Magnum F3 cars

[kurtiejjj]

I was wondering if anyone had anywmore information on the Magnum F3 cars of the early 80s. They seemed to have been relatively successful in the hands of david Leslie and Cor Euser. Anyone know what happened to them? Converted for hillclimb perhaps?

[William Dale Jr]

One was brought out to Australia by Neil Israel, who converted it to fit our not-too-dissimilar Formula 2 regulations. This was a path a couple of ex-British F3 racecars took around that time. I know Barry Ward brought out a couple of Ralt RT30s (one the ex-Martin Donnelly 1986 car) and a later Reynard.

From memory, it was an 863, and it did 1987 and some of 1988. The car quite competitive in Israel's hands despite it being a heavier car compared to the Ralt and locally-built Cheetah opposition. I only saw two races the car competed in, the first at Amaroo in '88 and the second at AIR the same year. On both occasions, the car was leading until rear suspension failure took it out; at Amaroo, it led to the car turning left instead of right at Lake Corner and firing backwards into the wall.

Unfortunately, Israel crashed the car very heavily in testing before the Lakeside round of the series. From memory, Israel was injured in the accident and the tub was very extensively damaged and, in all probability, written-off.

As an aside, I never heard anything of Israel after that accident, do any of our Australian readers know of what happened to him?

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by kurtiejjj

Anyone know what happened to them? Converted for hillclimb perhaps?

At least one was "converted" to hillclimb/sprint spec. It was run by Damon Milnes and appeared in the British Sprint Championship rounds.

[kurtiejjj]

Googling came up with damon Milnes driving a magnum 873, the F3 car that was never raced to my knowledge.

[Dan Rear]

From memory there were 7 or 8 made I think. The first in 1981, the 813, this being updated in 1982 into the 823. A new one was made for 83, the 833, which David Leslie went well in. The next year the 843 appeared occasionally, for Cor Euser. In 85, there were the 2 slow Finns in 853s, then Euser again in a 3rd car. In 1986 the 863 appeared for the legendary Fulton Haight Jnr, I think Euser may have had a few races too.

I can't recall much about the 873 or any subsequent ones.

[Andrew Kitson]

Remember the 'shock' when Leslie put the John Robinson Magnum on pole at the opening round of the F3 championship on Silverstone club in March 1983? Mr.Senna was certainly suprised, but went on to win his 2nd F3 race as predicted.

[Dan Rear]

Yes, I do Andrew. Weren't there rumours it wasn't entirely legal...

[chunterer]

One of the 2 Finns that drove the cars in the early part of 1985 was a guy called Reima Soderman, not sure about the other one.
IIRC, Bill Coombs ran one in the '85 British F3 Class B and was quite competitive against class pace setters Carlton Tingling, Mike Wright and Steve Kempton.

[Dan Rear]

Originally Posted by chunterer

One of the 2 Finns that drove the cars in the early part of 1985 was a guy called Reima Soderman, not sure about the other one.
IIRC, Bill Coombs ran one in the '85 British F3 Class B and was quite competitive against class pace setters Carlton Tingling, Mike Wright and Steve Kempton.

Pretty sure Coombs was out in an Anson SA4 that year, Chunt, not a Magnum. I don't think older Magnums ever appeared in Class B of that era.

[Tim 27]

One Saturday afternoon during qualifying for the British F3 event at Snetterton the following day, I was marshalling on the outside of Riches when a Magnum hit the outside bank in front of me, head on at almost full speed. When the dust had cleared we looked down from the bank to be greeted with a driver that was moving, but worryingly had blood dripping from the bottom of his helmet onto his yellow overalls. It appeared that he had hit the kerbing at the old Russell very hard and had damaged the brake fluid reservoir rendering the brakes useless when he arrived at Riches. The blood was a result of the driver biting his tongue on impact.
The car was white, I'm sure the year was 1986 and the driver was definitely American. Could it have been the Fulton Haight that Dan Rear mentioned earlier in the thread? From memory I don't think the car would ever have seen another track, it was not very well at all...

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

Pretty sure Coombs was out in an Anson SA4 that year, Chunt, not a Magnum. I don't think older Magnums ever appeared in Class B of that era.

Yep, apologies for that one!! it was beige or something right?

[Dan Rear]

Can't recall Chunt the colour, just nice to see something other than an RT3 out!

Tim, the Magnum Yank would have been Haight. OTOH he was quite a portly young chap, and presumably came with a fair few $$$, he certainly didn't bring much speed with him!

Apart from Soderman, the 2nd Finn in 1985 was Koirainen, or simliar IIRC.

[Redracer77]

I guy called Mike Webber races one in F4 spec I think

[David Tuck]

Hi, have just found your question about the magnum f3 cars. I have owned an 843 chassis number 1 since 1993. The car was in lots of bits and incomplete, I have now finished the rebuild and use the car in monoposto races in the uk. see my web site: www.magnumf3racing.co.uk

[kurtiejjj]

Great stuff! Sheer persistance could only have made this car alive again, after 13 years! By the way, it's a very pretty car!

[Steve Wilkinson]

This is Paul Sims in the Magnum that the Sims family ran for a few seasons. It was converted to take a Honda bike engine & was quiet successful in the South West.

It is chassis 843-03 not sure where it is now as I am certain the Sims family sold it on as they now run a Ralt & a Tatuus.

[kurtiejjj]

Apparently in Australian formula 2 Magnum 843-02 is raced by Andrew Wlodek.

Seems we know of three 843s now?

[Dan Rear]

Originally Posted by kurtiejjj

Apparently in Australian formula 2 Magnum 843-02 is raced by Andrew Wlodek.

Seems we know of three 843s now?

Wonder where they were in period, I can only recall the Euser car in use in F3 in 84? Could these be 853s instead?

[kurtiejjj]

According to this site: http://www.clarinet.fi/~spitkane/ a certain Colin Fish was driving another one and scored 1 point.

Leaves one car (if Fish didn't drive Euser's car of course) perhaps that was a spare car or just unraced car?

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by kurtiejjj

According to this site: http://www.clarinet.fi/~spitkane/ a certain Colin Fish was driving another one and scored 1 point.

Leaves one car (if Fish didn't drive Euser's car of course) perhaps that was a spare car or just unraced car?

That's possibly Calvin Fish?

[Dan Rear]

I don't remember Calvin F in a F3 Magnum at all, he was in the US wasn't he by this time -1984? Never heard of Colin Fish. I wonder whether other F3 Magnums were used in Scando F3, given the Finnish connection the following year?

[kurtiejjj]

Perhaps the person who made the site mistyped it?

[Peter Dunne]

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

At least one was "converted" to hillclimb/sprint spec. It was run by Damon Milnes and appeared in the British Sprint Championship rounds.

There is a Magnum competing on Irish hills at the moment. Owned by Brendan Keane. I think he has it about three years. Might be the one above?

[ghinzani]

One of the 843s was owned by David Palmer (IIRC), not sure if that was the guy who was involved with Mazda UK? Anyway I recall it being for sale in the late 80s in Autosplat and the phone number was 0725 - which was then the Plymouth dialling code.

I belive although the 873 never ran in a race (it was damned pretty though) the 883 had a race at Donington, possibly in the hands of Dave Coyne - I also recall the one off Vision being there that day too. Shame a Swallow 873 wasnt wheeled out, it would have ben a right mix of chassis for the time.

Oh and the 813 original Magnum was based on a stillborn monocoque that was being produced for Teddy Yip to run as a Theodore F1 car - allegedly.

I believe the family who ran Magnum shared the same name as the builders of competition spaceframe Minis at the time, Robinson (?) - not sure if it was all related though? I recall one year one of the big time Jordan F3 mechanics going there, dont thingbthey really had the driver/budget to make use of his talents though.

[Matt Speakman]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

Pretty sure Coombs was out in an Anson SA4 that year, Chunt, not a Magnum. I don't think older Magnums ever appeared in Class B of that era.

An Anson SA4B in white with sponsorship from Shape Machines. The combination of driver (Coombs) & engineer (Lovelock) found good potential in that Anson