This months........... What is it ?

[TEAM ROSBIF]

Hello chaps, here is a car you probably wont see on the road, but I wondered if anyone in our group knows what it is ? I spent some time working on it when I was much younger helping and getting it ready for the track back in England.

cheers


Mark

[malcolmr18zoy]

Hi Mark,
Is it a W154? It certainly looks like a Mercedes-Benz.
Malcolm

[TEAM ROSBIF]

I was so worried Malcolm that you would get this right away !! Now I can look forward to everyone elses effort.

No its not a Mercedes.

[malcolmr18zoy]

Well, Alfa Romeo made some cars that look like that, but they were usually red. Silver would usually indicate German. Hmmm.
Malcolm

[Steve Simmons]

My first guess was a silver arrow car, maybe a Mercedes W125, but it doesn't seem to match any of them exactly.

[HealeyBN7]

Sure looks like Aston Martin racing green...

[malcolmr18zoy]

You're right Steve, It's green not silver. Maybe it's a DBR4/250 by Aston-Martin.
Malcolm

[equiprx]

How about an Auto Union?

[Steve Simmons]

Auto Union (also one of the silver bullet cars) was my first thought also but they were rear-engined and this is front-engined. Hmmm...

[TEAM ROSBIF]

You are definitely onto something with the racing green.

Another angle

[malcolmr18zoy]

Is it an E type ERA.
Malcolm

[kiwimark]

It is a 1938 ERA GP1. A really pretty body style.

Mark

[malcolmr18zoy]

Oh, so that is actually chassis number GP1. How did you get to work on that famous car Mark?
Malcolm

[TEAM ROSBIF]

Amazing story. !

In fact we worked on GP1, GP2 AND GP3.

also thrown in there was a Keift grand prix car, sorry dont have pics for that one

[TEAM ROSBIF]

I thought of this "what is it? idea" just because I finished watching Mr Alan De Cadenet's new show, on HD , called Renaissance Man !

I hope you guys managed to see it, because that was the world I grew up in back in the UK.
Alan, discovered in the Ferrari factory back in the 70's the remains of the Lancia F1 attempt to beat the Mercedes and Maserati teams of the time. Great show and interesting history of how they built after the fact, 2 D50 Lancia's and 4 D50 Lancia Ferrari's from pieces.

Hence my story, I lived in a village in England called Radway, Dad was known as the local car nut, racing etc, so we ended up knowing a chap called Gordon Chapman, he was from Birmingham and had always been part of the racing scene. He happened to be in the right place at the right time, back in the 50's, buying the entire ERA factory when it folded !! For very little!!
When we met him, GP 1 was already put together but not running with the other 2 in pieces, I helped him assemble all the parts, got to know a de dion rear end in the process.
Pretty incredible and I was 18, about to jump ship to the US of A, unfortunately Gordon suddenly passed away, in the meantime Jeany, his wife had taken precautions and the whole ERA package went to the Donington museum where they finished rebuilding them all.

check out their design and engines on line , amazing...... really and so fantastic when you here it start up !!

[malcolmr18zoy]

You were very privileged to be involved with cars like that. They represented the British effort to fight the continental opposition in earnest.
Malcolm

[Larry Kluss]

That's a great bit of history and story, Mark. Very cool indeed!