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Puzzles, Games and Name That Car => Solved AutoPuzzles => 2018 => Topic started by: nicanary on November 11, 2017, 07:42:27 AM

Title: Solved NIC#907 - Coffield Mk III H-mod
Post by: nicanary on November 11, 2017, 07:42:27 AM
What is this car, and what was the engine?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 04, 2018, 01:36:22 PM
Experts?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 05, 2018, 07:48:34 AM
is the engine vw or Porsche?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 05, 2018, 08:14:14 AM
is the engine vw or Porsche?

Neither of those.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 05, 2018, 04:33:16 PM
That's the first instinct destroyed! Is it a modified version of a known manufactured racecar type, or a one off?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 05, 2018, 04:49:30 PM
That's the first instinct destroyed! Is it a modified version of a known manufactured racecar type, or a one off?

It's a one-off, but the builder made other cars.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 05, 2018, 08:55:26 PM
I think it is a left hooker - is it European?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 06, 2018, 04:06:35 AM
I think it is a left hooker - is it European?

No.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 06, 2018, 08:16:56 PM
USA?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 07, 2018, 05:44:54 AM
USA?

Yes.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 07, 2018, 07:22:10 AM
 it known by the builder's name, or is it a small manufacturer like Beach or Legrand.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 07, 2018, 08:06:27 AM
it known by the builder's name, or is it a small manufacturer like Beach or Legrand.

It's named after the builder. In fact I have found out he built up to 6 of these cars, so I suppose you could call him a small manufacturer, but I think they were built on request rather than as a production run.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 07, 2018, 02:12:13 PM
Is the motive power something other than an American V8.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 07, 2018, 03:56:46 PM
Is the motive power something other than an American V8.

Yes.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 07, 2018, 06:02:43 PM
European engine?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 08, 2018, 04:54:29 AM
European engine?

Yes.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: Willie McCrum on January 08, 2018, 12:09:33 PM
McKee ?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 08, 2018, 01:32:18 PM
McKee ?

Not a McKee.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 08, 2018, 07:18:05 PM
Alfa engine?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 09, 2018, 03:47:25 AM
Alfa engine?

No.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 09, 2018, 03:55:19 AM
British engine?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 09, 2018, 03:59:18 AM
British engine?

Yes.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 09, 2018, 06:00:57 AM
Lotus twin cam?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 09, 2018, 07:11:16 AM
Lotus twin cam?

Not a Lotus engine.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 09, 2018, 09:15:42 AM
Cosworth?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 09, 2018, 11:06:09 AM
Cosworth?

No. You're on the right lines in a way - both Lotus and Cosworth were associated with the maker of the engine.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: Carnut on January 09, 2018, 11:21:27 AM
Ford?!
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 09, 2018, 12:37:34 PM
Ford?!

Yes, that was the engine fitted to this car. However, it was in slightly unusual form.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 09, 2018, 06:13:01 PM
Not a mid-engined V4?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 10, 2018, 04:13:58 AM
Not a mid-engined V4?

Not a V4. Mid-engined by the looks of things.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 10, 2018, 05:21:54 PM
It is not one of the 105e engined Begras is it?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 11, 2018, 04:13:40 AM
It is not one of the 105e engined Begras is it?

Now we're getting somewhere (sort of). The engine was a 105E unit, but it's not a Begra. Work out what race series and you may solve this.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 11, 2018, 11:42:38 AM
Well I assume we are talking about early-mid 1960s and the SCCA G-Modified class. This had been the province of Lotus 11s and Lola mk1s until a Merlin came along. In the meantime Begras and the associated Beach and Grady cars were quite successful, but if it's not them I am struggling. Is it a Bobsy?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 11, 2018, 11:52:28 AM
Well I assume we are talking about early-mid 1960s and the SCCA G-Modified class. This had been the province of Lotus 11s and Lola mk1s until a Merlin came along. In the meantime Begras and the associated Beach and Grady cars were quite successful, but if it's not them I am struggling. Is it a Bobsy?

It's not a Bobsy. We are indeed in the SCCA arena, but it's not G-Mod even if the choice of engine would suggest so. I said there was something unusual!
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 11, 2018, 03:09:45 PM
So was the capacity altered to fit it into another class - eg reduced to fit H-mod.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 11, 2018, 03:50:52 PM
So was the capacity altered to fit it into another class - eg reduced to fit H-mod.

Bingo! That's exactly what happened. Now - who built this car?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 12, 2018, 03:26:18 PM
Not found the picture, but in the most obscure place imaginable, found reference to the late Frank Davis who used to race one of Don Millers 42 sports cars with a Ford engine sleeved to 850cc(?) - from about 1963.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 12, 2018, 03:57:17 PM
Not found the picture, but in the most obscure place imaginable, found reference to the late Frank Davis who used to race one of Don Millers 42 sports cars with a Ford engine sleeved to 850cc(?) - from about 1963.

Not him I'm afraid.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 20, 2018, 08:56:26 PM
I have searched every site I know, and I have an amazing knowledge of SCCA H-mods now, but they all have Saab or Crosley engines. Where have I gone wrong?
Were the builder's other cars also H-Mods?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 21, 2018, 06:33:17 AM
I have searched every site I know, and I have an amazing knowledge of SCCA H-mods now, but they all have Saab or Crosley engines. Where have I gone wrong?
Were the builder's other cars also H-Mods?

The source of my photo suggests that 6 cars were built, all to H-mod spec. There is no mention of other cars built by him for other formulae, although this could be the case. I don't know.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 21, 2018, 12:37:53 PM
Was this the only one with the Ford engine?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 21, 2018, 03:16:54 PM
Was this the only one with the Ford engine?

I believe some of them had other engines.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 26, 2018, 03:22:20 PM
Just can't find this so I must resort to firing odd h-mod names at you that contain what looks like a builders name - does it begin with a letter between a-k?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 26, 2018, 05:03:01 PM
Just can't find this so I must resort to firing odd h-mod names at you that contain what looks like a builders name - does it begin with a letter between a-k?

 ;D Yes.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 26, 2018, 05:37:45 PM
Hall-scott?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 26, 2018, 05:40:01 PM
Bryan or Brian?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 27, 2018, 04:01:20 AM
Neither pf those, but alphabetically the name you require is very shortly after Bryan.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 27, 2018, 06:26:10 PM
Thank you for the hint! If it begins with C I only know two cars for which I can find no real details -  Clovis and Case - and I have no confidence in either......
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 27, 2018, 06:36:50 PM
or Cleary?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 28, 2018, 05:49:28 AM
None of those three, I'm afraid.

(I'm also afraid that I have got this all wrong. You are clearly searching all records of H-mod cars and have not identified a car of which 6 were supposedly made. This has got me worried that I have misconstrued the text of my source. However, I have done a google search using the name of the maker, and my information does seem correct. In the same source article, someone else claims to have another of his cars, and uses a name for the car which is hypenated, and also includes the name of another H-mod maker, i.e. he calls his car a ????????-other car. However, it seems that this latter name only relates to the bodywork, and not the base car. I doubt that this garbled info will be a lot of use!)
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 28, 2018, 07:37:12 AM
Aha, a mystery ...... Well I know 4 hyphenated h-mods :  Jones-Devin
                                                                                   Jones-deCamp
                                                                                   Edwards-Blume
                                                                                   Hall- Scott

I can find nothing about the Hall-Scott and the others were, I thought. front engined. Is one of them the other car you mention?
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 28, 2018, 08:28:37 AM
Aha, a mystery ...... Well I know 4 hyphenated h-mods :  Jones-Devin
                                                                                   Jones-deCamp
                                                                                   Edwards-Blume
                                                                                   Hall- Scott

I can find nothing about the Hall-Scott and the others were, I thought. front engined. Is one of them the other car you mention?

None of those is the puzzle car. It begins with the letter C as you have ascertained. The "other" car is C-S and the S is quite well-known. As I have said before, it has nothing much to do with my puzzle.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: tobytwirl on January 28, 2018, 02:31:31 PM
Found it at last - it is a Coffield mk 2 and the other car, which looks nothing like it, is the Coffield-Sceptre. I had been on the right website all along - but not in the right area. Amazingly they did not list it in their own list of h-mods ....... which  I now reproduce in my sleep.
Title: Re: NIC#907
Post by: nicanary on January 29, 2018, 05:39:11 AM
Found it at last - it is a Coffield mk 2 and the other car, which looks nothing like it, is the Coffield-Sceptre. I had been on the right website all along - but not in the right area. Amazingly they did not list it in their own list of h-mods ....... which  I now reproduce in my sleep.

 ;D. Well done TT. I know how you feel. You think you know all the sites, but something comes along and you think you've gone mad. I stumble on these puzzle subjects more by chance than intention.

Indeed I think that Coffield-Sceptre is probably a Coffield chassis with what is clearly a Sceptre body fitted. I can't find much about the builder Paul Coffield, although he is recorded racing a Centaur. It's actually a MkIII but you spent so long on the puzzle I'm not going to be pedantic.