John Grist Fairthorpe racer has passed away

I have received notification from Simon Grist that his father John has sadly passed away at the age of 80 following a short illness.
John first raced a Lancia Fulvia in the Classic & Sportscar Novice championship 1987  which resulted in 2 Class wins.
He then moved on to a Fairthorpe EM1 registered 589 DUP in the 1988 Road Sports championship, results included 3 class wins against the current championship winning Fairthorpe in 1989.

John raced until 1993 including FIA events at Brands, Zolder, Zandvoort, Dijon and Montlery.
His funeral will take place on December the 8th at Thorverton in Devon, if you require the full funeral details please contact me through this blog site.

Picture of the week: A Sprightly Fairthorpe from the past.

 

A recent email from Chris Marriott was interesting in several respects, firstly Chris lives only 15 minuets from where I am typing this and also that he owned two Fairthorpes in the late 60`s to early 70`s. The first EM was registered 442 WPP, according to Chris it had a tuned A H Sprite 998cc engine with an alloy aquaplane head and aluminium flywheel. Unfortunately the car was written off in an accident so a second EM was bought to replace it. Both cars had the early short Mk1 bonnet with the curved `mouth` although Chris cannot remember the number of the second EM, this one had a 948cc Standard  Ten engine which was then replaced with the Sprite engine from his original car. Chris still holds a soft spot for the cars and is hoping to meet up with some of us in the New Year.

Picture of the week, Fairthorpe and Fairtravel.

This picture was used by Fairthorpe in some of their adverts in the mid 60`s, it was taken in the field adjacent to the Fairthorpe works at Denham and shows the then new EM 111 parked in front of another of AVM Don Bennetts creations. This
Fairtravel Linnett aircraft was built in 1965 and happily is still airworthy, it was one of three produced. The Linnet was licence built by the another of the AVM`s companies Fairtravel and it was in essence a slightly modified Piel Emeraude, here is a link to a current image of this Linnet.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Fairtravel-Linnet-2/1201495/&sid=9a323e67ab346ab28c0dbc06eb7dc01a

Fairthorpe Pathfinder V8 for sale on Ebay

Martin Souster has decided to part with his Fairthorpe Pathfinder V8 and the car is currently for sale on Ebay  http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fairthorpe-Pathfinder-V8-Rover-Engine-Convertible-Kit-Car-1990-Taxed-MOT-/131338747540?ssPageName=ADME:SS:SS:US:3160
This is a LOT of performance for the money with a Rover V8 engine and 5 speed gearbox fitted. It would benefit from a respray but has a current MOT and tax so would make a great project or use as is.

Fairthorpe EM racer reappears in Japan.

I found this Video on Youtube and was very pleased as it is a Fairthorpe I owned and rebuilt in the mid 80`s, even winning a race with it at an 8 Clubs meeting at Silverstone. Obviously the original registration number has been removed as the car is in Japan, but if you compare the indicators on the bootlid and the position of the script badge.

                                       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJfVARUMdZw

Also on the bonnet which is from a later EM ( I moulded that in the garage at home) note the front indicators, not the usual round Fairthorpe type ones but rectangular with an angle at one end. Those are from an early Toyota Carina which I fitted as a change from the norm, I doubt you will ever see another Fairthorpe with those on! Also the turned aluminium dashboard I made and fitted is still on the car, you can see the swirls as the sunlight hits them.

I sold the car to a woman named Charlotte Thornton who later damaged the rear of the car after losing it in the wet on a roundabout, we moulded her a new tail section and a friend of hers fitted it. The car was then sold on to a chap named John Watson (not the F1 driver) who raced it in HSCC events and he sold it to a Historic racing car dealer who found a buyer..................in Japan. That was in the 90`s and that was the last I had heard of the car till yesterday. I am hoping to make contact with the owner as I have many rebuild and racing photos which I can send him copies of, so if you know the owner please make contact.

Fairthorpe EM Mk5 restoration gathers pace.

I have recently heard  from Peter Jones, he purchased the Mk5 EM project that was advertised on this site some months back. He has sent me a number of pictures which show it is moving on rapidly, the chassis is repaired and painted and now sits on it`s wheels with the Triumph engine and overdrive gearbox fitted. Peter has made a few mods including a sturdy chassis hoop which goes across the car from the side rails and makes a strong support for the steering column as well as stiffening up the bulk head to stop the dreaded scuttle shake on rough roads.

 The pedal assembly on the Mk5 also hangs from the bulk head rather than pivoting on the floor like earlier EM`s and this area suffers from flexing also so Peter is using some Dural sheet to spread the stress more evenly. Work is now moving on to the bodyshell and the removal of the non standard rear lights, I have an old tail section here and the relevant parts have been cut off and sent to Peter to help with the restoration. Keep up the good work Peter and we look forward to seeing more pictures as the restoration progresses.

Kop Hillclimb - 789 ERO makes a run.

Bob Balding kindly sent this video of me taking the start at the 2014 Kop Hillclimb event (many thanks Bob). The hill is surprisingly steep at the top so next year I will have to go armed with a bit more power to make the run a bit more entertaining!
The picture of me sitting on the start line waiting for the flag to drop was taken by Richard Holden (Thanks Richard).

Fairthorpe Gathering 2014 RAF Wyton

 

 

 

 

This years Fairthorpe Gathering was held at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire on August 3rd and was preceded on the Saturday by the Pathfinder Stations Tour. Many thanks to Bob Balding for organising the Stations Tour, 5 Fairthorpes convoying through the Cambridgeshire countryside between the now disused ex RAF bases was great fun to take part in. During the run we got caught by a very heavy downpour, it was amusing watching the different ways we all took to try and keep ourselves and the car interiors dry!

 

 

 

 

 Sundays Gathering at the RAF Wyton Pathfinder Collection was by several accounts the best Gathering yet, with a very interesting talk and tour of the Museum followed by the usual mingle and chat amongst the assembled Fairthorpes. This year Ten cars attended, they belonged to in no particular order:- Brian Townsend, Barry Stock, Rob James, Steve Colling, Marcus Bradbury, Paul Wells, Brian Jackson, Bob Balding, Richard Holden and myself, honorary mention also to the very nice Marcos that also belonged to Paul Wells. There were also a number of other FSCC members present including our club President Barry Gibbs and one of our Patrons Noreen Cooper who is also a Patron of the Pathfinder Collection. The two trophies which are presented each year are the Frank Collins Memorial trophy for the best Fairthorpe as voted by those present and the John Green trophy for the furthest travelled Fairthorpe to the event. The latter trophy seems to be swapped each year between Richard Holden and Barry Stock and this year it was Barry`s turn having driven 246 miles from Ammanford, Wales to Wyton, Cambridgeshire, the trophy was presented by Noreen Cooper. The Best Fairthorpe award was very hotly contested with 8 votes for Richard Holden`s EM in third place and nine votes apiece for Steve Colling`s EM and my own 789, the trophy being presented by Audrey Collins.

 

                                        

 

An arm wrestle for the trophy was quickly waved off and a good handshake was taken instead!

I would especially like to thank my wife Sarah for organising cakes and drinks to keep everyone fed and watered and many thanks to all of you that attended, with over 40 people on the day you all helped to make it a very memorable event. For those of you wondering, yes I did make it home ok, Barry Stock kindly provided a bottle of RadWeld which plugged the pin hole in 789`s header tank (thanks Barry).

 

 

Many thanks to Lauren Colling, Brian Townsend and my wife Sarah for the pictures of the event shown here.

 

 

Fairthorpes to France, Le Mans or bust!

Two Fairthorpes recently made a trip down to the Sarthe region of France to take in the 2014 edition of the Le Mans Classic. Andy Winston`s Electron plus 789 along with two Turners and a Rochdale crossed from Portsmouth to Cherbourg on the Wednesday morning and then embarked on the drive through the French countryside down to the Campsite at La Fleche which is 20 mins south of the circuit at Le Mans. On boarding the Ferry I was approached by one of the French Stewardesses who looked round 789 and told me that in her opinion it was the nicest car on the boat! This was high praise indeed as there were all sorts of classics on the crossing from E-Types to Mustangs and Healeys etc. Thursday was a free day so I decided to drive to the circuit and take the Fairthorpe round those parts of the circuit which are still public roads, the pictures you see here were taken at different points around the track.

 

 

It was a great experience driving the car down for the event and the French roads were a delight to use with  much less traffic as well as being much nicer to drive on due to the lack of pot holes and bad repairs. Looking forward to two years time when the event is run again, as Arnie once said "I`ll be back!".....................

Essex Electron Minor is a Fast Fairthorpe.

I recently dropped by to see Martin Green who owns a very smart EM1, Martin has done a lot of work over the last few years on this Fairthorpe. The car is fitted with a highly tuned 1147cc Triumph engine which is lightened and balanced, has a fast road cam fitted and a very rare 8 port head which is what the Triumph works race team used on their Le Mans Spitfires.

The stainless steel exhaust manifold was designed by Martin and really looks the business, it drops down on the right hand side of the drivers side main rail instead of being `pinched` between the engine and main rail.

The axle has also been changed for a re bracketed Morris Marina one with a better diff ratio, Martin offered me a run up the road in the car which felt a lot softer sprung at the front and rode the patches and pot holes with a lot less noise and fuss than my EM 789 ERO does. I think he may have had a sticking throttle on the engine as his foot seemed to spend most of it`s time buried on the floor! I would say it is probably the best Triumph powered live axle EM i have ridden in in terms of the way the car handles uneven roads and delivers it`s power. Although not having the outright grunt and revs of a sorted Ford engine there is more than enough in his set up for a lot of fun on the roads. When I eventually get round to assembling my tuned 1300cc Triumph engine and fitting it in 789 I will probably be turning out similar BHP so it has given me a good idea of how my car will go, I will also now be playing around with the front spring rates, mine currently has 200lb springs fitted which make rough roads very harsh and noisy to drive on.

Where are they now:- Fairthorpe 673 WAR

 

Club member and current Fairthorpe owner Barry Stock recently sent me the following pictures of his first Fairthorpe Electron Minor registration number 673 WAR. The car is a Mk1 fitted with an unusual bonnet, it appears to be an Electron one though the opening hatch with it`s power bulge is not present, Barry maintains that it looked as if it had been moulded that way.

Barry purchased it from a man in Kings Langley who had bought it new as a kit, it had done about 30000 miles by this time and he used it as his everyday car for a while before being sold through an ad in Exchange & Mart and delivered to an M1 service station, possibly Newport Pagnell, Barry never saw the car again.

This Fairthorpe is not currently on the DVLA database and the club have no records on the car. If you have any information on the current whereabouts or fate of 673 WAR please get in contact so we can fill in some more history on the car.

 

 

`May` the Fairthorpe makes 50!..........

I had an email from Rob James on the 28th May with some pictures of his Fairthorpe Electron Minor `May`which was celebrating it`s 50th birthday on that date. Well done May, I hope Rob toasted the event in the proper way.............

Classics Monthly magazine Fairthorpe feature this month

The July issue of Classics Monthly magazine has a 6 page feature on 789 ERO which covers it`s history and rebuild, there are some great pictures, the photographer certainly earned his money taking them.
The photo above taken by my wife Sarah shows the photographer being photographed!
July Classics Monthly magazine is in the shops now and can be bought (or browsed!) in most Tesco`s or W H Smiths shops.

Freshly restored Fairthorpe Electron Minor For Sale.

Brian McArdle is selling this lovely Electron Minor Mk1 which he has been restoring over the last few years. The car has had many new parts fitted or reconditioned and has 5 new tyres, new aluminium floor pans, complete new braking system, new radiator, a freshly re trimmed interior as well as professionally finished paint job.

The engine is a rebuilt Standard 10 948cc engine with twin SU carbs as originally fitted, the car only needs a small amount of wiring and a few odds and bobs to get it completed for an MOT. This is a rare opportunity to buy a Fairthorpe in this sort of condition and Brian is looking to sell it to a genuine enthusiast who will appreciate and look after the car in the coming years.

For more information and price give Brian a call on :- 0121 705 6278
The car is located in the Midlands.

Fairthorpes rule at club AGM.

Alan Cooper,s Mk1 EM

 

Sunday 18th May saw this years FSCC AGM take place at the Stow Maries WW1 aerodrome in Essex, the site was used by the Royal Flying Corps during the first World War but was then left derelict with some of the buildings used by the local farmer until Russell Savory bought a large part of the site and gradually started to restore it to it`s former glory. The aerodrome is a fascinating place and has really come along since our last visit in 2010 for that years Fairthorpe Gathering, Russell gave us a great talk on the history and plans for putting the site back to how it was when the RFC defended these shores from the Zeppelin threat, the Stow Maries website can be found here:-
http://www.stowmaries.com/index.asp

 My Mk1 EM 789 ERO with Brian Townsend,s Mk1 and Derek Bentley`s Turner.

 

The Ford powered Mk2 EM,s of Andy Winston and Steve Colling

 

The Fairthorpe Sports Car Club caters for not only Fairthorpes but many of the 50`s and 60`s kit cars and specials including Turners, Tornados, Rochdales, Falcons, Ashleys , EB`s etc each of these has there own register within the club. The AGM always attracts a few of our marque cars along and this year saw 8 cars attend the event in glorious sunshine, there were 5 Fairthorpes, 2 Turners and a Tornado. All the Fairthorpes were Electron Minors, Andy Winston and Steve Colling were in Ford powered Mk2`s, both cars featuring tuned engines with twin Weber 40 carbs. The Mk1`s were represented by my self in 789 ERO and Alan Cooper and Brian Townsend, with their cars making their first trips out to a club event since they had been restored, both cars having been off the road for a number of years, well done guys.

Steve Colling`s Mk2 EM winner of the best club car at the AGM

 

There were 2 trophies to be handed out on the day and Steve Colling won the best Marque car at the event with his superb EM, it always amazes everyone that his car lives out side under trees all year round with only it`s hood for protection. The other trophy was for the furthest travelled to the AGM in a marque car which I took having completed close on 100 miles to reach Stow Maries.
Hopefully we can get some more of that weather for our other events this summer.

SOLD MK5 Fairthorpe Electrion Minor for sale SOLD

There is a rare 1970 Mk5 Electron Minor for sale, one of only 3 Mk5 EM`s known to the club at this time. The car has been off the road for many years and is stripped ready for someone to restore to it`s former glory. I am told the chassis is basically sound with only a small amount of welding required, I can confirm that the chassis though a lot different to earlier EM`s is an original Mk5 having studied pictures taken of another that was restored a few years ago. The body work is all there but as can be seen from the pictures it will need a new boot lid and possibly a new bonnet although that could be repaired with some graft, the Fairthorpe Sports Car Club holds the moulds for these panels and so new ones can be produced for the new owner. There is no engine or gearbox with the car but a Triumph 1300 or 1500 Spitfire engine would be what was originally fitted. The Fairthorpe does have an old style log book with it and some history.

The project is priced to sell at a very reasonable £850 for more information speak to Keith Ardley on
  07930186598  or by email on:-  kieth@ardley8142.fsnet.co.uk

This final 2 pictures  were taken a number of years ago before the car was dismantled, I have a recollection that this car was pictured in a 1970`s Custom Car Magazine when they ran an article on Kit cars, the car was at that time only a few years old and looked very smart.