Gauld: Tec-Mec and other Oddities

pete — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 23:46:09 +0000

Barrie Baxter lifts a wheel of the Tec-Mec when trying to hold off young Will Nuthall in the ex-Bob Gerard Cooper-Bristol.

Story and photos by Graham Gauld

From the Archives, November 2011. This was Graham’s second column for VeloceToday; his latest is featured in this week’s edition as well. Furthermore, last week Jeff Allison’ article elicited some remembrances of the Maserati Tec-Mec. Here Gauld provides another perspective.

I have been humbled by the response to the first column and only hope I can keep you entertained for a few more months. I think one of the problems is that each chance meeting or race meeting provides an opportunity to dig out even more stories to flesh out information we have on some of the odder pieces of motor sport history. They might otherwise disappear when boring old farts like me arrive at the eventual pit stop hopefully in the sky.

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Mimmo Dei’s Scuderia Centro Sud

pete — Tue, 21 May 2024 01:59:48 +0000

Story by Graham Gauld

If you were a journeyman racing driver or a tyro and lived near Modena, Guglielmo Dei’s Scuderia Centro Sud had many attractions.

First of all, it was a driver’s school, but it was also a club with its own clubhouse in a small villa at 646 via Emilia Ovest. There, you could sit at tables under the trees and talk motor racing or perhaps share stories of how you had driven a racing car on the nearby Modena Autodromo.

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Silverstone Classic Part 1

pete — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 13:54:07 +0000

In my mind the best looking car in the race was this Maserati 250S. Driven to fifth place in the race by Stretton and Wilson.

Photos and Story by Jonathan Sharp

Back from a very long day (July 30th) at this year’s Silverstone Classic. It’s funny I had looked at the few entry lists that I could find on line and was not that fired up about attending, especially at 5am on Saturday morning when my alarm went off. Yet I had a great day and I wish I could have attended for more than just the Saturday.

The Silverstone circuit area is vast, being as it was once an RAF bomber Command base during WW2. As the grids for each race are also vast, the race entries have to be spread across the two paddock areas, the new and somewhat sterile International paddock known as the wing complex, and the much more traditional National paddock. As the paddocks are at least two miles away from each other this means unless you like hiking, having to either flag down a double Decker bus, or if you are lucky, a VIP car to get you between each paddock. Not ideal if you are a mechanic with cars located in both paddocks!

The Classic event is much more than just a series of races each day. Over the weekend the infield area is packed out with one-make car club displays; a free funfair and a Ferris wheel, a shopping village, the inevitable classic car auction, and even a concert area for the free evening of rock music concerts. I imagine you could actually spend the whole day there and not even see a race unless you happen to catch sight of some of the action on one of the many large TV screens located around the infield area.

Read Part 2

Click here for full results

Below are races by classes.

RAC Woodcote trophy for pre 1956 sports cars

Matthew Holmes Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS was unfortunately a non-finisher.

Jaguar C Type which in the hands of Rudiger and Freidrichs finished a commendable seventh.

The much-campaigned Jaguar D Type of the Pearson’s finished the race In tenth place.

Chris Ward’s winning Cooper Jaguar may not as elegant as a C or D Type but looks do not count for much when racing is concerned.

Steve Brooks’ curvy Aston Martin DB3S.

Aston Martin DB3 Coupe chassis DB/7. The only DB3 built as a coupe from new. Now in the hands of U and A Muller.

A welcome sight at any race track, David Cottingham’s ex-Jaques Swaters Ecurie Nationale Belge 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC. RHD Spyder Scaglietti Chassis 0682.

Barry and Tony Woods took third place in the Woodcote Trophy behind two Cooper T33s in their RGS Atalanta.

RAC Tourist trophy for historic cars (pre 1963)

A very rare sight in the UK, The McGlone – Clegg Abarth Bialbero.

The Franchitti – Knill Jones Alfa Romeo TZ1 expired on lap two but great to see anyway.

Winner of the RAC Tourist Trophy race, the Friedrichs – Hadfield Aston Martin DB4 GT.

And in second place the Blakeney Edwards – Hunt AC Cobra.

Finishing on the third step of the podium, Jeremy and James Cottingham’s steel bodied Jaguar E Type.

The Ferrari 250 Breadvan of M & L Halusa. An early front runner but ultimately finishing fourth.

Stirling Moss Trophy for Pre 1961 Sports Cars

Ferrari 246S of Verdon-Roe won the Stirling Moss Trophy for Pre 61 Sports Cars.

In second place in the Lister Costin Jaguar of Richard Kent.

The Lister Knobbly of Lewis/McIntyre finished fourth in a 2,3, 4 finish for Listers.

The Maserati trophy for HGPCA Pre 1966 Grand Prix cars

Matteo Maria Tullio in a Cooper T51 (finished in 11th) and Peter Mullin in a BRM 261 (finished 13th) head towards Copse corner.

Paul Grant’s front-engined Cooper Bristol MK2 (19) and Anthony Goddard’s rear-engined Cooper Alta T56/69.

Fred Harper’s Kurtis KK500 Indy roadster, a contrast in size to the diminutive Coopers and Lotus.

You cannot have an HGPCA Pre 66 Grand Prix cars race without at least one Maserati 250F! This is Klaus Lehr’s example.

Tony Wood in his front-engineed Maserati Tec Mec and Sid Hoole Cooper in his rear-engined Cooper T66 battle it out for 8th and 9th with Hoole finishing ahead.

Variety is a key ingredient when making up a grid, ably demonstrated by Richard Pilkington’s Talbot T26SS. It is not the winning that counts, it’s the taking part.

International Trophy for classic GT cars (pre 1966)

With a 58 car grid the start of the International Trophy for GT cars resembled the M25 motorway on a Monday morning.

Four out of the five top places in the International Trophy for Classic GT cars were taken by AC Cobras. First place went to the AC Daytona Cobra Coupe of Voyazides and Hadfield.

I know I have shot Roger Willis’s 11th placed Bizzarini 5300 GT before but the light was good and I like the car.

The Friedrichs Mallock Aston Martin DP214 project car.

By late evening the light was just so good; Chris Beighton’s Sunbeam Lister Tiger Le Mans.

The Hans Huebner E Type.

Garage Shots

Alfa 156.

Ferrari 500 TRC.

Ferrari Daytona.

Ligier-Matra F1.

250F

Tyrrell and Williams

VeloceToday.com

Gauld: Tec-Mec and other Oddities

Mimmo Dei’s Scuderia Centro Sud

Silverstone Classic Part 1