Rob racing at Donington

Rob Cobden will be out in his Fairthorpe Electron at Donington on Sunday April 8th in the FISCAR (Fifties Sportscar series) race. If you wish to come along and cheer him on i`m sure he will be glad of the support. I will be going so i will post a report here the week after the race so remember to check back.

Fairthorpe Electron in Autosport.

In this weeks issue (March 15th) there is a preview of the new Fifties Sports Racing Car Club series and six of the cars entered were tested and reviewed at Donington race track. One of the cars is Rob Cobden`s yellow Electron which is pictured above, there are a couple of nice pictures of the car on track and in the pits as well as the testers thoughts on the car. This weeks issue is due out tomorrow (Thursday) so you will have to be quick to get a copy, they are probably available on back issue. Sorry for the late heads up but i only spotted it whilst browsing the magazine during a shopping trip today.

VOU 7 do you know this Fairthorpe?

An email has been passed on to me from Terence Williams who built this Electron Minor over the winter of 1958. In 1959 he competed at several race meetings, the photos were taken at the Sept BARC Club meeting at Goodwood and the programme shows the Fairthorpe Electron Minor entry no. 66.

He says `I managed a third (my best result) at the Maidstone motor club sprint at Brands Hatch behind a Sprite and Reg Falconer's Turner - whom I knew from the 58 season when we both raced Standard Tens. The engine/gearbox I used in the Fairthorpe was from the Standard Ten, and I remember well, bartering with "Pathfinder" Bennett to have the Kit less engine and gearbox. I remember also buying on that day, a "works" 4 branch exhaust manifold as I had mentioned my intention to race the Faithorpe`.

The reg number is not on my records of surviving cars and the DVLA website holds no current records for that number. I have been through the chassis records and matched his name to chassis number 9933 which also shows as having been supplied minus engine and gearbox in red gel coat finish, the kit was supplied on 1/11/1958.

Does anyone have any further history to add to this Fairthorpe, i`m sure Terence would be very pleased to hear from anyone regarding his car.

2012 Fairthorpe Gathering August 5th.

I am now pleased to announce the venue for the 2012 Fairthorpe Gathering, we have had to have a rethink on the area of the country that it would be in due to the small matter of the Olympic games! It will be held on Sunday August the 5th at the Stondon Motor museum in Lower Stondon, Bedfordshire (post code SG16 6JN). This incredibly diverse collection of vehicles is housed across eight halls. The vehicles cover motor transport across the 20th Century (1900 to 1990's). Examples Include: Ford Pilots; police vehicles; AA and RAC Motorcycles; 6 Rolls Royces, including the owners favourite Cornishe; buses: fire engines; military vehicles and a huge collection of Motorbikes - Scott, Vincent, Greeves, ABC, Triumph's, BSA's etc plus a couple of small aircraft. Outside they have a full size replica of Captain Cook`s ship HMS Bark Endeavour which is open for the public to explore. Entry to the car park is free and they will be roping off an area for Fairthorpes, for those wishing to enter the museum we have been given a discounted price of £5 which includes a complimentary cup of tea or coffee in their large cafeteria. The museum opens at 10am and we will probably be meeting up a little earlier for a convoy into the museum for those that wish to do so. The museum website can be found at http://www.motor-museum.co.uk/index.php
I am hoping to get Fifteen Fairthorpes attending so if you have one and can make we would be very happy to see you. Keep checking back to the blog for updated information.

Ex owner looking for Missing Minor!

I have had an email in about a MK1 Electron Minor which was built in 1960 by a mr Paul Hewitt, the car was light blue and had the reg number 395 HBH, it was fitted with a pair of spotlights in the bonnet mouth. Mr Hewitt apparently competed in a lot of events with the car with a fair amount of success, gaining a number of trophies which he still has. His son sent me a couple of pictures taken of the car including the one above of it leaving the start line of a hillclimb. Mr Hewitt and his son now live in Australia, Paul is now elderly and living in a nursing home, both he and his son Lance would like to know if the car survives, unfortunately i have no current knowledge of the car and a check on the DVLA website brings no information on the number. Does anyone remember Paul Hewitt or know of his car either now or in the past? Any information will gladly be passed on.

Sadly since i published this post a couple of weeks ago i have heard from Lance to say his father Paul has passed away. Lance would still like to hear from anyone that has more news of the car or knew his father.

Picture of the week.

This picture was sent to me recently of a Fairthorpe Atom convertible, it was probably taken in the mid to late 50`s. In it`s day it must have been a rare beastie and sadly now is on the extinct list unless one turns up out of the blue. Atoms were fitted with motorcycle engines, mostly B.S.A and were chain driven, the chain failing at regular intervals when cornering hard i`m led to believe. This probably accounts for their disappearance, though being so small I'm hoping there might be one tucked away in the corner of some dark garage or barn somewhere.

Fairthorpes for sale

There are currently two Fairthorpes for sale on ebay, one being a `Bitza` Electron Minor and the other being a Technical Exponents Tripper needing a rebuild.

The EM has been offered by several owners over the last two years at an ever increasing price, at least the current seller has given a fair description of the car. It is a mk1 Electron Minor bodyshell fitted to a Triumph Herald chassis and running gear. The body is probably 1959/60 whilst the rest is 1970, according to the reg checker it is registered as a Herald 1200! The seller has a price of £1500 here is a link to the ebay listing:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fairthorpe-Electron-Minor-/260938989745?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3cc12d00b1

The Tripper looks as though it would need a complete rebuild, though you would probably be hard pushed to find an easier car to rebuild, it has a one piece body (plus bonnet) that just bolts to the chassis. It will probably sell very cheaply though there is no log book, the car is listed as a Fairthorpe on the DVLA website and although it now has a 1300cc Triumph engine fitted it is registered as having a 2498cc straight 6 Triumph. Here is the link to the auction:-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150752287824&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

Grease your nipples!

Bob Balding has been in contact to inform me of a discovery he has made whilst working on his MK1 EM. Bob`s car (see the `Frank the Fairthorpe` post) has some damage to the lower wishbone and trunnion on one side, this seems to indicate a previous vertical link failure. The suspension on the front is modified Standard 10 and like the later Triumph Herald/Spitfire units they require periodical lubrication, either with grease or EP oil depending on who you speak to. If this is not carried out the vertical link could wear badly or seize causing it to fracture where it meets the top of the trunnion. The result is a suspension collapse, i have had this happen to me on my first car which was a Herald.

As you can see from Bob`s pictures the collapse has ground the lower wishbone and the bottom of the trunnion which is missing it`s base and grease nipple. What is surprising is that it passed an MOT with this damage late last year! Bob is fitting a new trunnion but is looking for a replacement lower wishbone, either from a MK1 Electron Minor or a Standard 10 which could then be modified to suit. If you can help please contact me and i will put you in touch with him.

American racer located..

Following on from my recent post regarding the yellow racer in America which was pictured with blood shot eyes and a tongue hanging out i had an email from Rich Campbell to tell me he had tracked the car down. He placed an ad with the pictures in Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car magazine and was contacted by Larry Newberry who is the current owner of the car along with two other Fairthorpes. Rich is hoping to visit Larry at some point in the future, hopefully i can post some more pictures and information if Larry is agreeable. A fair number of Fairthorpes were exported to America and several have followed in recent years, if you have any information/pictures past or present let me know and i will pass the information on to Rich who is researching the all things Fairthorpe in America.

Fairthorpes in print

In this months Classic & Sports car magazine Adrian Mancha`s Fairthorpe EM is featured in the `Lost & found` section on page 28. An email from Adrian this week has given an update on his progress since he bought the car to last years Fairthorpe Gathering. He says the radiator is built, mounted and piped as is oil cooler, all brake lines / master cylinders mounted, carbs rebuilt and fitted, exhaust flange cut out on water jet and he hopes to have the manifold built by the end of the week and the shocks are ordered. For more details on the car you can find a lot more information on previous pages of this blog.

4346MV more history but still in hiding!

Over the Christmas period i had an email from Glynn Hobbs regarding my plea for any information on the current whereabouts of 4346MV a mk2 Electron Minor which was fitted with a 1600 Fiat Twin cam engine and 5 speed box. Glynn says he owned the car many years ago having swapped a Land Rover series 1 with Chris Harré-Young to get the car and he used it in Hill climbs and sprints, obviously having a lot of fun with it. It is still on the DVLA website although not licenced since 1986 so the car remains on the missing list! More information and pictures of the car in it`s previous colour when owned by Chris can be found on the previous page (click `older posts` at the base of this page).

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

I`d like to wish all the Fairthorpe enthusiasts around the world a very Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year. If you have a car that needs restoring or just a bit of tinkering to get it back on the road 2012 is `the year` to make it happen. Fairthorpes are appearing at events in increasing numbers so why not come and join in, i will be adding a list here shortly of all the main events Fairthorpes will be taking part in during 2012.
If you would like any advice or encouragement drop me a line and i will be pleased to help. I hope you have enjoyed the blog over the last twelve months, there will be plenty more next year, if there is something you would like to see on here to do with Fairthorpes let me know.............Martin

Pictures of the week, MKV Electron Minor.

This weeks car is the MKV Fairthorpe Electron Minor of Barry Stock which is fitted with a 1300 Spitfire engine. Barry won the furthest Travelled Fairthorpe to this years Gathering at Donington having driven from his home in Ammanford in Wales. The car was registered in 1971 and was previously owned by another club member Alan Lowes, as can be seen from the pictures the car is in very nice condition and unusually for an Electron Minor the MKV`s were built as a 2+2`s. The MKV is a rare beast, i have only seen pictures of 3 cars and probably only a handful were made.

Picture of the week...... American racing Fairthorpe.

This weeks pictures are of a Fairthorpe EM race car in America, they were taken a number of years ago and obviously the owner has a good sense of humour! The car was owned by Bill Clark, then a member of the Fairthorpe Sports Car Club, does anyone know of Bills current whereabouts and whether he still owns the Fairthorpe, his last known address was in Nashville Tennessee.

Electron Minor lost in France!

A while back on the blog i was asking if anyone knew where the MK1 Electron Minor 6037EV was now, the car is seen above alongside my car 789ERO 20 years ago. Following a dig through the Fairthorpe club archives i found the car on a membership form which had a date 10 years after i last saw the car. The guy was only a member for one year so i called the telephone number to enquire if he still owed it. The car was long gone, he had bought it in a dilapidated state having been left open to the elements for a number of years. The hardtop and wire wheels which had been on the car when we sold it were gone and all the trim was soggy and rotten. He had given the Fairthorpe a make over, removing the racing roll bar, respraying it a light blue and having it all re trimmed. The car was then sold to a guy in France but he had no contact information, as he had just bought the car to do up and sell on. The trail looked like it had gone cold but i mentioned the facts to a couple of club members and hey presto the picture below turned up in my inbox.

This car was pictured at the Le Mans Classic in 2008 but unfortunately the owner was not found. I think you will agree if you look at the boot lid and the position of the indicator lamps and Fairthorpe script badge that this is indeed John Ward`s old racecar 6037EV. Another pointer for me is the use of Hillman Imp bonnet hinges on the boot lid and doors, i fitted these as the old original hinges were shot, most people replacing the originals use Herald boot hinges. I am sure the current owner is blissfully unaware of the cars previous competition history, another car with plenty of stories to tell!

HSCC RoadSports Championship Fairthorpe eligibility

Following a recent conversation with Dave Randall the Historic Sports Car Club Road Sports Championship registrar there is some good news for people considering racing their Fairthorpes in that championship. Electron Minors will be accepted with 1147 and 1300cc Triumph engines and now also with 1200cc Ford pre crossflow engines. I dropped Dave an email with a scan of an original Fairthorpe brochure which listed the Ford 1500 GT engine as an option. Dave`s reply was `I would also be prepared to consider a 1500 Ford pre x flow engined car to run in Class C. Our basic rules haven't changed, and this isn't written in the regs, it is at the discretion of the registrar and on a by application basis, but I can assure you that any reasonable application will positively encouraged.` Climax powered Electrons are also eligible so hopefully we may see a Fairthorpe or two competing at some point in the future, they have a very competitive history in the Roadsports championship having won it outright plus winning the class championship a couple of times. For anyone wanting more information about the championship you can contact Dave Randall at the HSCC or take a look on their website http://www.hscc.org.uk/championships.html

Fairthorpe pictures of the week.

Picture of the week this week is of Gethin Jones in his first Electron Minor taken in the early sixties. Shown at an autotest in the Steel Company of Wales car park.
The second picture shows PBW 889 The photo was taken at the start of a Spanish Rally in 2003, Gethin owned this car as well.

789 ERO `tested` in the 70`s!

Whilst on the Fairthorpe Sports Car Club stand at the Classic Car show held at the NEC recently i met with Rob Finegan who is an old friend of Mick Moore. Mick owned my Fairthorpe 789 ERO from the late 60`s through to about 1987, he then sold it to the guy i bought it from in 1989. I have spoken to Mick on several occasions and asked him about photos taken when he was competing in `Little Nero` unfortunately although he has some he is unsure where they are. Rob has come up trumps though and kindly sent me a picture of Mick in 789 at Moor Lane car park, Bolton, 1976, in the Warburton sponsored Autotest. Of his time with the car Rob said `Mickey was pretty quick in those days, there was nothing really to touch him!` The car is now 53 years old and it has been owned for all but five or six by just three people, my Father Frank, myself and Mick.

Fairthorpe `The good old days`

I have been in contact recently with a couple of past Fairthorpe owners who have kindly sent me some pictures taken when Fairthorpes were the competition car of choice. They have given me permission to post them on here for posterity and i`m sure you will get as much enjoyment as i have from looking at them. The picture above was taken at what looks like a grass Autocross and was probably taken in 1959 as the Fairthorpe on the right looks like it might be registered 100 UMY which is Peter Butt`s EM. This car was supplied in light blue gel coat but Was painted crimson red at a very early stage of it`s life, it is still in it`s gel colour here. I think the centre Fairthorpe might be John Green`s car SBL 88 as there is a red hardtop in front of it which John had, his bonnet was later changed to a one off Lenham style as you can see in another picture in this post. The Fairthorpe on the left is an Atomota which may have been driven by Don, Torix or Noreen Bennett. The picture below was taken at Snetterton race track and shows Peter`s Electron Minor 100 UMY ( now in red )on the start line waiting for the flag to be dropped. Both these pictures were taken by former Fairthorpe owner Graham Butcher.

Graham has also sent a picture of himself competing in an Autotest in the mid sixties, Graham`s car was registered 9 AXU and was painted Black. The car was a regular at Autotests and Autocross events for several years before being sold on.

The final picture for todays post was sent by another former owner Ken Coad, his car was registered 100 HX and was generally acknowledged to have been one of the better finished Fairthorpes at that time. Ken`s car was also light blue and is on the left of this picture taken on Ealing Common, probably in 1960.

In the picture from left to right are Ken Coad, John Green who was then also the Fairthorpe works manager, Peter Butt, Gerald Golding and Eric Coad. As mentioned earlier John`s car was now sporting an Ashley style bonnet and was powerd by a Ford Anglia engine as opposed to the original Standard 10 engines in the other cars. Peter Butt still owns his car to this day and for the first thirty years it was campaigned in races, sprints, hillclimbs, Autocrosses and Autotests, i was given my first drive of a Fairthorpe at a Denham grass Autotest in Peter`s car and promptly won the class! There is also an interesting story attached to Ken`s car which i will write about shortly so watch this space!

Fairthorpe windscreen and frame wanted urgently.

Neils Abild is currently looking for a Fairthorpe windscreen frame and pillers, with or with out the screen itself. Neils is racing his car which was featured in an earlier article on this blog, at the moment he is running with an aero screen but for some events he has to have an original type screen and frame on the car. If you have one which you no longer need and are willing to sell please contact me at kartman.nascar24@btinternet.com and i will put you in contact.