A couple of fantastic Browns Lane, Allesley, Coventry, Jaguar factory shots.
The one above is of Briggs Cunningham’s D-Types after Le Mans in 1955 before shipment to New York, and the one below is a production run of XKDs, surrounded by XK140s in 1956; the factory fire was on February 12, 1957.
(Jaguar)
Cunningham’s cars were painted white with a blue stripe: they are XKD507 and XKD508.
XKD507 was driven by Phil Walters/Bill Spear at Le Mans on June 12, DNF with valve or ignition problems in the seventh hour with 43 laps to their credit.
Cunningham’s D-Types were ‘works blessed’, meaning Jaguar New York – Briggs Cunningham and Alfred Momo – had factory support to represent Jaguar on U.S. tracks.
The machine was first in the GP of Watkins Glen, at the SCCA National at Hagerstown, Maryland and the Nassau Production Sports Car race driven by Sherwood Johnson that year. John Fitch drove it to a win at Nassau the following year.
Walt Hansgen raced it to the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) D-Modified championship in 1956 and 1957. On Bonneville’s Salt Flats it hit 185 mph.
These days, XKD507’s custodian is the Revs Institute.
The Walters/Spear XKD507 at Le Mans in 1955, DNF (unattributed)The #8 Mike Hawthorn/Desmond Titterington XKD507 and #9 Hamilton/Bueb XKD508 at Sebring in 1956 (unattributed)
XKD508 was a works entry at Le Mans in ’55 for Don Beauman and Norman Dewis, accident and sandtrapped after 106 laps in the 11th hour.
Then shipped to Jaguar New York, fitted with Engine no. E3006-9 and painted in Cunningham colours.
It contested the 1956 Sebring 12 Hours, Duncan Hamilton/Ivor Bueb DNF. Hansgen won at Eagle Mountain and Thompson Raceway that year, and Walt was the Watkins Glen GP winner in it in September 1957. It remained with Cunningham and was modified by Momo. It was crashed, was returned to Browns Lane and scrapped.
For the sake of completeness, in March 1957, after the factory had withdrawn from racing, Jaguar sold XKD605, a used car, to the Cunningham team.
Briggs Cunningham in one of his D-Types, date and place unknown. Note the GenTex – General Textile Corporation – US military helmet (Revs)(Watkins Glen Historic)
Walt Hansgen and Ed Crawford start the September 21, 1957, Watkins Glen Grand Prix as Tex Hopkins does his thing. Walt won the 44-lap, 163 km race, and Ed was fourth. Cunningham was eighth in one of his D-Types.
Etcetera…
(D Morton)
Ivor Bueb aboard XKD605 shared with Mike Hawthorn at Sebring in 1957 and the engine bay of one of the team Ds at the same event.
(D Morton)(K Ludvigsen)
Mike Hawthorn at Sebring ahead of the Cunningham/Bill Lloyd D, DNF valve. Perilous nature of the 44’s marking the course readily apparent…and the cause/contributor to the death of Bob Goldich, Arnolt Bristol in this race.
Credits…
Jaguar Cars, coventryracers.com, Watkins Glen Historic, Revs Institute, Doug Morton via the Automobile Racing Club of Florida, Karl Ludvigsen
Murray Carter’s self built Carter Corvette V8 was a brutally attractive sports car that became Dingo-Ugly when the body was adapted to Appendix-K GT regs, as here during the March 1962, Sandown Park international meeting…
Here she is below in an earlier, far more appealing format, at Bathurst in October 1961. This article tells the story of the car and the folly of one of the CAMS’ less-than-brilliant rule changes: https://primotipo.com/2017/01/19/forever-young/
(VHRR Collection) (SLNSW)
Murray again, this time leading Barry Topen in the similarly vulgarised Jaguar D-Type, #XKD526, through Mobiloil corner – it seems – or Turn One in vulgar, modern parlance.
The capacious Sandown paddock above, not quite so accommodating by the early 1970s mind you. Meanwhile old-mate below – craning his neck in the light coloured suit – is upset because he thought he was heading off to his favourite track to see the donkeys galloping around…It was Sandown’s ‘opening car race meeting’ after all, the first clubbie is duly noted.
(SLNSW)(SLNSW)
Ah, that’s reassuring, Peters corner, was named so, right from the start. At least until ‘Torana’ made an offer the Light Car Club of Australia couldn’t decline circa 1971-72. Sandown’s Pit Straight before the pit counter and pitlane armco…and armco and grass runoff area on the outside. That road style kerb would have caused some excitement and grief.
1961 Ardmore Sports Car Trophy race – Le Mans start (B Hanna)
“The Le Mans start of the Sports Car Trophy Race (above) at Ardmore, 7 January 1961 (the VIII New Zealand Grand Prix meeting) seen from the pit lane. Angus Hyslop is aboard his Jaguar #100 and Doug Lawrence in the Cooper Bobtail #55 seem to be a couple of steps ahead of Malcolm Gill in the 5.2-litre four cylinder Lycoming Special #37. But Gill ran out the winner, with Hyslop second.”
The late Bill Hanna was Hyslop’s team manager/mechanic during 1961 when Angus was awarded the NZ Driver To Europe Scholarship. In between his fettling and organisational responsibilities Bill shot these marvellous colour transparencies in New Zealand and in Europe. Thanks to the efforts of Alec Hagues – Bill’s son-in-law – we can now tell the tale and share these never-before-seen Hanna family photographs.
This is the first of three articles written by Alec I’ll upload over the next month. A million thanks to him and his family for choosing primotipo to share these words and pictures publicly. They are magic timepieces from motorsport and lifestyles-of-the-day perspectives. I’ve fiddled with the photo captions in a few cases to flesh-out car model/specs, any errors are mine. Enjoy! Over to Alec…
“Meanwhile, having collected a 1958-built Cooper T45-Climax 1964cc from Syd Jensen in Kairanga at the end of 1960, Angus ran both the Cooper and his Jaguar D-Type XKD534 in the 1961 New Zealand Championship meetings.”
(B Hanna)
“The grandstand in the background identifies this as Levin, most likely on 14 January 1961, the Cooper and two Jaguars belonging to the Hyslop team are pictured above.
The 2nd Levin International that day was won by Jo Bonnier – and his distinctive 2.5-litre Cooper T51 Climax #2 creeps into the corner of this shot below, probably taken from the same spot as that above, but in the opposite direction to the first.”
(B Hanna)
“Conditions at Wigram on 21 January 1961 were less than ideal for photography, but given Angus’s famous performance in the Lady Wigram Trophy (third place to Jack Brabham and Stirling Moss and first Kiwi home) and the appearance of the Cooper’s former owner, Syd Jensen, Bill can’t let the day go unrecorded! Angus and Syd (left) are shown below with the speedy Cooper T45 on a frosty, soggy Kiwi summer day.”
Syd Jensen and Angus Hyslop (B Hanna)Angus’s Cooper T45-Climax on Andersons Bay Road, Dunedin (B Hanna)
“Andersons Bay Road, Dunedin, the Festival Road Race on 28 January 1961. The Bob Smith or Frank Shuter Ferrari 555/625 (help folks) #46 and Arthur Moffatt’s Lotus 15 Climax #41 are behind Angus’ Cooper in the roadside pits.
Brian Prescott’s race ended against a brick wall on lap 29; this is his (formerly shark-nosed) Piccolo Maserati 250F #29 shown below.
The introduction to the NZ National Film Unit’s ‘New Zealand Grand Prix’ short film was shot in Dunedin that day, with the Sports Car and Feature races both covered – in the film we see Denny Hulme cross the line in first place in the latter event. New Zealand Grand Prix | Short Film | NZ On Screen
Accident damage to Brian Prescott’s Maserati 250F (B Hanna)#19 Pat Hoare, #20 Denny Hulme, #3 Jo Bonnier, #1 Angus Hyslop, #33 Len Gilbert (B Hanna)
“The front row at Teretonga, 4 February 1961: Pat Hoare, Ferrari 246/256 3-litre V12 #19, Denny Hulme, Cooper T51 Climax 2.5 #20 and winner, Jo Bonnier’s Cooper T51 Climax 2.5 #3. Just behind them are Angus #1 and Len Gilbert, Maserati 250F #33. Other colour pictures of this race have been seen online, but this shot is simply too good to leave out.
The sports car race on the same day below with Ivy Stephenson’s Buckler Le Mans #38 prominent, but the ubiquitous Lycoming, Doug Lawrence’s Cooper Bobtail, Ross Jensen’s Daimler Dart, F P Harris’s MG TF and David Young’s Jaguar C-Type are in there with Angus’s Jaguar too.”
(B Hanna)
“Waimate on 11 February 1961 was another meeting held in the wet… and it seems that Bill didn’t feel like getting his camera out. Pat Hoare won the third Waimate 50 in his Ferrari V12, Denny Hulme already had the Gold Star in the bag so didn’t participate.”
Fay, Bruce Webster’s Cooper-Porsche, the Hyslop Cooper-Climax and Jaguar D-Type, Ahuriri 18 February 1961 (B Hanna)
“Back home now to South Pond paddock at Ahuriri for the Napier Road Races of 18 February 1961.
In the Hastings team corner, above, we see Bruce Webster’s Cooper-Porsche and again Angus’s Cooper and Jaguar. That’s Bill’s wife Fay, a familiar face at motor racing events at this time. Note the somewhat crude last-minute number changes to #111 and #151 – Angus obviously wasn’t keen to be #46 as suggested by the day’s programme. Pat Hoare entered too late to be in the programme, but ended up winning the feature race in his awesome ex-works F1 Ferrari Dino 246 powered by a 3-litre V12.
This is surely later the same day below… but what happened?
Angus sold XKD534 to Simon Taylor after the next meeting at Ohakea on 25 February 1961 and ended the New Zealand season with third place in the Gold Star and second in the Sports Car Championship to Malcolm Gill. Angus and Bill pack the Cooper up for the long voyage to Europe…and it is never seen in New Zealand again.”
(B Hanna)
To be continued, trust me, if it’s possible, the photographs get even better…
Credits…
Photographs, the late Bill Hanna, words Alec Hagues
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