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WSM - News 2010

For Sale

WSM Sanction 2 to order - contact tony@wsmcars.com or paul@wsmcars.com

WSM 401 S2 . .

Progress report from Bedfordshire where the Hulett and Henderson racer is taking shape. The rear frame has been constructed, and bracing will go in after works supervisor Maggie has an airing somewhere hot and the full cage is installed . .

Slippery Coupe's . .

Entries are posted for the 1st April track day (see below) at Goodwood from Brian Arculus with WSM 202 (living around the corner helps), Clive Cocks with WSM 210, and Paul Woolmer with BXN and PMO . .

Entente Cordiale . .

Anglo-French relations are alive and kicking as the sale of the Arculus TR3a on our 'For Sale' page demonstrates, and the new French owners plan to continue campaigning the car in 'Equipe' GTS races. This could be good news for all of us if Marc and Veronique Lafon's champagne welcome at 'Equipe' BRDC Silverstone last year is set to become a national trait . . .

Goodwood Revival . .

Organisers have invited under 1500cc cars of a type that raced between 1960-66 in the Fordwater Trophy to a track day on April 1st. Limited to 35 cars and 105d, the full day is intended to display candidates for the slippery coupe grid in front of advisor Julius Thurgood.

Lie In & Study . .

'Equipe' GTS race series organiser Christophe Wilmart introduced the Oxford Universities Motorsport Foundation (OUMF) team, a student initiative founded in July 2005 which provides "hands on" practical experience of motorsport to the students of Oxford and aims to bridge the increasing skills gap that is threatening all engineering and manufacturing industries in the UK. By introducing predominantly engineering students to the world of racing car preparation and component fabrication, as well as team management, OUMF aims to enhance the quality of students graduating into all manufacturing and engineering industries as well as bring new blood into the historic and contemporary racing arenas. The OUMF will run a red 1959 Elva Courier, pictured at the 2005 Revival.

WSM S2's . .

Snow dented progress a little lately with the Bedfordshire lanes impassable, but Ian Hulett has collected the shell and provisionally married up the lightweight 'Sprint' body with the WSM 401 floorpan . Meanwhile Paul Hull's GT version WSM 402 remains at Colmworth in readiness to secure the body to the chassis.

Hill Climb . .

Santa delivered a photographic negatives scanner to the Hill household and the ensuing search through dog-eared Kodak pouches revealed ex-WSM 205 owner Geoff Hill at Harewood hillclimb circa 1962/63 in his 1959 Austin Healey Sprite. Bought as a standard Sprite in 1961, Geoff started doing sprints and driving tests and won a few local events with the SYCEC (South Yorkshire Car Enthusiasts Club). He supercharged and modified the engine with a cam and special Healey head, fitted a close ratio Mk2 box and uprated the suspension while also fitting wires and front discs along with the Williams & Pritchard Sebring bonnet. He won a National test outright and as a result was asked to join the three car Austin Healey Club team which won the Morgan 4/4 Trophy twice - the team was overseen by none other than BMC Competition guru Peter Browning. The Sprite was sold on when the lure of a 3000 proved irrisistible, but four months later the Sprite was written off.

Gathercole Playtime Purchase . .

David and Lorraine were married on 10th July 2004 and have just invested in a 'sharing toy' as Lorraine describes it . .

Bentley Bloke . .

The upside to a delayed sailing from Birkenhead with WSM 208 was meeting Manx resident Bill Creasey in the quayside queue. He stepped out of a chauffer-driven Bentley on recognising the WSM from his time with the Sporting Owners Drivers Club in the 1960's and ownership of a Frogeye for competition. The ensuing chinwag revealed a self-confessed car nut and in the 1960's as finances permitted he progressed through the ranks of sports cars, including a share of pal John Hingley's Lotus Elite (stage 2 Climax & ZF box). Bill then raced a Brabam BT14, Chevron-Ford B10/17 and Brabam BT30 prior to becoming involved with hotshoe Graham McRae in an M10B McLaren, then in his GM1 F5000. Bill bought a third share in the BS Automotive F3000/F2 team founded by Bob Sparshott in 1976 and were winners of the inaugural European title - drivers included Mark Blundell, Andrew Gilbert Scott, Giovanni Amato, Dominiqe Delest, Michael Ferte, Tomas Kaiser and 1985 F3000 championship winner Christian Danner. Although many of Bill's period pix were lost in a Spanish flood some years ago, a visit to his Onchan address is forthcoming.

Great Scott . .

An email from Scott Yturria of San Ramon, California revealed him to be an ex-owner of WSM 210 between 1968-1972. Scott found the WSM cars website recently and tells us he purchased 210 from Dave Collier, a local Jaguar car dealer and family friend in Florida, after Scott missed out on a Fiat Abarth 750GT Zagato in 1967 and wanted something similar in body style. He drove 210 throughout his College days and admits it was usually the centre of discussion when the British sports car enthusiasts met. Scott sold the car to a college student in Florida, and replaced the WSM with a 1971 Lotus Elan SE.

Once a petrol head, always a petrol head - Lotus Europa and Esprit Turbo, Lamborghini Countach and Miura, Maserati Bora and Merak, and Ferrari 246, 308 and 512 have passed through Yturrian ownership. Scott has a small collection of F1 cars and a Group C car which he uses on the track occasionally, but he still would like to have the WSM back, so they are for sale - see the 'For Sale' page on this website . . .