Topic: Re: Allemano's № 891 - 1950 HWM Monoposto, Rudi Fischer at the wheel

[Allemano]

One point if you know this cigar on wheels.



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[Allemano]

up a level!

[shamrock]

HWM

[Allemano]

Right you are! Do you know who's at the wheel?


LOCKED for shamrock!

[Allemano]

I gave shamrock a point, but apparently he doesn't know the driver.

Do Pro's know?

[nicanary]

George Abecassis ?

[Paul Jaray]

PM sent!

[Allemano]

George Abecassis ?

Not him.

[nicanary]

Pretty sure it's not John Heath, and SCM always wore his Herbert Johnson. Bira ?

[Allemano]

Pretty sure it's not John Heath, and SCM always wore his Herbert Johnson. Bira ?

That's right it's not John Heath. It's not Bira either.

[nicanary]

I'm being lazy , and not checking things. There are stone setts on the road, could be Bremgarten. 1950 Prix de Berne #16 HWM was Rudi Fischer. Otherwise must be 1949, and I'd have to spend some time looking up the records. 1951 was the first year of the monoposto HWM. So. was it Rudi Fischer guesting for HWM to bring in valuable starting money for Heath and Abecassis ?

[Allemano]

Well found! It's indeed Swiss Rudi Fischer.

[Allan L]

Yes well found - I got as far as Johnny Claes at Chimay or Rudi Fischer at Bremgarten, but hadn't found a photo of either of 'em in the HWM

[nicanary]

Yes well found - I got as far as Johnny Claes at Chimay or Rudi Fischer at Bremgarten, but hadn't found a photo of either of 'em in the HWM

And they all laughed when we bought the "Black Books"....

Johnny Claes was car #12 at Chimay in 1950. Just to add to my confusion, I thought Rudi Fischer usually wore a "banana" cycle helmet over a linen helmet in those days. The white linen was the reason for my wild stab at Bira. I should have taken Cpl. Jones' advice, and not panicked, but the chances of me solving puzzles are limited up in the Pros section.

[nicanary]

I've just noticed the "solved" title of the puzzle - strictly speaking this car isn't a monoposto, it's one of the dual-purpose cars of 1949/50 which could be raced either in Formula 2 , or with cycle wings fitted in sports car races. Which is exactly why they were made that way, to maximise the chances of entry in as many races as possible. The HWM team were constantly strapped for cash, and relied on starting and prize money to survive. The new car for the 1951 season was a monoposto.

[Allemano]

I always thought 'Monoposto' means 'single-seater' what's this car apparently is.. That multi-purpose layout that you've mentioned doesn't contradict that... or am I wrong?

[nicanary]

I always thought 'Monoposto' means 'single-seater' what's this car apparently is.. That multi-purpose layout that you've mentioned doesn't contradict that... or am I wrong?

You raise an interesting point. The original HWM-Alta that John Heath ran for himself in 1949 definitely had two seats - the passenger seat was offset, enabling the body to be a little bit slimmer than it would otherwise have been. The revised cars for the team effort in 1950 were built on similar lines as far as I know, but a quick glance in reference books, including Alf Francis' autobiography, does not reveal an immediate answer. I do note that the puzzle photo shows a cover fitted on the "passenger" side, which would suggest a hidden seat, and I also believe that John Heath had been offered entries at Le Mans, presumably with detuned engines, as the Alta engine was not known for its ability to last a long time in one piece. The regulations for that event would definitely have stipulated two seats.

So you could be right - but personally I believe there was another seat under that metal tonneau, rather like a Talbot-Lago T26.

[D-type]

I've had a look at David Hodges and Mike Lawrence's books to check the chronology.

It appears that the single 1949 car, the HW-Alta or HWM-Alta was a genuine dual purpose car, built originally as a cycle winged sports car and it ran in sports car races and in stripped form in F2 races.
The 1950 cars are described as "offset single seaters".  They were built as dual purpose cars with a similar offset layout with the possibility of running at Le Mans and elsewhere.  As it turned out they only raced in F2 races in 1950.
The 1951 cars were genuine (central) single seaters and fully justify the "monoposto" designation.
The 1952 cars had an all-new central single seater chassis.

I suspect that the although the 1950 cars had space for a second seat under the tonneau cover it was never fitted while the works were running the cars.  If that is true, they were technically "monoposto" cars although I tend to think that "monoposto" means "purpose-built single seater".  I think it would be safer to title the thread "1950 HWM offset single seater".

I believe the 1950 cars were later converted to sports cars.  The Stovebolt Special sports car has a Chevrolet engine in a modified HWM chassis which I understand was a sports car before the conversion was made - it was a sports car when it featured un the film "Such men are dangerous" (or "The Racers").

[nicanary]

I think D-Type is probably correct. Anyway, here's a photo of Moss at Goodwood in 1950 clearly showing the metal tonneau cover over the "passenger seat", which may or may not have been "in situ". Fischer's car was of the same style.