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Ford Anglia
Engine: 997cc Cosworth MAE
Configuration: front engine, rear-wheel drive
Driver: Gerry Taylor
Class: Special Saloons up to 1000cc
Date taken:1970
Image Copyright: Gerry Taylor
information: Gerry Taylor
Gerry started racing in 1963 with an 850cc road Mini. The Anglia pictured here is his first, being a very heavy, all steel bodied car. It was featured on the cover of Hot Car magazine, a honour as this was one of the two 'in' magazines of the time (does it still exist?) Note the wheels which were either widened or reversed, neither of which would be allowed today. In a class dominated by Minis and Imps it was a brave person who raced anything else. To be successful in an Anglia took an exceptional driver and car combination, a point proven by Gerry’s 3 lap records, 8 wins and 7 seconds during the ’73 season, in the car below
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Ford Anglia (Swish Racing Team)
Engine:Ford 998cc BDA and Cosworth, 997cc MAE
Configuration: front engine, rear-wheel drive
Driver: Gerry Taylor
Class: Special Saloons up to 1000cc
Date taken:1973
Image Copyright: Gerry Taylor
information: Gerry Taylor
This car was non-spaceframe, and featured a fibreglass and L72, aircraft aluminium bodyshell. Front suspension was lowered and stiffened McPherson struts. At the rear was an orthodox 3-leaf springs set-up, these were flattened, clipped together and damped by Armstrong adjustable shock absorbers. A torsion bar and coil spring unit was tried but abandoned in favour of the leaf springs. The differential was kept cool by driver operated ‘Diff-cooler’ an innovation for the time. An unusual engine and carburetion system was used, the engine being pushrod mixture of Holbay head, Cosworth MAE bottom end, and very rare DNCL 40 webers carbs. A five bearing, steel crankshaft and had nimonic valves were used for increased revs, all of which was kept lubricated by a dry sump system. These mods produced 125bhp at the wheels – not bad for 997cc. Gerry’s mechanic, David Neale, built the engine and changed the head gasket between practice and race to reduce the engine’s only bad habit of blowing this essential items. A one-off 998cc BDA was tried but found to be too flat on cornering even though it produced an extra 19bhp.The gearbox was a close-ration, 4-speed, 2000E “Bullet Box” fitted throughout with needle roller bearings, and a strengthened shift to stop Gerry snapping it. Wheels were 8.5 inch (216 mm) Revolution with Firestone slicks or B36’s for wet weather
click image to hear Gerry's own account of this accident.