National novelties: Panhard Junior and Zakspeed Capri

Unusual car: Panhard Junior

A Panhard Junior debuted at Golden Gate, California, in 1954 - believed imported from France by Bing Crosby, for fellow crooner son Gary - returned to competition after 35 years at Oulton Park.

Owned and restored by engineer Paul MacDougall, the 851cc flat-twin engined front-wheel-drive bolide was exercised energetically in the Griffiths Haig Trophy races by kart and Fiesta XR2 racer Ryan Morgan.

The machine finished a class-winning fifth in the opening contest of the Historic Sports Car Club's new category for 1950s sportscars.

Cool car: Zakspeed Capri

 

Photo by: Mick Walker

Ric Wood Motorsport’s latest startling evocation of the Group 5 1.7-litre Ford Capri turbocars built by German Erich Zakowski’s Zakspeed concern for Klaus Ludwig, Klaus Niedzwiedz and others to contest the DRM from 1978-83 was a Classic Sports Car Club Special Saloon & Modsports crowd-pleaser at the Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting last weekend.

Sponsor of British Automobile Racing Club North West’s CNC Heads Sports and Saloon Championship, Stockport-based Wood has saddled a multitude of spectacular machines here.

Powered by a BDT-type engine, the beautifully-engineered tubeframe chassised monster was debuted at last month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Teething problems on its circuit debut prompted retirement, but will soon be sorted and the car’s potential realised.

Unique GP car: Assegai

 

Photo by: Paul Lawrence

The unique South African Assegai 1962 grand prix car is now in the hands of Julian Ellison, who had his second race in it at the Oulton Park Gold Cup.

Wiltshire-based Ellison has raced Volvos at Castle Combe and more recently a Vauxhall Astra VXR and a Ford Fiesta Super 1600.

“I bought this at the start of 2021,” said Ellison. “I've also got an ex-works Austin-Healey Sprite from Le Mans, which was raced by the late Paddy Hopkirk in 1966.

“I bought the Assegai because I really wanted to race at Monaco and I hope I can do that in 2024.”

There was only ever one of them built and raced by Tony Kotze in South Africa. He did enter it for the 1962 South African GP but failed to qualify.

The Assegai, which means spear, draws design inspiration from Kotze’s former Lotus 18 and is powered by a 1500cc Alfa Romeo engine.

Ex-Shelby car: Maserati 250S

 

Photo by: Mick Walker

The second of two successively serial-numbered four-cylinder 250S models supplied by the Maserati factory to Jim Hall and Carroll Shelby’s motor emporium in Galveston, Texas, in January 1958, this chassis was 2.5-litre engined from new, whereas earlier examples were upgraded.

The svelte Fantuzzi-bodied car was raced by both American legends, then subsequent owners Stateside. After Colin Crabbe repatriated it to Europe in the early 1970s, Britons Peter Hannen, Robin Lodge, James Lindsay and Irvine Laidlaw added to its competition history.

Current owner Richard Wilson adores campaigning it and demonstrated its nimble handling in winning both Griffiths Haig Trophy races at Oulton Park.