Best looking FF1600 car?

[woodster]

Originally Posted by tlracing

I always liked the Reynard 86F, the development of the unloved 85F. Others that come to mind are '87 Mondiale and Crossle 70F.

Was the 70F the one like a scud missile or was that the 72f

[Graz]

Originally Posted by woodster

Was the 70F the one like a scud missile or was that the 72f

The 70F was the one designed (in part at least) by Mike Costin. It was an odd looking thing with a long high back. I guess you could say it looked like a scud missile! I personally didn't like it, the preceding 60F, 62F etc. were far nicer. I have an enormous soft spot for the 32F however.

[woodster]

Yeah thats the one, I remember years ago when my father was involved with Billy Griffin he got a drive in the car in the Park as a prize for winning the Crossle challenge cup. He went well I think he finished sixth at the park and I seem to remember Pat Duffy driving the car in Mondello and going very well.

The 32F is a great looking car, a chap I work with has one in his garage at home, its in mint condition he wont race it or sell. Apparently it was raced by Paul Bishop in the eighties.

But I think my favorite was the Crossle 45f, the narrow track one.

Dave

[Alan Raine]

Is this the one you mean - the car in the middle.



It wasn't one of the most successful Crossle cars proved by the fact that I could overtake it!

[Graz]

Originally Posted by Alan Raine

Is this the one you mean - the car in the middle.



It wasn't one of the most successful Crossle cars proved by the fact that I could overtake it!

The one in the middle is a 60F. With the 70F, rather than the engine cover swooping down like the 60F, it went in a straight line out passed the engine and then just stopped. It made the car look rather bulky.

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by Graz

The one in the middle is a 60F. With the 70F, rather than the engine cover swooping down like the 60F, it went in a straight line out passed the engine and then just stopped. It made the car look rather bulky.

I must admit, I wasn't sure.

A good excuse to post a piccy though

[Graz]

Originally Posted by woodster

Yeah thats the one, I remember years ago when my father was involved with Billy Griffin he got a drive in the car in the Park as a prize for winning the Crossle challenge cup. He went well I think he finished sixth at the park and I seem to remember Pat Duffy driving the car in Mondello and going very well.

The 32F is a great looking car, a chap I work with has one in his garage at home, its in mint condition he wont race it or sell. Apparently it was raced by Paul Bishop in the eighties.

But I think my favorite was the Crossle 45f, the narrow track one.

Dave

The 45F was a nice machine right enough, Crossles generally were. Speaking again of 32F's, didn't Pat Duffy have his most successful season driving one in '85, beating many newer machines? When he drove the 70F, he was never quite as successful.

[Graz]

Originally Posted by Graz

The 70F was the one designed (in part at least) by Mike Costin. It was an odd looking thing with a long high back. I guess you could say it looked like a scud missile! I personally didn't like it, the preceding 60F, 62F etc. were far nicer. I have an enormous soft spot for the 32F however.

...and of course I meant Frank Costin, not Mike Costin...

[Graz]

It wasn't one of the most successful Crossle cars proved by the fact that I could overtake it![/quote]

You're far too modest!!

[Alan Raine]

This is the 70F

http://www.race-cars.com/carsold/cro...59940712la.htm

[woodster]

Yeah Pat Duffy was quick in the 32F, but only around Mondello, it seems any where else he raced he just was slightly off the pace.

[Graz]

From the pics, you can see the 70F wasn't the nicest looking thing. I forgot about that awful nose!

[Dunzer]

After being launched, the 70F had a lot of success in the US. Fionn Murray had the works drive in Ireland in 1989, stuck it on pole for the first round but was never able to live with Vivion Daly and his Reynard 89FF. Shortly after, the Murrays purchased a brand-new Reynard and Fionn won the next four rounds straight, ultimately walking away with all the titles that year. I only remember Pat Duffy racing the 70F at the Leinster Trophy later that year.....

[Graz]

Originally Posted by Dunzer

After being launched, the 70F had a lot of success in the US. Fionn Murray had the works drive in Ireland in 1989, stuck it on pole for the first round but was never able to live with Vivion Daly and his Reynard 89FF. Shortly after, the Murrays purchased a brand-new Reynard and Fionn won the next four rounds straight, ultimately walking away with all the titles that year. I only remember Pat Duffy racing the 70F at the Leinster Trophy later that year.....

Correct me if I'm wrong here but didn't Daly let Murray test his Reynard to compare to the Crossle and on that basis Murray bought a Reynard and won the championship? Those guys had a fierce rivalry but if the above is true, it says a lot for the sportsmanship that existed.

[Dunzer]

Originally Posted by Graz

Correct me if I'm wrong here but didn't Daly let Murray test his Reynard to compare to the Crossle and on that basis Murray bought a Reynard and won the championship? Those guys had a fierce rivalry but if the above is true, it says a lot for the sportsmanship that existed.

Yes Graz, you are correct....Fionn tested Vivion's Reynard before purchasing one. The rivalry was fierce indeed...and it if you remember, it all came to a head at the last round with Vivion riding up over the back of Fionn's car on the last corner of the last lap....

[Graz]

Originally Posted by Dunzer

Yes Graz, you are correct....Fionn tested Vivion's Reynard before purchasing one. The rivalry was fierce indeed...and it if you remember, it all came to a head at the last round with Vivion riding up over the back of Fionn's car on the last corner of the last lap....

That's right he did!! Those were the classic days of racing in Mondello. Great stuff.

[blackcat]

Best looking car for me is Royale RP24 - i remember David Leslie in his as a kid at Oulton Park & of course the famous Orange RMC Kenny Acheson one too.

Innovative front suspension designed by none othere than Rory Byrne - similar to that found on a similar era Williams F1 car !

If anyone wants to buy one i have a fantastic Green one - i'm currently racing it in Classic FF1600 - see racecars direct for the details.

Can't add pic's 'cos i dont know how to !

[timarnold]

Just found this very old thread!

I had a Royale RP24 from (late) 1979 - 83, bought from David Winstanley's "Lodge Corner Agencies" as a bare chassis and built up gradually through 1980, buying parts from all over the place. It was completed in '80 and I raced it from early '81 when budget allowed. Here it is at Deer Leap in '81:



I always though it was a nice looking car, but it wasn't the most aerodynamic! It lacked top speed, I think because of the wide sidepods with the radiators in the front of them. The Kenny Acheson car mentioned above (a works car I think?) was modified to have the sidepods closed off at the front and tapered into the chassis, with the radiators moved further back at the sides and slightly angled outwards. I believe this helped with top speed.



I also had on of the first Reynard 82FF's in '82 (I was selling them for Reynard); I always thought that was one of the best looking FF's ever built!

[timarnold]

Originally Posted by Athgoe Racing

Ginetta do you have a photo of the 81 Reynard never seen one.

Originally Posted by Ginetta

I have, but it's in my dad's Photo collection and we don't have a scanner. The one he has a photo of was taken in the July of 1981 at Croft and belonged to a guy called Walter Warwick and was dark blue in colour

I have a photo of that exact car with me sitting in it! Because I sold it to Walter Warwick! I was selling Reynards in 1981 for Adrian as an agent. Walter (or "Wally" as he was known) bought the very first customer car. The photos I have of it are prints so I'll have to dig them out and scan them. They were taken outside of the IVECO offices in Winsford, Cheshire (they were one of my sponsors at the time - they loaned me a van to transport my race cars in).

However, to correct something, it wasn't an '81 Reynard it was an '82 Reynard - there wasn't an '81 Reynard! This model was the first one of the new "high-tech" breed of FF's that were emerging at the time, it was called the Reynard FF82 and was intended for the 1982 season. Reynard did sell a couple in 1981 but they were '82 cars. Two cars competed in the '81 Formula Ford Festival, one was the factory car driven by James Weaver and the the other was "Wally" Warwick's car, both were FF82's.

[timarnold]

I'm currently looking after this 1971 Elden for a client I'm coaching in HSCC Historic FF. I think this is one of the nicest looking FFs:



Onboard video of me driving it a few weeks ago at Snetterton (new 300 circuit)... not the fastest of laps (reaching for the racing driver's book of excuses) - it was 6 seconds off the dry pole time, but, it was lightly damp (see drizzle running over my helmet in some shots), there was a bad pad knock-off problem caused by warped rear disks requiring a double-pump of the brakes to get a pedal, I only did 4 laps, and I am way too heavy at nearly 16st! (and the steering wheel was on sqiffy! lol)

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHex00KjVXU

[SAMD]

I cant get your you tube vid to load Tim.
BTW if there were 2 FF82s in the 81 Festival does that mean that an FF82 Reynard is eligible for pre 82 classes?

[timarnold]

Originally Posted by SAMD

I cant get your you tube vid to load Tim.

For some reason the link has the "http://" in it twice The link should be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHex00KjVXU I forgot to add to the list of excuses: it also had the wrong gearing in it - listen to it screaming its nuts off on the straight! lol

Originally Posted by SAMD

BTW if there were 2 FF82s in the 81 Festival does that mean that an FF82 Reynard is eligible for pre 82 classes?

Who knows? lol But I just found this pic on someone's Flickr:


It's even got "FF82" written on the front of it!

Flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16329766@N07/5750367508/

[timarnold]

PS - I actuially did the '81 FF Festival myself, in the '78 RP24 (couldn't afford a Reynard at that point) - qualified next to/just behind Stefan Bellof in his PRS! Got through to the quarter finals and just missed out on the semi-finals due to getting punted off at Graham Hill. Recovered but didn't finish high enough to get through. :/

[McMuttley]

Originally Posted by timarnold

I'm currently looking after this 1971 Elden for a client I'm coaching in HSCC Historic FF. I think this is one of the nicest looking FFs:

.....is that after you've re-bent it back, welded the two halves together, invested heavily in fibreglass and filler and lots of blue paint !!!!!

If I was allowed to upload pics i'd finish this thread off properly and show without question the best looking FF, the Angeline Jolie of FF, beautiful patina that gets better with age, sleek, powerful, mean and probably a great ride if you know what yer doing

(how many years to i have to be a member before i can upload pics?)

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by McMuttley

.....is that after you've re-bent it back, welded the two halves together, invested heavily in fibreglass and filler and lots of blue paint !!!!!

If I was allowed to upload pics i'd finish this thread off properly and show without question the best looking FF, the Angeline Jolie of FF, beautiful patina that gets better with age, sleek, powerful, mean and probably a great ride if you know what yer doing

(how many years to i have to be a member before i can upload pics?)

As far as i know any member can upload photos.

Try looking here: http://tentenths.com/forum/faq.php?f...q_faq_post_pic