lagonda) is a nightmare to repair well."

 

Why a nightmare to repair Wilson?

 

I had a 2½ litre Lagonda DHC for a while during which time the engine was rebuilt.  I don't remember the mechanic making any adverse comments about it.

 

With my later Marek engined Aston-Martin the clutch was the weakness.

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Wilson, I thought 3527GT belonged to Irvine Laidlaw. Is he a relation?

I used to race against Irvine, I wondered if you were related. His cars were generally burgundy colour with a silver stripe. We had a good race a few years ago in pre'66 GP cars at Dijon...

 

Mark

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"they are somewhat fragile and the W.O. Bentley designed engine (originally for Lagonda) is a nightmare to repair well."

 

Why a nightmare to repair Wilson?

 

I had a 2½ litre Lagonda DHC for a while during which time the engine was rebuilt.  I don't remember the mechanic making any adverse comments about it.

 

With my later Marek engined Aston-Martin the clutch was the weakness.

 

Hector it is the white metal main bearings inside the "split cheese" bearing holders in the block that are one of the main issues. If you want to get them dead right, you either have to have a genius white metal bearing hand scraping fitter, which today are rarer than modest, quiet US presidents or you have to have the whole block line bored after the bearings are done. I suspect that this was not one of W.O's best designs. The one thing he was very good at in his earlier engines was getting metered oil flow, even to all the correct places.in the correct quantities The oil suspended overhead camshaft on the 6.5 litre "Cricklewood" engine is a work of genius and the lubrication of that engine was light years ahead of for example, Bugatti, hence its race reliability. The 2.5/6 Lagonda engine's lubrication was perhaps not as well designed as it should have been for a high speed DOHC engine and the top end is under-supplied resulting in cam and tappet wear. Now this has all been sorted by nowadays with improved oil pumps from the likes of Richard Williams and modern oils but they are still a finicky engine to get dead right, especially in three litre form and Vantage tune. 

 

Wilson

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I used to race against Irvine, I wondered if you were related. His cars were generally burgundy colour with a silver stripe. We had a good race a few years ago in pre'66 GP cars at Dijon...

 

Mark

Hi Mark, that would have probably been in his P57 BRM exhaust stacks car, ex-Richie Ginther . That was still in its correct very dark green. What were you driving. 

 

Wilson

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Wilson, I thought 3527GT belonged to Irvine Laidlaw.  Is he a relation?

That is his knee you can see in the photo of the inside. I am co-driving on the Tour Britannia rally and doing all the navigating on the regularity stages. 

 

Wilson

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Hi Mark, that would have probably been in his P57 BRM exhaust stacks car, ex-Richie Ginther . That was still in its correct very dark green. What were you driving.

 

Wilson

I thought he was in a Brabham BT11 or 7, but I may be wrong. I was in a Cooper T60 at the time. I then moved onto an ex Surtees Lola Mk4 which I raced with the HGPCA. Great cars!
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Wilson, it is forty years ago, but my vague recollection is the 2½ litre being converted to modern slipper bearings.

 

Hector, 

 

I thought that was the problem with the main bearing "cheeses", that they could not be converted from white metal (something to do with the way they were clamped)  but I may well be wrong on that. Obviously converting the big ends to shell bearings is not a problem. I know a friend is having his 1926 18.3 litre Hispano HS-8Fe V8 (in a RR Phantom 1, replacing a Liberty V12) converted to shell main bearings, where half of each bearing is in the dry sump. The con rods in that are new Carillo ones so they will definitely be shell bearings. If that can be converted, the W0 Lagonda/Aston engine can probably be as well. 

 

Wilson

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