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| Chris Littler, Clan Crusader, Saint Goueno Masters Hillclimb, 2017. |
For more photos of the 2017 Saint Goueno Masters Hillclimb, click here.
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.
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.
