Saturday was the day of the Brighton Speed Trials! One of my favourite occasions of the year. This year did not disappoint either. The fantastic cars, the ambiance, the location, the weather, the sounds and sheer aroma of hot engine oil, beer, exhaust fumes and fish and chips... Magic!
Here are most of my photos. See how many interesting Retro cars you can spot in the background of some of them. I meant to get more pics but, as always, couldn't bring myself to leave the action at the startline! ;D The maroon Toyota saloon was very lovely indeed...!
Gorgeous Vincent single
Even more gorgeous Vincent V-Twin
Ubiquitous because they are ridiculously quick - Suzuki Hayabusa drag bike
Lovely Tri-J special
Norton-J "Wooden" special
Close-up of above. I love the way that old bikes have everything on display. Check out those hairpin valve springs - all the rage in the 50s!
I also like detail touches like this brake cooling scoop
Mikuni flat slide carburettors on Japanese superbike
Close-up of side of engine block. Note inscription on cylinder block, "Orient Express" ;D
Innards of Hayabusa drag bike
Two-stroke four-cylinder drag bike laid bare
Norton International
Moto Guzzi Airone 250cc
Gorgeous AC Cobra 289 Mk. 2
Supercharged 302ci (5-litre) Ford-engined Sunbeam Tiger Mk. 1... Mmmmm
Nice Ford GT40 replica
Modern hatchback-type thing with throttle bodies and twin cam motor
Ford Sierra race car with 2.3-litre Ford Duratec
MGB Roadster with stonking great V8 Rover motor =
STUNNING AC Cobra 427 Mk. 3. It looks like a top-end replica to me - probably a Contemporary Classics from the USA - but it could have been real...
AC 428 Frua Coupe - Cobra successor and a tiny weeny bit more civilised but still a loony at heart!
Triumph TR7 V8 Tony Pond rally replica with Rover V8 - very nicely turned out indeed!
Jaguar XK120 looked and sounded incredible
An emotive experience for me was seeing the Napier-Railton of John Cobb - legendary Land Speed Record contender and racer from the 1920s and 1930s. I have read so much about this wonderful old nail and seeing it up close and personal was wonderful. It is HUGE and the closer you look, the more beautiful it gets. Just look at it... 24 litres, IIRC, over 500 bhp at 2200 rpm and the mother of all clutches by all accounts!
Monaco F3 500cc racer from the 1940s. How cute!
Truly spectacular AC Cobra 289 FIA racer replica - one of my favoutites
Nicely turned out DJ Sportscars DAX Tojeiro with small block Chevy power - NICE!
This Davrian Mk. 7 was the only Imp-engined vehicle there! 1120cc and sounded and went spectacularly - 13.4 second 1/4-mile! Not like the old days when there would be several! Still, maybe one day I shall enter mine!
2.4-litre supercharged Levente. Gorgeous
FIA Cobra again... Couldn't resist... ;D
Lovely Ferrari F40 looked great and sounded incredible! Reasonably nippy too
This Jaguar E-Type drag racer was modified when new and is still going "pretty well"
Some startline shots
MGB GT V8, 4.8-litres, Wildcat cylinder heads, throttle body EFI, alleged 412 bhp. Adequate... ;D
General Lee-stickered Dodge Charger oozed charisma. It had the "musical horn" too! Really!
TVR Tuscan racer
Lovely Jaguar E-Type Roadster
F40 burnout
F40 at startline
Classic Aston Martin V8 from 1978
Cars returning from the far end of the course
Maserati V8-engined Kougar kit car! :shock: Unusual, good-looking and charismatic
Gardner Douglas T70 - a Lola T70 Spyder replica - with Chevy power
One extremely happy ImpManiac
Brighton by night from Brighton Pier
Funky table at funky milkshake bar! Cool!
I hope you like my snaps.
"I'm"
Here are most of my photos. See how many interesting Retro cars you can spot in the background of some of them. I meant to get more pics but, as always, couldn't bring myself to leave the action at the startline! ;D The maroon Toyota saloon was very lovely indeed...!
Gorgeous Vincent single
Even more gorgeous Vincent V-Twin
Ubiquitous because they are ridiculously quick - Suzuki Hayabusa drag bike
Lovely Tri-J special
Norton-J "Wooden" special
Close-up of above. I love the way that old bikes have everything on display. Check out those hairpin valve springs - all the rage in the 50s!
I also like detail touches like this brake cooling scoop
Mikuni flat slide carburettors on Japanese superbike
Close-up of side of engine block. Note inscription on cylinder block, "Orient Express" ;D
Innards of Hayabusa drag bike
Two-stroke four-cylinder drag bike laid bare
Norton International
Moto Guzzi Airone 250cc
Gorgeous AC Cobra 289 Mk. 2
Supercharged 302ci (5-litre) Ford-engined Sunbeam Tiger Mk. 1... Mmmmm
Nice Ford GT40 replica
Modern hatchback-type thing with throttle bodies and twin cam motor
Ford Sierra race car with 2.3-litre Ford Duratec
MGB Roadster with stonking great V8 Rover motor =
STUNNING AC Cobra 427 Mk. 3. It looks like a top-end replica to me - probably a Contemporary Classics from the USA - but it could have been real...
AC 428 Frua Coupe - Cobra successor and a tiny weeny bit more civilised but still a loony at heart!
Triumph TR7 V8 Tony Pond rally replica with Rover V8 - very nicely turned out indeed!
Jaguar XK120 looked and sounded incredible
An emotive experience for me was seeing the Napier-Railton of John Cobb - legendary Land Speed Record contender and racer from the 1920s and 1930s. I have read so much about this wonderful old nail and seeing it up close and personal was wonderful. It is HUGE and the closer you look, the more beautiful it gets. Just look at it... 24 litres, IIRC, over 500 bhp at 2200 rpm and the mother of all clutches by all accounts!
Monaco F3 500cc racer from the 1940s. How cute!
Truly spectacular AC Cobra 289 FIA racer replica - one of my favoutites
Nicely turned out DJ Sportscars DAX Tojeiro with small block Chevy power - NICE!
This Davrian Mk. 7 was the only Imp-engined vehicle there! 1120cc and sounded and went spectacularly - 13.4 second 1/4-mile! Not like the old days when there would be several! Still, maybe one day I shall enter mine!
2.4-litre supercharged Levente. Gorgeous
FIA Cobra again... Couldn't resist... ;D
Lovely Ferrari F40 looked great and sounded incredible! Reasonably nippy too
This Jaguar E-Type drag racer was modified when new and is still going "pretty well"
Some startline shots
MGB GT V8, 4.8-litres, Wildcat cylinder heads, throttle body EFI, alleged 412 bhp. Adequate... ;D
General Lee-stickered Dodge Charger oozed charisma. It had the "musical horn" too! Really!
TVR Tuscan racer
Lovely Jaguar E-Type Roadster
F40 burnout
F40 at startline
Classic Aston Martin V8 from 1978
Cars returning from the far end of the course
Maserati V8-engined Kougar kit car! :shock: Unusual, good-looking and charismatic
Gardner Douglas T70 - a Lola T70 Spyder replica - with Chevy power
One extremely happy ImpManiac
Brighton by night from Brighton Pier
Funky table at funky milkshake bar! Cool!
I hope you like my snaps.
"I'm"