Grote Prijs van Zandvoort

Zandvoort, 31 Jul 1949

All cars are 1.5-litre s/c F1 or 4.5-litre F1^† unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Ferrari 125 [12C] (Luigi Villoresi): One of two works 125s built for the start of 1949, 12C was also used as a F2 car early in the season. It may be the car used by Sommer in 1950 but as it had been rebodied, it is not possibly to identify. It may be the car renumbered #0104 and sold to Peter Staechelin for 1951.
2. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1601] (Emmanuel de Graffenried): To Enrico Platé for 1949 (dated 7 Mar 1949 in Maserati records) and driven by Emmanuel de Graffenried. Continued as de Graffenried's well-used car through 1950 and 1951. Probably one of two cars extensively rebuilt as Plate-Maseratis for 1952. Probably raced by Ottorino Volonterio in F2 in 1953. Sold with the sister car (probably 1598) by de Graffenried to 20th Century Fox for film work then sold again via Tom Carstens (Tacoma, WA). Subsequent history unknown.
3. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1598] ("B Bira"): Maserati records show this car going to 'B. Bira' 23 Sep 1948. Bira raced 1948 British GP, 1949 Argentine Temporada and 1949 European season. Retained 1950 being used as Platé team car from Pescara. Raced by Harry Schell for Enrico Platé in 1951 then becoming one of two cars extensively rebuilt as Platé-Maseratis for 1952. Probably raced by Giovanni de Riu in F2 in 1953. Then sold via de Graffenried to 20th Century Fox for film work and then acquired by Tom Carstens (Tacoma, WA). Subsequent history unknown.
4. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1602] (Giuseppe Farina): Maserati records show this car going to Nino Farina on 15 Jun 1949. Raced by Farina in 1949 and used as a spare car in 1950 Argentine Temporada series. Note that the 1602 chassis plate appears to have been used on 1609.
5. Talbot T26C [110 008] (Philippe Étancelin): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 008' was Philippe Etancelin's car in 1948 and then passed to Jean Achard November 1950. Achard moved to Brazil, taking the car, and sold it there to Pinheiro Pires who raced it in Brazil from 1951 to 1954. Remains to UK via Colin Crabbe in the 1980s and then via other UK owners to Tony Bianchi c1999. Has been raced in historics up to 2005.
6. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1596] (Reg Parnell): Maserati records list this as Reg Parnell's car dated 14 Sep 1948. Raced by Parnell from 1949 to 1951, under the Scuderia Ambrosiana banner in 1950 and 1951, also by Hampshire in 1951. Sold or leased to Bobby Baird mid-1951 and then sometime after 1952 sold to Count Johnny Lurani. Lurani sold it in 1955 to Pat Hoare in New Zealand where it raced until the mid-1960s and then spent many years in the Queenstown Motor Museum. It was sold in 1982 and returned to Europe in 1989. Sold at auction a number of times in the late 1980s and 1990s. Owned by Max Lustenberger (Switzerland) from 1999. Retained 2004.
7. ERA B Type [R14B] (Bob Gerard): Johnny Wakefield 1938-39 and then Bob Gerard's main ERA from 1946 to 1953. Then via Jimmy Stuart to Donald Day in 1959. Apart from a short period, Day has owned it ever since. Recent drivers include Ted Rollason, Goff Tidball and Paul Richardson. Retained 2007.
8. Talbot T26C [110 001] (Louis Rosier): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 001' was raced by Louis Rosier from 1948 to 1950 and then under the Ecurie Rosier banner by Pozzi in 1950; by Henri Louveau and Louis Chiron in 1951; and by Giraud-Cabantous, Chaboud and Mairesse in 1952. It was acquired by the Musée Henri Malatre at Rochetaillé, France, in 1956 and was still on display in 1990.
9. Talbot T26C [110 011] (Johnny Claes): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 011' was Johnny Claes car in 1948-50 and then sold to Duncan Hamilton (and Fotheringham-Parker) and raced 1951-53. Stored in France until 1955 when Hamilton sold it to Allan Freeman in New Zealand who raced it through to 1961. It was bought by Joe Hepworth in 1963 and returned to England; then via other UK and French owners until sold to Bernie Ecclestone 1996. Retained 2002.
10. ERA A Type [R1A] (David Hampshire): The original 1934 prototype, this car was driven by Mays, Cook, Seaman and others before the war. Later to John Heath (HW Motors) 1946, Reg Parnell's team 1947, David Hampshire 1948-51 and then to Alistair Birrell and Ron Flockhart in Scotland in 1952. Into historic racing when it was owned by Sandy Murray from 1959 to 1982 and frequently raced by Tony Merrick. Then through a further chain of owners until acquired by Dean Butler in 2005.
11. Ferrari 125 [08C] (Alberto Ascari): This 125 was built for the 1949 season and first appeared as a F2. It was rebodied for 1950 and is therefore hard to identify but may be car raced by Dorino Serafini in 1950. It may then be the car that appeared in Argentina early 1952, possibly renumbered 0108.
12. Alta GP [No 2] (Geoffrey Crossley): This car was built for Geoffrey Crossley and raced until 1951. Then broken up to create a special. (Source: Directory of Historic Racing Cars, Jenkinson)
13. ERA C Type [R8C] (Cuth Harrison): Built in 1938 using mechanical parts from R8B and raced by Earl Howe 1938 and until a crash in the 1939 International Trophy. Then to Reg Parnell for 1946, Cuth Harrison from 1947 to 1951, Brian Shawe-Taylor 1951 and 1952; then a chain of other owners until acquired in 1977 by Bruce Spollon. Rebuilt to correct C-type specs and raced from 1981 to 2003.
14. ERA B Type [R11B] (St. John Horsfall): For Reggie Tongue and Hon Peter Aitken before the war then various owners including Reg Parnell in 1948 and then Peter Bell for hillclimbs. Driven by Ken Wharton 1951-53 and then through a chain of owners to Martin Morris in 1962. Owned by David Morris since his father's death in 2005
15. Ferrari 125 [10C] (Peter Whitehead): Peter Whitehead bought 10C new for 1949 and used it through 1949 and 1950 before buying a newer ex-works 125. This car was raced by Dobson in 1951 and later sold to David Murray. Whitehead later bought a 1949/50 LWB Tipo 125 renumbered 0114; it is this latter car that spent many years in the Donington Collection.
16. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1593] (Joe Ashmore, Wilkie Wilkinson): Shown in Maserati records as Alberto Ascari's early 1948 car. To Reg Parnell 1949 for Fred Ashmore then raced in 1950 by David Hampshire and others as part of Scuderia Ambrosiana. Then David Murray's car for 1951. Crashed in practice at the Nürburgring for the 1951 German GP and not seen again.
17. Talbot T26C [110 007] (Louis Chiron): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 007' was Paul Vallee's Ecurie France car driven by Chiron 1948-49 and Apezteguia in 1950. To Tom Hawkes in Australia in 1951. From him it passed to Doug Whiteford, Rex Taylor and then a string of Australian, UK (including a loan period in the Donington Collection), Swiss, US and French owners to Bernie Ecclestone's collection in 1997. Retained 2002.
18. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1595] (Leslie Brooke): Maserati records show this car going to Leslie Brooke 29 Aug 1948. Raced by Brooke through 1948, 1949 and 1950 and by Claes, still under Brooke's ownership, at Goodwood Sept 1951. Then George Weaver in the US in 1952. In the 1980s the car passed from Virginia Weaver via UK and German owners to 1998. Owned by Wolfgang Wegner-Bscher (Germany) from 1998.
19. Talbot T26C [110 002] (Guy Mairesse): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 002' was raced by 'Raph' and Eugene Chaboud in 1948 and Paul Vallee and Guy Mairesse in 1950. Owned by Mairesse 1950-51; also raced by Giraud-Cabantous 1950; by Jean Blanc and Levegh 1952; and by Etancelin in 1953. In late 1953, Vallee sold the car to Doug Whiteford in Australia to replace his existing chassis '110 007'. Whiteford was surprised to discover that he'd bought an earlier model and it was 1955 before the car raced in Australia. It was sold to Ralph Snodgrass in 1956 but crashed badly at Mt Druitt in 1957. Snodgrass retained the car until 1980 when it was sold to Reg Hunt who restored it for historic events. Retained by Hunt until sold to Ron Towney in 2006.

Formula 1 events 1948-1953

The results published here were compiled by David McKinney and Adam Ferrington from a range of sources including Autocourse, Motor Sport and Autosport, as well as the F1 Register's A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing Volume 5 covering 1950 and 1951. Individual car identities were then meticulously checked against their enormous libraries of books and photographs, notably Talbot-Lago de Course by Pierre Abeillon, Les Gordini by Robert Jarraud, Gordini – Un Sorcier, Une Equipe by Christian Huet and The History of English Racing Automobiles by David Weguelin.

David has also contributed extensively from his notes on car identities compiled over 40 years of research, Michael Müller has contributed immaculately researched histories of all the 1948-1950 Ferrari 125s, and Doug Nye, both through his books and his personal assistance on HWM, has also been of great help.

Please note that since David's sad death in 2014, Adam and Allen have agreed that these pages will remain unaltered from now on, as a lasting testimony to David's expertise.