Great Find!

[Steve-LPS-Thomas]

Every year or two I spend a dark winter evening scouring the internet to see if I can uncover any new info on MYE778P and her racing career. Struck gold this time, all on Britain's first ever 24hr race, the 1980 Willhire 24hrs.

I've found one new image (currently talking to photographer about reproducing).. and a video made by the MGB-V8 entry with some great footage including MYE. Screengrabs and link below. (Does he slap the girls bottom? Bet you have to look twice!) This is also confirmation that MYE was also sponsored by Hawaiian Tropic, who also sponsored Paul Newman in LeMans 24hrs.

See also the Racing Number Light on the door, she also ran an orange light centre of front bumper for night time identification which works a treat in the night shots.

It also seems that plans are well advanced for a Willhire Reunion and 6 hour race next August and I am waiting on details for that. Meanwhile, check the video, taken over 33 years ago when life was simpler, people had hair and Mark Thatcher (thats him in the video) was racing cars whilst his mother was sinking the Belgrano ("She was a danger to our shipping").

Link to Video.. http://vimeo.com/channels/277006/31946449








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[V8Wedgehead]

would you ever go back to the red paint?

Michael
1980 TR8 FHC #0020

[Steve-LPS-Thomas]

It's a kind of muddy maroon really, not very attractive. Taking this part of the cars history it seems very tempting but what if loads of stuff turns up from the works colours years?

I've just finished a "Timeline" of all known info (known to me at present) and the fact is this car is immensely historic as it was to be British Leylands entry into Production Sports Car Racing. Budget constrains deemed that only the Rally programme survived and this car was then sold to a works supported privateer. Shame perhaps that it didn't continue to race in works colours but even then sponsors were hard to come by. My researches have discovered that some (most?) of the sponsors were also drivers! A spare "seat" was up for grabs at £500 at one point. Easy to imagine goods/services instead of money to get a drive.

The car was returned to works colours by afore mentioned privateer just before I bought it, at which point he had owned it for 27 years. He told me that if he was keeping it he would put a V8 in it. In addition the boot/cabin/engine bay are all in the Willhire sponsors "Bombacote" maroon colours and aside from the door lights and spots the car is virtually a time capsule remaining "as raced". I like to think then that I have the best of both worlds, so no I don't think I will change it.. for now!

Showing her backside (black cove remains) to Martin Brundle..







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[Steve-LPS-Thomas]

1/ Out in front.. (?)

2/ Sponsors colours remain inside/Long range fuel tank with wooden dipstick!









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[Maxwell]

A great find - Something for the Cool Wall!

Maxwell [8D]


2.0 TR7 FHC \ Current
1.8 Mazda MX5 \ Current

[TR Tony]

Fantastic stuff Steve, to find that video footage after all these years is amazing.

You kindly let me sit in MYE when you had the car at the NEC IIRC, trouble was getting out again past the door bars! Somewhere I have an embarrassing picture of me falling out [:I]

Tony

<font size="1">1981 TR7 FHC Cavalry Blue
1980 TR7V8 DHC Jaguar Regency Red - sadly sold!
1977 TR8 FHC EFI Factory development car Inca Yellow</font id="size1">

[FI Spyder]

I can only imagine what these pictures/video could mean to you. Just think, all our cars have pictures or even 8mm film sometimes with previous owners out there somewhere, hidden away in a shoe box in someones closet or attic.



- - -TR7 Spider - - - 1978 Spitfire- - - - 1976 Spitfire - - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - Yellow TCT

[john 215]

Hi Steve,

Excellent find mate, I went to the 24 hour race at Snetterton in the early 80's must have been 83 or 84 as went in my first car a 72 Capri.

Cheers John


LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC Beauty Now with an overdrive conversion

1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6, BUILT NOT BROUGHT !!!!

[whitenviro]

Wow, great find! In the video, I don't can't see your car after about 5:30, in the pits with the bonnet up. Do you know if it finished?


[/img]
1980 Pageant Blue DHC with removable hardtop.

[Steve-LPS-Thomas]

Thanks for sharing my excitement, certainly nobody around my household does! Unconfirmed but I think she retired.. No 26 retired after 523 laps.

She was entered again in 1981 and 1982 but I have no info on this..

Her fourth and last Willhire 24 (they changed the rules for 1984) was in 1983. This is the info I have on that race, it was to be her best result..

04/06/83
Willhire 24hr Race 1983 Snetterton
Drivers.. Duncan Kirk, Dave Coleman, Graham Boulton, Kerry Nash.
Started in 12th position. Finished 2nd in Class C, 9th overall completing 868 laps. 1709 miles.
(Maroon Bomacote Livery) 98 gallons of fuel, 7 sets front brake pads, 2 pairs rear shoes, 2 gallons engine oil, 1 set plugs.
Pit crew.. Neil Peck, Brian Martin, Phil Read, Gary, Ian Boulton, Bob, John Holland, David Adams, Trevor, Peter Grenyer.

Another recent "find" (in Australia!).. a Collectors Card from Denmark from cigarettes or bubblegum? This is a picture from the European Launch brochure, that didn't actually get into the brochure and therefore previously unseen. Unfortunately I've mislaid the brochure and can't confirm this, hope my memory over this is correct. This was her first incarnation of course before BL gave her to Safety Devices.






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[trsforever]

Hi, Great Video, what is the significance of the rear no plate
'ADA TR7' as it was ADA that built the Le Man car, any connection?

Regards Scott.

[Steve-LPS-Thomas]

Havnt been able to work that out. I think it was a sort of "in" joke because they were aware of this.. It's something to to with ADA-BACON who were possibly an engineering firm? It's fun being a detective but frustrating too..

Maybe because the driver / owner was D. ADAms? It's fun being a detective but frustrating too..




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