Topic: Solved - MJW #1173 - Petty-JAP 1000

[woodinsight]

What was the name of this small racing car and what engine and size was fitted?
One point for the correct answer.

[woodinsight]

Moving up (literally!)

[nicanary]

Quite extraordinary. I'm baffled. Like many puzzlers I went straight to "a certain site" without success, before the glaringly obvious came to my attention.

This really is a "bitsa" - I reckon an old 50s F3 chassis that has been modernised in the 60s to keep up with later technology. Rear suspension is very confusing - the engine could well be a 1000cc or 1100cc JAP.

I take it this is British ?

[shamrock]

a kieft

[woodinsight]

It's not a Kieft and this car doesn't appear on "that site" either......
The engine is a JAP but not as large as 1000.

The confusing thing is that a car of the same name is featured on the "500 site" but with a Norton engine.
This one is British and seems to have been built as a hillclimb car.

The name is xxxxx JAP x00 Special and that's all the information I have at the moment (I'll try to find out more in the meantime)

[nicanary]

Petty-JAP, 900cc ?

The Petty on "that site" has twin-wishbone rear supension like the puzzle car, which must have been pretty adavnced for F3 in the 50s. In fact, they look fairly similar, and possibly a hillclimb specialist has doctored the original car after its usefulness on the circuits was over.

(I realised I was wasting my time on "that site" when I eventually spotted two exhaust pipes, which precluded the obvious engine size)

[woodinsight]

Petty-JAP, 900cc ?

The Petty on "that site" has twin-wishbone rear supension like the puzzle car, which must have been pretty adavnced for F3 in the 50s. In fact, they look fairly similar, and possibly a hillclimb specialist has doctored the original car after its usefulness on the circuits was over.

(I realised I was wasting my time on "that site" when I eventually spotted two exhaust pipes, which precluded the obvious engine size)

Yes, it's the Petty-JAP but the engine size is much smaller than 900cc.
LOCKED for you to correct this.

Here's the original photo -

[woodinsight]

I just realised I've given you the answer! 

No worries - the point is yours.....

[nicanary]

I just realised I've given you the answer! 

No worries - the point is yours.....

Easiest point of the day! I was staying away from the obvious 500cc because of the twin exhausts. Still don't understand that.

[HiRich]

The image is from Prescott in the early 1960s, though I don't have an exact date. The car has been modified by the White brothers (one of whom is driving) to fit a JAP 1,000 Twin - hence the distinctive heads and twin pipes.

The car survives, now reverted to Norton 500 spec.

[Allan L]

Yes here's Dave Lecoq in it:

[woodinsight]

I've modified the title to the correct engine capacity at the time.
Thanks folks for the extra information and photo.