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 #15140  by ukdrn
 
Sam wrote:
ukdrn wrote:Clive giving Roland a hand on Rev 3.
Does anyone have anymore info on what happened to Rev 3? It's mentioned in this thread it was cut up, important car in UK history.

Jon, I'm pretty sure the info I posted about it being cut up are correct, various parts (axle, steering box etc) were sold on or used in other car builds.

I had a mail from TY this week and I'll ask him when next I see him, VH and TY delivered the car to DP's just before the comp products car arrived..
Thanks Sam, I think I was hoping that someone would jump in and say that it wasn't cut up in the end.
Oh well my quest about finding lost cars and bikes will continue.
 #22455  by Filby
 
Sam wrote:
ukdrn wrote:Clive giving Roland a hand on Rev 3.
Does anyone have anymore info on what happened to Rev 3? It's mentioned in this thread it was cut up, important car in UK history.

Jon, I'm pretty sure the info I posted about it being cut up are correct, various parts (axle, steering box etc) were sold on or used in other car builds.

I had a mail from TY this week and I'll ask him when next I see him, VH and TY delivered the car to DP's just before the comp products car arrived..
After reading that the Revolution III chassis and various parts were sold to Dennis Priddle?, I quizzed Dennis last year about this, and he denied this ever happened. DP has no idea what happened to the car.

I live in the hope that something still exists of this car, even it was some bodywork or the wings etc.

It would be great, if anyone has any other pictures they can upload - especially of the car in the 1973 Accles & Pollock livery. This colour scheme was painted by Auto Art and it is not well documented in print or online.

Perhaps elements of this thread should appear under the "Where are they now" ??section?

Re:

 #22456  by Filby
 
plymoutharrow wrote:Does Nick Know? Was the Chassis redesigned at the back later on?
When Revolution III first appeared, the chassis featured additional rear frame tubes bolted to the rear of the cockpit top tubes and ran across the engine block to the back of the car.

These tubes were intended to increase chassis rigidity. See the first photo of this thread - the bodywork side panels behind the roll cage are extended and wrap over this tube above the VHT sticker and show the bolt attaching this rear tube to the main chassis. These details can also seen on the cutaway drawing.

In reality, these rear frame tubes hampered maintenance access when the engine was torn down between rounds. These tubes were removed sometime after the '73 Easter meeting at the Pod, but it became evident that the cars performance suffered. (Perhaps Tony can get Don Beadle to clarify this?).

The chassis appeared to be modified over the winter of '72/'73 as Sam describes and the wheelbase increased. The roll cage was also modified, the main hoop being moved forward to fully enclose the driver's helmet.

Re:

 #22473  by Filby
 
herb andrews wrote:I guess the answer is yes. Ian Frazer's name is beside Clives on his TF car on page 1, but not sure what involvement there was, but Im sure somebody out there does. The build of Ians V6 Ford sidewinder car was a Custom Car feature.
Herb
As already reported, Ian Fraser designed the chassis of Revolution III and the Econorail. Adept Associates (Engineering) of Hitchin fabricated the Revolution III chassis, while Ian Fraser constructed Econorail in the loft of an old barn in Whitwell near Hitchin, Herts.

In addition to cutomer Econorail chassis' being available from the Skilton - Fraser Speed Products address, both men lived in the same village.
 #22596  by TF Oldie
 
Rev3 only ever had 2 owner/drivers.... Clive Skilton (1972) & Trevor Young (1975 - 1977).
There were a number of casual one-off occupants as correctly recorded above, excepting Roland Pratt who campaigned it for 2 seasons ('73 & '74), but Clive still owned it.

At the end of the 1977 season, the complete rolling chassis was towed to a scrap yard near Yeovil. At that time Dennis Priddle was based in a workshop there. The intention was that Dennis would cannibalise the good bits to use in various projects he had on the go at the time. Regretfully I do not remember the yard owners name (somone will tell me!), but he used to accompany DP to race meetings in a Red? E-Type and occasionally competed in it.
Barry Dufty & Brian Starr were both there, and Vic Hammond has often related the story of how we watched surreptitiously over the wall as they discussed what a good deal they'd got from those daft London Grockels!
I can hear Dennis's dirty laugh even now.

Subsequently, I spotted a number of Rev3's innards in various DP built cars. Two main items spring to mind, (1) steering gear & front wheels, possibly fuel tank (Jim Reads Pro-Comp Le Patron). (2) The chromed Ford rearend (Graham Hawes Black Magic FC). There was also a full Willans Harness & various pedals & levers, all good stuff.

I did ask DP what had happened to the chassis and was, perhaps jokingly, told it was on top of the scrap heap where it belonged !

That car gave a lot of people a fabulous introduction to 200mph/6sec drag racing, and was much appreciated by all those who drove her.

R.I.P.
 #22599  by ukdrn
 
Thanks for al the info guys.
 #22603  by Roy.F
 
The scrapyard that Dennis was based at then was Cross Keys at Lydford on Fosse and I think the E Type was painted orange
 #22612  by Roy.F
 
It was useful having Dennis based at a scrapyard, I remember one Blackbushe meet when we burnt out our starter motor late on the saturday, Dennis was only going to be there on the sunday so I phoned him, he brought us a starter motor from the yard and we able to race on sunday
 #23452  by Filby
 
jaytee wrote:A nice shot from Custom Car of the chassis plus the car that judging by the roll cage could be an Econorail chassis,wonder how many were sold.
The Econorail was effectively, a scaled down version of the Revolution III chassis design. In production terms, perhaps 2 - or 5 Econorail frames may have been built. Here's the breakdown.

These first three are known to have raced.
1. Ian Fraser's "Econorail" (prototype).
2. Gary Atkinson's "Raindancer".
3. Bob Harman's "Lo-Litre" Puma Weslake - chassis similar, but with structural changes at the rear, (pic Doug McDiarmid).

A press release photo published in National Drag Racer magazine, shows two 'other' frames - the image JayTee has already posted.

4. Dark coloured chassis advertised NDR Nov '73
5. Light coloured chassis advertised NDR Nov '73 fitted with universal subframe bracketry.

The rear of these frames differ from one another, to illustrate the accommodation of a sidewinder? (frame 4) and in-line (frame 5) engine configuration. Also, the roll bar of these two examples differ from that of Revolution III and Ian Fraser's Econorail.

Instead of two roll hoops in close contact like Fraser's car, frames 4 & 5 featured a single transverse roll hoop behind the driver's head, reinforced with two side support tubes linking the top rails and roll hoop. This roll bar arrangement was similar in design to the March 751/761 Formula one car of the same period.

So, did these two 'other' chassis' ever hit the strip or end up as scrap?

There is the possibility that frames 4 & 5 could be frames 2 & 3 with revised roll bars, reverting back to a similar design to that of the prototype.

It can be seen that even on "Lo-Litre", the roll bar arrangement - although similar to that of 4 & 5, appears to have roll bar support tubes of a much smaller diameter and inclined at a steeper angle.

The lower tubes of "Lo Litre" also appear to kick upwards at the rear, whereas the Econorail design ran straight all the length of the chassis. Perhaps therefore the "Lo-Litre" chassis was just influenced by the Econorail design and not an official production chassis??

So, the short answer would be, two certainties, one possible and two don't knows.
Attachments
Econorails.jpg
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 #23454  by Doug McDiarmid
 
On this subject of the Lo-Litre, etc, chassis......what about Comet? That was another bike engined mini-rail. Both were titchy little units, though they ran quick for what they were, and the time period. That's what was great about them days, the enginuity and diversity of machinery at the tracks (yeah, and I wear rose tinted glasses?).