Vauxhall Firenza HC Droop-snoot

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firenzamarshall.jpg (21769 bytes)Vauxhall Firenza HC / Droop-snoot Hatch
Engine: Vauxhall 2500cc
Configuration: front engine, rear-wheel drive
Driver: Gerry Marshall
Class: Special Saloons over 2500cc and Super Saloons
Dates taken: April 1975 at South Stand, Ingliston
Mention racing Vauxhalls of the 70s and two names, Bill Blydenstein and Gerry Marshall are bound to crop-up; Bill for his pioneering work on Vauxhall engines and racing cars, and Gerry for his legendary car control and ability to win races (he was still winning races until his death in 2005). Three of Bill and Gerry’s racing cars are still known simply by their nicknames: Old Nail, Baby Bertha and Big Bertha. The first 2 cars were based on the 1975cc Firenza HC model, a coupe version of the Magnum, and Gerry's 2300cc engine was the precursor of those introduced in 1974 in the limited production, Droop-snoot Firenza. The picture shows Gerry's Firenza HC, Old Nail, converted to a Droop-snoot in one of his last outings at the Supersaloon race at Ingliston. Old Nail was built in 1971, and was a conventional, full race Firenza, which was used as a test bed for Dealer Team Vauxhall. A 1972 advert for Dealer Team Vauxhall boasted that the car was mostly built from production parts. The engine used a standard head casting, bearings, big end caps, main bearing caps, oil pump and ignition – all of which would have to have been strengthened in other makes. Also standard were the transmission, axels and suspension. The resultant car gave over 200bhp and had a top speed of 154mph/233kph. From 1971 to 1977, the size of the engine increased from 2300cc to 2600cc with a resultant 25% increase in power and a finally tally of over 60 race wins. Shortly after this photo was taken the car passed to Bill Dryden to become part of Dealer Team Vauxhall/Castrol racing team along with Gerry Marshall driving Baby Bertha and Will Sparrow in a rally Firenza.
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