Defending the "specials"

Sir,
Mr. Boddy, in his report on the “Clubman’s Championship,” damns the 750s and 1172s with faint praise—they “looked very slow although close observation showed that they were being driven on the limit.” However, we are told that the Minis were “flying” and presumably the Jaguars met with approval. Examination of the race times will show that the “very slow” 750s were considerably faster than the “flying” Minis and the 1172s were faster than the Jaguars.

Please, let us have credit where it is due. 750/1172 cars are home-made and of amateur design. Using small side-valve engines—the 750s nearly 40 years old and the 1172s nearly 25 years old—quite fantastic speeds are achieved. All the 750/1172 drivers are true amateurs and usually provide excellent entertainment. The races are usually very close and the cars don’t all look the same.

Please, Mr. Boddy—as a founder member of the 750 Club—be fair to the “Specialists.” Motor racing owes much to the designers/drivers who started as 750 Club members.

M. J. Forrest.
Gainsborough.