1968 Howmet TX

Xavier Micheron driving the Howmet TX at Paul Ricard in the Dix Mille Tours meeting 2017

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Howmet / McKee, USA.  The Howmet TX was the brainchild of racing driver Ray Heppenstall.  TX stood for Turbine Experimental as the car was powered by a helicopter's gas turbine jet engine. Heppenstall convinced Howmet Corporation, who produced aluminium parts for gas turbines, that the car  could be a winner and a good marketing tool. The chassis was made by McKee Engineering who previously had made some Can-Am cars.  Thus the car was in effect a McKee Mk9.   The original engine was a Continental TS525-1 gas turbine that had been designed for a helicopter program but never used.  The engines were leased from Continental Aviation and Engineering and returned after the racing program ended.  Thus restored Howmet TX tend to use Allison helicopter engines although one still has a Continental engine.  The original Continental engine were classified by the FIA as equivalent to just under 3 litres and thus the Howmet ran in the Group 6 under 3 litre prototype class. The car raced in the major World Championship endurance races of 1968 including the Daytona 24 hours, 12 hours of Sebring, BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch, Watkins Glen 6 hours and finally the Le Mans 24 hours.   In many of these races it did not finish but it did finish third at Watkins Glen in the hands of Dick Thompson and Ray Heppenstall.  It also raced in shorter sprint races at Oulton Park and in the SCCA series in the USA.  In June 1968 Ray Heppenstall took the Howmet's first win at an SCCA race at Huntsville.  Thompson also took a SCCA win at Marlboro. The Howmet is the only Gas Turbine powered car to have won races.  Another driver in period was British airline pilot Hugh Dibley.   In 1970 the Howmet took a few FIA speed records and then the program ended. Two cars were built in period and a third car built in 2000 using a spare chassis.  In recent years the cars have appeared at the major Historic events in the US and Europe.

Leading a Chevron B16 at Paul Ricard.

The rear three-quarter view of the Howmet TX in the Paul Ricard paddock.

1981 Kremer-Porsche 917K/81

Kremer built Porsche 917/81, Retromobile 2017.

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Kremer Racing, Cologne, Germany.  The years 1970 and 1971 were the heyday of the Porsche 917 before these Group 4 sports cars were banned.  Ten years after the 917 had won its second Le Mans 24 hours, it returned as a Group 6 sports car built by the Kremer brothers using a loophole in the transitional regulations between Group 6 and Group C.  The Kremer brothers had become the top specialists in racing, modifying and tuning Porsches during the 935 era and obtained Porsche’s help in this project.  Using the original blueprints, a car was built from scratch in the Kremer workshops and incorporated a number of modifications to the suspension and a strengthened chassis to cope with the newer tyre technology.  However, the strengthening added weight.  The body was also altered to improve downforce with a large rear wing and lower and straightened sides to the car.  Unchanged was the 4.9 litre flat 12 engine that Porsche provided.  Sponsorship was obtained from Malardeau and BP and the drivers included Bob Wollek.  First event was the 1981 Le Mans 24 hours.  Practice did not go well and the car proved much slower than the original 917s down the straight.  However, in the race it ran in the top ten before retiring after seven hours following an off course excursion.   The second and final race was the 1,000kms at Brands Hatch later that year.  For this the original sponsors were gone and the car had big Kremer wording along the sides and on the rear wing with some support from Shell and Dunlop.  This time the car qualified third and early on in the race ran second to the new Ford C100.  Later in the race it took the lead and proved fast around the curves of Brands Hatch with Bob Wollek driving.  Unfortunately the suspension eventually collapsed and led to another retirement.  This was the last major race for a 917.  This unique car is now owned by a private collector and is back in its beautiful Malardeau colours.

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.  

1971 Lola T212 FVC

Mauro Poponcini, Lola T212 FVC, Dijon-Prenois, 2015 GP de l'Age d'Or.

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Lola, Huntingdon, England.  The Lola T212 was a popular 2 litre sports car driven by the likes of Guy Edwards, Jo Bonnier, Tony Birchenough and Vic Elford, It was a big rival to the Chevron B19 and Abarth-Osellas of the time.  Helmut Marko won the European Championship 2 litre drivers championship and Lola won the manufacturers championship in 1971 with the T212.  Vic Elford won at the Nurburgring and Jo Bonnier won at Jarame for Scuderia Filipinetti in cars similar to that pictured.