MORE MEMORIES OF LEVIN, ’56

Looking at my grandson’s copy of your August copy [Issue No. 344], I was attracted to the photo on the editorial page.

As a young mechanic in those days, I crewed for Len Gilbert in 1958 and 1959 with the Cooper Bristol. I either met or knew the drivers named in the photo.

I think there may be an error as to the 1956 ownership of the Cooper Bristol [car far right, attributed to Gavin Quirk in the editorial]. I discussed this today with Len Gilbert’s widow, Kay, and she confirmed that Gavin Quirk had a 250F Maserati in those days, which was subsequently purchased by Len in 1960 as a big box of parts.

Prior to that, Len owned the Cooper Bristol. He certainly owned it in 1958/’59 and part of ’60 when he had ‘fattened’ the

body and added the required bits to race it as a sports car. Kay could not remember which year Len sold his Cooper ‘mousetrap’ and acquired the Bristol, but she thought Gavin Quirk did not own it. In ’58/’59 Gavin was racing his road car, a 3.4-litre Jaguar.

At that time, Ron Roycroft was racing the ‘Bug-jag’ [airborne in the photo]. I saw the beautiful Bugatti straight-eight engine with its cracked crankshaft languishing under a bench in his workshop in a pile of dust at I think Glen Murray, or was it Glen Massey? As to the Bug-jag’s present location, I have no idea.

I seem to remember

Roly Crowther racing a Morris Minor special he had built in about 1956, but not sure about the Lotus [in second place]. Jim Palmer certainly raced one around ’58/’59.