Club News, December 1983

Opel Manta Club

Only recently floated, the Manta Club is planning its first meeting at Donington Park Circuit on Sunday December 18. With the extraordinary increase in sales of these cars in the last year, there should be a lot of interest. Brian Kipping is the organiser and his address is 185 Bushey Mill Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire WD2 4PG.

RAF Rally Rescue

Over the years many people have had cause to be grateful to this and other organisations for assistance on a variety of motoring events. Tim Thomas, Team Leader of the above group, has recently moved, and event organisers who wish to call on his services can contact him at 121 Zedand Road, Town Moor, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN2 5EL.

Renault Alpine Register

Alpines have never been officially imported by Renault UK, but a number have found their way across the Channel. Now a register is being established to help with spares and maintenance, and to put owners in touch with the very active French and German Clubs. The register is compiled by Hector MacKenzie-Wintle, 49 Churchfield Road, Acton, London W3 6AY.

Gilbern Owners Club

Those who run one of these Welsh rarities should note that the membership secretary, B. G. Fawkes, has changed his address to Hillside House, Newmarket Road, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 7LZ. Tel: 0783 44602.

NMM Archive Films

The third of the National Motor Museum’s showings of archive film will take place on Saturday February 4 at the National Film Theatre. Amongst the rare items are “Fang,io”, shown only once since it was made in 1970, and a newly restored film of the 1907 French Grand Prix.

The programme begins at 8 pm, and tickets costing £3 are obtainable from the Box Office, NFT, South Bank, Waterloo, London SE1 8XT. Please enclose SAE.

Invicta returns

The Invicta name has been revived on the Tredecim model, unashamedly styled on Jaguar’s one-off XJ13, shortly to go into production at Plympton, Devon. The project is that of Robert Kennedy-Ping, who uses a steel tube space-frame chassis as a base and GRP bodywork, including carbon fibre and Kevlar materials, for the shell.

This ambitious project uses Jaguar engines amidships, these rebuilt and modified by Ron Beaty’s Forward Engineering company. The 6-cylinder version is taken out to 4.5-litres and a claimed 275 bhp, the V12 to 5.7-litres and 400 bhp, or to 6.4-litres and 500 bhp. Prices will range from £20,884 to £27,784 for the complete cars.

Three-piece wheels from BBS

Composite wheels have been indispensable to racing teams for many years, but their popularity on the open market has been slow to develop. BBS have now come into the market opened by Compomotive and Revolution with a modular alloy wheel which was seen on the Tickford Aston Martin Lagonda at Motorfair, Tickford being one of six UK dealers franchised by the Kitz Group, part of VAG at Milton Keynes.

The wheels are manufactured in three sections, the centre, inner and outer rims held together by 32 bolts. It is claimed that they are 20% lighter thou conventional alloy wheels, with the extra advantages that the wheel widths can be altered by changing the centre section, and damaged outer rims can be replaced after a kerbing, for instance. Rims are available now for Audi, VW, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche models.

BRSCC motor sports show

The BRSCC will stage its second motor sports show at the Cunard International exhibition centre in West London from January 6th to 13th, and expects more than 80 exhibitors to have even more cars on display. The show will be organised by Peter Browning, who will shortly leave the BRSCC having held the post of executive Director for the past 10 years.

Aumonier in charge

BRDC Director Pierre Aumonier has been appointed President of the FISA World Endurance Commission, with the difficult task of reconciling the American IMSA organisation — or another body, if M. Balestre’s threat is carried out — with the prevailing Group C regulations. Mr Aumonier has been Secretary of the BRDC since 1979, and is the organiser of the Silverstone endurance race in May.

Mr Aumonier has also been elected as a member of the newly formed FISA Formula Two working group, having been a member of the F2 Alliance of Organisers since 1976.

Bristol Cars diversify

So many customers are sending their cars back to Bristol Cars for restoration that the company is now expanding that side of the business, often using the craftsmen who originally built the vehicle. “In the late 1940s, when Bristol Cars started making cars, competition to make the most cars on the shop floor was so great that the company found itself with more roof panels, door panels, engine parts, etc, than cars,” the statement tells us. The parts, all lovingly stored, and the original jigs are being used for the restorations.