Ensign LNF3

[RSQ]

Has anyone got any information on the Ensign LNF3? Mine is chassis 007 and 1972.

[RTH]

I owned one 1983 - 1986 it was sold to France it was a factory development car which Brian Henton drove.

[RSQ]

How did you find it? I have only just bought mine and I am testing next week. I have had modern stuff, but this is my first move to Historic. Do you have any pictures of yours?

[davemorganfan]

Originally posted by RTH
I owned one 1983 - 1986 it was sold to France it was a factory development car which Brian Henton drove.

Did Henton drive your car in any races, or was it purely for testing? I can't recall him appearing in an Ensign, but my memeory isn't what it was!

[Dan Rear]

IIRC Henton went very well in an Ensign right at the end of the 73 season, right in among the leading Marches of Brise/Wood/Taylor/Harness etc, plus the Jones GRD. Did he win at Mallory late on that year ?? I wonder what that was about, as by then Nunn was well into F1. Perhaps Henton persuaded him to make a final F3 effort ?

[simon drabble]

I will be interested to hear how you get on - I have often been tempted to buy an Ensign as there have been several for sale over the last few years. It seemed a very reasonably priced way to try out single seaters

[listernoble]

A friend of mine who runs a Mallock Mk2 bought an Ensign last year.
I have not seen it but he is having the twin cam engine re-built and it will be used for hillclimbs.

[RSQ]

Excellent, thank-you for that. All information is greatly appreciated.

[rogboy]

I am trying to get as much information as possible on chassis drawings of the Ensign LNF3, I would like to build one for classic racing here in NZ, and would like to use Alfa 1600TC, I know they are a bit tall, but have all the good bits, and go better and longer than Lotus (In my view anyway) have Hewland and all other bits and can build anything, just can't afford a real one, invlved in classic racing here, in single seaters, run a ex FF, now in monoposto spec, but love the look and lines of the Ensign. I can be E-mailed at roganddor@xtra.co.nz

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by listernoble

A friend of mine who runs a Mallock Mk2 bought an Ensign last year.
I have not seen it but he is having the twin cam engine re-built and it will be used for hillclimbs. Lister

The car in question is the ex-Mike Wilds Dempster International car. It went from Dempster to David Franklin who hillclimbed and sprinted it. It then went through various hillclimb and sprinters until rescued by the current owner.

[allenbrown]

Hi Steve

Any idea of the chasss number of that one?

Allen

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by allenbrown

Hi Steve

Any idea of the chasss number of that one?

Allen

I only have it as LNF3-73

[rogboy]

While that man has his engine rebuilt, how about hopping around with a tape measure and digi camera, and do a bit of sweet talking, then send it all over to me, and I will buy you a beer next time you are down my way!
Roger

[allenbrown]

I had a flick through some 1971 Autosports last night to start to get a grip on these cars. The first five built are quite clearly identified in an article on Ensign on 30 Dec (p6).

'prototype' - works car (Bond, Rollinson, M Walker) - Ken Sedgley for 1972
'No 2' - Steve Thompson 1971
'No 3' - David Purley 1971
'No 4' - F2 car for John Burton for 1972
'No 5' - Mike Tyrrell for 1972

Allen

[Dan Rear]

Anyone know why the cars were termed 'LN'. Presumably the N was for Nunn, whatabout the 'L' ??

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

Anyone know why the cars were termed 'LN'. Presumably the N was for Nunn, whatabout the 'L' ??

Lewis, the surname of one of his backers.

[fyrth]

Glad to see a few familiar people on this thread. I'm the one currently caring for the ex-Mike Wilds car and will be glad to provide info for other Ensign F3 owners. It carries the original bodywork from period with a small rear wing mounted on the bodywork - rather quaint and probably quite ineffectual. Used for hills and sprints which is where the car ended after David Franklin acquired it from Mike Wilds, mainly in the south west where it was well used afterwards by the Bigwoods ( father Chris and son Nigel, sadly departed in February ), Ted Williams, Bob Bailey and Kevitt Payne.

[John Turner]

Very warm welcome, fyrth, to 10-Tenths.

[allenbrown]

Hi fyrth

Wilds' car was a LNF3/73 wasn't it? Do you have a chassis number or frame number on that car? I'm trying to get together as many numbers as I can for a possible OldRacingCars.com article on the F3 Ensigns but have little so far - just the first five listed above and the LN7 car of John Littler. A chassis number for the Wilds car would be another useful stake in the ground.

Allen

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by fyrth

Glad to see a few familiar people on this thread. I'm the one currently caring for the ex-Mike Wilds car and will be glad to provide info for other Ensign F3 owners. It carries the original bodywork from period with a small rear wing mounted on the bodywork - rather quaint and probably quite ineffectual. Used for hills and sprints which is where the car ended after David Franklin acquired it from Mike Wilds, mainly in the south west where it was well used afterwards by the Bigwoods ( father Chris and son Nigel, sadly departed in February ), Ted Williams, Bob Bailey and Kevitt Payne.

Welcome Fyrth, glad to see you found your way to 10/10. It is an odd place where discussions on Ensigns and Mallocks are often bracketed by questions about some German Geezer called Schumacher!

[fyrth]

Allen

The Wilds/Dempster Developments car was built in June 1972 and would have originally been an LNF3/72. I guess all the '72 cars were tweaked at the beginning of 1973 and called LNF3/73, albeit next to no difference.

I think the main mod for later cars was to drop the top chassis mounting of the rear front suspension links, perhaps to improve the braking in comparison with March and GRD. The fact remains that Mo Nunn was already involved with the F1 car in 1972 and the F3 cars received little development, although I think when Dave Baldwin became involved with the F1 project he had a small think about the F3 cars as well!

My car has no visible chassis number. If you can tell me where it might be I can have another serious look. I understand that a number of cars were sold with spare chassis as part of the package and I doubt if these were numbered. Wilds climbed the bank at North Tower at Crystal Palace in September '72 so who knows how those repairs were made? I have Mike's phone number but loath to contact him as early owners can get a bit fed up with anoraks like me!

I have all the Autosports for this period and sustaiined research might reveal some sort of critical path for the cars/drivers. If I can help please email to save the world from this sort of detail!

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by fyrth

If I can help please email to save the world from this sort of detail!

The 10 Tenths world loves this sort of detail!

Allen

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by fyrth

My car has no visible chassis number. If you can tell me where it might be I can have another serious look.

Is RSQ still here? His has a number somewhere on it.

Allen

[fyrth]

Allen

That's a good idea as I have looked in all the obvious places with no success, and so must have others as the cars 'papers' give no clue! It would also be good to chat with current drivers as I could do with picking their brains about suspension setup rather than relying on my amateur impressions of the cars behaviour.

Returning to the early history, Steve is of course right in saying the Bernard Lewis was the L to Mo Nunns N in the name. I believe he had family connections with either Steve Thompson or Alan Rollinson and was associated with Brineton Engineering, at that time in Walsall and these days the Bugatti parts people? The first chassis built by Mo was tested by Rollinson just before Christmas 1970 at Silverstone fitted with an MAE, although I believe it missed Boxing Day Brands which was the first planned outing. This car is currently owned by Richard George in the Midlands although he was seeking a new custodian, to use that VSCC expression!

Bev Bond then won the first F3 race with 1.6 engines at Brands in April 1971, a fabulous advert/pic of him, Mo, Bernard and Bob Howlings standing embarassingly round what was presumably the same chassis, in Autosport 8.4.71 The 31.12.71 Autosport article by Simon Tayor already mentioned in this thread covers the early cars perfectly.

Thats quite enough for one day!

[Chris Townsend]

Allen
I believe that Wilds's 1972 car was LN8. I have a programme from 1973 annotated with chassis numbers by AF which gives this. The car debuted at Cadwell 16.7.72
Including Littler's LN7 I can find 6 cars that debut before this in the 1972 F3 run: Gambs; Tyrrell; the two works cars of Walker and von Opel; Vandervell and Littler. If the works team had a spare car - not unlikely - that works ok.
Debuting immediately after [23.7 and 31.7] are the cars of Brendan McInerney and Cavan Riley.
The only other Ensign chassis numbers I can trace are LN17 and LN20 the Team Modus cars in 1973, one of which goes to Ivor Goodwin in 1974.

What might complicate the Wilds situation is that in 1973 he may well have had a new car and kept LN8 as a spare. Press reports say he is getting a new car early in the season, and then there is a piece in A/S by Ian Phillips bemoaning the rising cost of F3 and commenting on people like Wilds who can afford to run a spare car.
This suggests to me that the David Franklin, ex Wilds, Ensign in hillclimbs in 1974 might not be LN8. [Though as Wilds is running LN8 late in 73, given the date of this programme, it begs the question as to what became of the newer car]

Chris