Kincraft

Do any members out there have long enough memories to remember the Kincraft single seater? I saw it race many times as a kid from 1967-69, driven by Jim Moore. It was based on a Cooper built by Jack Pierce and was the fore-runner to F5000, with a 4.7 litre Ford engine in the back. The colour was maroon and it raced in many F.Libre events against the likes of John Jordan's GT40, John Woolfe's M6B McLaren and various F2, F3 and other sportscars. It is one of the all time classic club racing cars.
Anybody know if it still exists / where it is?

A sportscar Kincraft was also built but on a separate tub.

Never heard of it but sounds quite feisty!

Have you got any pictures of it at all?

Yep, I have a couple of photos. Will have to scan them and put them up.
I certainly was a hellova car for it's time. I can still hear it now hurtling around Snetterton!

Andrew
I've found the Kincraft sports racer. It was built in 1966 and now has been fitted with a March 74s body. It's in the US. I found it under Blenko Glass Company Inc. Sorry, I dont know how to link it across to this page.
I remember reading about the single seater in Autosport long ago.

It was built, I think, for Robin Darlington and later sold to Moore. I remember the colour as more Ferrari red than maroon. I remember seeing it in a 10 lap Libre race at Brands - it lapped a F.Vee about 3 times! I wrote a letter to Autosport (which was published) about the danger of such a wide variation of performance, and why could we not have a series for that kind of powerful car? Not long after that F5000 was invented.

Thanks for the input guys.

Mickj, yes you are correct that Richard Blenko has the sports version. He is a good friend. He too though is at a loss as to the whereabouts of the single seater. I think he aquired the sports one from Anthony Taylor.

Rob29, I have photocopies from photos of the car (from Richard Blenko's collection) of the single seater when first built. It ran on skinny tyres at first- these were taken at Combe in 1966/67. Robin Darlington was indeed the driver then. Once Jim Moore was driving it- but still owned by Jack Pierce I believe, it ran on big wide F1 type tyres of the period. (Just another note - I still have Moore's autograph in my schoolboy Autograph book from the time!)

Theres a picture of it in one of Mike Kettlewells Motor Racing directories from the lates 70s/early 80s.

It was in a museum on the Isle of Man for many years and was then, IIRC, bought by Roger Cowman. That would be 3-4 years ago.

Thanks Allen.
Have you updated your site with this info?

Hi Andrew,

I had contact with a chap called Edgington in about 1995 in Teignmouth Devon who supposedly had this car stored away.He claimed to have had the car for a number of years following a divorce and an interest from the Inland Revenue. It seems he had sold up a business in the Midlands and took the car down south and hidden it away. I got on to it through a small ad in the local free paper for some wheels and other bits and bobs. When I got to his place it was a small old boatyard with a very early TVR, Midget and Mustang sat around. The wheels turned out to be early F1 Brabham which I purchased. He also had a lot of other stuff in an old net loft which included American V8 parts.
He claimed to have raced this car earlier in its life and had also raced other big bangers and big saloons.
Despite my efforts I could not get him to part with the Kincraft or indeed get to see it, although I kept contact for a long time afterwards.

Last year(2001) I put Spencer Elton on the trail and he found out that Mr Edginton had not been around for a little while and was told that the Kincraft had been sold.

I hope this may be of value, I know he told me quite a bit when I met him but it is difficult to recall it all after this length of time.

Wow. thanks.
Hopefully it will appear some day and we will see it on the tracks again. Perhaps it could compete in the fantastic growing Force F5000 series, although not a true 5000 car.
Just look at what Goodwood has done for some long idle old race cars!

Doesn't anybody have a photo of the Kincraft they can put online?

Yes, will do that tomorrow. Without a scanner at the moment.

Here is a photo of the Kincraft taken in 1968 at Snett with Jim Moore at the wheel. Now that IS a REAL racing car!

That was the pic in the Kettlewell book btw...

Originally posted by Andrew Kitson
Thanks Allen.
Have you updated your site with this info? No - I haven't got to the Kincraft yet. I need more time or a large number of volunteer helpers!

It wasn't originally a "real" F5000 but it did appear in one race, Hockenheim 1969?.

Allen

Originally posted by allenbrown
No - I haven't got to the Kincraft yet. I need more time or a large number of volunteer helpers!

It wasn't originally a "real" F5000 but it did appear in one race, Hockenheim 1969?.

Allen Not according to my records it did'nt. But it was entered for the first ever F5000 race -Apr 4 1969-Oulton Park. To be driven by Lord Cross race #27-but I have it down as NS-did not arrive.

Chris Summers' Lotus 24 Chevy - that was a fearsome car.
A fore runner to the Kincraft really.

Originally posted by Rob29
Not according to my records it did'nt. But it was entered for the first ever F5000 race -Apr 4 1969-Oulton Park. To be driven by Lord Cross race #27-but I have it down as NS-did not arrive. I was nearly right. I accidentally misspelt Brands Hatch as "Hockenheim" (just out by a couple of letters:) ) and 1971 as "1969". An easy mistake to make!

Max Reinhard drove it at the Brands F5000 race on 12 Sep 1971. He qualified last but one (ahead of Sanger's woeful Harrier but nearly 20% slower than pole) and finished 5 laps down in 12th - again ahead of Sanger.

Allen

This is the Kincraft at Snetterton in June 1966 with Robin Darlington as driver

kincraft 1968 with jim moore autograph

kincraft 1966 at castle combe.

Check out today's 'Autosport' page79!!!! The KINCRAFT is alive and well ( except for some restoration) and is for sale by Roger Cowman. A nice colour pic of it too.
Please someone rich out there , buy it and race it again so we can see this glorious single seater in action after all these years.

Hi Andrew
I just had a reply from a guy in the USA stating that he has this car and is coming to England on the 11th August and would like to meet or talk with you! How many cars exist! Let me have your email and I will keep you informed
Regards
Tony

There are only 2. The single seater which is for sale in Autosport today and the sports car that Richard Blenko owns. Yes, Richard is coming to the UK and I will meet him probably at The Oulton Gold Cup historic meeting.
Thanks.

Hello (said the latecomer)

Have just found this thread, so hope I can still contribute.

I have some photos I took of the Kincraft just before we won the World Cup. It was indeed red, and I first came across it at Croft on 30th May 1966 when Robin Darlington drove it. My camera at the time was a fixed lens thing so the paddock shots were alright but the track ones showed a tiny dot in the desolate waste which was Croft at the time.

I am not sure what success Robin had with the car, but he seemed to like big engined ones as I have a few shots of him in a Lola T70 at Mallory later in the year.

The following year Jim Moore had great success in club races around the country with the Kincraft, and I have one fuzzy shot from (an even more desolate) Rufforth.

This wasn't the only V8 engined single seaters pre-F5000, but was probably the most successful.
Photos follow, firstly the Kincraft at Croft:

...and the Kincraft at Croft again (try saying that after a XXXX or five)

Here's Jim Moore at Rufforth

Much as I love the Kincraft, it really had little influence on the beginnings of F5000. The 5-litre Formula started in the US when, in June 1967, the SCCA allowed 5-litre stock block engines to race alongside 3-litre racing engines in Formula A. With Lola, McLaren and Surtees all building cars for that formula, it was decided to import the same rules as "Formula 5000".

F5000 appearances by the Kincraft

Brands, 26th Sept '71
Driven by Max Reinhard
Placed 12th

Nivelles, 8th April '72
Reinhard again
Retired

Allen,
It didn't appear at Hockenheim in '69. Don't know if it was entered and didn't show.

BTW it even had a chassis number (unusual for something that seems to have been a one off special) There's an ad for the car in Autosport, can't remember which year, which gives it as FL-012-1

The Kincraft featured, I remember, in an advert for oil in Motor Sport mag in 1967 or '68.

But does anyone know anything about Jack Pearce?

Jack Pearce, not to be confused with JA Pearce or Pearce-Martin F1 fame, left motor racing for a while after the Kincraft but came back later as a trials specialist. His series of Kincraft specials dominated that type of racing for some time.

Allen

I remember the Kincraft well, I used to go to Brands a lot in the 60s and it usually won the Libre race. It was for sale recently in Autosport I think.

When I started this thread I could not have imagined the fantastic response to my original question. Well thanks to all posters and to Roger Cowman (who called me today having been told of this thread), we now know most of the history of this famous car. Roger has owned it for years but has it for sale - so let's hope it finds a good home to someone who will put it on the circuits again!
Roger also kindly faxed to me a long feature written many years ago by Mike Kettlewell about the car. Here is an edited version :

The Kincraft-Ford V8 single seater was one of the most successful cars in British Club Racing in the late 60s. From 1965-68 driven by Jack Pearce, John Hine, Robin Darlington and Jim Moore, it notched up a remarkable total of 56 wins and broke numerous lap records.

The car was the brainchild of Midlands industrialist Jack Pearce from Tipton, Staffs, who had previously raced Lotuses with much success. In '64, Pearce approached Lotus designer Len Terry and asked him to design the ultimate Libre car. Terry was under exclusive contract to Lotus but agreed so long as the detail work was given to Lotus draughtsman Martin Wade. Terry based the car on the Gilby B type F1 car he had designed in 1961-62 before joining Lotus. Waide took over and masterminded the construction at Pearce's premises.
As it was to be powered by the Ford 4727 cc engine, the spaceframe chassis had to be strong and was braced by a stressed floor-pan. Brabham uprights, hubs and wheels were utilised to save costs. Transmission was via a 4 speed Hewland LG500 box.
Completed in 1965 and code named Kincraft FL-012-1, the car had its first race at Brands on June 20. Pearce finished 3rd. A week later it won at Snetterton, but disaster struck over in Ireland for the Leinster Trophy on the Dunboyne road course. Pearce collided with the F2 Brabham of Adam Wyllie who was killed. Pearce was uninjured but the Kincraft was badly damaged.
Following repairs, John Hine then raced the car and won at Brands on November 28th. It was then sold to David Bridges for 1966 and finished 2nd and 3rd before being sold to Welsh farmer Robin Darlington. He won 18 races with it! On August 20 '66 it was crashed at Oulton and was returned to Jack Pearce for repairs.
Jim Moore, a garage owner from Thornton Heath bought the car but he crashed first time out at Brands in November. However, in 1967 he won 20 races with it but still had dramas! On Easter Monday '67 he crashed at Mallory, repaired the car for a mid-week test at Brands and promptly overturned it breaking his shoulder. Undeterred he attempted to race 4 days later but the pain from his injuries caused him to crash again! The car was out of action for 3 1/2 months.
Moore kept the car for 1968 winning 18 races including the BRSCC Northern F.Libre Championship title. Again it was crashed due to rose joint failure at Brands but was rebuilt with F1 style wide wheels.
It was the accepted forerunner of F5000 but as this formula was introduced the Kincraft 'disappeared'. It was reputedly sold to John Scott-Davies and was infact entered for the first F5000 race at Oulton on Good Friday 1969 by veteran Cobra driver Lord Cross. It was not seen again until 1971 when amateur driver Max Reinhard raced it on northern club circuits - Reinhard claimed to have found the car 'somewhere in Brighton.'
Reinhard sold the car to Ian Stronach who continued to campaign the outdated car on northern circuits.
When Roger Cowman acquired it the car was a real mess with Chevron style wide nose. It will be sold as it was in 1966 when Robin Darlington drove it. Roger has consulted Robin on its rebuild.
Jack Pearce built further Kincrafts, a Can Am type sports car in 1966 (which did not race until 1978! - now owned by American Richard Blenko) and a series of 'mud plug' trials cars.
So there is the Kincraft story. Keep an eye out for it in future historic events if the new owner can be persuaded to race it!

Having found some old negatives here is the Kincraft yet again, with Jim Moore driving at Rufforth in the Libre race.

Jack Pearce built further Kincrafts, a Can Am type sports car in 1966 (which did not race until 1978! - now owned by American Richard Blenko)


http://rupert8766.fotopic.net/p10583194.html

Taken at the British GP Support 1981 and driven at the time by Tony Morris.

Not what you would call pretty!