Group A Rover SD1/Vitesse Rally History (sep from main thread)

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by MG Rover Sport

Part 2 : enjoy...

Can't help but notice that this Daily Mirror car has a white B post. Could this have been the origin of the mystery rally car a few posts back (Or am I just putting two & two together and getting a much bigger number?).

Interesting too to see that the Group 2 car ran Goodyear tyres, and the Group 1 Daily Express cars Michelin. I'd have bet my boots that they all ran on Dunlops...

Great pictures by the way, thanks for sharing them.

[MG Rover Sport]

Originally Posted by KA

Some great pics there...

Ditto the comment above KA!

Originally Posted by KA

Nice to see another shot of the Ken Wood 'Golden Wonder' car- there don't seem to be many pics of that one on the web, though theres quite a bit of video of it on YouTube

I have some more of the 'Britain's Noisiest Crisps' Rover here as well, so I'll get those scanned over the next few days / weeks.

[Red Throbber]

Thank you!
Since standing next to TP's Vitesse in Chester at the start of the 84 RAC (a life changing monent, believe me) I've been addicted to all things Austin Rover Motorsport.
I run an 85 Vitesse as the daily driver, so the passion is still alive.
Not sure I'll be able to add much to this amazing thread, but there is a corner of North Wales that is forever Austin Rover Motorsport!

[MG Rover Sport]

There's a rarity then - someone who stood next to TP's Rover on the 1984 RAC! A life-changing moment for you and the tree!

I don't suppose you have any photos of the occasion to contribute do you?

You're like me, cut me a open and there will be written 'Forever Austin Rover Motorsport!' - just like a stick of Cowley rock, pre BMW of course!

[Red Throbber]

No photos I'm afraid. Gutted now of course. I moved down the line from the start, where the Quattros were up front, and the Rover sounded far better. You could actually feel the ground shaking. Every time I watch the World of Sport tape I get the hairs on the back of my neck standing. Such a shame, hopes were so high after the Manx result.
I did see Mike Stuart getting his Computervision car serviced at a later event, but again no pics.

[MG Rover Sport]

No problems 'Red' - I had to ask, as I'm sure you appreciate.

[KA]

Originally Posted by MG Rover Sport

There's a rarity then - someone who stood next to TP's Rover on the 1984 RAC! A life-changing moment for you and the tree!

I don't suppose you have any photos of the occasion to contribute do you?

Funnily enough, that's a question I'd been thinking of asking for a while- is there anyone out there with a pic of the Pond Rover on the '84 RAC before the tree... I guess we'd be looking for someone who was either at the start in Chester, on the road section before Knowsley, or somewhere near the stage start...

Unfortunately I was at Donington, so no Rover...

[MG Rover Sport]

Originally Posted by KA

Funnily enough, that's a question I'd been thinking of asking for a while - is there anyone out there with a pic of the Pond Rover on the '84 RAC before the tree... I guess we'd be looking for someone who was either at the start in Chester, on the road section before Knowsley, or somewhere near the stage start...

I have one early 1984 RAC photo KA, but it is not my own I'm afraid, so I need to ask my mate if I can scan it and upload it. It's from a spectator-lined street in Chester, and the car looks immaculate - as it rightly would. Leave it with me and I'll see if he'll let me...

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by KA

Funnily enough, that's a question I'd been thinking of asking for a while- is there anyone out there with a pic of the Pond Rover on the '84 RAC before the tree... I guess we'd be looking for someone who was either at the start in Chester, on the road section before Knowsley, or somewhere near the stage start...

Unfortunately I was at Donington, so no Rover...

Maybe we should check with the animals in the safari park? It could be that one was a camera owning rally enthusiast who snapped a picture of the car just before the tree?

(OK, sorry just trying to brighten a booring Monday...)

[KA]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Maybe we should check with the animals in the safari park? It could be that one was a camera owning rally enthusiast who snapped a picture of the car just before the tree?

(OK, sorry just trying to brighten a booring Monday...)

[Red Throbber]

I'm fairly sure this is post-tree...
One I found on he net, so I'm not sure if it breaches any rules here.

[KA]

Yes, that one's definitely 'post-tree'....

[MG Rover Sport]

Pre-tree as promised...



...with grateful thanks and acknowledgement to my mate, Roy Davies.

Note the big guy behind the car. I'm sure this is one of the TWR guys and he was known as 'The Bear' due to his size I gather. Not sure of his actual name, but the name Andy Morrison rings a bell? Note also the different Speedline wheels to the 'post-tree' photo above, which I assume would have been changed on a road section prior to Stage 1.

Are you on the photo anywhere 'Red Throbber' - possibly the 'ginger' lad with the 'milk bottle bottom' glasses, 2nd from the left?

Sorry mate, couldn't resist it...

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by MG Rover Sport

Pre-tree as promised...



...with grateful thanks and acknowledgement to my mate, Roy Davies.

Note the big guy behind the car. I'm sure this is one of the TWR guys and he was known as 'The Bear' due to his size I gather. Not sure of his actual name, but the name Andy Morrison rings a bell? Note also the different Speedline wheels to the 'post-tree' photo above, which I assume would have been changed on a road section prior to Stage 1.

Are you on the photo anywhere 'Red Throbber' - possibly the 'ginger' lad with the 'milk bottle bottom' glasses, 2nd from the left?

Sorry mate, couldn't resist it...

Great picture!
Ref 'The Bear' he certainly was a familiar sight around the TWR cars in those days (especially anything driven by Tom himself if I remember correctly). I don't know his name but think he was certainly someone very important / highly thought of, due to when & where I remember seeing him, and I think Andy Morrison would fit that description too.

[Red Throbber]

Amazing photo indeed. Sorry, but I'm not the ginger lad, nor am I in that photo any where else. I must have been close by though!
The rear panel appears to be modified as per the race cars, with a recess between the lights.

[MG Rover Sport]

Originally Posted by Red Throbber

I'm fairly sure this is post-tree...
One I found on he net, so I'm not sure if it breaches any rules here.

Originally Posted by chunterer

Crikey that earlier one looks as though the smashed near side front wheel is actually digging a trench along the tarmac as it goes along!! Deary me.

...and yet there is no trench in the tarmac!

[MG Rover Sport]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Great picture!
Ref 'The Bear' he certainly was a familiar sight around the TWR cars in those days (especially anything driven by Tom himself if I remember correctly). I don't know his name but think he was certainly someone very important / highly thought of, due to when & where I remember seeing him, and I think Andy Morrison would fit that description too.

I particularly like the way you can see Tony Pond reflected in the driver's side door mirror - looking down and to the left.

[MG Rover Sport]

Originally Posted by Red Throbber

Amazing photo indeed. Sorry, but I'm not the ginger lad, nor am I in that photo any where else. I must have been close by though!
The rear panel appears to be modified as per the race cars, with a recess between the lights.

Shame you weren't on that photo 'Red' - would have been a real claim to fame!

The rear panel on the later 1984/85 rally cars actually featured the twin fuel fillers as per the race cars, but it was covered over by a hinge down panel which held the rear number plate. In the photo from Chester, you can just make out the two twist fasteners just under the tailgate. I have some close up detail of B565 AOX with it's current owner, complete with before / after photos of the panel being hinged down to reveal the fuel fillers.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by MG Rover Sport

I particularly like the way you can see Tony Pond reflected in the driver's side door mirror - looking down and to the left.

He's just checking if the gearbox is a normal H pattern shift or a 'dog-leg first' type. At this point TP was thinking the silliest thing he could do is to set off from the first stage start flat out in reverse! (Little did he know...)
(Also totally off topic but why is the license plate so low down? Surely just clearance for the tailgate springs is a pretty lame reason - This comment is based on total paranoia regarding TWR preparation and possible underhand reasons for making subtle little changes to the specification!)

[Red Throbber]

A couple of lifts from someone else's trip to Earls Court Motorfair 1985.
Although the racer is the "dummy", the rally car looks to be the real thing, possibly "563" in Circuit of Ireland style trim (Grp.A mirrors, round spots, Tarmac Speedlines)

[MG Rover Sport]

What an excellent post there 'Red'! We all knew that there was definitely one Bastos show car and one Computervision show car that were both dummy-ed up standard roadgoing cars, but to find more photos, including one of the actual rally cars used as a show car is awesome.



B563 AOX was actually crashed by TP on the final round of the 1985 British Open Rally Championship, the Manx International Rally on 11-14 September. With the Motor Fair usually taking place in October, I doubt that Austin Rover Motorsport or TWR would have had the time to rebuild the crashed '563' prior to the show.

Certainly from Austin Rover Motorsport's point of view, they were flat out finishing the Metro 6R4 production run, and getting the rally cars ready for the Lombard RAC Rally in November. I therefore reckon the photo shows the sister car of either '564' or '565', but I am leaning towards the latter car.

'565' was used on the 1985 Lombard RAC Rally by Mike Stuart as a reward for his work supporting TP in the 1985 British series. That too had what you call 'Grp A mirrors', as well as the US-spec twin headlights, and four additional spot lamps. Also the rideheight of the Motor Fair car looks too high for a tarmac spec rally car.

The Bastos Rover and Computervision 6R4 are most definitely standard cars - here's a photo KA posted earlier in the thread (On page 45 to be precise - with full acknowledgement and credit to the original source! ) of the former on display at the 1985 Silverstone Tourist Trophy - along with the 'normal' standard Computervision Rover show car...

[Red Throbber]

Looking at the showcar again, I'd agree it looks like 565, with the larger Ø inner headlights in the NADA pods, as used by Duez at Ypres.

[Red Throbber]

One I've not seen before from 84 Manx...


And another Ken Wood one, these are both from the 84 RAC Autosport.

[KA]

Originally Posted by MG Rover Sport

Pre-tree as promised...


...with grateful thanks and acknowledgement to my mate, Roy Davies.

Note the big guy behind the car. I'm sure this is one of the TWR guys and he was known as 'The Bear' due to his size I gather. Not sure of his actual name, but the name Andy Morrison rings a bell? Note also the different Speedline wheels to the 'post-tree' photo above, which I assume would have been changed on a road section prior to Stage 1.

Brilliant!!! Great work David, and thanks to Roy for allowing the use of the pic.

Yes, I see what you mean about the change of wheels from the road section to SS1. As I remember, the 'post-tree' pic featured in one of those short historical pieces on the back page of Autosport a year or two back, with a description of the incident by Rob Arthur- I think he mentioned the tyre choice for the first stage being a big factor in what happened?

[KA]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

(Also totally off topic but why is the license plate so low down? Surely just clearance for the tailgate springs is a pretty lame reason - This comment is based on total paranoia regarding TWR preparation and possible underhand reasons for making subtle little changes to the specification!)

I guess the combination of clearance for the tailgate fastenings and the catches for the hinged flap over the fuel fillers (something that I'd never really noticed on the rally cars!) would have accounted for it though?

Originally Posted by Red Throbber

One I've not seen before from 84 Manx...

And another Ken Wood one, these are both from the 84 RAC Autosport.

I reckon I must have those stashed away somewhere as well- I'm sure I remember having the Manx one at least on my wall when I was a student, along with a couple of Bastos Rover and 6R4 posters...

Love the Motorfair pics as well- brings back a few memories of 80's Motor Shows etc (never got to Motorfair, but was a regular at the Motor Show at the NEC around that time)