Group B MG Metro 6R4 History

[Sherlock]

That sounds right, I remember that Shelsley meeting being around the time of the main summer holiday. BTW, it was pure chance that I photographed the red 6R4 coming down the hill, I thought it looked somewhat appropriate, being followed by one of it's 'ancestors'. I'm sure I can find some more material, my nephew is the chief photographer in the family, no doubt he has some 6R4 photos, & to be honest, his photos are much better than mine!

[MG Rover Sport]

Hi Sherlock - Does that mean that photo is the only one you took of that red 6R4 at Shelsley Walsh that day? I was hoping for some action shots and some static paddock shots as well.

[Sherlock]

There should be more photos, after the usual temporary 'disappearances' of such things during a house move, I am, when time permits, scanning all my photos on to an external hard drive, hoping to come across them soon.

[MG Rover Sport]

Thanks Sherlock - any MG Metro 6R4 images would be greatly appreciated as I'm sure you realise by now, but any images of this red hillclimb car are of even greater interest to me at the moment.

[Sherlock]

Hi David, apologies for my temporary absence, I have been distracted by an exceptionally busy week at work! Still searching boxes of negatives, but my nephew thinks he may have the photos.
I suspect you already know this, but there is a thread on Uphill Racers forum, from Garry Cliff, the current owner of the red 6R4, which is now in New Zealand. He is also looking for Roy Standley, but has obviously started his own thread, entitled MG 6R4, in the 'Club Hillclimb' section. I thought he may be an interesting man for you to talk to if you haven't already done so.

[MG Rover Sport]

No problems about any delays in further contributions Sherlock - we all have other things going on in our lives outside the world of Ten Tenths! As and when you can mate - as and when you can.

Thanks also for the heads up regarding Garry's post on Uphill Racers. I too had seen it, and I have been in touch with Garry for the last few weeks now so I am aware of where this car now resides. Many thanks for thinking about me though, and keeping me informed.

I hope you didn't mind but I used your photo of this 6R4 (the one with the Mini Cooper following) and posted it over on Uphill Racers to hopefully jog some people's memory about the car. I did credit yourself when I posted it, and hope you didn't mind. I suppose I really should have asked you first however.

[Sherlock]

No problem, glad to be of whatever help I can & I was actually quite pleased to see my photo on Uphill Racers, thanks for giving me a mention with that. I'm always happy for people to make good use of any of my personal photos.

[MG Rover Sport]

Thanks for that Sherlock - nice to know that I hadn't overstepped the mark by posting an image without your permission.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other photos you can unearth on this ex-Taylor/Power/Llewellyn/Standley hillclimb car.

[KA]

A few more rallycross 6R4 pics.

We've already had one pic of Brodie Branch's car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/howiend...7623103164915/
I had a search through my old pics, and think I've found a couple more- the colourschemes are different, but rallycross drivers at that time tended to keep the same race numbers, so I suspect this is him....


First pic of the plain white car suggests maybe one of his early appearances- possibly a Lydden winterseries round c1989/90-ish. The car is still carrying the registration plate- looks like E666EVL


Second pic in red and white from about 1991- could be the Lydden British Championship round from April '91. Maybe fresh from a rebuild given the plain white wheelarches and front spoiler on a red car? Green/red/yellow car in the background looks like Morten Andersen.

[KA]

I mentioned Morten Andersen before- his car was in the background of a couple of pics I've posted before, including the shot of Brodie Banch in the previous post. I reckon this is probably the next frame after that pic- certainly he seems to be driving into a fairly substantial dust cloud from whoever is in front of him....

IIRC Andersen was a UK-based Scandinavian (based in Redhill according to the Lydden programme I've got here) who I think returned to rallycross around 1990/1 after some time out of the sport. He initially ran a green 4wd Porsche 911, and then this distinctively-coloured 6R4.

Next up are a couple of pics from 1989 showing cars we've mentioned before. Not very good pics, but they seem to be the only ones I have showing these particular cars.

Tom Bissett's distinctive ex-Gollop car- as mentioned before, Bissett kept the red stripes of the Silkolene colours, but on a gold, rather than black base
The yellow car with blue stripes is a mystery to me at the moment- I'll dig out my 1989 rallycross programmes to see if I can identify it

[chunder]

Mike Turpin

Sean McAdden?

[KA]

Originally Posted by chunder

Mike Turpin

Sean McAdden?

That's a good call. I thought Turpin's car was always plain yellow, but it could well be Sean McAdden though....

[RichWard]

Sean McAdden, no doubt. If that is the same round as the one I'm thinking of, the engine went up in flames on the run down the hill. I think this may have also been the same round John Welch went backwards into the tyre-wall there too. McAdden also ran the car in plain yellow too, but 24 was certainly his number.

[KA]

Rich- Thanks for confirming it's the McAdden car.
It must have been one of the first couple of rallycross meetings I ever went to, in either the summer or early autumn of 89, after I moved to Kent that spring. I definitely remember John Welch putting the Astra backwards into the tyre wall at the bottom of the hill, and I reckon it might have been the same meeting as well

[MG Rover Sport]

Many thanks for the latest batch of your rallycross photos KA - and nice to see some of the more unusual drivers / cars for a change rather than more of Will, Steve, Denis, etc...

I went to the 2010 Rally Show at Chatsworth on Saturday, and the folowing six Metro 6R4s were present...

Gary Hewitt - unregistered - static display only
Jonathan Rennison - E31 BAR - static display only
Warren Philliskirk - G361 SCJ - took part in the History of Rallying demonstration organised by John Davenport
Jeff Williamson - E651 BJN - took part in the stage sessions
Robert Hill - D25 WWC - took part in the stage sessions
Charlie Blaney - D831 XWV (ex-John Price Champion / Roger Dyson car EXI 1465) - took part in the stage sessions

I'll get some photos uploaded over the next few days.

[pixelpimp]

Hello all, just joined the forum and find 6R4s fascinating.
I've been very lucky to have been driven in two genuine Pond cars and actually drove A20ROV before it was taken apart.
Here's some of my pics from Chatsworth.

[MG Rover Sport]

Hi 'pixelpimp' (Michael?) and welcome to Ten Tenths! It is always nice to meet a fellow 6R4 supporter, especially someone with some quality photographs to contribute to this topic!

I have seen your work before - mainly on flickr I think - and always enjoy seeing new material, so I thank you for that.

Incidentally, the blue & white car isn't actually a genuine 6R4 (to be really petty!), but a front-engined Rover V8 powered rear wheel drive replica! Sounded ace though.

[pixelpimp]

Thanks for the welcome David, had no idea about the blue car!
I'm afraid my posts will always be picture heavy, here's some more from the old archive:

[MG Rover Sport]

Having too may photos is never an issue in my book Michael - the more the merrier I say! I so wish I'd had the same attitude 20-odd years ago when I first started photographing 6R4s!

By the way, all of the cars shown in your last batch of images are 100% genuine 6R4s!

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by MG Rover Sport

Having too may photos is never an issue in my book Michael - the more the merrier I say! I so wish I'd had the same attitude 20-odd years ago when I first started photographing 6R4s!

Oh absolutely, if I had a old fashioned zoom lense a few years earlier than I did and then a digital auto thingy nowadays if I still took photos I'd have loads more varied pics to share.

[KA]

Originally Posted by RichWard

Sean McAdden, no doubt. If that is the same round as the one I'm thinking of, the engine went up in flames on the run down the hill. I think this may have also been the same round John Welch went backwards into the tyre-wall there too. McAdden also ran the car in plain yellow too, but 24 was certainly his number.

Originally Posted by KA

Rich- Thanks for confirming it's the McAdden car.
It must have been one of the first couple of rallycross meetings I ever went to, in either the summer or early autumn of 89, after I moved to Kent that spring. I definitely remember John Welch putting the Astra backwards into the tyre wall at the bottom of the hill, and I reckon it might have been the same meeting as well

The Welch Astra shunt at Lydden- the conditions in the McAdden pic a few posts back look filthy enough that it might be from the same meeting...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLNmWmCttxI


The clip shows several 6R4s- Steve Palmer (466), Michael Shield (52), Vic Moyce (366) Aiden Creegan (173), and Tom Bissett (#12) before repainting the car gold- (In which case my Bissett pic a few posts back must be from a different meeting?)

IIRC I was spectating from somewhere near the start- my memory of the Welch accident is pretty much from a similar viewpoint to the video

More from the same meeting- 6R4 action starts at about 3m00. Shield, Moyce and possibly Guy Williams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XMu6...eature=related

[metro 6r2]

With all that 6R4 knowledge I am sure you can tell me a lot about C998 LCA which I now own. During the current rebuild the car shows signs of being painted Computer Vision blue in the early days. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks: metro 6r2

[KA]

C998LCA was an R-E-D car- If the registration number and bodyshell still match, I think it was Willie Rutherford's car used on the National Championship and the RAC

Are the traces of blue definitely Computervision blue?

I don't remember what colour Rutherford's car was all season, but pretty sure that on the RAC it was in an overall blue colourscheme, with sponsorship from Sanyo and Comet.
RED boss Geoff Fielding's own car (C288JFM) which was usually white (I think?) also had the blue Sanyo/Comet colours for the RAC, the two cars being entered as 'Team Sanyo Racing with Comet' or something like that.

I'm sure Rutherford's C998LCA was blue colours on other events as well- I'm sure there was an Autosport front cover pic of it at some time in the year

The only RED car I can think of in Computervision colours was David Llewellin's late-season car D750PDM, which ran in Computervision livery in the second half of the British Open season (Scottish, Ulster and Manx I think) and the RAC.

[ollyuser]

Hey,

I was wondering if anyone had any info or pictures of a gloplas 6r4. It ran with sof 406 number plate and was driven by andy sharam and ade jefferies around 1988/89/90. Any info would be great :-)

Thanks
Olly Jefferies

[MG Rover Sport]

Originally Posted by metro 6r2

With all that 6R4 knowledge I am sure you can tell me a lot about C998 LCA which I now own. During the current rebuild the car shows signs of being painted Computer Vision blue in the early days. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks: metro 6r2

Good evening '6r2' and a warm welcome to Ten Tenths to you - and to C998 LCA!

As KA rightly pointed out, C998 LCA was indeed rallied by Willie Rutherford during the 1986 British rally season. It started it's life in white with blue Sanyo / Comet logos but was then painted blue with white logo as the season progressed. The car was prepared by Rally Engineering Developments (known as R-E-D) in Widnes, Cheshire, and they also looked after the 'sister' cars C996 LCA for David Llewellyn and C997 LCA for Harri Toivenen.

The blue that this car was painted was indeed very close to Computervision blue - see the photo below with Willie Rutherford stood alongside it - which was taken at a pre-1986 Lombard RAC Rally shakedown. Full credit to the original photographer - 'the' Ian Grindrod from britishrally.co.uk...



I do also recall that it was actually sprayed Computervision livery by a subsequent owner before Steve Winter / Andy Elliot started rallying it - I'll see if I have any photos though.

Events wise, C998 LCA contested the following rallies in 1986 - Granite, Manx, Port Talbot, Mewla, Lindisfarne, Quip, Audi Sport and the RAC.

So what are your plans for the car then '6r2'?