RIP Guy Croft
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anonymous-user

Original Poster:

75 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
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Lancia and Fiat botherers will perhaps know of Guy Croft, who provided performance upgrades to Italian engines, notably the Lampredi twin cam. He has died after becoming ill with cancer.

V12 Migaloo

1,073 posts

167 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
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A man synonymous with the tuning of Italian twin cams, he rebuilt my mates 124 Abarth twin cam last year, he said to him then that it would be one of the last he would be doing.. RIP

Equus

16,980 posts

122 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
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frown

Funnily enough, I bumped into a couple of books of his in the darkest recesses of my library, last night, while searching for something else.

rallycross

13,675 posts

258 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
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That’s sad to hear he was the go to guy for twin cam Fiat engines for many years.

I spoke to him a couple of years ago about an engine he built many years ago in my racing car (fiat Tipo 16v) and he was very helpful ( was surprising how much he remembered about an engine build he’d done so many years ago it was all stored in his mind).

arguti

1,842 posts

207 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
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I remember around ten years ago a well known amateur racer in the Alfa owners club had several Alfa 105 engine rebuilds (by a "respected" engine builder) fail due to blown head gaskets etc and nobody could work it out - i suggested he post a thread on the Guy Croft forum and within minutes Guy diagnosed the problem with the setup mostly from just looking at the photographs of the head and head gasket, Problem was sorted.

The depth of his knowledge was incredible; his book as beautiful - a true engineer!

Little Pete

1,815 posts

115 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
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I always used his camshafts in Fiat engines. I met him a couple of times and he was an excellent engineer and engine builder.

Willhire89

1,437 posts

226 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
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I am very lucky to have one of the last full builds that Guy was able to finish and it took the best part of a year with everything that has been going on. I collected it a couple of months ago and it was clear Guy had summoned everything he had left to get the last four finished.

At one point early in the year Guy was taken into hospital and the consultant basically told him they would make him comfortable and that he had 48 hours left without an operation they cba to organise. Guy's response was that if he had that long the last fking place he wanted to be was there and he was off home - through sheer tenacity he then convinced a surgeon to fix him up short term and within days was dragging himself into the workshop to get on with the four.

It now rests with me to do his engine justice on the circuit.

RIP GC

arguti

1,842 posts

207 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
quotequote all
Willhire89 said:
I am very lucky to have one of the last full builds that Guy was able to finish and it took the best part of a year with everything that has been going on. I collected it a couple of months ago and it was clear Guy had summoned everything he had left to get the last four finished.

At one point early in the year Guy was taken into hospital and the consultant basically told him they would make him comfortable and that he had 48 hours left without an operation they cba to organise. Guy's response was that if he had that long the last fking place he wanted to be was there and he was off home - through sheer tenacity he then convinced a surgeon to fix him up short term and within days was dragging himself into the workshop to get on with the four.

It now rests with me to do his engine justice on the circuit.

RIP GC
That about sums him up!

I hope your engine is a screamer - please post some pictures here or in the Italian cars section.

Willhire89

1,437 posts

226 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
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I would undoubtedly be removed from the Italian car section - it is in a Mk1 Cortina boxedin



10 September collection day - full race 8 valve with all options

Little Pete

1,815 posts

115 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
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Willhire89 said:
I am very lucky to have one of the last full builds that Guy was able to finish and it took the best part of a year with everything that has been going on. I collected it a couple of months ago and it was clear Guy had summoned everything he had left to get the last four finished.

At one point early in the year Guy was taken into hospital and the consultant basically told him they would make him comfortable and that he had 48 hours left without an operation they cba to organise. Guy's response was that if he had that long the last fking place he wanted to be was there and he was off home - through sheer tenacity he then convinced a surgeon to fix him up short term and within days was dragging himself into the workshop to get on with the four.

It now rests with me to do his engine justice on the circuit.

RIP GC
Thanks for posting that. I can well imagine him saying it!

GC8

19,910 posts

211 months

Wednesday 11th November 2020
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A sad day. I had intended to post a similar thread and it is nice to see that he was still well known.

will01

33 posts

182 months

Wednesday 11th November 2020
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GC was one of a kind, i was good friends of his and we spoke often on the phone and i did go down and visit the odd occasion.
His knowledge and experience on these and general engine building metalurgy was just amazing.
He was so easy to talk to and learn from, he was always trying to pass on his experience and knowledge.

He will be sadly missed as a leader in his field and a good guy.

I saw him very recently and he took me for a drive in a Lancia Beta with one of his engines fitted and it was an amazing 'last drive' with him behind the wheel

RIP my friend

cookie1600

2,426 posts

182 months

Friday 1st January 2021
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Guy built and rebuilt the twin cam in my Mini and was really keen on my project, which he drove a few times.

He came to Valence hill climb once to watch and told me I wasn't giving it enough revs in the gears. I said I was at 7500rpm and he wound out the rev limiter and said try it again. This time I was at 8000rpm and he said it just needed a little more, so we disconnected the rev limiter altogether. He said just floor it in every gear and if it blew he would rebuild it FOC! I think we got to 8600 rpm in the end, but it was well off the rev counter and coming around to the rest stop again.

An amazing engineer, a real gentleman and great personal company. He'll be sadly missed. RIP Mr Twin-Cam.

JD999

1 posts

58 months

Wednesday 31st March 2021
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I am only an occasional visitor. I have owned a couple of 1600cc FIAT 124 Sport Coupes many years ago and loved those cars. Tireless engines and they handled like rafts.

I have a serious interest in restoring and tuning old British motorcycles and came across Guy some 10 years ago when he helped me think through doing good valve jobs on BSA twin cylinder engines. His attitude towards quality was the very best and he helped me greatly. I don't know what happens/happened to his website but it deserves being archived.

He was a great man who will be long remembered.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

75 months

Tuesday 6th April 2021
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