1st Mar, 2007 0:00
The Centaur
1946/7 Iota Milli-Union Formula 3 Single Seater
Estimated at £14,000 - £16,000
Lot details
Registration No: N/A
Chassis No: 002
Mot Expiry: N/A
Iota Cars came into being thanks to the efforts of Dick Caesar, a leading light in the Bristol-based CAPA organisation which foreshadowed the '500' movement. A collaborator in the fearsome rear-engined, twin-cylinder JAP-powered Freikaiserwagen that made so spectacular an impression on pre-war sprints, Caesar was wholeheartedly committed to the notion of low cost, high thrills '500' competition. To this end, he used his position as a member of the Bristol Aeroplane Co.'s Motor Club technical panel to circulate detailed drawings for a home build '500' racer. Among those who pounced on his schematics was one G.H. Millington, a local telephone engineer with a love of motorcycle racing.
Thought to have been the second car built from Caesar's drawings and one of the very earliest '500' cars in existence, the 'Milli-Union' - as Millington (or 'Milli'-ngton) christened his Iota creation - was raced extensively over the next few years. Known to have competed at the Naish Hillclimb, Weston-Super-Mare Speed Trials, Lulsgate Airport Race Meetings, Prescott Hillclimb and the inaugural Castle Combe Race Meeting, the single-seater was also invited to participate in the '500' support race ahead of the 1950 British Grand Prix (Silverstone). Sold by its constructor to Edward Perrett of Bristol in late 1952, the car was subsequently fitted with a Triumph Twin engine. Laid-up behind a garden shed when Perrett's eye sight started to fail, the Iota was somewhat forlorn by the time it next changed hands in 2002. Reportedly treated to an extensive restoration over the last few years including the construction of "a new chassis as per the original done with the approval of the '500' Owners' Association", the Milli-Union has also benefited from an overhauled Triumph 500cc Twin engine and gearbox, new polished aluminium bodywork, refurbished wheels / hubs, fresh Dunlop racing tyres, new twin main tanks (foam filled) and a replacement sprint / hillclimb tank. Said to have only been used for one sprint meeting since work was completed, the single-seater is potentially eligible for those Goodwood Revival Meetings which feature 500cc Historic Formula 3 Racing.
Registration No: N/A
Chassis No: 002
Mot Expiry: N/A
Iota Cars came into being thanks to the efforts of Dick Caesar, a leading light in the Bristol-based CAPA organisation which foreshadowed the '500' movement. A collaborator in the fearsome rear-engined, twin-cylinder JAP-powered Freikaiserwagen that made so spectacular an impression on pre-war sprints, Caesar was wholeheartedly committed to the notion of low cost, high thrills '500' competition. To this end, he used his position as a member of the Bristol Aeroplane Co.'s Motor Club technical panel to circulate detailed drawings for a home build '500' racer. Among those who pounced on his schematics was one G.H. Millington, a local telephone engineer with a love of motorcycle racing.
Thought to have been the second car built from Caesar's drawings and one of the very earliest '500' cars in existence, the 'Milli-Union' - as Millington (or 'Milli'-ngton) christened his Iota creation - was raced extensively over the next few years. Known to have competed at the Naish Hillclimb, Weston-Super-Mare Speed Trials, Lulsgate Airport Race Meetings, Prescott Hillclimb and the inaugural Castle Combe Race Meeting, the single-seater was also invited to participate in the '500' support race ahead of the 1950 British Grand Prix (Silverstone). Sold by its constructor to Edward Perrett of Bristol in late 1952, the car was subsequently fitted with a Triumph Twin engine. Laid-up behind a garden shed when Perrett's eye sight started to fail, the Iota was somewhat forlorn by the time it next changed hands in 2002. Reportedly treated to an extensive restoration over the last few years including the construction of "a new chassis as per the original done with the approval of the '500' Owners' Association", the Milli-Union has also benefited from an overhauled Triumph 500cc Twin engine and gearbox, new polished aluminium bodywork, refurbished wheels / hubs, fresh Dunlop racing tyres, new twin main tanks (foam filled) and a replacement sprint / hillclimb tank. Said to have only been used for one sprint meeting since work was completed, the single-seater is potentially eligible for those Goodwood Revival Meetings which feature 500cc Historic Formula 3 Racing.
Auction: The Centaur, 1st Mar, 2007
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