Ed Stephens / Brian Hough racer against my ceiling
Discussion
Sorry but...what make you assign that title to that shell? This I assume is what is supposed to be the V6 version (I think that evolved into a V8) that he ran prior to the Tuscan V8 that he crashed.
Adrian@
Someone correct me if I'm wrong here...
Adrian@
Someone correct me if I'm wrong here...
Edited by Adrian@ on Sunday 26th December 12:22
Adrian@ said:
Sorry but...what make you assign that title to that shell? This I assume is what is supposed to be the V6 version (I think that evolved into a V8) that he ran prior to the Tuscan V8 that he crashed.
Adrian@
Someone correct me if I'm wrong here...
Nope you are pretty much correct Adrian. The V8 met its end along with Brian. the shell was cut up along with the chassis and Buried. some bits of the car do exist, such as dashboard etc but the shell and chassis were cut up to ensure they were never used in a car again.Adrian@
Someone correct me if I'm wrong here...
Edited by Adrian@ on Sunday 26th December 12:22
I am not sure that the Shell Wim has is even the V6 version of the car brian first drove prior to getting into the Ex Taft V8 which Mike bigland built.
I will have a look for some photos of the V6 car as driven by Brian, which he sold on to Ed stephens / Vic West. the shell does have a lot of similarities to the car in your photo above. it looked a lot nicer when brian Hough raced it originally though
Alan Levy knows the whole history in a great deal more depth than most and will fill in the blanks if he sees this thread.
N.
Edited by heightswitch on Sunday 26th December 13:15
Right , this is the story;
Brian Hough did race a Tuscan V6 ( the blue/orange one). He was not the fastest on the track and decided to buy a Tuscan V8. He bought the the Tuscan V8 from Ted Worswick and sold the Tuscan V6 to Ed Stephens. On the track , Ed Stephens was a lot slower than Brian's new car so Ed decided to put a 5.4 liter V8 into his Tuscan V6 and modified the body. Now Ed was a serieus candidate on the track. Sadly Brian died on the track at Thruxton late 1973.
On the 27th of July 1974 Ed Stephens did a race on Oulton Park . He was overtaken by Chris White in his Tuscan V8. Chris did at that moment 180 mls per hour. A few seconds after that, Chris lost the control of his car and crashed the car.His rear wheel came off and smashed into Ed Stephens car. The complete rear and a part of the mid-section of Ed's car was distroid . Chris died in this accident ! Ed had to replace the full body and did a couple of races after that. So the body was replaced (new) by Ed and the bonnet is still the original Blue/orange from Brian. I removed some paint around the headlight and yes !! ...orange paint.
Ed Stephens left the Uk short after that and went to Germany with his family. About 3 years ago I found this body and chassis in Germany.
Brian Hough did race a Tuscan V6 ( the blue/orange one). He was not the fastest on the track and decided to buy a Tuscan V8. He bought the the Tuscan V8 from Ted Worswick and sold the Tuscan V6 to Ed Stephens. On the track , Ed Stephens was a lot slower than Brian's new car so Ed decided to put a 5.4 liter V8 into his Tuscan V6 and modified the body. Now Ed was a serieus candidate on the track. Sadly Brian died on the track at Thruxton late 1973.
On the 27th of July 1974 Ed Stephens did a race on Oulton Park . He was overtaken by Chris White in his Tuscan V8. Chris did at that moment 180 mls per hour. A few seconds after that, Chris lost the control of his car and crashed the car.His rear wheel came off and smashed into Ed Stephens car. The complete rear and a part of the mid-section of Ed's car was distroid . Chris died in this accident ! Ed had to replace the full body and did a couple of races after that. So the body was replaced (new) by Ed and the bonnet is still the original Blue/orange from Brian. I removed some paint around the headlight and yes !! ...orange paint.
Ed Stephens left the Uk short after that and went to Germany with his family. About 3 years ago I found this body and chassis in Germany.
Edited by cantus on Sunday 26th December 20:55
This is the car as raced by Brian Hough
Have you not got enough projects yet then Wim??
N.
The second pic appears to be a fixed scoop attached to the carb which the bonnet closes onto
The first pic shows a blended scoop as part of the bonnet?
I don't know which pic pre-dates which?
N.
Have you not got enough projects yet then Wim??
N.
The second pic appears to be a fixed scoop attached to the carb which the bonnet closes onto
The first pic shows a blended scoop as part of the bonnet?
I don't know which pic pre-dates which?
N.
Edited by heightswitch on Sunday 26th December 15:39
Edited by heightswitch on Sunday 26th December 15:41
I think we visited Ed Stephens' shed in Wiltshire Clanfield in the late 70's There were a few TVRs in it.
We still have the one we bought that day.
ETA: Found file of bills; the shed is on the estate where Fiennes Restoration is now...
Only period picture I've seen is the one in Filby.
We still have the one we bought that day.
ETA: Found file of bills; the shed is on the estate where Fiennes Restoration is now...
Only period picture I've seen is the one in Filby.
Edited by davepen on Saturday 15th January 16:27
This all sounds very interesting.
Apart from the conjecture of pulling 180mph on the back straight at Oulton!
Have you any idea how short that straight is and you come onto it from a very tight chicane onto a steepish hill then once over the brough the straight really is not that long, even taking into consideration that the chicane was not there at knickerbrook in the 70's.
Maybe foulstons chicane was not there back then (correct me as not sure on this one), but even so 180. I can see it even with over 450bhp and fat slicks. The top SPA 6 Griff only pull just on 170 at the end of the Kemmel! That straigh even if Foulstons is not there is not that long, not like say Thruxton.
Height - your car finished yet?
Apart from the conjecture of pulling 180mph on the back straight at Oulton!
Have you any idea how short that straight is and you come onto it from a very tight chicane onto a steepish hill then once over the brough the straight really is not that long, even taking into consideration that the chicane was not there at knickerbrook in the 70's.
Maybe foulstons chicane was not there back then (correct me as not sure on this one), but even so 180. I can see it even with over 450bhp and fat slicks. The top SPA 6 Griff only pull just on 170 at the end of the Kemmel! That straigh even if Foulstons is not there is not that long, not like say Thruxton.
Height - your car finished yet?
It used to be flat out from Shell/Island bend, over Hilltop to Knickerbrook,up Clayhill, through Druids to Lodge. Not altogether straight but VERY fast. Was altered after the death of Paul Warwick, Dereck Warwick,s brother in the F3000 race in 1991.
Edited by thegamekeeper on Thursday 6th January 14:21
Edited by thegamekeeper on Thursday 6th January 14:25
thegamekeeper said:
It used to be flat out from Shell/Island bend, over Hilltop to Knickerbrook,up Clayhill, through Druids to Lodge. Not altogether straight but VERY fast. Was altered after the death of Paul Warwick, Dereck Warwick,s brother in the F3000 race in 1991.
Were the Foulston AND the Knickerbrook chicanse put in post that big crash? Thought just the one before Knickerbook. I suppose without those two there you could pull some stupid speeds into Knickerbook but 180 er (maybe in an F3000). 165mph defo though. As it is notfrom one chican to the next under 140 (even with 450bhp and up) as such a short run no.I would not fancy running into Knickerbook at huge speed without those 2 chicanes. Anything fails (the tiny bit of grass there) and it LIGHTS OUT.
Hi guys found this thread when I strayed out of the S forums
My father was involved in the scene around this time so I sent him a link and got this reply. Not sure it helps but here you go anyway
"Yes, I rented a room in Ed Stephens house (he was single at the time) while at Reading and helped him prepare the V6 Tuscan for each outing. He did buy it from Brian Hough who then went on to kill himself in the V8 Tuscan at Thruxton, we were racing in the same race when he died (backwards into an off track bank - no head restraints!!).
One of the pics shows Ed cornering at Camp and it is him as the car has the Apline double glazing advert, he was area manager for them
We raced at Oulton as well ( the day I ran the Sprite there and back on knacked piston rings and used 5 gallons of oil) just when Porsche decided to come in as a works team and the amateurism went out!!
Mostly happy memories"
Andy
My father was involved in the scene around this time so I sent him a link and got this reply. Not sure it helps but here you go anyway
"Yes, I rented a room in Ed Stephens house (he was single at the time) while at Reading and helped him prepare the V6 Tuscan for each outing. He did buy it from Brian Hough who then went on to kill himself in the V8 Tuscan at Thruxton, we were racing in the same race when he died (backwards into an off track bank - no head restraints!!).
One of the pics shows Ed cornering at Camp and it is him as the car has the Apline double glazing advert, he was area manager for them
We raced at Oulton as well ( the day I ran the Sprite there and back on knacked piston rings and used 5 gallons of oil) just when Porsche decided to come in as a works team and the amateurism went out!!
Mostly happy memories"
Andy
yes Jelly, both chicanes installed at the same time to reduce the speed you arrived at KB. Paul Warwicks accident was caused by front suspension failure and he arrived with effectivly no steering or brakes and went in flat out. The car disintegrated and he was thrown into the spectator area, massive accident and possibly would have had the same result even with the chicane. Old Knicker brook was one of the most challenging corners in Uk, certainly on a "parkland" circuit with a very high kerb on inside line , adverse camber and as you rightly say nowhere to go if it goes wrong. I expect even without the accident and Dereck Warwick and Nigel Mansell.s campaign the corner would have been slowed down by now.
Edited by thegamekeeper on Friday 7th January 17:30
GAjon said:
EEK - Yep ZERO run off at the end of a very long straight - Nuts. Mind the Trees are just as bad!
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