Austin 1800 (Landcrabs) in rallying

[Paulaweybridge]

Here's some fotos from last November's Classic Car Show at the NEC

Wonderful cars

[TedTaylor]

Originally Posted by Les Dalton

Bon jour Ted,
I dont know if you have spoken to Ken Green who is the competition secretary for the Landcrab Owners Club Worldwide, he probably knows more about the history, and the whereabouts, of most of the 1800 rally cars that were used in the various marathon rallies, than anyone else alive today.
I shall try to attach a couple of pics for your perusal which I have taken from the BAMA (British Army Motorsport Association) site that I run, one is of the Team Thailand 1800, and the other shows one of Ken's 1800, No 32 which was driven by Ken Trubman in the 1970 Marathon.
Kind Regards,
Les Dalton.

Hi Les
Thanks for the response.
Ken is a great mate of mine - visits us regularly so his dogs can have a holiday with ours ..... he just tags along! He told me about your exploits - great info/pics.
The Team Thailand car is my other one - just gets its annual MOT so I can get it out and terrify the locals here in the Forest of Dean though at the moment it is tucked away for the Winter (and gives me time to work on my other cars). I was trying to sell it last year to fund the other cars but after so many enquiries including some from idiots wanting it for peanuts and another who was very rude about it and compared it unfavorably with a fake which he decided to buy, I just gave up and am keeping it for a bit longer.
Ted

[TedTaylor]

Originally Posted by Paulaweybridge

Oh wow !!!
It was a wonderful car and it's body (at the time) was reputed to have the greatest torsional stiffness ever made.

This is correct. I have the TRRL report of the time which describes the testing and results in full.
Ted

[TedTaylor]

Originally Posted by KA

With the pics of Flickr, if you click on the 'view in light box' symbol (looks like a magnifying glass with a + in the middle) at top right of pic, it takes you to a black-framed version of the pic.

Once in the 'lightbox', if you click on 'View all sizes' at the top right, you'll get a variety of size options to download.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3894937...7621134496941/

If these don't come up, then the owner of the pics has probably disabled downloading, and you might need to sign up to Flickr and contact them through the site to request copies.

Many thanks for this info. Have managed to download the pictures but hope I can locate original high definition copies because I want to enlarge sections to get info for the rebuild and one pic is very poor for this.

Ted

[John Elwin]

I have a couple of snaps I took of a rally-prepared Austin 1800 parked in a sidestreet in Porthmadog, Caernarvonshire in about 1968, not too far from the local BMC dealership (Williams's Garage, I think..).

Haven't worked out how to add pics on here but the car was black with white roof, no decals or sponsorship evident, reg. LRX 824E, which sounds like a possible factory reg to me.

Anyone know if it was a significant car?

[KA]

Very much so! Apparently, 'LRX' was the first 'proper' works 1800, and won the 1967 Danube Rally with Tony Fall- Brian Culcheth also used it on an Alpine Rally.
http://www.bluestreaksix.com/Austin1...anuberally.jpg

As you said, an obvious 'works' reg number- in the same 'LRX82_E' series as a couple of the 1967 season works Minis...
http://www.theitalianjob.com/worksminis_LRX827E.htm

[TedTaylor]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

I have a couple of snaps I took of a rally-prepared Austin 1800 parked in a sidestreet in Porthmadog, Caernarvonshire in about 1968, not too far from the local BMC dealership (Williams's Garage, I think..).

Haven't worked out how to add pics on here but the car was black with white roof, no decals or sponsorship evident, reg. LRX 824E, which sounds like a possible factory reg to me.

Anyone know if it was a significant car?

Yes very.

I was the first works rally Landcrab and won the Danube Rally first time out. In act as I understand it, at the time it was the first car ever to win its first international rally first time out though others have done so since.

Although my special interest is the historic marathon rallies of the 1960s and 1970s, any period pics of rallying Landcrabs and Triumph 2000/2.5s would be appreciated. While I have quite a few I would prefer people to send me some that I already have rather than not bother in case they are duplicates. The pics that KA posted (thanks) are a case in point.

Ted

[Paulaweybridge]

Hi Ted,

When I had mine, it really felt like a tank in terms of torsional rigidity.

It made me feel very safe.

Take care

Paula

Originally Posted by TedTaylor

This is correct. I have the TRRL report of the time which describes the testing and results in full.
Ted

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by TedTaylor

Yes very.

I was the first works rally Landcrab and won the Danube Rally first time out. In act as I understand it, at the time it was the first car ever to win its first international rally first time out though others have done so since.

Although my special interest is the historic marathon rallies of the 1960s and 1970s, any period pics of rallying Landcrabs and Triumph 2000/2.5s would be appreciated. While I have quite a few I would prefer people to send me some that I already have rather than not bother in case they are duplicates. The pics that KA posted (thanks) are a case in point.

Ted

Ted, at the risk of being a pedant I assume there is a letter missing in the first word of your post!!

If you care to PM me with an email address I'll send you a scan of my pics. They are b&w prints taken with an Instamatic some 43 years ago but are reasonable quality & have scanned OK. I wonder why it was lurking in a Porthmadog side street?

Incidentally, I have spotted a Wolseley 18/85S on the entry list for the forthcoming Historic Monte - I don't remember one rallying in period, but I could be wrong.

[SAMD]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

Ted, at the risk of being a pedant I assume there is a letter missing in the first word of your post!!

If you care to PM me with an email address I'll send you a scan of my pics. They are b&w prints taken with an Instamatic some 43 years ago but are reasonable quality & have scanned OK. I wonder why it was lurking in a Porthmadog side street?

Incidentally, I have spotted a Wolseley 18/85S on the entry list for the forthcoming Historic Monte - I don't remember one rallying in period, but I could be wrong.

Ah! the good old Wolseley 18/85S. I remember my old man went off to work in his 6 week old Austin 1800S and it put a rod through the block en-route. The only car the dealers could replace it with was a white Wolseley 18/85S. A super car, changed after 12 months for a Hunter GLS. I remember I smacked it (the Wolsley) into a trailer at the front of our house and repaired it with the help of an AA Badge.

[Paulaweybridge]

Hooligan ..

Originally Posted by SAMD

I remember I smacked it (the Wolsley) into a trailer at the front of our house and repaired it with the help of an AA Badge.

[KA]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

I wonder why it was lurking in a Porthmadog side street?

I've read somewhere that it was also loaned to longtime Mini privateer Bob Freeborough for some UK events, so could that explain what it was doing in Wales- either that or a subsequent owner after it was sold on by BMC?

[KA]

Originally Posted by TedTaylor

The Team Thailand car is my other one - just gets its annual MOT so I can get it out and terrify the locals here in the Forest of Dean though at the moment it is tucked away for the Winter (and gives me time to work on my other cars). I was trying to sell it last year to fund the other cars but after so many enquiries including some from idiots wanting it for peanuts and another who was very rude about it and compared it unfavorably with a fake which he decided to buy, I just gave up and am keeping it for a bit longer.
Ted

Hi Ted, if you don't mind me asking, what is the story behind the 'Team Thailand' car- IIRC it was a non-starter on the 1970 World Cup Rally, but how did this come about?