Kieft’s anti-Climax

Taken from, Motor Sport, November 2023, Kieft’s anti-Climax

Until recently, the pretty Classic Performance Engineering stable housed a third example of Britain’s pioneers that circumstances conspired against: the Kieft-Climax.

Like the Aston Martin it wasn’t external but internal forces that kept it off race tracks in the 1950s. Like the Ferguson, it was pushing the envelope. The special ‘Godiva’ quad-cam V8 was created by the great Harry Mundy and ‘Wally’ Hassan when Climax owner Leonard Lee caved to pressure from British race car manufacturers lacking a suitably competitive engine. Climax had the engineers, but not the confidence. Ready to race, Lee pulled the plug fearing the Italians would blow them away. In fact the Godiva had the horses to more than compete.