23rd Jul, 2008 13:30

The Pavilion Gardens

 
  Lot 76
 

1955/57 Lister Sports Racer

Sold for £129,375

(including buyers premium)


Lot details
Registration No: DEN 275
Chassis No: BHL9
Mot Expiry: None

As a trained engineer and director of George Lister & Sons - a metal working firm founded by his grandfather that made everything from garden gates to bridges - Brian Lister was better placed than most to become a racing car manufacturer. Able to draw on the engine tuning expertise and supreme driving skills of Don Moore and Archie Scott Brown respectively (both fellow Cambridge University Automobile Club members) he set about designing a 'cutting edge' sports racer in late 1953. Unveiled to the press the following March, the prototype Lister (chassis number 'BHL 1') boasted an unusual 'kite shaped' ladder-frame chassis. Formed from three-inch diameter steel tubing, its side members kinked out around the driver and passenger seats so as to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible. While, efforts to reduce unsprung weight included mounting the rear Alfin drum brakes inboard (either side of a Salisbury differential). Further benefiting from a sophisticated coil-over suspension set-up (independent double-wishbone front / sliding block located de Dion tube rear) and rack and pinion steering, the newcomer was powered by a Don Moore prepared 1500cc XPAG MG engine. With Archie Scott Brown behind the wheel, it won first time out at Snetterton on April 3rd 1954 (accruing a lead of 56 seconds in just five laps).

Ever mindful of the harm a major racing accident could do to his family's core business, Brian Lister refused to build a featherweight car. Thus, despite its handling prowess and Scott Brown's inspired helming, the Lister-MG was often eclipsed by Lotus opposition. Confident that the design could handle more power, Lister built a second machine (chassis number 'BHL 2') to which Moore fitted a breathed-on 1971cc Bristol straight-six engine. The result was little short of sensational. Making its debut during the British Grand Prix meeting at Silverstone on July 17th 1954, the Lister-Bristol was entered for the unlimited sports car race. Responding faithfully to Scott Brown's every command, it finished fifth overall (1st in class) behind three Aston Martin DB3S racers and the Lagonda DP115 V12 car but ahead of no fewer than eight Jaguar C-types. By the season's end, Lister had another five 1st places and nine 2nd places to its credit not to mention a growing order book. Priced at £465 plus tax, the production Lister chassis was differentiated from its Works equivalent by a revised rear suspension layout, hub-height mounted steering rack and Jack Turner 12-inch drum brakes. Although, most customers opted to install Bristol engines in the hope of emulating Scott Brown's success (he would score a further thirteen victories aboard 'BHL 2' in 1955), a few, like John Horridge, chose other powerplants.

According to a profile piece written by K. Heeley that appeared in the December 1958 issue of the 'Lancashire & Cheshire Motorist's Monthly' magazine:

"For 1955, John purchased a Lister fitted with a new 1.5 litre Riley engine bought in the days when that now famous firm was still in its infancy. But try as he might, he seemed unable to recapture his form of the previous season and due somewhat to the advent of newer cars such as the 'preposterously fast' Lotus and the introduction of 1500cc engines such as the Coventry-Climax unit being produced was never in the money".

Wearing a distinctive Rochdale alloy body, Horridge's mount for 1954 had been the Jehu-Riley. A well resolved Special that carried him to second place overall at the May 1954 24 Heures Grand Prix de Paris Bol D'Or, it was outclassed some weeks later by a certain Archie Scott Brown aboard the Lister-MG during the Half Litre Club's July 10th Oulton Park meeting.

Enlisting the help of fellow Lancastrian and former Le Mans finisher Geoffrey Beetson, Horridge got chassis number 'BHL 9' road registered as 'DEN 275' on 9th May 1955. Lining up for what would be the last ever Bol D'Or motor car race six days later, the Lister-Riley faced Porsche 550, Maserati A6GCS, Ferrari Mondial 500 and Gordini T15S opposition. Forced into retirement by a big-end failure, the sports racer fared little better upon its return to the UK. Indeed, by the season's end Beetson seems to have become disenchanted with the whole enterprise. Undeterred, Horridge had the Lister re-engineered for 1956 with a Bristol engine and while their first few outings were unspectacular, car and driver soon picked up momentum. Though, not before they had retired from the Reims 12 Heures held as part of the 42nd Grand Prix de l'ACF meeting on June 30th 1956. Autosport magazine commenting as follows:

"Then there was John Horridge's Lister-Bristol which was going to be co-driven by David Piper instead of Archie Scott Brown as listed on the programme: this car was really completed in the paddock during the first race! . . . Before half an hour of racing was over David Piper brought the Lister into the pits with a broken clutch-actuating hydraulic cylinder and the harassed pit crew started fitting a new component which was installed in about three-quarters of an hour! . . . Another retirement was John Horridge and David Piper with the Lister which was sadly abandoned in the paddock with a dismantled cylinder head after blowing a gasket".

Thankfully 'DEN 275' was much better behaved for the rest of the 1956 season finishing 6th behind Maurice Charles' Jaguar C-type at Brands Hatch (Television Trophy, August 6th), 2nd in class to Archie Scott Brown's Lister-Maserati at Oulton Park (Daily Herald Trophy, August 18th), 4th and then 6th behind Austen Nurse's Lister-Bristol and Max Trimble's Jaguar C-type respectively at Silverstone (North Staffs MC, October 6th), 1st in class behind Keith Hall's Lotus XI at Snetterton (Redex Trophy, October 7th) and 3rd behind Stuart Lewis-Evans' Cooper Norton at Brands Hatch (Fibreglass bodied handicap, October 14th).

The 19th British Empire Trophy Race held at Oulton Park on April 6th 1957 must have been particularly galling for Horridge. Having qualified on the front row of the grid ahead of Allan Moore (Lister-Maserati), Bill Frost (Lotus Eleven Climax), Gil Baird (Lister-Bristol, 'BHL 14') and Arthur Owen (Cooper T39 Climax) etc, he looked poised for a strong result until lap 19 when a sudden coolant loss cut short his afternoon. Enjoying something of a purple patch thereafter with 1st (Brands Hatch, April 21st), 2nd (Brands Hatch, May 19th) and 3rd (Oulton Park, May 25th) places, 'DEN 275' even graced the front cover of the programme for the BRSCC's June 9th 1957 Brands Hatch meeting. Despite what Autosport magazine referred to as its 'homely aspect', the fibreglass bodied car again performed well taking fifth place overall in the 10-lap sports car race. After another strong showing at the Leinster Trophy on July 13th, the Lister-Bristol took to the grid at Snetterton for the Vanwall Trophy meeting some fifteen days later. While dicing with the Loti of Brian Naylor, Gawaine Baillie and Mike Parkes, Horridge was punted off the track by Lance Reventlow's Maserati. As part of his profile piece on Horridge, K. Heeley recounted the accident in detail:

"The Lister overturned with its driver still aboard and in consequence John landed up in hospital with fractures to his neck vertebrae, nose and collar bones. The car was a complete (if that is the word) 'write off', the fibreglass body just disintegrating. Much to everybody's surprise he was soon up and about again in fact only ten days after the 'contretemps' and announced that not only would he be driving in competition once more, but he would do so at the Silverstone International meeting, six short weeks later. So all the remains, and there were many, of the last car were bundled into the transporter and rushed down to the Lister Works in Cambridge. A quick discussion was held with Brian Lister and he managed to fix the 'Equipe' up with the parts it required. By the usual process of burning innumerable gallons of 'midnight oil' another car with a new chassis and the ex-Allan Moore body began to take shape under the hands of the 'Ecurie Bullfrog' mechanics led by Stanley Newhouse. The Bristol engine had to be completely rebuilt before it could be put in the chassis, but to cut a long story short, both the car and her pilot were ready in time".

As things transpired the new look 'DEN 275' did not run at Silverstone (though, it did pick up a 1st in class at Charterhall a week later). Intriguingly, the account that Horridge gave to the 'Lancashire & Cheshire Motorist's Monthly' with regard to the Lister's reincarnation differs from what he told Doug Nye when the renowned motoring historian was writing 'Powered by Jaguar, The Cooper, HWM, Lister & Tojeiro sports-racing cars':

"Horridge broke his neck in this incident and his Lister-Bristol - which wore a glass-fibre body moulded by Rochdale's from a Connaught pattern - was written off. In 1980, running a Ford parts centre in Chorley, Lancashire, John recalled: 'I replaced it with the ex-Allan Moore Lister-Bristol chassis, which I bought from Brian Lister with a flat-iron body'. So that is where the original 'VPP 9' frame went to . . . Issard-Davies had part-exchanged it with Lister for the ex-Works Maserati-engined 'MER 303', which Moore was driving for him that 1957 season".

The Buckinghamshire number plate 'VPP 9' originally appeared on a Lister when Allan Moore registered his Bristol-engined car (chassis number 'BHL 3') as a 'private tourer' on May 4th 1955. As well as being the first production chassis, 'BHL 3' was also the first Lister to wear Thom Lucas-styled aluminium bodywork (complete with in-curled tailfins and prominent front wheelarch 'eyebrows'). For all its 'Dan Dare' curves, this futuristic shape still had a comparatively large frontal area. Thus, for the Lister-Maserati and its 'flatiron' derivatives, the Cambridge firm drew inspiration from a model that Don Moore had turned up of Colonel Goldie Gardener's famous record-breaking MG EX 179. Although, the short-stroke Maserati engine with its side-draught carburettors lent itself to a far more elegant bonnet shape than the taller triple Solex topped Bristol unit. We have been unable to find any evidence that the Allan Moore Lister-Bristol was fitted with a 'flatiron' body prior to it being part-exchanged for the Lister-Maserati in 1957. However, when Issard-Davies / Moore traded-in the car they surrendered any claim to either the chassis number 'BHL 3' or the registration number 'VPP 9' (both of which became Lister's property and were used on a hereditary basis).

Just as the original buff logbook which accompanies 'DEN 275' states that it was "built from old and new spare parts" so Horridge may well have been sympathetic to accepting the ex-Allan Moore chassis minus any identifying numbers. Given how protective Brian Lister was towards the good name of George Lister & Sons Ltd, it is unlikely that he would have released a chassis numbered as 'BHL 3' into private hands when that number had been adopted by the Works. There were undoubted advantages in terms of the contemporary purchase tax and carnet restrictions to Lister utilising the 'BHL 3' / 'VPP 9' numbers and Horridge already had an established identity for the rebuilt car. From what we can gather, it seems likely that the turn of events which Horridge outlined for Doug Nye in 1980 was not a distorted memory but rather the unfettered truth. Certainly the drum brakes which 'DEN 275' retains to this day are compelling evidence that it was reconstructed using a 1955-specification chassis like 'BHL 3' as opposed to a 1957-type one (the cars produced by Lister in 1956 featured both 'flatiron' bodywork and four-wheel disc brakes). Whatever the precise ins and outs of its rejuvenation; 'DEN 275' was back in action for the 20th Empire Trophy Race at Oulton Park on April 12th 1958. Qualifying on the third row for Heat 2 (1100cc - 2000cc) ahead of J.W. Higham's Lotus and A. Digby's OSCA, Horridge's fastest practice lap of 2 minutes 10.4 seconds was just 3.4 seconds slower than that recorded by P. Whitehead in a Lister-Jaguar. During the race itself 'DEN 275' was forced to take to the escape road at high speed after it ran out of brakes!

Equally luckless on the Continent, the 'flatiron' bodied car retired from the May 5th 1958 Grand Prix des Frontieres at Chimay too. Taken to Germany for the Nurburgring 1000km the following month, the Lister-Bristol found itself ignominiously abandoned in the paddock when Horridge was offered a Lotus co-drive. Perhaps conscious of the rear-engined revolution that was spreading from Formula 1 to sports car racing, Horridge placed an advert for 'DEN 275' in the August 8th 1958 issue of Autosport which read as follows:

"Lister Bristol. BS4 engine. Body ex-Allan Moore, just completely rebuilt, full Appendix C, several spares, £1,000".

Sadly, there were no takers and the car remained sidelined with an oil pressure fault until 1964. Recommissioned by Anthony Taylor who subsequently campaigned it at various Oulton Park and Aintree meetings, the old warhorse then passed to D. Cunningham of Rochdale, Lancs. Able to prolong its racing career for another few years thanks to sponsorship from a Mr Barlow (or so an accompanying hand written log would imply), 'DEN 275' was briefly owned by John A Brown of Padham, Lancs before being bought by the vendor's late husband in August 1969. Joining a stable that already included a Mini Cooper and Lotus Cortina MKI, the Lister-Bristol participated in various sprints and hillclimbs during 1969 - 1970 including the Castle Howard Gunther Trophy, Scarborough hillclimb, BARC Harewood hillclimb and MG Car Club Northeaster Top Cliff Sprint etc. Laid-up nearly forty years ago, the sports racer was later stripped with the intention of restoring it - a process that has yet to happen. Overall the Lister appears to be basically complete. However, the contents of its engine, gearbox and back axle etc have not been verified.

Wiser heads than ours have advised us that the Bristol engine is something of a 'Heinz 57' concoction with a Cooper-Bristol magnesium alloy sump, gear-driven camshafts, '20.1.55' date stamped block and non-matching cylinder head etc. The rear spring / damper units have been replaced with angle-iron sections and the nominal two-seater sports a crude rollover bar which it seems to have acquired during the late 1960s. While, other incongruous features encompass Lucas sidelights which are entirely hidden by the 'flatiron' bodywork. An intriguing prospect, this Lister is potentially eligible for some of the world's most prestigious historic racing events. A potential front runner in a drum-braked up to 2-litre series, 'DEN 275' is worthy of close inspection.

Please Note: The above account of DEN 275's history is by no means definitive and we would ask potential purchasers to satisfy themselves as to its provenance (for example the race results listed have been drawn from a variety of different sources some of which may prove more accurate than others).

John Horridge 1926 - 1987

Born in Bury, Lancashire on February 1st 1926 (the same year as Brian Lister), John Walter Stuart Schofield Horridge began his competitive career in some style with a Grand Prix Bugatti. A bon viveur who was arguably more adept at popping champagne corks than tightening wheel nuts, he is remembered with great affection to this day. A former director of the calico printers, Horridge & Cornwall, his Elton Lodge home was supposedly a Mecca for gently decaying Vintage cars during the 1950s / 1960s. Once erroneously credited with achieving the fastest lap aboard 'DEN 275'at a Continental race meeting, Horridge displayed considerable ingenuity when it came to concealing the prize (100 bottles of champagne) from UK customs officials. Though, he did treat a number of fellow competitors to impromptu champagne breakfasts at the next event. Never one to take himself too seriously, the Lancastrian often raced under the Ecurie Bullfrog banner.

Doug Nye on John Horridge:

"Horridge's cars - I have been told - were notoriously scruffily presented and poorly prepared and one works team principal recalled how - at Montlhery, I think - Horridge came storming into the pits, slammed on his brakes and juddered to a stop while both headlights popped out of their mountings to dangle from their wires, having never been screwed-in securely".

Known Competition History (1955 - 1958):

Key:
ELO = Entry List Only (race result unknown) i/c = in class
DNS = Did Not Start o/a = overall

1955

5th May Bol D'Or 24-hours Grand Prix de Paris, Montlhery Retired
1st August Air Kruise Trophy, Brands Hatch ELO
14th August West Essex International Meeting, Snetterton ELO
3rd Sep. Autumn International Race Meeting, Aintree 13th

1956

14th April British Empire Trophy, Oulton Park DNS
23rd June Aintree '100' Meeting Retired
30th June 42nd Grand Prix de l'ACF, 12-hours Reims Retired
6th August Television Trophy, Brands Hatch 6th
18th August Daily Herald Trophy, Oulton Park 12th (2nd i/c)
6th October North Staffs MC, Silverstone 4th
6th October North Staffs MC, Silverstone 6th
7th October National Snetterton Handicap 3rd
7th October Redex Trophy, Snetterton 1st i/c
14th October Brands Hatch Fibreglass Bodied Handicap 3rd
1957

6th April British Empire Trophy, Oulton Park Retired
21st April Easter Meeting, Brands Hatch 1st
19th May BRSCC Meeting, Brands Hatch 2nd
25th May Lancaster & Cheshire CC, Oulton Park 3rd
9th June Brands Hatch 5th o/a
10th June Crystal Palace Retired
13th July Leinster Trophy 6th (Heat 2)
27th July National Snetterton Crashed
14th Sep Daily Express International Trophy, Silverstone ELO
21st Sep Charterhall 1st i/c

1958

12th April British Empire Trophy, Oulton Park Retired
5th May Grand Prix des Frontieres, Chimay Retired
1st June Nurburgring 1000kms ELO

H&H are indebted to the following for their assistance in the preparation of this catalogue description: Terry Harrison, John Dabbs, Nigel Wills and David Piper.
 

All successful bids must be paid in full by midday the day after the auction at the latest.

You can collect your new pride and joy from our venue until 1pm the day following the sale or our partners are on hand to help arrange safe transportation:

               

Auction: The Pavilion Gardens, 23rd Jul, 2008

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