Quote:
Originally Posted by KA
The Iversens had quite a lot of cars IIRC- father and son ran a pair of RS200s, (later with very distinctive reworked rear bodywork that seemed to be unique to their cars) in the European Rallycross championship, and also, as you mentioned, had at least one 6R4, and a 2wd Porsche. Sponsorship always came from 'Glomma Papp' (think they were in the paper business?)
From vague memory, the 6R4 turned up to at least one UK event- think it may have been a Brands Rallycross GP, and with one of the RS200s out of action (either a shunt or an engine failure), either the father or son entered the Metro instead- as you do....
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I spent a few years working for Nelson Engines, and built cars there, then moved to sweden in 1992 and started my own business, where one of my customers was Glomma Papp Racing/Iversen.
Iversen had 2 metros, 2 RS200 evolutions with stroker engines and 700+bhp, and one standard swedish registered RS200 in factory colours.
The standard RS200 never turned a wheel in anger all the time I was there. I went on a few events with them running the RS200's.
I met up with Iversen at a Rally cross event in sweden, just popped into his awning to introduce myself as we had talked about metros and had made contact previously in the uk when Nelson Engines built the 3,5 liter engine for ice racing.
As I walked into his awning and angry little man barged past me and stormed out.... little did I know that was his mechanic who had just quit.
So I was hired on the spot more or less..........!
Iversen wanted me to look at his Metro's.
One looked pretty tidy it was only a standard clubmans shelled car with standard castor turrets, engine driven power steering and had the 3,5 engine and was set up for ice racing and hillclimbing, they had robbed all the uprated transmission parts off the Rothmans car along the way. He didn't want anything doing with that car other than to check it over. It had recently won the Dynamite Hillclimb in Sweden with his son Martin at the wheel.
The other car was stashed away in the back of a warehouse, on pallets, filthy and robbed of parts... but I saw immediately that it was a factory type shell, and later they told me it was a Rothmans car. The only Metro I had ever seen with a Tilton pedal box. (I later saw Capdevilas C727 DYL(?) which also had Tilton Pedalbox, so I assume that was a Rothmans "thing".)
Iversen wanted the Rothmans car thrown together with spareparts so he could sell it.
I managed to sell Iversen on the idea to rebuild the Rothmans car and keep it, selling the clubmans car, he wouldn't restore it to Rothmans livery as he was a very strict anti-smoking campaigner, but he was up for prepping it for hillclimbing, fitting the 3,5 engine, uprated diffs and split bellhousing gearbox etc.
So I started off by stripping both cars, building the clubmans car with spareparts and fitted the ex-rothmans 3,0 liter engine. Reluctantly the original Rothmans seats and steering wheel went into that car too.
Then I set about the Rothmans car, stripped and sandblasted, fixed up, painted and a new alluminium roof skin was fitted, also uprated the main rollcage hoop to a larger diameter with gussets to the latest regulations at that time.
I kept the works wiring harness, and labelled everything ready to fit lights and tailgate fans etc.
We made a carbon kevlar bulkhead with window for the engine bay to cockpit and I fitted the twin fuel tanks (unusual) twin oil coolers and all of the proper big bolt suspension arms.
He has also managed to get hold of one of the very very rare 2 turns lock to lock steering racks that schmidt motorsports had made for Eklunds car.
(Eklund has one, Pauli Silvanoinen had one, and Capdevila almost got one... he paid Silvanoinen 2 grand for it and silvanoinen sent him a broken standard rack in the post...!)
When the car was completed, Iversen tested it at Rudskogen race track in Norway, did 3 laps, said that the car was perfect and decided that it was too nice to drive, so it got parked in his collection and was never used again, until he passed away and his family sold his collection.
Åge Flugre bought it, ran it and abused it pretty bad, I went to Lillehammar hillclimb to see the car in action and it still sounded amazing.
I once again started my campaign to restore the car to Rothmans livery and I do not know if Åge Flugre ever did, but it is possible that they have and it might explain the picture and norwegian article showing the car in rothmans livery once again.
I speak fluent swedish and norwegian, so would appreciate a link to the article if anyone has it.
What I do know about the car is that the 3,5 engine is now blown up and a representitive for the new owner contacted me about rebuilding it.
Once again I have started my campaign to restore it to full Rothmans Glory..... it must be one of the 5 most desireable and historically important 6R4's in my opinion.
My 5 cents.... as they say!
Mike.
heres a picture of it just after arriving in Norway with a combination of Glomma Papp and Rothmans livery! I don't know who took the picture, or who is driving or owning the car at the time the picture was taken.
The current owner sent the picture to me.
