Merlyn Mk21

Can anyone educate me on Merlyn Mk21s? I think it was a 1971 F3 design but at least one went to the US as a FB car. Gordon Smiley's 1972 Merlyn FB race winner seems to have been a Mk21.

Anyone know how many were built?

Thanks

Allen

Allen,

Mk21 (chassis 394/FB/4)was running in HSCC events in the early 90s. Iwas told it was originally supplied to Race America, and run by someone called Brownley or Brownlee, and later David Pence in SCCA events, but not sure how many years that spanned.

I think Peter Denty may have use this car more recently.

Yes, 394 is the car raced by James Denty about ten years ago. Alasdair Southall was running another (ex-Alan Baillie) about the same time and Denis Welch a third (ex-Skeels). Sorry, the Denty car is the only one of the three I have a number for.
And I don't know how many there were in all.
I think the Welch car at least started life in F3 spec, but was running in F2 (or possibly FAt) trim in the 1990s, as were both the others

"Brownlee" would be Porter Brownlee (Little Rock, Ark) who won the 1973 MidWest Div FB title in a Merlyn MK21. The year before Brownlee, that same title was claimed by Smiley (Overland Park, Kansas), also in a MK21. Coincidence? Enough to send me back to my SCCA Nationals photocopies.

It turns out that Smiley and his Merlyn had been a close second to Lazier's 71BM in the 1971 series and had won the 1972 series at a canter. Brownlee appears with just 2 pts in 1972 - either he wasn't competitive or he only raced once or twice. The uncompetetive option doesn't sound right as he dominated the 1973 series so maybe he only appeared late in that 1972 season after buying Smiley's car?

Seems to me that there'a strong possibility that Browlee's 394/FB/4 could be the Smiley car.

Anyone in touch with Denty? Anyone know who Race America were or where they were located?

Allen

Originally posted by allenbrown
"... Anyone know who Race America were or where they were located?

Allen

No to the first part Allen, but the notes I made say Dallas for Race America's location. Sorry, should have bolted that in to the previous post.

Don't think this was the only Merlyn in FB in N. America. David Loring appears in one at Westwood in either 73 or 74.

Chris

Originally posted by Chris Townsend
Don't think this was the only Merlyn in FB in N. America. David Loring appears in one at Westwood in either 73 or 74.

Chris Long way from Westwood to Kansas. Unless you click your heels three times.

I agree there would have been a handful or more of FB Merlyns in North America but the Arkansas/Kansas/Oklahoma area is not exactly a hotbed of single-seater activity and two Mk21s appearing there back-to-back seemed quite a coincidence.

Allen

James Denty will be at Brands Hatch this weekend. He sold the Merlyn a few years ago to the AA who raced it in Euro f2. They sold it at the H&H Auction at the Stoneleigh show in February, it was painted yellow, for obvious reasons!

Has anyone tried Clive Hayward. He still has the records for the Formula Fords.

Originally posted by James Murray
Has anyone tried Clive Hayward. He still has the records for the Formula Fords. Good idea. I've just emailed him.

Thanks

Allen

Allen

Loring places 4th at Westwood with a Merlyn in 74. This seems to be his only appearance in the car that year [though apart from Sanair, Westwood is the only race where I have full runners and riders.] In any case he took over the Villeneuve 74B for a while when Gilles was injured.
It is a long way from Arkansas to Vancouver, but that was a national pro series. Maybe he found the money to run what might have looked like a good car in Smiley's hands, and by being competitive at Westwood - which he clearly was - hoped to fund the rest of the season.

Smiley runs a Merlyn at Brands in early April 74 then switches to Elden in June.

Also lurking at the back of my mind is an SCCA regional in Virginia with a couple of FB Merlyns in it. I think that this team in Little Rock maybe had a couple of cars. As all my personal computers are now non-functional and I'm down to a cybercafe I have no way of checking until next week!

Chris

Chris, dis Smiley start in the Elden in 74. I saw him entered a couple of times, but he non-started. What happened to the car afterwards do you know?

Chris

Clive Hayward has emailed me back and distinctly rememebrs Smiley's car as the second Mk21. He's going to look out the records but thinks a few Mk21s were built.

Allen

Dan

Don't have full results for 1974 UK yet, but Smiley certainly did start some races in the Elden Mk16.

The car went to the USA in 1975 and ran SCCA and a couple of pro races.

Chris

I will check my records and post back. Race America was the offical US imported of Merlyn cars, after a couple of successful seasons in the Mk 17/Mk 19 Formula Fords the Importer (James Harris, I believe) imported the Mk 21 for Smiley. I worked on this car extensively as I was employeed by Smiley at the time. After a good year in FB the car was returned to the importer where he raced it a couple of times but ran out of interest (he also owned an airport and was into flying) and sold the car to Brownlee I believe(will check my records and get back.) David Loring came back and lived with us in Kansas for several months in 73/74 at which time I believe he arraigned the drive in Atlantic (I am sure it was the same car as I never remember seeing 2 of them together...ever.) Shortly after Loring got the call to drive Gurney's FF.
Believe me when I say that if you were into Road Racing of ANY kind....Kansas was a long ways from ANYWHERE. Go Flatland Flyers.

Hello jjordan

What a coincidence you should drop by! Was it just a conincidence?

Clive has been back in touch. Smiley had two different Mk 21s - one sold to M.A.A.C. in August 1971 and raced by Gordon in USA; a second he bought much, much later in 1975 when he was in the UK. This second car was bought as a F3 from Bernard Vermilio and converted to a F Allantic. Clive reckons he crashed this second car.

It would make some sense if the Smiley car went to Brownlee but it would be great if you could confirm this.

Thanks

Allen

See what you mean about Kansas. The only other driver in my database with a Kansas home town was one Gordon Gresham. He raced a Formula Junior Lotus 20 between 1964 and 1967.

Allen

Yes, totally a coincidence...I am very new to this forum, and don't hold a candle to some of the regulars on here, but I find myself reading till my eyes hurt. For a kid from Kansas I was a sponge for news of Road Racing, it was pretty scarce back then, Smiley was like a god to an impressionable young kid/man and I was lucky enough to have worked on several cars with him. Gordon was extremely talented in the cockpit, and out. He had the ability to aline himself with "Money Men", to help him along. The Merlyn factory promised a "factory ride" after Gordons succesful season in the Mk.21, whether Gordon read alot more into it than was there, or our Midwestern niavety wanted to think the best, but after moving to England, and finding that his "factory ride"was more like a factory job at Colchester Racing Developments, Gordon tried to make the best of it with the Elden. James Harris, the Merlyn importer, had a Lotus 47 when i first meet him, the Europa body with the F2 engine/ suspension, very nice car. Just another one of those on the "Wish you had back List!" Not to completely derail the Merlyn thread, while with Gordon we had several Lotus Super Sevens, converted a Lola T70 coupe (ex-David Piper) to road config, the Lotus 47, so many different FF I can'rt even remeber them all(fortunately I wrote most of them down), the Mk21, McRae GM1. Pretty lucky for a kid from Kansas.

jjordan
Hi and welcome.
I have a few questions about the Loring - Brownlee car. Mainly, was Westwood 1974 Loring's only race with the car or did he go on to a couple more of the early rounds? What motor was he running, a BDA or still a t/c? At Westwood he finished 4th on the same lap as the leader and in front of a lot of good people running BDAs [this was the first season Canada allowed them]. That suggests a BDA as well, but Westwood was a wet race and Loring was quite good...

At 1975 SCCA finals both Brownlee and Mike Winn race Mk21s. This was the source of my concern about there being more than one car in the US. Was the Winn car anything to do with the Brownlee set up. Was this the Smiley car from the UK rebuilt and also exported to the US, or something else again?

Chris

Sorry all, and the main reason why I write things down. Smiley's car was the first Mk 21 in the states, through Race America which was owned then by Bill Ippilitto. Brownlee bought a new car from Race America, moving up from FF, his being the second. Mike Winn bought the car from Brownlee and entered it in the Runoffs, where Brownle had listed the Merlyn on his entry also, but actually competed in a March. Doesn't solve the mystery for you of the Westwood entry, yet, but let me get through my "log books" this weekend and we will see what I come up with.
Agree with you about Loring, he was brilliant in a totally different way than Smiley, he was EXTREMELY tidy with the car, never scrubbing off speed, and hence his success in FF, I think.
I will keep working on the history of these 2 cars and get back, as I would certainly like to see the Smiley car again.

The errors you find in race reports!
Don't suppose we'll ever know what sort of March it was that Brownlee used in that SCCA race?

Chris

Chris:
I apologize for being so slow in getting back ( and I still haven't got through those log books yet....soon I promise) in a conversation with Charlie Williams (noted Midwest engine builder whose shop Smiley ran out of) this past day he reminded me that the first Mk 21 was bought from Ippilitto (Race America) by a shadow corp (M.A.A.C.) for Smiley. At the end of that year Charlie Williams purchased the car with the intent of running it in Atlantic the next year. This the car that Loring drove at Westwood, with the original Twin Cam. He also ran the car in the next 2 races (Gimli and ?) but since they were dry races his performance against the BDA powered cars was what you would expect(and a great dissapointment to all), this combined with the fact that they were underfunded to begin with, shelved their effort that year. The car actually traveled to most of the rest of the races that year in the top of Tim Coopers trailer. As near as Charlie can recall, the car was sold to a club racer in the south where it ran sporadically for the next 3 years. Charlie Williams believes that the car was sold to Canada where he believes that it still resides (as he has gotten some inquiry's about it's past in the last couple of years.)
All of this is complicated by the fact that it was common practice around here to take the ID plate off the cars and throw them in the top of your toolbox (don't ask me why, and now, looking back, it seems extremely silly, but back then they were just last years race cars.)
Loring works for Skip Barber in Massachusetts today and may still have some of those ID plates to this day. I will see if I can contact him to fill in some of the gaps.
Sorry for this rambling but that is the danger of me talking off the top of my head, will refer to the log books I kept (as well as a few calls to old freinds)to fill in the gaps in my memory.

Had another email from Clive today. There were five F3 MK21s and two FB MK21s. Gordon's car was 320-FB-71.

Allen

Allen and jj

Good we now know the chassis numbers of the two real FB Mk21s and pretty much who had them and when in period. Any way we can get a handle on the users of the F3 versions - that way we can nail down the second Smiley car that was built from Vermillio's F3.

Chris

We currently own the Merlyn Mk21 Ex Smiley car (chassis 320).
It is in an unrestored state and is complete except for engine and gearbox.
We have owned it since the early 1990's

David Clubine
Britain West Motorsport
519-756-1610
dclubine@sentex.net
Ontario Canada

David

Do you know who raced the Mk21 after Smiley? Does the log book show Loring in it next? Then who?

Regards

Allen

In researching this exact model Merlyn and a particular single car, came across this site.
I know a lot about Gordon Smiley's Merlyn Mk.21...so here's the story.
In 1970/71 he blitzed the FF class in the States, winning on speedways (then the IMSA F100 events) in a Merlyn Mk 17. Due to his success and sponsor's money, based in Kansas City, Missouri (dead center of US) they became the Merlyn Factory Team in FF and FB here. His sponsor was a hugely successful dealer of used airplanes.
Late 1971 they received the second Mk 21 constructed (first went to the team campaigning Jody Scheckter in EuropeI can't remember F3 or F2), the "A" version (with a rounded and "BT29 type nose, upper radiator exit). This car arrived in current European configuration, without any wings, and was immediately successful and winning club FB races in the SCCA. It was one of the first small formula cars to race in the states on full slick tires, and was always faster than the F5000 cars in the same races. Smiley continued his success winning many FF races in the factory Mk 20, sat on pole for its first three races and (using FB front tires) was the first evern FF on slicks (the rear) for Daytona FF and Road Atlanta SCCA championships in 1971. He dominated most club and some professional races in the Mk 21, w/Lotus TwinCam (typically supplied by Brian Hart, but also Californian Gene Crowe). It was also updated with front wings and a tiny rear wing above the engine (as in photo). Shortly thereafter an aero engineer friend I introduced, designed a bigger, more effective rear wing sited behind the FT200. As competition this car had March 71M (FB 712) and the following year the 722, plus the coolest small FB I've ever seen, Allan McCall's first TUI in Bert Hawthorn's skilled hands. He and Smiley were very unfriendly, to say the least, rivals and mostly Smiley got the better of Hawthorn in both FB and the IMSA FF races at Talledega and Daytona.
In 1974 I accompanied Smiley to England to race the factory supported Mk25 FF and we also built up a Mk 21 "B" version (wide, flat nose, bigger wings) which saw a couple events in the Player's Atlantic series with big wings, slicks and a BDA. Thereafter Smiley had a falling out with Merlyn and switched to Royale in FF and raced the first Elden Atlantic car, a sweet and tiny machine with twin front radiators and little frontal area. It went like a scalded cat and he finished, I believe 4th in the debut at Brands.
The Mk 21 A in the States was acquired by chief mechanic Charlie Williams, also of Kansas City, who converted the car to FAtl spec and it was raced on several occasions by David Loring. (Loring graduated to more competitive March that Gilles Villeneuve had to vacate due to broken bones suffered in a crash). The Merlyn was sold and thereafter disappeared. The only other US Mk 21 was that of Porter Brownlee from Arkansas, a "B" version in spec and driven far less quickly and successfully. It never featured professionally and to my knowledge was the last "big bore" Merlyn imported.
I'm going to try to post a photo of the Smiley Merlyn at a racetrack called "Mid-America Raceways," a huge bravery track of about 3+ miles, up and down hills, through woods with a half mile long front straight near St. Louis. At one time Smiley held the lap records in a Triumph Spitfire, Merlyn FF and Merlyn FB simultaneously.
I would very much like to find this chassis for restoration purposes and can be reached at:
dylngh@hotmail.com
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/davhut/MerlynMk21-FB1971sm.jpg

By the way, the Mk 21 in England, the converted F3 car of Bernard Vermillio (a rival of Smiley's in Mk. 25 FFs in England 1974) was crashed because we went to a rain race with only slicks and Gordon was nothing if not brave.

Second photo of Merlyn Mk 21
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/davhut/MerlynMK21-FB2sm.jpg

...Race America was the offical US imported of Merlyn cars...

Race America was in Dallas. It was owned by an airline pilot named Bill Ippolito. He was one of the first purchasers of Merlyn Mk 11 FF. (I remember he paid cash for a red one and raced it first in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico...home of Billy the Kid). Ippolito purchased the Merlyn US rights from Robert Smith, who owned LOTUS SOUTHWEST at the North end of Love Field in mid-town (where I worked as a parts runner while in high school). It was one of about 2 or 3 active US Lotus distributors of both street cars (the wonderfully go-kart like Elan and the truly awful Europa Type 46 Renault engined thing). Smith relinquished Lotus to take on Merlyn in the year Tim Schenken won all his British FF races, I believe that was 1968.
Smiley's Merlyns came directly from the factory in Colchester to Kansas City in some manner since he'd been named the works supported US driver, and his FFs and FBs weren't a part of Race America's transactions. That company made most of their sales to various drivers schools in California (Russell & etc.).
Fun old times, those!

See what you mean about Kansas. The only other driver in my database with a Kansas home town was one Gordon Gresham. He raced a Formula Junior Lotus 20 between 1964 and 1967.
Allen

Smiley was born in Omaha, Nebaska.
Both Masten Gregory and Rodger Ward, two time winner of the Indy 500 and USAC Champion in the 1950s were originally from Kansas. Far from Kansas, actually ending up in Paris and LA! Also oilman Jack Hinkle, who owned a bunch of famous 1950s era Indy 500 roadsters and later raced big Can-Am cars in club events :D
A great read for anyone, especially you Brits that want to learn all about early Champ Car/Roadster era racing is Brock Yates "AGAINST DEATH & TIME" about racing in the 1950s...a non-stop classic like "ALL BUT MY LIFE."

Welcome David!

jj, David

I've just managed to get hold of the results of a pair of FB races at Bogota, Colombia, in February and March 1972.

Smiley was there, in what was described as a "works one-off". Presumably there's a bit of spin on that description and he was driving his usual Mk 21 [320-FB-71]. Any thoughts chaps?

Allen

Hi, Allen.
I was there with Smiley and his childhood friend and constant mechanic Joe Kidd, who is still remembered by Clive. The description you mention is indeed a bit of a spin, but with 20/20 hindsight. At the time, his Mk 21 was the only FB chassis in existence, before the second US chassis (the Brownlee car) and any FAtl variants, it was a "one off!" and we all certainly always considered it a "works" car due to the previous explained relationship with CRD.
For some reason never understood, Smiley, the car and us wrenches had a miserable racing time and never got hooked up enough to feature in any of the events (there were heats in each race). I vaguely recall some fuel feed difficulties (very high altitude outside Bogota) and having to replace the under chassis brake fluid line.
It was great good fun in the "old school" manner...everyone rode a big bus out to the track in the mountains, drivers, mechanics, press, etc. and the scenery, tales of the nights activities, and constant driver and friend "wind-ups" extremely funny knowing Gordon was one of the funniest men I've ever known.
I'd be interested in you emailing me the entry/results lists if time permits.

I don't have the entry lists - would love them if you happen across them - but the results of the two races are here (http://www.oldracingcars.com/results/result.asp?RaceID=Q72N) and here (http://www.oldracingcars.com/results/result.asp?RaceID=Q72O).

Allen

I've just been emailed an extremely awful photograph of David Loring in the ex-Gordon Smiley Merlyn Mk 21 (now converted to later style nose and BDA) in his last Atlantic ride in this car.
I think it interesting because of the body changes.
Sorry for the quality, I don't actually know where this image originated.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/davhut/Loring3revsm.jpg

Posting the last of my collection of Merlyn Mk 21 photos from 1971/72 US racing seasons and 1974 UK F-Atlantic.

The Merlyn Mk 21 Formula B (Lotus twincam) first two races in US. First in sunshine in Kansas (ended in crash with backmarker), second in pouring rain at MAR (victory).

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/davhut/Mk21FBrace1sm.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/davhut/MerlynMK21rainMARsm.jpg

The FB car ready for FB runoffs with wings in 1972. I still think this is among the most beautiful FB cars ever built and kept to a very high standard by Joe Kidd and driver Gordon Smiley.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/davhut/MerlynMk21.jpg

The "raw" Vermillio Mk 21 F-3 chassis as recovered from the loft of some old garage!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/davhut/MerlynMk21f3chassisUKsm.jpg

The finished BDA powered FAtlantic conversion ready for first race.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/davhut/MerlynMk21Fatl.jpg

Allen

Loring places 4th at Westwood with a Merlyn in 74. This seems to be his only appearance in the car that year [though apart from Sanair, Westwood is the only race where I have full runners and riders.] In any case he took over the Villeneuve 74B for a while when Gilles was injured.
Chris

According to Cdn. M/S Bulletin he dnf'd in the Merlyn at the 2nd race in Edmonton due to a flat tire (Oops, tyre :D) and finished 13th (1 point) at the next race in Gimli. The report states the rear wing came adrift during pract./Qual. and they fitted a "borrowed" one from another marque. He drove a March 73 at Mosport in the 4th race owned by Dale Lang and out of Joe Grimaldi stable. He got 7 points in Quebec and 0 points in NFLD. He did not dns in Nova Scotia. HTH.

Re-read my post - it appears the old double negative snuck in. :( I meant to say he had a dns in Nova Scotia. Also, he was listed as a finisher at Mosport in the March but scored no points. He would have been 14th or lower. There is a photo of David at speed in the Merlyn at Gimli in CMB. I could post it if one, I knew how to and two, it's b&w on newsprint and not that sharp. I could scan it and sent it to Chris or Allen to post if anyone's interested to see it. Cheers.

Rob

I think that since I made that post about Loring's 1974 appearances our records on the 1974 Canadian season have improved dramatically - mainly thanks to your contributions!

Westwood 25 May 4th Merlyn Mk21 [320/FB/71]-BDA Nicholson
Edmonton 2 June R Merlyn Mk21 [320/FB/71]-BDA Nicholson
Gimli 16 June 15th Merlyn Mk21 [320/FB/71]-BDA Nicholson
Mosport 2 July R March 74B [2]-BDA Raceshop [Grimaldi]
Sanair 14 July 9th March 74B [3]-BDA Greatorex [Ecurie Canada]
St Johns 27 July R engine March 74B [3]-BDA Greatorex [Ec. Canada]
That seems to be the last race, but need more [much more] on Trois Rivieres and the lower orders at Waterford Hills

Chris

Right - check your personal e-mail. I may have overlooked sending you a report.
Cheers.

Someone forwarded me this thread which stimulated me to reply.

I'm Porter Brownlee and I owned one of the Mk-21s under discussion. Bought it from Race America (Bill Ippolito - does anyone know where he is?) in late 1972, ran 1 or 2 races, then all of the 73 and part of the 74 seasons in the Midwest Division.

I found the car to be an extremely stable platform though without the chassis rigidity (and responsiveness) of the March I raced later. None the less, I had a lot of success with the car and recall it fondly.

Porter

Porter

Welcome to the forum! I would really like to discuss your March/Marches? with you. Take a look at the infinite number of March threads and see if there's one that's suitable. Identifying FB Marches in SCCA is a bit of a nightmare, so I'm hoping you can throw light in one corner.

Chris

Porter, welcome.
I have photos of your light blue Merlyn at MAR, must have been 1974? You still in Razorbackland?
David

Porter Brownlee's Merlyn Mk21A at Mid-America Raceways (near St. Louis), 1973. I don't know this chassis number.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/davhut/Brownlee_Mk21_MARsm.jpg