Clan Crusader

Chris Littler, Clan Crusader, Saint Goueno Masters Hillclimb, 2017.

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Clan Motor Company, Washington, County Durham, England.  The Clan Motor Company was formed by some ex-Lotus employees, Paul Haussauer and John Luff, in the early seventies.  The aim was to produce a GRP monocoque sports car for the road using the Sunbeam/Hillman Imp engine, transmission and gearbox. The Imp engine was of course based on a Coventry Climax unit.  John Frayling came up with the design and the Clan Crusader was born.  It was made in the North East due to regional funding.  The car was produced from 1971 until 1973 before the company went bust. This was a shame as it was a nice lightweight sports car with a top speed of nearly 100mph and a 0-60mph time of under 13 seconds.  It was also economical and racing driver Gerry Marshall drove from Glasgow to London averaging 68mpg.   Over 300 Crusaders were sold including just under 20 competition versions.  The competition versions were successfully rallied including wins by Alan Conley on the 1972 Tour of Mull and 1973 Derwent Star Rally.  On the circuits they were also raced with success in GT and Modsports events by Johnny Blades, Kenny Allen and Terry Carthy.    In 1982 a new version of the clan was produced under different ownership in Northern Ireland but this project also went bust in 1987.

Citroën SM

Citroên SM, Traversée de Paris, Montmartre, 2016

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Citroën, Paris, France.  Produced from 1970 to 1975 this was Citroën's flagship car of the early seventies.  It was also a high performance four seater with a top speed of around 140 mph and a 0-60mph time of around 8.5 seconds.  Unusual for such a fast car, the SM was front wheel drive. As Citroën owned Maserati at the time, power was from a Maserati V6 of either 2.7 or 3.0 litres and giving 170bhp or 180bhp.  The gearbox was either 5 speed manual or 3 speed automatic.  It was a fast genuine Grand Tourer with a long range from its big tank and 19mpg and good ride from the Citroën self levelling suspension. The car was quite big for a coupé and had quirky looks and a cut-off Kamm tail.  Nevertheless a true classic.   Famous drivers included Mike Hailwood of bike and car racing fame and he used to drive to the European races in it.

1973 Jensen- Healey

A Jensen-Healey racing in the Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge at Dijon in 2016 driven by Kim Christensen.

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Jensen Motors, West Bromwich, England.  This two seater convertible sports car produced between 1972 and 1976 was the best selling Jensen of all time.  The design was a join venture between Donald and Geoffrey Healey and Jensen Motors. Production was at Jensen's West Bromwich plant,  A lightweight alloy 2 litre 16 valve Lotus 907 4 cylinder engine was the powerplant. Performance was just under 120mph top speed with a 0-60 mph time in about 8 seconds.   Jensen-Healeys raced mainly in the USA where they were successful in winning the SCCA class D Production Car Championship in both 1973 and 1974.   Some continue to race today.

1973 March-BMW 732 Formula Two

March-BMW 732 racing at Dijon in Historic F2 in 2016 driven by Nick Osborn.

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March Engineering, Bicester.  For the 1973 season, BMW gave March exclusive use of their new 2 litre Formula Two engine.  March produced a straightforward aluminium monocoque chassis.  Both Harvey Postelthwaite and Robin Herd were involved in the design and development of the car.    The works team had STP sponsorship and the driving talents of Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Jean-Pierre Jarier and Hans-Joachim Stuck.  There were lots of private 732s as well as March had to buy a minimum of fifty entries from BMW and thus needed the sales.  At the first race of the season at Mallory Park, Beltoise took pole position but Jarier took the win.  Jarier went on to dominate the Championship with seven outright victories.   Privateers such as Vittorio Brambilla and Jacques Coulon also had success with the car and took a win each.  The car was very successful as it had good braking and good acceleration out of the corners due to the BMW engine.

1973 Gulf Mirage M6-Cosworth DFV.

1973 Gulf Mirage, Le Mans Classic 2016, Chris MacAllister.

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J.W. Automotive Engineering, Slough, England.  Produced by John Wyer's company after the Ford GT and Porsche 917 projects, this Group 5 sports car was powered by a 3 litre Cosworth DFV.  Its only win came in the 1973 Spa 1000 kilometres driven by Derek Bell and Mike Hailwood.  It retired at le mans after 163 laps.  This was a great era when Matras, Ferrari, Alfa Romeos, private Porsches and the Gulf Mirage were competing.

1973 CESCA 740 Cosworth BDG

Franck Metzger, CESCA 740-Cosworth BDG, Charade, Historic Tour 2016, Sports Proto Cup.

CESCA, France.  I believe this car was based on a Grac MT14S, but modified by Claude Swietlick in 1973 who also added the body of a March 73S.  It has a 2 litre Cosworth BDG engine.   This car is now very competitive in French historic sports protos cup  racing.  In the seventies it was raced by Michel Pignard amongst others.

1973 Jidé 1600

Jidé 1600,  Tour Auto 2015

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Jidé, Châtillon sur Thouet, France.  Founded by Jacques Durand, who also later founder Scora, this marque existed from 1969 to 1973. They made one Coupé, that was originally powered by a Gordini R8 engine.  They had polyester bodies and were sold as either kit cars or fully constructed. Intended as a smaller alternative to the A110, about 130 were produced.   Its most famous driver was Jean Ragnotti who drove one in the Criterium de Cévennes Rally in which he finished seventh..  In 1969 an early Jidé competed in the Tour de France Automobile but did not finish.  in 1973 a Jidé finished second in the Spanish Costa del Sol Rally. Wins came in a number of French National Rallies including the 1972 Rallye du Poitou and the 1973 Ronde Limousin when driven by Henri Rimaudière.  Nowadays, these cars are quite rare but are still regularly spotted in historic rally events.

1973 Porsche 917/30

Peter Harburg, Pprsche 917/30, Laguna Seca, 2015 Porsche Rennsport Reunion V

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Porsche, Stuttgart, Germany.  The 917/30 followed on from the 917/10 which had broken McLaren's domination of the Can-Am series by winning with George Follmer driving in 1972.  The 917/30 entered by Penske Racing and driven by Mark Donohue dominated the 1973 Can Am championship. It had a 5.3 litre twin turbocharged V12 engine generating a massive 1,100 to 1,500+ bhp.  The domination of this car killed the Can-Am series and it disappeared in its original form after 1974. This car owned by Australian Peter Harburg was built as a spare for the 1974 season.  it never actually raced in the Can-Am series at the time as Penske and Porsche withdrew.  This car was capable of a 0-60mph time of under 2 seconds and had a top speed of over 260mph.  In 1975 at the Talledega Superspeedway Mark Donohue set a lap in the 917/30 of 221.16mph!

1973 Porsche 911 RSR 2.8

Jurgen Barth et Claudio Roddard, 1973 Porsche 911 RSR 2.8, Tour Auto 2015 Première Spéciale. 

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Mon astuce pour faire des belles photos.
Les arbres sont magnifiques donc faire bon usage d'entre eux comme toile de fond.

Top Photo Tip.
Trees are beautiful so make goods use of them as a backdrop.

1973 Lola T292-BDG

La Lola T292-BDG de Tony Sinclair à Dijon-Prenois 2015

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Mon Astuce pour faire des belles photos.
Soyez prêt pour cette première photo de tour lorsque les voitures sont toujours ensemble.

Top photo tip.
Be ready for that first lap shot when the lead cars are still close.