Visit to Filching Manor Motor Museum

[Pullman99]

It will be on Sunday 12th June 2011, meeting at the Karting Track 12.30 - 13.00. Cost will be £5.00 per head (which will go to the Motor Museum).Anyone who can't make the 12th, please p.m. me Regards, Fred Blois

Hi Fred,

All being well two of us Thrusters should be there! I've sent you a PM.

Ian

[lsrdatabase]

Hi All,

I would just like to say thanks, to all who made the trip down to Filching today. I think everyone enjoyed themselves, I certainly did, dispite the weather. It makes it all worth arranging, when you get a nice group. I think there were eleven today, as compared to one, two years ago on the last visit.

Thank you chaps, and chap'eses!

'I'm just that bloke, who won't go away!'

[Pullman99]

Just a quick thank you from me and Chris to Fred for organising the gathering at Filching Manor yesterday. Truly fascinating exhibits - Campbell material as wll as all of the others. A highlight for me was seeing Blue Bird K3 for the first time since it was on show at Thopre Park. Even found the Thrust "team pic" from 1991! Will try to post some pics when I have more time later in the week.

[Pullman99]

Been a bit of arun-around week but, as promised, here are some pics from the visit to Filching on the 12th June. Huge thanks to Fred and to Karl Foulkes-Halbard for allowing this glimpse behind closed doors. Greatly appreciated.

Thinking about my previous visit in 1991, I think that Blue Bird K3 was behind a tarpaulin in another part of the workshop that its stored in now so may have also seen it then. Must try and find my Thorpe Park pics too. Anyway, this is K3 now and currently fitted with a Rover Meteor (tank version of the ubiquitous RR Merlin) engine. I understand that it is still intended to run K3 at some point. It is displayed as run at Lake Hallwil in 1938 (130.86 mph).













this is R37 on its display stand where, presumably, it's been for many years as it appears in many exhibition photographs including in Australia in 1964.



The "plug" model of K7





And, finally... one or two bits from K7



Model of the De Havilland Goblin powered K4 in the case too!



K7's harness and headrest





There's lots more, including important teamwear and paper items and some very interesting models. Plus, of course, items removed from CN7 prior to 1964 including the tailfin camera.

No doubt the various debates on this highly important collection will continue but these pics are posted as a record of a fascinating visit.

[ace_chris]

Hi Ian, Thanks for the pictures - all very interesting. Re the harness, I bet someones got it squirrelled away somewhere, maybe in the village? In terms of what is publically available re Bluebird I think is only the tip of the iceberg, loads of unseen pictures/film/memorobillia out there. Perhaps this stuff will come to market when K7 is more in the public domain and its value increases?

[f1steveuk]

The harness from Jan' 4th is at Filching, the one in the picture Ian has posted is from CN7.

It's been a fair few years since I worked on K3, those pictures certainly brought back some memories! R37 is looking a little tatty, I once had that stripped down (as much as possible as we didn't have the unique tool kit for it), it's beautiful inside there!!

Finally, Ian, is the 633 Club meeting picture the one we all signed? That was supposed to have been auctioned for Don Wales' GOSH charity!!!

[f1steveuk]

I think Mike, that the harnes was taken down after Tonia visited. The model of the K4 slipper (and another of the '35 Blue Bird car) came into the collection from Tonia (a long and twisted story involving a visit from her then husband Bill Maynard which was quite, er, interesting!). She wasn't keen seeing it on display (which is why her being at K7's recovery surprised me a little), niether was Jean Wales (they both asked me not to have pictures of the crash in 'Leap' for similar reasons), although Jean could see that some would like to see it. If I recall correctly, there were a couple of stretched, deformed bolts still in the mounting plates.

I see in the background of the harness picture, my old Marlboro team jacket from my F3 days, forgot that was there!!

I also see they now have a spare Rover Meteor engine, the first one started up once when it was still hanging off the lifting chains.......................

[Renegadenemo]

They'll be the ones from the lower hardpoints that weren't actually attached to anything...

[Mentallica]

Thanks for posting the pictures from Filching Museum, much appreciated.

[Renegadenemo]

I've never seen the supposed accident harness but I had heard that it's mysteriously regrown its severed strap. It was attached at the top with bolts through the F-15 upper crossmember but the bottom two fixings may as well have been tucked into Donald's socks for all the strength they had. Both the lower points and the upper left point pulled straight out leaving the harness attached (just) by the upper right fixing from which the divers later cut it in its still-fastened condition. The remaining fixing along with a short length of belt was still bolted to the F-15 crossmember when we lifted the wreck.