1999 Crosslé 9S-Ford "late run series"

David Strange, 1999 Crosslé 9S, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Benouville 2016.

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Crosslé, Hollywood, Northern Ireland.  Crosslé was founded in 1957 by John Crosslé and still operates from its original factory.  They claim to be the longest established specialist constructor of racing cars in the World. Many famous drivers competed in Crosslé cars including Nigel Mansell.  The original Crosslé 9S was conceived in 1965 to compete in 2 litre Group 6 sports car racing.   In 1966 drivers such as Peter Gethin and John Watson drove them, achieving some success at circuits such as Dunboyne in Northern Ireland and Crystal Palace.  The cars also raced in the USA.  Since the late nineties Crosslé have been producing late run series 9S cars from the original factory.  There has been an Irish Championship for them and since 2005 the HTP version can also be raced in Historic racing.  The cars have a tubular steel spaceframe and fibre glass body.  Various engine options are available including 2 litre BMW, Ford Twin Cam or Ford Zetec.  

1967 MGC GT Sebring

Darren Brock, MGC GT Sebring, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Bénouville 2016.

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MG, Abingdon, England.  The MGC was a more powerful 2.9 litre 6 cylinder version of the MGB and was produced from 1967 to 1969.  To promote the model the BMC competition department developed an endurance racing version.  They reduced the weight by replacing the steel body panels with those made of aluminium.  The engine had an aluminium head and triple weber carburettors.  About 6 of these cars were made plus additional spares.  The first outing for the competition version of the 6 cylinder car was the 1968 Sebring 12 hours.  Amazingly the car finished 10th overall and first in its class driven by Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges.  The car also finished 6th overall in the 84 hour Marothon de la Route at the Nurburgring driven by Hedges, Tony Fall and Julien Vernaeve.  The last major race for the car was the 1969 Sebring 12 hours where Hopkirk and Hedges finished in 15th place overall. 

1987 Alpine Renault V6 GTA Turbo

Tim Jeffrey, 1987 Alpine Renault V6 GTA Turbo, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Benouville 2016. 

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Alpine, Dieppe, France.  This was the first car produced by Alpine after the purchase by Renault.  It was an update of the A310. It had either a 2.8 litre Renault V6 engine or a smaller 2.5 litre V6 turbocharged engine. The latter produced 200bhp and powered the car to a top speed of over 150mph and a 0-60mph time of just over 6 seconds.  The car was lightweight with glass fibre and polyester body panels.  The body was quite aerodynamic and was a 2+2 coupé.  The handling was reputedly quite good.

1929 Frazer Nash Super Sports Special

Mark Roper, 1929 Frazer Nash Super Sports, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Benouville.

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AFN Ltd, Iseleworth, England.  The Frazer-Nash  Super Sports was produced from 1928 to 1930. They normally had 1.5 litre 4 cylinder engines but the one pictured has a Ford 3.3 litre engine.

Austin Seven Specials

Richard Wyatt, 1931 Austin Seven Special, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Bénouville 2016.

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Austin Seven Specials, UK.  The Austin Seven was a reasonably priced car produced from 1922 to 1939.  It had a 750cc engine.  Partly because it was a cheap available car pre-war and partly because of the 750 Motor Club after the second World War, many Austin Seven Special have been built.  Above is a single seater version raced regularly by Richard Wyatt.  Below is a Pigsty Special also based on the Austin 7.

Paul Geering, Austin Seven Pigsty Special, Course de Cote d'etretat-Benouville 2016.

1929 Morgan Super Aero

Sue Darbyshire, Morgan Super Aero, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Bénouville VHC 2016.

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Morgan, Malvern, England.  The Morgan Super Aero was a motor cycle engines three wheeler that was a cheap fast car in the twenties.  The exposed motor cycle engine was ahead of the of the front axle and powered the single rear wheel.   As well as good performance they benefitted from being taxed like a motor cycle.  They can be powered by various 2 cylinder engines including JAP, Blackburne, Anzani and Harley Davidson.   They had a two speed gearbox. The Super Aero had a tubular steel chassis and lowered streamlined bodywork.  In the twenties ad thirties they were regularly used in trials, hillclimbs and on racetracks such as Brooklands and Donington Park.  This tradition continues.  Sue Darbyshire has been competing successfully with this car for around 15 years which has a 1.2 litre engine.

1953 Cooper Bristol T23 Mk2

Stephanie Wilton, Cooper Bristol T23 Mk2, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Bénouville 2016

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Cooper, Surbiton, England.  This was the car that Cooper produced for the 2 litre Formula Two of the early fifties that became the Grand Prix Formula in 1952 and 1953. The Mk2 had a tubular space frame and front engine rear wheel drive like most cars of the time but unlike the F3 Cooper that preceded it.  The T23 was an upgrade of the T20  which had a box frame chassis.  Mike Hawthorn used the F2 Cooper Bristol car to great effect in 1952 and earned his 1953 works Ferrari drive as a result.   The Bristol 6 cylinder engine produced about 135bhp and was developed from the pre-war BMW 328 engine.  Top speed of the car was about 140mph which was not enough to beat the contemporary Ferraris and Maseratis very often.  Best GP result for the Mk1 was third place in the 1952 British GP of 1952 driven by Mike Hawthorn.  He also won the Lavant Cup at Goodwood and International Trophy at Silverstone.  in 1953 Ken Wharton won at Charterhall and Bob Gerard won at Castle Combe and Snetterton but these were minor races.

1976 Matra-Simca Bagheera S

Liz Owler, Matra Simca Bagheera S, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Benouville 2016.

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Matra-Simca, Romorantin, France.  The Bagheera was a seventies mid-engined rear wheel drive 3 seater sports car produced mainly from Simca components.  The body was polyester mounted on a steel chassis.  Engines were either 1.3 litre or 1.5 litre Simca 4 cylinders made in Poissy.  It had a top speed of around 116mph and took about 12 seconds for 0-60mph.  The car drove well but the steel chassis rusted badly.  

1960 Cooper T56 Formula Junior

Alan Harrison, Cooper T56 Formula Junior, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Bénouville 2016.

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Cooper, Surbiton, England.  The was the second Cooper Formula Junior car, replacing the T52,  and raced in 1960 and 1961. It looked very much like the contemporary Cooper F1 car.  There were both works cars and those sold to privateers.  Steve McQueen raced one in the USA.  In Europe Tony Maggs won eight races and tied Jo Siffert in the  European Formula Junior Championship driving one.  Many other famous drivers drove them including Denny Hulme, Richard Attwood, John Love, John Rhodes, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Walt Hangsen. They normally had 1.1 litre Ford Cosworth or BMC engines.

1976 Marcadier Barquette Can Am

Tony Gomis, Marcadier Can Am, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Benouville 2015.

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Marcadier, Lyon, France.  This French kit car maker made a number of Renaut or Simca powered cars that looked like Can-Am cars in the early to mid seventies.  Most had Renault 8 Gordini engines. This one has a 1,598cc Renault R12 engine, unusually a Hewland rather than a Renault gearbox and a non-standard rear wing.  It is mainly raced by Londoner Tony Gomis in English hillclimbs and sprints and who has had the car since 2000.

Read about another beautiful Marcadier car, the Barzoi, by clicking on this link. 

Lola T620

Thomas Beaufils, Lola T620, Course de Cote d'Etretat-Benouville 2015

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Lola, Huntingdon, Engl;and. The T620 was a car produced in 1978 and 1979 to race in Formula Super Vee.  About 26 were originally constructed and had Volkswagen 4 cylinder 1,600cc engines. This one looks as though it has had some development over the years with its untypical side pods.  A few famous drivers cut their teeth in the Lola T620 including Arie Luyendijk. He won a number of European Championship Super Vee races in 1978 in a T620 before eventually moving on to Indy Car racing.  Thomas Beaufils runs this car in French Hillclimbs in the class D/E (2) which is for single seaters up to 1,600cc.  It would appear to now have a Skoda engine.

Lola, Huntingdon, Angleterre, La T620 était une voiture de course fabriquée en 1978 et 1979 pour Formule Super Vee.  Environ 26 était produit avec un moteur 4 cyl 1,600cc Volkswagen.  La voiture dans le photo a un moteurSkoda et quelques modifications.  Peut etre le plus connu pilot de la T620 était Arie Luyendijk qui gagnait deux courses de Super Vee en 1978.  Thomas Beaufils et le pilot actuel.

There is a nice video on You Tube of his ascent of the Etretat Hillclimb. Click below:

1934 Frazer Nash Norris Monoposto Special 3.5L

Julian Grimwade, Frazer Nash Norris Special, 2015 Course de Cote d'Etretat-Benouville.

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For more photos of this car and the 2015 Etretat Hillclimb, click on the link above.

Norris Specials.  The two Norris Brothers, Frank and Jack, built two Alvis Engined Frazer Nash chassisied specials.  This one had the base of a 1934 Frazer Nash that raced at Brooklands with a Gough engine. I believe the Norris brother added the 3.5 litre Alvis Speed 25 engine just after WWII.  It has been successful in many VSCC hillclimbs.  Now owned and raced by Julian Grimwade it was previously in the ownership of Guy Smith and James Baxter.  In Baxter's hands in won fastest time of the day at many VSCC events.  I believe the current body dates to the sixties when Guy Smith renovated it.   Like many really historic cars that have raced continuously it has seen many changes over the years.

1955 Lotus 6

1955 Lotus 6 - Course de Cote d'Etretat-Benouville 2015

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Lotus Engineering Company, Hornsey, London, England.  The Lotus 6 or MkVI was the first Lotus produced in any numbers by Colin Chapman and his company.  It was sold from 1952 to 1957 before being replaced by the Lotus Seven.  Over a 100 were built and were powered by various engine normally of 1.2 to 1.5 litres.  It was available as a kit car.  In competition they had a lot of success in fifties club racing, often beating more expensive and more powerful cars.  Colin Chapman himself raced one and won a number of races in 1953.  David Piper of Ferrari privateer fame also raced one and scored a number of wins with it in 1955. Peter Gammon was one of the most successful early Lotus 6 drivers winning 14 races in 1954.  With a lightly tuned Ford 10 engine the John Bolster Autosport test report recorded an 88mph top speed and 0-60mph time of under 13 seconds.  An important car that laid the foundations for the fifties Lotus racing cars and its longer lived successor - the Seven.

1971 Dinalpin A110

Course de Cote d'Etretat-Bénouville 2015.  Andy Owler dans une Dinalpin A110, une A110 fabriqué en Mexique.

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DINA Diesel Nacional / Alpine Renault.  Dinalpin.  Vallejo City, Mexico.
Top Speed / Vitesse Maximale 210 kph+, 0 - 100 kph 7.5 / 6.9 secs (1,300 / 1,600cc)

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