Lancia Motor Club

A friend of mine sent me this image of the family Flavia that he raced, it's a road car that you may notice, is on diplomatic plates.

A company car? Is there a story to go with this wonderful photo?

My friend learnt to drive using the Flavia 1.8, and then used it for the racing school he attended. It was he said: 'A bit heavy on clutches. He now races a McLaren and historic F3.

Peter,

I seem to remember a story about you, a company car and Brands Hatch - but perhaps I am wrong?

Ha, those were the days. Rallying on Saturday night, followed by sprints at Brands on the Sunday. The scrutineer at Brands was an old guy called Fred Mathews, he would tell me to take my car away, clean off the mud, and then come back. I can't quite remember if the Ford Anglia was mine, or a company car, if you see what I mean.

I had a friend who was a Sales Rep in London, but hailed from South Wales. Each Friday evening the company Escort travelled down to Swansea, where it was stripped and rebuilt with special suspension and a twin cam engine in preparation for local autocross meetings on Saturdays.

One meeting was a bit of a disaster as he rolled it spectacularly, and the local photographer got a wonderful shot of the car inverted, in the air, before coming in to land on its roof. This was duly sent to Motoring News who published it on the front page.

Arriving at work on Monday in a standard spec., but strangely battered 1300 Escort, my friend discovered  that his boss had a photographic memory for car numbers, and had had his eye caught by a copy of MN on a news stand. The excuse that the damage had occurred in a road accident was thin in the circumstances and he lost the Escort and the job

Can't better those last two tales, but I did take my company provided car around the Nurbergring. I see current insurance polices exclude driving on this 'toll road'

I had a very early Ford Escort, registered November 1967, my job was to run it in ready for the public launch on 17th January 1968. We covered many miles together, including a couple of rallies. On one event I fitted my old Anglia wheels and tyres, they were of course the wrong size, we took off over a hump and landed heavily rear first. Result? the back arches were re-profiled, but in such a way they looked really neat and nobody noticed. Later it completed a tour of Europe, that including the Stelvio, twice. I wonder if PMK671F survives?

On a couple of occasions when the Ex-works Fulvia 1.3HF was hors de combat I hired a Vauxhall Chevette in order to compete in a ASEMC night time road rally. Collect it Friday afternoon, fit map light and Super Oscars on Saturday morning, wash and polish Sunday and hand back on Monday morning. :o

Robin.