Terry Sanger's Cortina V8 Mk1 (and others!)

[zombie289]

Does anyone have any pics/specs/history on the Terry Sanger V8 Mk1 Cortina that raced in the UK in the 60's ???
Cheers
pauly
Zombie289

[John Turner]

Any non works 'one off' car enquiries, like that of Zombie 289 regarding the Sanger V8 (was that the ex Doc Merfield 'Fraud' Cortina or another one?) probably warrants a separate thread in the history forum. Unless I get any objections over the next couple of days, I'll do the necessary!

[zombie289]

Originally Posted by John Turner

Also any non works 'one off' car enquiries, like that of Zombie 289 regarding the Sanger V8 (was that the ex Doc Merfield 'Fraud' Cortina or another one?)

Yes sir!...and any info on the car while Doc had it would be great also..

[Andrew Kitson]

If you scroll through this thread you might find something:
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...ght=angleboxes

[Al Weyman]

Check this out, I can't accept the credit for originally posting it on 10/10ths but its bloody brilliant and has shots of the Cortina. http://www.jannousiainen.net/storage/1967.wmv

[zefarelly]

tentenths gold that thread is !

I can only imagine the V8 Cortinas where effectively Mustangs underneath ? the V8 would have shredded the std transmission . . . although Cortina Disc brakes where probably better than some of the chocolate drums designed in the US in period !!!

[jonners]

I don't think the Merfield/Sanger V8 Cortina had much to do with Mustangs - for example the V8 was actually a Coventry Climax...

...how do I know this? Having bought a book on Coventry Climax engines recently where there's a photo of a V8 in a Cortina my Dad phoned up his old mate Terry Sanger to see if it was Terry's old car - and it was....

(jonners has requested link to correction, here:- http://tentenths.com/forum/showpost....5&postcount=17 - alternatively, just follow the discussion! - JT)

[John Turner]

Well, now I'm confused, since I always thought that Merfield's 'Fraud' Cortina had a 289 in it. I've just looked at my programme for the 1966 AMOC St John Horsfall meeting in which Merfield was entered with this car, and it says 4727cc; I'm pretty certain that Coventry Climax didn't build a V8 of that size! Are we talking about the same car?

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

...... its bloody brilliant and has shots of the Cortina. http://www.jannousiainen.net/storage/1967.wmv

>>>oh happy days, what a marvellous piece of nostalgia. Do you have links to any more like that?

[Al Weyman]

No sorry david, I originally found it here and downloaded it, good is'nt it? Try Utube.

[Andrew Kitson]

It is great footage albeit lo-res on the net. You can pick up this original copyrighted VHS video set of 1960s/70s racing very reasonably via the publishers 'Porter Publishing' at their e-bay shop.
http://stores.ebay.com/Porter-Publis...QQftidZ2QQtZkm

This was originally the first half of the tape 'Motor Racing 60's style 1967 & 1960'.

[Al Weyman]

Proper little gold mine there Andrew, thanx.

Blimey I have just topped 4000 posts. how sad!

[big andy]

if somebody had one of these old modified saloons from the sixties were could they race it today as there's no modified historic class to race it in . theirs plenty of class for so called touring cars but nothing for classic/historic club cars why is this

[Andrew Kitson]

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Porter-Publ...QQftidZ2QQtZkm
This link here to those vids is ebay co uk, will give prices in £ pounds.

[terence]

I can remember seeing the Merfield car at Snett one year,it wasnt a Climax under the bonnet!

[zefarelly]

I'd have thought ( subject to correct safety preparation) that you'd be allowed to race in an invitation class by some people.

not sure U2TC or FiATC series would want a V8 Cortina . . . although it might have half a chance of keeping up with some of the front running 'FiA' cars

[jonners]

Originally Posted by jonners

I don't think the Merfield/Sanger V8 Cortina had much to do with Mustangs - for example the V8 was actually a Coventry Climax...

...how do I know this? Having bought a book on Coventry Climax engines recently where there's a photo of a V8 in a Cortina my Dad phoned up his old mate Terry Sanger to see if it was Terry's old car - and it was....

Profuse apologies to all. Have just spoken to my Dad and I was on the wrong end of the stick on this one.

The first V8 Cortina was the Dobson car that ran a V8 Daimler. This car kept breaking its axle except when Mrs Dobson drove it...

Then there was the Fraud Cortina - Merfield/Sanger - which DID run an American V8 - a Falcon 4.7 litre. Terry Sanger raced this in '66 - '67 winning the Redex Trophy in '67. If anyone out there feels like ticking me off for suggesting that the Fraud Cortina ran anything other than a Ford engine - don't bother...Dad's already given me six of the best...

As for the Coventry Climax V8 this was the abandoned 'Godiva' 2.5 litre Formula 1 project. Derek Merfield (presumably the Australian dental surgeon known as 'the Doc') bought the Godiva engines - there were only ever 2 - had them prepared by Bill Lacey (he of racing motorbike engine fame??) and fitted one in a 2 door Mk 1 Cortina prepared by Ray Harris. Merfield raced this car in 13 races over three seasons ('67 - '70??) and then retired. So on the assumption that there's only one Merfield, he raced a V8 Cortina twice using 2 different engines - the question is whether the car was the same one.

My Dad discussed this with Terry Sanger quite recently but he can't remember precisely what Terry said - it's possible that it was the Fraud Cortina AFTER its famous exploits that appears in the Coventry Climax book (there's only a photo of the engine bay) but Dad is sure Terry will know and he'll probably speak with him soon.

Can one of the moderators please post a link on my previous message directing people to this message???

[Andrew Kitson]

Pretty sure the Merfield/Sanger V8 car then went to Brian Bolton. Recall him winning by miles in it with Albert Betts' Jag, Graham Bean's Anglia and Roger Taylor's Dagenham Motors Escort in a good second place scrap at Snett in '69. The car my old man was spannering on fell off at the hairpin on lap 1. Yet another problem with the 'seat to steering wheel interface'.

[jonners]

Cue the Oracle.....

[Jonners Dad]

I have just had a long chat with Terry on the phone and the Merfield car and his car were different cars. The Merfield car predated Terry's car, had the Climax engine in it, so the dates in the Coventry Climax book are wrong, according to Terry.
His car was being built by Tony Drury and Terry bought it and finished it off. It had the Ford 4.7 litre V8 in it and a Jaguar back axle, plus some original aerodynamic tweeks at the back to give downforce. Terry was timed (by the Police!) at 166 mph down the straight at Snetterton, not bad for a Mk 1 Cortina. He made FTD at this Formula 2 meeting! In view of the "aerodynamics" of the Mk1 shape, it shows what sheer bhp can do! From memory, the Merfield car was the first Fraud Cortina, a mantle Terry took over with his car-hence the confusion.

[John Turner]

Welcome, Jonners Dad!

So to clarify we have two V8 Cortina Mk1s and 3 engines:-

1) The Doc Merfield Fraud Cortina originally fitted with Coventry Godiva F1 V8(what a pity that was never developed; I understand that it had much promise!) but subsequently fitted with a Ford 289 unit, in which form it had success.
2) The Terry Sanger Mk1, a separate later car but also fitted with a Ford 289.

I wonder if they ever shared the same grid or had Merfield stopped racing his by the time the Sanger car emerged?

[terence]

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

Pretty sure the Merfield/Sanger V8 car then went to Brian Bolton. Recall him winning by miles in it with Albert Betts' Jag, Graham Bean's Anglia and Roger Taylor's Dagenham Motors Escort in a good second place scrap at Snett in '69. The car my old man was spannering on fell off at the hairpin on lap 1. Yet another problem with the 'seat to steering wheel interface'.

Andrew ,are you talking about the race when Mike Berman supprised everyone with his performance with the Berpop? I have photos somewhere of most of the cars in that race. Lord knows where but I will have a look .If my memory serves me well ,was,nt Doc,s car yellow.

[Pete Stowe]

Terry Sanger interviews published in various magazines over the years correspond fairly closely with what Jonners Dad’s related above; i.e. the Sanger car was built by Terry Drury using a Mark 1 Lotus Cortina bodyshell, 289 Mustang V8, Jaguar gearbox and rear axle, and ‘aero’ tweaks, and was used by Terry S in 66-67. Sanger then apparently sold it to Sid Taylor, who ran it once only, after which Terry never heard of it again.

Flicking through various old programmes (some Goodwood, mostly Castle Combe) has come up with the following entries of big-engined Cortinas:

1964 – DP Merfield - Cortina V8 4727cc (yellow/black)

1965 – DP Merfield or Miss CL Newbold – Cortina V8 4727 (yellow)

1966 – GP Dobbins – Cortina GT Daimler 2548 (green) – in one programme this was actually listed as the ‘Damfraud’
1966 – DP Merfield/CL Newbold – Cortina V8 4727 (yellow)

1967 – T Sanger – Cortina V8 4700 (white)

1968 – Brian Bolton – Cortina V8 4727 (yellow/green)
1968 - Gerry Dobbins – Cortina Daimler, variously 4600 & 4561cc ( maroon)

1969 - DP Merfield - Cortina Climax 2997 (white/blue)

1970 – John Kirmond – Cortina 4235cc and Piers Townsend – Cortina 4500cc, both in the same race

1971 – Derek P Merfield – Cortina Climax V8 2993cc (white/blue)

These entries didn’t distinguish if they were Mk.1 or Mk.2 Cortinas, however Autosport reporting on Merfield’s Climax-engined car debut at Silverstone in August ’69 referred to it as a Mk.2

So that would make two Ford V8 Mark 1’s
1) the Doc Merfield/Clare Newbold ‘Fraud’, later sold to Brian Bolton, and according to Autosport offered for sale again in 1969.
2) The ex-Drury, Terry Sanger car, later sold to Sid Taylor, then ……..?

and one Daimler V8 Mark 1, the Gerry Dobbins ‘Damfraud’. Dobbins appeared in an Escort TC in 1969, so presumably had disposed of it by then.

The Kirmond & Townsend cars which appeared in 1969 might then be any of the above three, or something completely different.

Then finally there’s Merfield’s Climax V8 Mk.2 of 1969-71.

[terence]

I will speak to Piers and ask which car it was.

[John Turner]

This is fascinating stuff, and thanks particularly to Pete Stowe. Perhaps we should make the task of this thread, the identification of all V8 engined Mk1 and Mk2 Cortinas, and try and plot their history.