60's Divas

[Dipster]

Can anybody give any background or anecdotes about the wee front-engined Diva GTs of the 60's? I seem to recall that John Miles drove one.

I used to love seeing them race at that time. I do not recall that they were very successful but looked fun. Are ther any still around? Rcing perhaps?

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Dipster

Can anybody give any background or anecdotes about the wee front-engined Diva GTs of the 60's? I seem to recall that John Miles drove one.

I used to love seeing them race at that time. I do not recall that they were very successful but looked fun. Are ther any still around? Rcing perhaps?

There is a dark blue Diva GT racing- sometimes in Masters Gentleman Drivers or Guards Trophy with HSCC. Competed against it a few times, and last came across it at Brands Superprix this year. The drivers were Peter Aylett and Steven Farrall. Must be pics of it on Charlie Wooding's or other photgrapher's websites.

[GORDON STREETER]

I used to know Ian Alexander that was successful in them in the 60s and I remember seeing him at Brands not that many years ago driving one.
He was local to my area but I believe he went to Aus or NZ many years back ?
He came back for a few drives in them as Historics.
He used to do a few races on the continent and was in races with a fair few "named" drivers of the day including this. http://www.jacky-ickx-fan.net/races/E_112.php running number 52

[terence]

In my CMS days we ran a blue one for a German customer,always a very quick little car,wouldn't want to shunt one though.

[Dipster]

Not very striong then? What was the construction then? Space frame? They always looked quite tiny little cars to my eyes back then.

[GORDON STREETER]

I remember them being made of not very strong fibreglass on a flimsy space frame !

[Alex E]

I think the one Peter Aylett drives was the one that sat in the corner of my workshop back in the eighties. Seems to remember Doug Mockford driove it in period but might be wrong.
I certainly would not want to have an accident in one. This car was quite badly bent from an accident previously.

alex

[Andy Turnock]

This is the only one i have seen racing in the last few years,i assume it is the Peter Aylett/Steven Farrall car.Always seems to keep up with the rest if it is only 1100cc its pretty good.

[socram]

Doug Mockford DIVA GT
P Silverton DIVA GT
Both raced in the 1965/1966 season at Mallory Park. There were others but I am flipping through a pile of old programme at the moment on another project and don't really want to go back through them again!

I think I also have a pic of a pale blue one at Donington early 1980s, but am unsure of the exact date or driver. From memory, I think it was carrying number 51. Pic is on the other computer though.

[nicanary]

Saw the tread title and thought "Diana Ross".

I saw a lot of them at Snetterton in the 60s - John Corfield I recall was amongst the quickest, and there were 1650-engined ones as well as the tiddlers.

Jeremy Walton had the Mid-engined Valkyr which came along later.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by nicanary

Saw the tread title and thought "Diana Ross".

I saw a lot of them at Snetterton in the 60s - John Corfield I recall was amongst the quickest, and there were 1650-engined ones as well as the tiddlers.

You weren't the only one!

Andy, thanks for the pic. That is the car that have raced against and it is usually in a small engine capacity class. After previous post I remembered that we shared a garage with it at Autosport 3hrs a year or two ago. It looked very light construction, and I should think a good 1650cc pre crossflow would make one into a flying machine! (Maybe literally... )

[Dipster]

So they were very lightweight and I do remember the bigger engined cars certainly did go well. Were they aerodynamically stable cars? Can anybody enlarge on the tech spex perhaps? Is there anybody here who has driven one and can relate whether it was a good experience or just hard work?

[Andy Turnock]

These pictures show some of the construction of these neat little racers,i'd love a go in one.

[zefarelly]

Apparently there are about 12 of them around . . .it can run 1100cc, 1300 or 1500 apparently ( but not 1650 ) they are very light and very small, I just about got in Peters car but I couldn't drive it. you certainly wouldn't want to hit anything in one.

[Dipster]

Thanks to you all for the replies. I see from the photos that they used, I think, Commer van door handles! So it's a lightweight space frame (unstressed I imagine),flimsy fibreglass body, Ford engines (and boxes?) and which rear axle? It looks to be non-IRS.

Where are they all now? I have never seen one offered for sale.

[Dipster]

Too quick off the mark! It is IRS! But which diff was used? Can anybody remember?

[Andy Turnock]

Looks very much like an IRS rear end to me,but not sure whose differential they used.Tornado Talisman from the same period used Triumph.Lotus were using Ford in their own casting .

[oneofapair]

Probably used triumph herald/spitfire diff assembly ,as I believe did its "stablemate" ,the Heron Europa . Think the John Miles car was run in Willment colours if I remember correctly and with a 1650cc version of the Cortina engine (long time ago).

[Alex E]

As I remember it was a small alloy diff. Very light, well compared to what I am used to....

[JasperClan]

Good friend John Corefield was well known Diva racer with success in the UK and on the continent. Was part of a team entered in the 750 6 hour Relay at Snetterton which included myself, Phil Abbott (Radical Sportscars) John Sidebottom and David and Jim Gathercole under the Radical Tan banner. John did a very long session and had to be virtually lifted from the car. I believe we may have won the handicap.

John always seemed to have a Diva under construction in the corner of his garage. The chassis was always light grey with the body being dark blue with a light ble of red offset stripe. I saw his last car at Spa several years ago.

Pete Richards

[terence]

The 1650 engined car certanily was a very quick car,very light handling and also neutral in its behaviour,quite Elite like in some respects. From memory,it used a BMC diff. The box was Ford and no,it wasn't a stress bearing body,for its time,nicely thought out chassis,easy to work on,parts not a problem.