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Austin A40 Ford
Engine: Ford 997cc
Configuration: front engine, rear-wheel drive
Class: Special Saloon up to 1000cc
Driver: Peter Cartlidge
Date taken: May 1976 Croft startline (top)
Date taken: April 1977 Silverstone paddock (lower)
Image Copyright: Robert Brown (lower)
The Austin A40 had a Farina designed body and the cars was also known as an Austin A40 Farina. Mechanically, the care was similar to the Austin Healey Sprites of the time, using the similar 1098cc 'A' series engine and beam rear axle. This was a modified standard car with a one-piece, fibreglass front end and lightweight doors. It was common practice to enhance these rear axles with radius arms and panhard rods to reduce unwanted forward and sideways movement. Although the original engine was race proven, a swap to a ford engine gave much more power, which in turn, counteracted the greater weight of this car when compared to Minis and Imps.
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Austin A40 Ford
Engine: Holbay Ford 997cc
Configuration: front engine, rear-wheel drive
Class: Special Saloon up to 1000cc
Driver: Peter Jurgens
Date taken: May 1978 at Chicane, Croft
This car was developed from the Austin A40 Ford raced by Peter Cartlidge previously, and acquired by Peter Jurgens for the 1977 season. By August ’77, Jurgens had re-designed the car to incorporate a spaceframe rear end, which, unfortunately, was hit in its first race at Donington in 1977 writing-off the car. This brought forwards his plan to build the full spaceframe car seen here. The lack of sills beneath the driver’s door indicates this change in design. A 997cc Ford/Holbay Formula 3 engine was used in this car. It had Holbay forged steel, five-bearing crankshaft, which allowed the engine to rev to over 10500rpm and gave usable power from 6500rpm. This engine would have produced over 120bhp at the flywheel.
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