How to find racing history

Kieronpollock

Club Member
Evening, taking a break from buying parts to do so research on my resto.

It has a racing history/pedigree but I’ve very little info on what the original owner did (other than he raced it with Win Percy and the engine was rebuilt by Spike). Can anyone point me in the direction of any archives I could search? Thanks in advance
 

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ben240z

Club Member
Hi, the red/white/blue car could possibly be a Janspeed copy from Scotland and the Blue car could be the same car but a different colour. There were a handful of cars with this bodykit and would have been after 1977 as that was when Janspeed built the kit.
I know that there was at least 1 in Scotland and also a 2+2 version but I do not know of any that were raced in this form other than mine.

There was one on here back along that Mark Keighley bought and still has which has a rollcage and handmade dash but we have not found any reference to it racing yet.

Has the car that you are restoring got this wide body kit fitted?
 

Kieronpollock

Club Member
Thanks for this info. I bought the car from the 3rd owner who bought it from the son of the original owner who raced it with Win Percy and mentioned it had been a Janspeed car. He started to restore it but circumstances changed so I bought it as just the shell per attached. It’s now had body work and paint completed, awaiting full engine rebuild and then everything back on it. The aim is to return it to its original road going look
 

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ben240z

Club Member
The only Janspeed 240z that raced, as far as I know, is the one in my profile pic. It was raced in the group 4/5 european sports car championship based mainly at Zandvoort and finished in 1977.
1978 saw it race at an event at Thruxton with Alec Poole driving it. It was then sold to John Rich at Fourways.

There was another visually identical car that was at Janspeed but it appears to have been a promo road going car. This car was apparently destroyed in a fire after a fuel line split ( unsubstantiated but the story came from an ex janspeed employee)

From what I can make out there were a handful of the bodykits made and sold but the only one I know that still exists apart from mine is Marks.

It could be that your car raced in a series ( possibly Modsports as that is where Win Percy was running) in the 70s but I am fairly confident that the Janspeed connection is a red herring.

I would try to get in touch with Kevin Irons as you have been told that Spike rebuilt the engine to see if he is aware of the car
 

ben240z

Club Member
Another thought is, what evidence on the car is there that it has been used for racing?
Rollcage?
Suspension changes?
Body modifications/

Very few cars race in absolute standard form so there may be clues there
 

Kieronpollock

Club Member
Yes it had a full roll cage and a Fourways suspension upgrade. Both were removed prior to my purchase (suspension replaced with Techno Tuning kit by previous owner) …. I’ve sold the roll cage to Mark Keighley
 

ben240z

Club Member
If it had the wide body kit and the 13inch wide wheels then the rear wheel arches would have to have been cut to allow for the wheels. Were they repaired during the restoration you have had done?

What paint colours were found when you stripped the car as that may give a clue as to what it looked like when it raced?

Have you got a name of who raced it?

If it had the Fourways suspension, do you still have it, or photos of it? I think that Janspeed used to run standard struts and rear wishbones so the Fourways bits would not have been on a Janspeed car. John Rich designed and made those bits as far as I can make out.

Any previous owners that you can name may help identify the car and therefore it may appear in race results of the period. Even DNFs usually appear in the results.

I have spent 25+ years searching for info on my car and still new stuff turns up occasionally, but you will need to have more info to start searching really.
 

Kieronpollock

Club Member
I bought the car after it has been partly restored, the previous keeper having it as a project for c6 years. I have photos of it in various stages of resto before me but none showing what it was like before work started all those years ago. Definitely rear arches have been replaced. Car was all red inside including full roll cage. It’s definitely been raced as the first photo of the car in silver with reg proves it. Previous owner has provided some details so I am enquiring to see if more info can be provided. According to previous owner, owner was Eddie Trueman who raced it with Win Percy. Original engine was removed and replaced with 2.8 so I suspect this was done when car was in the other liveries. It’s the original engine that has apparently been worked on by Spike that is being fully restored. Objective is to have a UK RHD matching numbers car in its original silver, interior etc with a few modern upgrades eg brakes, suspension, as a ‘nod to’/recognition of, its racing history.
 

ben240z

Club Member
Eddie Truman is/was from Dorchester area and is/was friendly with Win Percy, Win had his garage in Weymouth then . I bought some stuff from him years ago when he was clearing out a barn. He did have a race car then but it was partly covered up so did not get to see all of it. I also bought a rolling shell from him.

I have not got contact details for him anymore but may be able to trace him and then either ask him about the race car or pass your details on to him.

Where are you based?
 

Kieronpollock

Club Member
What you say makes sense. The car was bought by him at Weyvalley Garage in Weymouth as is confirmed by the stickers on the rear hatch glass still with the car. The car has not been on the road since 1984 but May of course been raced after that.
The previous owner is a friend of his nephew; I’ve asked him to see if he could get a write up from Eddie but am in his hands as to whether that will materialise. I was hoping, separately to get info on the car’s racing results hence the reason for original question.
It’s great to be able to have this dialogue, I’m new to full restos and the Z world. The history is important both to myself but the car will also be used on charity drives as part of Sporting Bears and any additional info just makes it more attractive to individuals to donate to get a drive. I would also like to show it to Eddie once a it’s completed so getting his contact info at some point will be necessary
I’m based near Swindon Wiltshire, my body shop guy is in Weymouth and both worked on the car and is generally aware of its racing pedigree
 

ben240z

Club Member
Wey valley garage I believe is/was Wyn's garage.

From memoriy Eddie did a few hill climbs with the car, I think most likely to be Wiscombe Park nr Honiton. I don't recall him talking about any circuits.

I would start trawling through the BARC results from Thruxton to see if the name/car appears. Wyn would have been driving for Spike most likely in Big Sam before moving into Mazdas. Therefore the logical place to start would be the modsports ( i think Blue Circle Cement series) and search for spike anderson or samuri conversions and you may find other 240s running in the race. As Spike was based at Silverstone those meetings would make sense
 

ben240z

Club Member
Why did you post photos of the other 2 cars in your original post? Did they come with the car? If not where did you find them as I don't recall seeing them before.
The red white and blue photo is definitely around the late 70s early 80s from the cars in the background.
 

Kieronpollock

Club Member
The three photos were provided to me by the previous owner (along with the brief history) and are images of three framed pictures of the same car JUV110K ie just in different livery. I am trying to acquire the originals as part of the history request I’ve made.
The more recent photos are the car as it is today post body work and respray
 

sam rich@sjr

Forum User
My dad was John from fourways

speaking with my mum she said when dad brought the janspeed car from janspeed he also purchased the bodywork moulds along with other Datsun z parts . ( This was before I came along in 1981 when dad decided he couldn’t risk competing in competition any more and the car was left in the workshop until sold several years later .)
Dad and the team at fourways built several cars with The janspeed body kit fitted for customers ,from racing to fast road cars .
The body kits were also sold to customers separately.
Along with the suspension set up also fitted to a well known racing z at the time .
 

Kieronpollock

Club Member
Thanks for the info Sam. So the original owner of my car, Eddie Trueman could have had your dad fit the Janspeed body kit l, install the sport suspension which I’ve had confirmed was on the car and could possibly have worked on the engine which my engine builder has confirmed has definitely been worked on by a specialist including fully balancing it?
 

ben240z

Club Member
My dad was John from fourways

speaking with my mum she said when dad brought the janspeed car from janspeed he also purchased the bodywork moulds along with other Datsun z parts . ( This was before I came along in 1981 when dad decided he couldn’t risk competing in competition any more and the car was left in the workshop until sold several years later .)
Dad and the team at fourways built several cars with The janspeed body kit fitted for customers ,from racing to fast road cars .
The body kits were also sold to customers separately.
Along with the suspension set up also fitted to a well known racing z at the time .
Hi Sam, the car was sold to Paul Sedburn in road going form in 1983, painted white with the number 666 on the doors, and then Paul sold it to Alan Curruthers in 1986.

Kierron, if Eddie raced against the car then it must have been either with John Rich ( 79 to 81), Paul Sedburn ( 83 to 86) or Alan Curruthers ( 86 to 94)
John as far as I can make out did some sprints at Brands Hatch and at least 1 hill climb at Bodium in Kent.
Paul from what he has told me managed a race at Brands Hatch and another at Snetterton.
Alan competed at Shelsley Walsh, Prescott, Loton Park, Gurston Down hill climbs and then did various track days until his untimely death in 1995

The first time the car went to Wiscombe Park hill climb ( Eddie's local hill) was early 2000s when I took it down there.

Janspeed had Alec Poole drive the car at 1 race at Thruxton in 1978 and it is the only Datsun 240Z on the grid in that race

The photos of the car you have posted I think have been taken on a sprint on an airfield probably somewhere in Devon or Cornwall.

Keep digging :)

Ben
 
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