Hesketh Racing / James Hunt 2.7 Carerra RS

[neutral 3]

Just found this superb shot of James with his Alsatian and this Hesketh Racing Carrera 2.7RS !
I am always on the look out for circa 1973 photos of him as he did a few ETC races in an Alpina 3.0CSL and also of course his win on the Avon Tour in the Camaro, but this shot is new to me.
Guessing it was Heskeths company car ?

[rallycross]

neutral 3 said:

Just found this superb shot of James with his Alsatian and this Hesketh Racing Carrera 2.7RS !
I am always on the look out for circa 1973 photos of him as he did a few ETC races in an Alpina 3.0CSL and also of course his win on the Avon Tour in the Camaro, but this shot is new to me.
Guessing it was Heskeths company car ?

Great photo I bet he had some great road trips in that 911!
Just checked and according to the Dvla it’s still going - last Mot in 2016 showed 13,000 miles

[hilly10]

Now there was a man who could say. You know what I really enjoyed my life, and then some. One of my heroes.

Edited by hilly10 on Saturday 1st June 15:26

[neutral 3]

rallycross said:

neutral 3 said:

Just found this superb shot of James with his Alsatian and this Hesketh Racing Carrera 2.7RS !
I am always on the look out for circa 1973 photos of him as he did a few ETC races in an Alpina 3.0CSL and also of course his win on the Avon Tour in the Camaro, but this shot is new to me.
Guessing it was Heskeths company car ?

Great photo I bet he had some great road trips in that 911!
Just checked and according to the Dvla it’s still going - last Mot in 2016 showed 13,000 miles

Amazing that this Carrera has survived!!

The Renault 5 looks ?? to be French registered and If this image dates from 1973, it could be Pau, where he wrote the F2 car off, Monaco or the French Grand Prix, but I reckon it's 74 or 75.

But I'm dying to know if James had the use of this Carrera or if it was Lord Heskeths own personal RS ?
The advertising banner on the back looks ruddy fantastic!!
Guessing the current owner is aware of the cars history ?

Edited by neutral 3 on Saturday 1st June 16:11

Edited by neutral 3 on Saturday 1st June 23:01

[neutral 3]

This 911 has covered just 1,500 miles from 2006 - to 2016, what a waste....

[neutral 3]

NSD in its original ? Blood Orange. It was first registered in mid April 73, this image must surely date from then.
No Hesketh banner on the duck tail at this point.

[Jim H]

Fairly sure this will have been taken whilst James was living on the Costa Del Sol, Marbella iirc.
It’s a Malaga prefix on the on the Renault.

I agree with the previous comments, what a life, brilliantly short - but brilliant all same.

[Jim H]

Oh, and I’m fairly certain James did have full use of the RS care of Hesketh, think he used to shuttle backwards and forwards from Spain to the UK in it and GP’s

Relying on the Donaldson book from memory though.

[Kinkell]

SD plate was Ayrshire vintage and the Heskiths had a Scottish connection or was it just James that had the Saltyre on the car, can't recall. Glen Henderson sold Porsche in his Ayr showroom.

[Equus]

rallycross said:

Just checked and according to the Dvla it’s still going - last Mot in 2016 showed 13,000 miles

'Still going' is a bit of an exaggeration - 'still collecting dust in a barn somewhere' is nearer the truth.

As Neutral 3 says, what a waste...

[GT6 Jonsey]

What this one then
http://www.motorsportretro.com/2010/01/james-hunts...

[555 Paul]

neutral 3 said:

But I'm dying to know if James had the use of this Carrera or if it was Lord Heskeths own personal RS ?

Edited by neutral 3 on Saturday 1st June 16:11

I'm pretty sure James Hunt just took the car to his home in Spain when Lord Hesketh owed him money. I seem to remember reading about it in his book. I'll have to check the book again. Hard to belive that it can have only covered 13,000 miles though, surely it's been around the clock is more like 113k. This car was being discussed on Facebook the other day. A member of a Porsche group spotted a replica abroard.

[neutral 3]

It is staggering to think just how £££ much cash that Hesketh must have blown from 73-75, no sponsors either, seems absolutely crazy not to have taken on board any sponsors ?
No wonder the money ran out in late 75....

[lowdrag]

Jim H said:

Oh, and I’m fairly certain James did have full use of the RS care of Hesketh, think he used to shuttle backwards and forwards from Spain to the UK in it and GP’s

Relying on the Donaldson book from memory though.

Which cofirms, perhaps, my thought that the Renault has a Madrid (or Malaga?) plate. great photo though.

[coppice]

neutral 3 said:

It is staggering to think just how £££ much cash that Hesketh must have blown from 73-75, no sponsors either, seems absolutely crazy not to have taken on board any sponsors ?
No wonder the money ran out in late 75....

But being sponsor free, iconoclastic and apparently dedicated to just having fun was the team's whole raison d'etre . Even then, premier league teams like McLaren were pretty serious , and remember that pricey though it was , F 1 was far , far more affordable and accessible to privateers like Hesketh. Most people ran a DFV you could buy new for the modern equivalent of 80- 100k - big money but compared to today ...

But no , the fun couldn't last forever.

On the 911 front I have a photo of Mark Donohue's gleaming black 911 RS I took en route home from Silverstone. He was filling up at the next pump .

[Mike-tf3n0]

lowdrag said:

Which cofirms, perhaps, my thought that the Renault has a Madrid (or Malaga?) plate. great photo though.

MA was Malaga.

[POORCARDEALER]

neutral 3 said:

It is staggering to think just how £££ much cash that Hesketh must have blown from 73-75, no sponsors either, seems absolutely crazy not to have taken on board any sponsors ?
No wonder the money ran out in late 75....

He has just done the same thing with Towcester greyhound stadium, built the track from scratch on the horse racing track, cost millions, ran for a few years at a substantial loss, went bust owing millions, and is now sat there idle

[CharlieAlphaMike]

555 Paul said:

I'm pretty sure James Hunt just took the car to his home in Spain when Lord Hesketh owed him money. I seem to remember reading about it in his book. I'll have to check the book again. Hard to belive that it can have only covered 13,000 miles though, surely it's been around the clock is more like 113k. This car was being discussed on Facebook the other day. A member of a Porsche group spotted a replica abroard.

I think the book said he was facing a huge UK tax bill unless he left the UK in a hurry so he 'stole' the Porsche and headed for Spain

[LarJammer]

The white 'Hunt' car has been in the UK since new and has had only 3 owners. I'm not sure if it was registered to Hesketh / Hunt initially. The current owner has had it for around 15 years. There is a little info on the web about it (chassis number 9113600498).

The yellow car is a later 3 litre.

[555 Paul]

CharlieAlphaMike said:

I think the book said he was facing a huge UK tax bill unless he left the UK in a hurry so he 'stole' the Porsche and headed for Spain

Correct, I just dug the book out. Horsley later gave James Lord Hesketh's Porsche Carrera, although it doesn't say if it was the same one. That's what I was thinking of.