Best looking FF1600 car?

Andrew Kitson · 18 Aug 2005, 15:55 (Ref:1385627)

Ok, there have been hundreds of different FF1600 models built, but which to you is the best looking?

As a kid I remember being a spectator at Brands for the very first Formula Ford race in 1967 and like many of us here have seen many hundreds of FF races since. I also attended most of the Festivals, including the early Snetterton ones. So I reckon I could have seen virtually every type of FF model ever built - I'm not including Zetecs here - they are not proper FF's IMO!

For me, the simple elegant lines of the 1978 PRS RH01. The car pictured below is the works car of Bernard Devaney - the 'gofer' to this car at the time one Trevor Carlin, as his uncle founded PRS! I was the Royale 'gofer' same year.

So, what's yours?

Photo I took at Silverstone August '78

Here at Oulton, also '78, the year the Irish took over in FF, Devaney leading Roe, Acheson, McClelland and Templeton. Photo thanks to Autosport.

Dave Brand · 18 Aug 2005, 16:03 (Ref:1385629)

That's a bit like being asked to choose the best-looking warthog!

Only joking......

......or am I?

Andrew Kitson · 18 Aug 2005, 16:05 (Ref:1385630)

Yeah there have been some real dogs Dave, but some great looking little cars too...

GolddustMini · 18 Aug 2005, 16:50 (Ref:1385673)

its like anything though isnt it, gotta go through the chaff to find the wheat...

id have to say one of the earlier ones, when cars looked like cigars with wheels

maybe you should do this for the drivers...

that new american ff1600 that someone linked to definetly qualifys for the inaugural ten tenths "paper bag" award

award though, munter!

foreversideways · 18 Aug 2005, 18:04 (Ref:1385728)

This is a really intersting one and i am applying my mind to it. I do however think my Royale RP26 which i drove in the early 80s was a nice looking car. Mine had the wide nose, however i think the car looked better with the narrow one.

foreversideways · 18 Aug 2005, 18:08 (Ref:1385732)

Great picture comming out of Old Hall there. I was also there that day watching from the sidelines. That i think was the year Kenny won all three FF1600 championships however i do not remember if it was the day Kenny and Mickey decided to push each other into the pit wall.
Sorry about large picture . Cant find out where to delete it.

Athgoe Racing · 18 Aug 2005, 18:59 (Ref:1385765)

It's got to be the 84 reynard, with the driver sitting right at the front, it was the first car that looked fast parked in the garage.

foreversideways · 18 Aug 2005, 19:00 (Ref:1385768)

This is a classic FF1600 with clean clear lines .The Merlin Mk11A looking as good today as 30 years ago

Andrew Kitson · 18 Aug 2005, 19:12 (Ref:1385774)

Lovely Merlyn!

There have been some weird ones though...check these out at Brands, reckon late 60s/early70s. Anyone know what they are? Taken by the late Fred Scatley.

Andrew Kitson · 25 Nov 2005, 09:30 (Ref:1469899)

[QUOTE=Andrew Kitson]

There have been some weird ones though...check these out at Brands, reckon late 60s/early70s. Anyone know what they are? Taken by the late Fred Scatley.

I have just been speaking to Marcus Pye who has seen this thread and it got him thinking as to just how many FF marques there have been. Marcus being Marcus said within half an hour he had come up with a list of 120. The silver one shown here he is 99.9% certain is the one off Viroy, built by former Lotus/NSU car dealer Roy Adlam from Basingstoke. Roy built mainly autocross
specials but tried his hand at FF with this. Thanks Marcus, now you need to log on and join us!

**John Turner** · 25 Nov 2005, 10:41 (Ref:1469931)

[QUOTE=Andrew Kitson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

Marcus, now you need to log on and join us!

Yes, come on Marcus, we know you have nothing better to do!

I rather took a shine to John Pearson's Merlyn MkIIA with which he won (a bit surprisingly?) at Silverstone earlier this year. Being (relatively!) old, some of the earliest FF1600's appeal more to me, appearance wise!

Welcome back, Andrew!

diz · 6 Apr 2006, 09:27 (Ref:1572029)

[QUOTE=Andrew Kitson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

I have just been speaking to Marcus Pye who has seen this thread and it got him thinking as to just how many FF marques there have been. Marcus being Marcus said within half an hour he had come up with a list of 120. The silver one shown here he is 99.9% certain is the one off Viroy, built by former Lotus/NSU car dealer Roy Adlam from Basingstoke. Roy built mainly autocross
specials but tried his hand at FF with this. Thanks Marcus, now you need to log on and join us!

Roy Adlam? Any relation to Jon Adlam, who raced Kents at Combe in recent years. He also converted a few Zetecs to Kent spec.

Andy Wood · 4 Oct 2006, 21:52 (Ref:1728086)

[quote=diz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

Roy Adlam? Any relation to Jon Adlam, who raced Kents at Combe in recent years. He also converted a few Zetecs to Kent spec.

Roy Adlam is my neighbour (now 77) will ask him if Jon is his relative.

Andy,
PS just brought VIRO

Andy Wood · 4 Oct 2006, 21:55 (Ref:1728090)

[quote=Andrew Kitson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

There have been some weird ones though...check these out at Brands, reckon late 60s/early70s. Anyone know what they are? Taken by the late Fred Scatley.

I have just been speaking to Marcus Pye who has seen this thread and it got him thinking as to just how many FF marques there have been. Marcus being Marcus said within half an hour he had come up with a list of 120. The silver one shown here he is 99.9% certain is the one off Viroy, built by former Lotus/NSU car dealer Roy Adlam from Basingstoke. Roy built mainly autocross
specials but tried his hand at FF with this. Thanks Marcus, now you need to log on and join us!

Looks very similar to a FF1600 I have just brought from Roy Adlam

Andy

Andy Wood · 4 Oct 2006, 21:58 (Ref:1728093)

[quote=Andy Wood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

Looks very similar to a FF1600 I have just brought from Roy Adlam

Andy

Since looking at silver car , it is a King mark 3 raced by Roy Adlam in 1968, may be Roy driving it. I will ask him this weekend as he is my neighbour.

Regards

Andy

Triple J Motorsport · 5 Oct 2006, 11:07 (Ref:1728663)

[QUOTE=Andrew Kitson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

There have been some weird ones though...check these out at Brands, reckon late 60s/early70s. Anyone know what they are? Taken by the late Fred Scatley.

I have just been speaking to Marcus Pye who has seen this thread and it got him thinking as to just how many FF marques there have been. Marcus being Marcus said within half an hour he had come up with a list of 120. The silver one shown here he is 99.9% certain is the one off Viroy, built by former Lotus/NSU car dealer Roy Adlam from Basingstoke. Roy built mainly autocross
specials but tried his hand at FF with this. Thanks Marcus, now you need to log on and join us!

120??? bl00dy hell I would have guessed may be 20 or 25!!

May be they should be listed ready for the 40th birthday party?

Andrew Kitson · 5 Oct 2006, 12:36 (Ref:1728731)

I can only come up with half of Marcus' tally, although a proper scan through some very early FF programmes should reveal more. Might be some blindingly obvious later cars I've missed too!
Feel free to add to this chaps if there are more you can think of.

ALEXIS
ARROW
ASD
BARDAHL
BRABHAM
CAMEL-HEXAGON
CHEETAH
CIRRUS
CROSSLE
DELTA
DULON
ELDEN
GETEM
GINETTA
GNF
HAWKE
HURON
IMAGE
JAVELIN
JAMUN
JOMIC
KING
LENHAM
LOLA
LOTUS
MACON
MALLOCK
MARCH
MARTLET
McGREGOR
MERLYN
MICRON
MIRAGE
MISTRALE
MONDIALE
MRE
MYGALE
MYSTERE
NIKE
NOMAD
OSCAR
OX
PACER
PALLISER
PIPER
PRS
QUEST
RAY
RAYRACE
REYNARD
ROSTRON
ROTOR
ROYALE
RUSSELL-ALEXIS
SARK
SKR
SPARTON
SPIRIT
SWIFT
TIGA
TITAN
VAN DIEMEN
VECTOR
VIRO
WIMHURST
ZEUS

Alan Raine · 5 Oct 2006, 12:39 (Ref:1728733)

Andrew,

I can think of one. The Agent driven by the Atkinson brothers in 1982.

jjordan · 18 Aug 2005, 19:53 (Ref:1385796)

the Titan Mk 6, the first Hawke's with side radiators, Merlyn Mk 21, the early Elden's with the optional bodywork(can't remember what they called it), but absolutely the best looking was the ADF by David Bruns.

Andrew Kitson · 18 Aug 2005, 20:53 (Ref:1385837)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjordan

the early Elden's with the optional bodywork(can't remember what they called it.

Those would be the Mk10s with Falconer bodywork, as driven by Danny Sullivan, Johnny Gerber etc. Will try to find a pic.

foreversideways · 19 Aug 2005, 09:18 (Ref:1386135)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

Those would be the Mk10s with Falconer bodywork, as driven by Danny Sullivan, Johnny Gerber etc. Will try to find a pic.

Refered to as the Ipokampus Elden.

Perhaps a little bit much for a FF1600. And the back bit weighed a ton.

PaulSands · 18 Aug 2005, 20:17 (Ref:1385816)

Merlyn MK20 for me

HH Tech · 18 Aug 2005, 21:12 (Ref:1385851)

Andrew, the bottom one #9 looks like a Hawke DL2 with a home made nose to me.

Here is a picture of a Hawke DL19
http://www.classicformula.se/mantorp...23-018_JPG.jpg

Among the wierd ones I think the VD RF84 must qualify!

The Titan MK6 and Merlyn MK20 will definetly get a vote from me for best looking!

Henrik

jjordan · 18 Aug 2005, 21:32 (Ref:1385865)

How about the 340(?) series Lola's(especially liked the snorkel scoop) for good looking. What do you think of Gurney's Eagle? Definately could NOT be called good looking, I think it was rather strange, but effective.
Thank you, Andrew, I would have been up late trying to think of Falconer. There weren't many over here (Tom Pumpelly comes to mind) but they were the first I remember that really worked on the aero end.

Triple J Motorsport · 18 Aug 2005, 23:11 (Ref:1385948)

With out doubt the new Ray is the best looking car

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