1973 Avon Tour 3 Litre Capris - Camaros - BMW 3.0 SI -
Discussion
Hi, I was a mechanic for the Dealer Team BMW team in 1973, helping to look after the 2 BMW 3.0Sis of Roger Bell and Tony Lanfranchi and the 2002 of Wendy Markey. Those 3 litres were fabulous cars to drive on or off the track, stunning performance for their day.
The only time that Tony's Shellsport car missed a beat was the morning of the 2nd day of the Avon Motor Tour, when the oil pressure relief valve in the sump jammed, giving no oil pressure. We had to jack the engine up and pull the sump down as far as possible before hitting the offending item to clear the problem. The delay gave Tony too little time to reach Oulton Park, despite getting a ticket for doing 140mph up the motorway, he was disqualified. That was the only time we ever had that valve stick on that car or any of the others, sods law that it chose that moment!
Regards, Lloyd
The only time that Tony's Shellsport car missed a beat was the morning of the 2nd day of the Avon Motor Tour, when the oil pressure relief valve in the sump jammed, giving no oil pressure. We had to jack the engine up and pull the sump down as far as possible before hitting the offending item to clear the problem. The delay gave Tony too little time to reach Oulton Park, despite getting a ticket for doing 140mph up the motorway, he was disqualified. That was the only time we ever had that valve stick on that car or any of the others, sods law that it chose that moment!
Regards, Lloyd
LloydL said:
Hi, I was a mechanic for the Dealer Team BMW team in 1973, helping to look after the 2 BMW 3.0Sis of Roger Bell and Tony Lanfranchi and the 2002 of Wendy Markey. Those 3 litres were fabulous cars to drive on or off the track, stunning performance for their day.
The only time that Tony's Shellsport car missed a beat was the morning of the 2nd day of the Avon Motor Tour, when the oil pressure relief valve in the sump jammed, giving no oil pressure. We had to jack the engine up and pull the sump down as far as possible before hitting the offending item to clear the problem. The delay gave Tony too little time to reach Oulton Park, despite getting a ticket for doing 140mph up the motorway, he was disqualified. That was the only time we ever had that valve stick on that car or any of the others, sods law that it chose that moment!
Regards, Lloyd
Great story Lloyd. Any more? Any photos? How was the late, great Tony??The only time that Tony's Shellsport car missed a beat was the morning of the 2nd day of the Avon Motor Tour, when the oil pressure relief valve in the sump jammed, giving no oil pressure. We had to jack the engine up and pull the sump down as far as possible before hitting the offending item to clear the problem. The delay gave Tony too little time to reach Oulton Park, despite getting a ticket for doing 140mph up the motorway, he was disqualified. That was the only time we ever had that valve stick on that car or any of the others, sods law that it chose that moment!
Regards, Lloyd
Duke video do a DVD, Avon Tours Of Britain 1973-1975. You can also download it from their web site for a fee of course. http://www.dukevideo.com/Cars/DVD/Classic-Events/A...
Also plenty of clips on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1KuoitNwD0
Ah! the 70s
Also plenty of clips on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1KuoitNwD0
Ah! the 70s
Hi Loyd , very interesting reply . What happened re TL and being clocked @ 140 ? Those 3.0 Si were Such a great car. Any more Si memories and also of the 2002 Tii and CSL ?
Also, I have been trying to contact Roger Bell, but without success , have heard his health has not been very good, any ideas ?
Also, I have been trying to contact Roger Bell, but without success , have heard his health has not been very good, any ideas ?
Hello all, thanks for the replies.
Willamp, 'How was the late, great, Tony? I have rewritten this bit a dozen times, how do I answer this question? Tony treated everybody the same. Whatever your status or job, he made you feel like a friend,and included you in the conversation. He was larger than life and some may have considered him brash, but he seemed to have time for everyone.
In 1974, after the BMW competition deptment UK closed, I worked at Auto Extra, a BMW specialist working from a little mews garage near the West London Air Terminal. Tony had the partly prepared green CSi that he was to use in group 1 and the Avon Tour that year brought to us for engine preparation, so he spent quite a lot of time there. Here we saw another side of Tony, the businessman, working hard to procure sponsorship and a ride for the next season, an ongoing chore for those who, like Tony, made their living driving racing cars. But he usually had plenty of time for coffee and a chat, having an endless supply of stories and jokes, none of them printable, made even worse when Barrie Williams called in, as he often did.
It says something about the man when I as a young mechanic, asked if he would give a talk at a west of London motor club where I found myself in the position of social secretary. Not only did he book a date right there and then, but said he would bring Barrie as well! The club members were probably the least responsive audience they have ever had, apart from 1 young lady who wanted to argue with Tony, calling him a Male Cheuvenist Pig! Despite this they gave a great show and I was very grateful for them for doing this for the club, even if the club didnt really appreciate it.
Silver Phantom, thanks for the links, I have the DVD, which I still watch every now and then, and I had not seen the Youtube videos.
Neutral 3, I am not sure what happened about the speeding, whether he got a fine or just a warning, I just cant remember.
The 73 cars were all prepared by Mathwall engineering, who preferred building cars and engines but were not so keen on going to the group 1 meetings. For this reason I started off driving a VW T2 transporter towing Wendy's 2002, and later travelling with head mechanic Roy Sawyer in a Langley Motors built 3.0S estate car towing Roger Bell's 3.0Si. A nice looking outfit, the towcar being blue and white to match the Rothmans racer. On one occasion, one of the Mathwall directors was driving this outfit to the track after some last minute work on the car, and we went to the circuit in a van. When he arrived, a bit late, the right side of te towcar and trailer, and part of the car on the trailer were damaged. It turned out that while they were getting ready to leave, a small brown dog had ran out in front of a Triumph Herald that was coming the other way. In an effort to avoid the dog, the Herald sideswiped the rig, causing some very expensive damage. While they were outside lokking at the damage, an old lady from a few doors along came out to ask if anyone had seen her small brown dog that seems to have got out!
Regards, Lloyd
Willamp, 'How was the late, great, Tony? I have rewritten this bit a dozen times, how do I answer this question? Tony treated everybody the same. Whatever your status or job, he made you feel like a friend,and included you in the conversation. He was larger than life and some may have considered him brash, but he seemed to have time for everyone.
In 1974, after the BMW competition deptment UK closed, I worked at Auto Extra, a BMW specialist working from a little mews garage near the West London Air Terminal. Tony had the partly prepared green CSi that he was to use in group 1 and the Avon Tour that year brought to us for engine preparation, so he spent quite a lot of time there. Here we saw another side of Tony, the businessman, working hard to procure sponsorship and a ride for the next season, an ongoing chore for those who, like Tony, made their living driving racing cars. But he usually had plenty of time for coffee and a chat, having an endless supply of stories and jokes, none of them printable, made even worse when Barrie Williams called in, as he often did.
It says something about the man when I as a young mechanic, asked if he would give a talk at a west of London motor club where I found myself in the position of social secretary. Not only did he book a date right there and then, but said he would bring Barrie as well! The club members were probably the least responsive audience they have ever had, apart from 1 young lady who wanted to argue with Tony, calling him a Male Cheuvenist Pig! Despite this they gave a great show and I was very grateful for them for doing this for the club, even if the club didnt really appreciate it.
Silver Phantom, thanks for the links, I have the DVD, which I still watch every now and then, and I had not seen the Youtube videos.
Neutral 3, I am not sure what happened about the speeding, whether he got a fine or just a warning, I just cant remember.
The 73 cars were all prepared by Mathwall engineering, who preferred building cars and engines but were not so keen on going to the group 1 meetings. For this reason I started off driving a VW T2 transporter towing Wendy's 2002, and later travelling with head mechanic Roy Sawyer in a Langley Motors built 3.0S estate car towing Roger Bell's 3.0Si. A nice looking outfit, the towcar being blue and white to match the Rothmans racer. On one occasion, one of the Mathwall directors was driving this outfit to the track after some last minute work on the car, and we went to the circuit in a van. When he arrived, a bit late, the right side of te towcar and trailer, and part of the car on the trailer were damaged. It turned out that while they were getting ready to leave, a small brown dog had ran out in front of a Triumph Herald that was coming the other way. In an effort to avoid the dog, the Herald sideswiped the rig, causing some very expensive damage. While they were outside lokking at the damage, an old lady from a few doors along came out to ask if anyone had seen her small brown dog that seems to have got out!
Regards, Lloyd
Fascinating stuff ! Would love to have seen the Avon Tours ,a classic Avon tour would be great !
Re the Green CSI , any more info ? What happened to it ?
From the You tube footage ( 74 Tour ? ) i have seen , it was a quick car, any idea what mods were done to it ? A CSI was a heavy car, compared to a CSL .
Also any memories of G Spices Yellow 3 Litre Capri ?
Re the Green CSI , any more info ? What happened to it ?
From the You tube footage ( 74 Tour ? ) i have seen , it was a quick car, any idea what mods were done to it ? A CSI was a heavy car, compared to a CSL .
Also any memories of G Spices Yellow 3 Litre Capri ?
The 74 green CSI came 3rd on the 74 tour behind the 2 works Escorts of Roger Clark and Gerry Marshall. I dint take pictures at the time, but hers' some I found on line, sorry, I do not know who took them.
Tony's 3.0Si followed by Roger Bell in a similar car.
Wendy on the 73 Tour, Tony can be seen standing on the left in the white and blue jacket.
Tony's 74 CSi.
I am not sure whether tony was quickest in the Si or CSi. It is possible they the Si may have been slightly heavier, but it had a more modern chassis, the CSi being based on the earlier BMW 1800/2000 chassis.
We often found ourselves in the next pit to Gordon Spice. I know that there was a friendly rivalry and I remember one of their young mechanics always shouting 'coom on Gordy' every lap. I say friendly rivalry, the actual racing was taken very seriously and there was constant protests and counter protests lodged, and the racing was every bit as fircely faught as the modern BTCC racing. There was usually a good bit of T cutting at the very least after most racing and often a lot more!
Regards, Lloyd
Tony's 3.0Si followed by Roger Bell in a similar car.
Wendy on the 73 Tour, Tony can be seen standing on the left in the white and blue jacket.
Tony's 74 CSi.
I am not sure whether tony was quickest in the Si or CSi. It is possible they the Si may have been slightly heavier, but it had a more modern chassis, the CSi being based on the earlier BMW 1800/2000 chassis.
We often found ourselves in the next pit to Gordon Spice. I know that there was a friendly rivalry and I remember one of their young mechanics always shouting 'coom on Gordy' every lap. I say friendly rivalry, the actual racing was taken very seriously and there was constant protests and counter protests lodged, and the racing was every bit as fircely faught as the modern BTCC racing. There was usually a good bit of T cutting at the very least after most racing and often a lot more!
Regards, Lloyd
neutral 3 said:
First BMW I ever went in was a brand new, white with blue velour interior, 3.0S or Si that a school friends Dad bought, and collected the two of us from school on his way back from picking it up from the dealer. I remember it was a relatively new 'M' reg, so must have been around Sept/Oct 1973.
Excellent stories. I had the honour of meeting TL at a Porsche day at Millbrook. Got to ride around the bowl with him. Plenty of time to chat. One of the greats. My father in law bought a 2800 CSA. A four door auto if that is the correct terminology. It was probably three years old and he took it to a bodywork guy he knew well to have a couple of minor scratches sorted out. The bodywork guy Alan recognised the car instantly and proceeded to show Ken my father in law his welding prowess where he had cut and shut two BMW's together. Ken was not overly impressed and didn't keep it very long.
Yes Aeropilot, they had nice interiors but simple dashboards, Tony's Shellsport car had the blue velour upholstery.
Neutral 3, The CSi was not heavily modified, but very carefully assembled. It had the usual short, stronger springs and Bilstiens, if I remember correctly, and we blueprinted the engine. I was told that the engine management system had been chipped, but I am not sure about that.
Regards, Lloyd
Neutral 3, The CSi was not heavily modified, but very carefully assembled. It had the usual short, stronger springs and Bilstiens, if I remember correctly, and we blueprinted the engine. I was told that the engine management system had been chipped, but I am not sure about that.
Regards, Lloyd
What a great thread! I am fortunate enough to be able to regard Tony [and his brother Peter] as really great friends and completely agree with the words about Tony. Another nice thing is that the very first time I ever spoke to Tony was outside my cottage in Norfolk. We then lived on a 2000acre farm,the single track road were also used for the Texaco Tours as well,the end of the TC was a white line parallel to our driveway. James Hunt,Ari Vattenen,Gerry,Whizzo,the whole lot of the 'Old School' were to be seen.Great times indeed!!
Nuetral 3, I missed your note about Roger Bell. A year ago I sent a PM on another forum to Roger's son who had been asking for info on his father's career, but he had probably stopped watching by then as I got no reply. I have seen no further mention of him since.
Graeme, you rode round a track with Tony and were able to hold a conversation, you must have nerves of steel!
Terence, what a great place to live!
Regards, Lloyd
Graeme, you rode round a track with Tony and were able to hold a conversation, you must have nerves of steel!
Terence, what a great place to live!
Regards, Lloyd
LloydL said:
Graeme, you rode round a track with Tony and were able to hold a conversation, you must have nerves of steel!
A mate who I was with told Tony I was racing 911's. We got chatting and he said your with me. I am not a very good passenger but when you are in the hands of a maestro what's there to worry about 
Brilliant thread! I grew up with a father who absolutely loved these cars!
He had a3,0s in the late seventies,the impressions of that car stayed with
me for life.No one of my school mates fathers had anything that could touch it!
Lots of gravel roads where i grew up,lots of memories going sideways,sitting in
the backseat with a BIG grin on my face!!
Two years ago i bought one myself,a 3,0si-75 and its just as beautiful,powerful
and tailhappy as i remembered it
Regards Claes
He had a3,0s in the late seventies,the impressions of that car stayed with
me for life.No one of my school mates fathers had anything that could touch it!
Lots of gravel roads where i grew up,lots of memories going sideways,sitting in
the backseat with a BIG grin on my face!!
Two years ago i bought one myself,a 3,0si-75 and its just as beautiful,powerful
and tailhappy as i remembered it
Regards Claes
neutral 3 said:
CLAES, any photos and more details of your 3.0 SI ?
A little info on my car: 1975 3,0SI,Arktis Blau Metallic,Beige velour interior,electric windows on all 4 doors,electric mirror,air condition(quite rare),25% slip differential,tinted windows.The car has never been welded and is in really good condition.Painted it two years ago,with all panels off.At the same time i bought a set of BBS RS rims that i restored,think they suit the car wery well
Regards Claes
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