Friday, August 25, 2023

There Were Four Thousand In Blackburn - The T260 Had Just 207

1971 was a very significant year.  From a personal perspective, I started my automotive career-proper at BMW, while, much more significantly, the BRM P160 proved highly competitive in Formula 1, LPs of great quality were released, such as Sticky Fingers, Who’s Next and Tapestry, there was the announcement of cars like the Alfasud, Maserati Bora and BMW 2002 Tii, and . . . hope sprung of a new dawn in the Cam-Am Challenge, with the addition to the grid of the Lola T260 and its driver, Sir Jackie Stewart.

BRM at Monza, September 1971

A Lola T70 Mk.2 in the hands of John Surtees had won the inaugural Can-Am Challenge in ’66.  However, since then, the M8 McLaren in its various iterations had steam-rollered the opposition, firstly as the Bruce and Denny Show (Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme), then with Peter Revson partnering Hulme after McLaren’s death in 1970.  At the time, many of us resented the McLaren ‘win machine’ as the cause of the Group 7 series becoming boring because of repetitive, predictable results.

The Bruce (#4) & Denny (#5) Show, Laguna Seca, 1969. (Courtesy Motor Sport Images)

One of the very few series rivals to get anywhere near bothering the McLaren juggernaut was the Chaparral team of the innovatory Texan, Jim Hall.  Not content with seeking ultimate competitiveness from high downforce aerodynamics by mounting a tall rear wing on his 2E machine during the ’66 season, he surprised everyone four years later with his 2J – a car that achieved even more powerful ground effects by mechanically sucking air out from under its floor.  This was facilitated by a pair of rear-mounted fans and thus anticipated the similar solution devised by Gordon Murray for the Formula 1 Brabham BT 46B of 1978.  Not unexpected really, as his high wing concept had also found its way into Grand Prix racing during the 1969 season.  The 2J ran in only six Can-Am races in 1970, driven in the second of these – Watkins Glen – by the reigning F1 World Champion, Jackie Stewart.  In that first year of the new decade, Jackie was feeling the dispiriting effects of the deaths of several fellow drivers accumulated over the later years of the 1960s, and, ironically, persistent criticism of him about his safety campaigning.  Unsurprisingly, his enthusiasm for his profession was waning.  However, the revolutionary nature of the 2J was enough to revive his interest.  In his autobiography, Winning is Not Enough, he says: As we were discussing what to do about the Nurburgring, (its dangerous aspects) I was called away to take a telephone call from America.  It was Jim Hall, inviting me to drive the Chaparral in a sports car event, and, even in the middle of all that, I found myself getting as excited about the prospect of being behind the wheel of such a special car as I had at any stage of my life.  I instantly accepted his offer because the Chaparral was known as the most advanced racing car of its time.  Although his race at Watkins Glen ended in a retirement, the experience seems to have had a positive effect, for it was not too long before it was revealed that Stewart had reached agreement with Carl Haas to drive the new Lola 260T in a full 1971 Can-Am campaign.  Jackie was frank in the autobiography: The F1 season was my priority, but Cam-Am offered a second income stream that was hard to resist.

Jackie Stewart in the Chaparral 2J, Watkins Glen, 1970. (Courtesy Motor Sport Images)

Haas was a classic mid-century American automotive entrepreneur.  A Jewish immigrant to the ‘States just before WW2, he ran cars in several race series, including NASCAR, F5000, F1 and Indy/Champcar in addition to Can-Am, eventually becoming best known for his association with Hollywood’s Paul Newman and the formation of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.  In the late sixties he contracted with Eric Broadley to act as the U.S. importer of Lola racing cars and developed the business to a highly successful level.  Broadley was happy to allow Haas to function as a works team and the American used his commercial nous to secure supportive sponsorship from cigarette makers, L & M.  Whilst Lolas had been a familiar part of the Can-Am scene in the late sixties, they had been relatively conventional and not front-of-the-grid competitive.  With such characteristics persisting in the new decade’s opening season’s Lolas – the T220 and T222 – Haas used all his powers of persuasion to convince Broadly that a more daring new design was essential if the perception of the Lola brand was not to be devalued because of lack-lustre results.

Left: Carl Haas at his business premises at Lincolnshire, Illinois. (Courtesy Racemaker/David Huson). 
Right: Haas with Eric Broadley, founder of Lola.  (Courtesy JKRacing50)

Broadley acceded to Haas’s entreaties and briefed his designer, Bob Marston.  He also sought input regarding bodywork from his associate, Peter Jackson, (and body engineer Peter Wright), at the expert glass fibre fabrication firm, Specialised Mouldings.  Broadley wanted a basically wedge shaped, compact form, with a relatively small overall footprint – he was keen for instance to avoid the substantial front end overhang seen on the McLarens.  But since the wedge format could, as had been seen with the Autocoast Ti-22 at Mont Tremblant in 1970, be prone to end-over-end loss of control incidents, the main aerodynamic emphasis was on the avoidance of front end lift, coupled with maximum possible downforce on the rear axle.  The latter was sought without any particular focus on the rear body surfaces but by simply using a large wing – not especially high mounted, but full width and located unusually far forward, most of its surface in front of the rear axle.  An additional distinctive bodywork feature was the presence of 207 small holes in the upper surface between the windscreen base and the front brake air duct openings.  These were for the purpose of releasing air that otherwise would cause a build-up of high pressure, and thus lift, underneath the front end of the monocoque floor.  The nose incorporated a depth-variable front splitter. 

Otherwise, the T260 was largely ‘state of the art’ for the time, featuring an aluminium monocoque, side mounted radiators, horizontal mounted, rocker arm actuated front springs and inboard brake discs, front and rear.  A relative novelty was the specification of 13” front wheels. The engine was a Foltz-built 8.1 litre big block Chevrolet V8 mated to a Hewland Mk.2 four speed transmission.  Output at 7,000 rpm was commonly quoted as being 700-760 bhp and 600+ lb-ft torque.  Foltz offered some options regarding the amount and spread of torque generated in order to make easier the evaluation of the car’s handling during the early stages of development. 

At the time, Frank Gardner – mostly known for his F5000 and saloon car exploits – was Lola’s test and development driver.  He was able to take the T260 out on track, (at Silverstone), for the first time in May 1971.  With the first round of the Can-Am due at Mosport in Canada in mid-June, scope was limited.  Gardner was quick to express his concern about this because it was immediately apparent that the car inherently understeered, and a ‘cure’ would likely require a considerable number of testing miles.

Gardner testing the T260 at Silverstone, May 1971.
Note especially the 13” front wheels and forward position of the wing. (Courtesy Motor Sport)

Stewart for his part encountered the car at Silverstone at the beginning of June.  The weather was against him – heavy rain – and his initial impressions are not recorded.  He had however already prevailed upon Broadley to make a significant change.  Ten months previously Jochen Rindt’s accident at Monza in the Lotus 72 still weighed heavily on the World Champion’s mind.  Not only were the Stewart and Rindt families very good friends, but Jackie was especially close to Jochen, considering the Austrian his principal rival on-track.  Though the sudden, violent sharp left hand swerve into the Parabolica armco was not per se the cause of Rindt’s death – that was attributable to his belts not being properly secured – Stewart was highly sceptical about the advisability of running inboard front brakes, given the possible consequences of a shaft failure.  Broadley had no alternative but to agree that the front brake discs be moved outboard.  At the same time, a similar revision was effected at the rear, since the limited testing so far completed had revealed problems with heat not being dissipated sufficiently from the discs.  And there was a knock-on from this.  To accommodate the relocated discs, larger diameter – 15” - front wheel rims were required – along with an enlargement of the leading curve of the wheel arch.

Stewart with the T260 at Silverstone, June 1971. (Courtesy Sutton Images)

We do know that Stewart at last had the chance to drive the T260 in unconstrained circumstances at the Mosport circuit on 10th June.  His perception of the car’s handling characteristics – not helped by the bumpy nature of the track – were summed up by his apparent likening of the machine to a ‘pregnant elephant!’  The following day he was nevertheless able to set the day’s fastest time and this proved to be good enough for pole position when the Saturday session became rain affected.  Next day, at the opening round of the Can-Am season, he led the race from Hulme’s M8F, but retired just short of quarter distance because of a failed transmission seal.  The McLaren team had had a scare, but Hulme took the victory and the marque’s cars filled places 1-6 in the race results table.

Stewart’s T260 at Mosport, June 1971. The bigger front wheels and related re-profiled front wheel arch are evident. (Courtesy Jerry Bendl Collection)

Two weeks later, Round 2 of the Can-Am series was scheduled for Mont Tremblant.  Like Mosport, this was circuit notorious for its uneven track surface.  Stewart however was hoping for a better ride from the T260 as some additional changes had been made after the Mosport event.  The rear suspension geometry had been revised and the wing relocated a little further to the rear of the car.  But in practice and qualifying the car still proved to be hard work.  Stewart nevertheless managed to qualify the T260 2nd, just three tenths slower than Hulme’s pole time and 1.8 seconds better than Peter Revson’s 3rd place time in the second M8F.  Though Hulme maintained a lead for much of the race, he didn’t really get away from the Lola and when he flagged in the latter stages, Stewart was able to get past and take his car through to its maiden victory.

Stewart closes in on Hulme at Mont Tremblant, June 1971

Road Atlanta hosted Round 3 in mid-July.  Stewart qualified 3rd, a full second off Hulme’s pole time.  The race was a mixed bag for the Lola – Stewart hustled it enough to record the race’s fastest lap, and moved up past Hulme and Revson into the lead.  However, the T260 then suffered a rear tyre puncture and the pit stop to fix this became prolonged when the engine cut and didn’t want to restart.  Although running at the finish, the car was several laps down having also developed a rear damper failure – a disappointing outcome as it had clearly had the beating of the McLarens on track. 

Stewart and the T260 were quickest at Road Atlanta until a tyre punctured. (Courtesy Autosports Marketing Associates)

A fortnight on, the Can-Am circus reconvened at Watkins Glen.  Perhaps helped by his familiarity with the Glen from his Grand Prix drives there, (as was the case too at Mosport, and, to a lesser extent, Mont Tremblant), Stewart put on another strong qualifying show, just pipping Revson and Hulme to the pole.  Next day he held a comfortable lead until a little past the halfway point, when a driveshaft failure intervened and forced retirement of the car.

Stewart enjoys a clear lead over the McLarens at Watkins Glen. (Courtesy Motor Sport Images)

Round 5 must have felt like ‘back to square one’ – the Mid Ohio circuit, like the opening, Canadian, rounds’ venues was something of a car breaker, being notable bumpy.  In qualifying the McLarens handled this better than the Lola – Hulme’s pole time was nearly a second quicker than Stewart’s 3rd place lap.  But it was fortunate that the T260 was not further down the grid as it had been afflicted with multiple suspension failures during practice.  The confidence evident in Stewart’s demeanour at the Glen was also undermined by his perception of Mid Ohio as a particularly dangerous track with limited run-off areas and a host of trackside hazards.  He was forthright on Sunday morning in saying how dissatisfied he was with the place and that he didn’t intend to run at anything like his or the car’s full performance potential.  Thus it seemed somewhat paradoxical that following the demise of both the M8Fs with driveshaft failures, Stewart was able to chalk up his second victory of the season.

The T260 at Mid Ohio – note how much further back the wing is by now mounted. (Courtesy Niagara Pauls Blogspot)

In late August the second half of the series opened with the 6th Round at Road America, (Elkhart Lake).  With the Mid Ohio win serving to re-boost confidence and signs that the long-established McLaren superiority might be faltering with reliability issues, there was good reason to expect that Stewart would be hunting Hulme and Revson down for the points table lead.  As an added positive, the Haas team was also keen to be more adventurous in its efforts to improve the car’s handling and aerodynamic behaviour – the chronic understeer still being a real issue for Stewart.  Thus, the car appeared at the Wisconsin circuit with a fully reworked rear end – an even larger-surface (and higher incidence) rear wing, with substantial end plates integrated with the rear quarter panel sides.  This was combined with a new ‘shovel’ form spoiler running across the bottom edge of the nose.

The new rear wing and front spoiler at Road America. (Courtesy Jim Buell)

Practice and qualifying threw up some surprises.  Whilst Hulme secured the pole with a time 2 seconds quicker than his nearest challenger, that competitor wasn’t teammate Revson – or even Stewart.  Finally coming good was the controversial Shadow Mk.2 of Jackie Oliver.  Stewart was 3rd, but apparently hampered by a lack of power.  The team bit the bullet and changed the engine for the race, but this overheated and failed after just 10 laps.  So it was an unsatisfying end to the weekend with uncertainties remaining, especially in regard to the car’s aerodynamics, the original rear wing form having been reinstated and no conclusions reached about the persistent understeer.  Broadley was struggling to understand cause and effect, though he had demonstrated his perspicacity in wondering how well the body surface holes were relieving under-floor pressure when the gauze covering of many of them was clogged with paint required for the L & M livery!  One could not help but wonder if the car was founded on an aerodynamic theory full of holes.
 
With five Grand Prix wins up to August 1st, Stewart was assured of his second World Championship by the time of Round 7 of the Can-Am at Donnybrooke.  He was no doubt philosophic about the contrast between his successes and confidence in his Tyrrell and his results with the Lola, to say nothing of how little he’d been enjoying driving the Group 7 car.  The team would have hoped to have had him smiling a little more by effecting some rear suspension upgrades following the Road America event.  But hope was outdone by reality in this instance – the McLarens seemed to be getting better after the mid-season frailties, whereas the Lola’s handling continued to tax Stewart’s patience.  With no improvement clearly obvious from the revisions tried at Road America, the rear wing form reverted to the original format.  As was becoming the pattern, Stewart was 3rd in qualifying, not especially close to the times of Hulme and Revson.  Nonetheless, the Lola got off the line well and headed the M8Fs initially until Revson went past for the lead.  Stewart was able to hold Hulme behind him, but various troubles led to pit stops that hampered Stewart’s progress to the extent that he could finish no better than 6th.

Stewart stays 2nd  in front of Hulme at Donnybrooke. (Courtesy Tim Winker)

Late September saw the Can-Am back in Canada, at Edmonton for Round 8.  There was a further revised, tacked-on ‘shovel’  panel in place to give the nose a more scoop-like profile and almost all of the rear wing depth was now behind the back edge of the rear panel.  The effectiveness of these changes was difficult to judge in the track conditions and Stewart’s qualifying performance could once again not achieve anything better than 3rd.  In the race, his ultra-smooth skills enabled him to take and maintain the lead on a wet circuit.  Eventually, however, he had an off, and this apparently caused some damage, as the T260’s handling was subsequently less manageable.  It nevertheless remained one of the car’s better days, as Stewart was able to run to the finish headed only by Hulme’s McLaren.

On the grid at Edmonton – note the revised front end and the extreme rear location of the wing. (Courtesy TheRoaringSeason)

Laguna Seca was the location for the penultimate round.  Despite Stewart’s big and unsalvageable points deficit vis-a-vis the McLarens, effort was ongoing to try and give him a car which could match his other-worldly driving expertise.  This time there was some astonishment when it was seen that the front of the car was no longer just being augmented with a relatively small re-profiler – it now had a substantial tubular structure projecting forward of the nose, supporting a large, full-width aerofoil which was promptly nicknamed, ‘The Cowcatcher.’  The rear wing remained distinctly rearward of the back panel and run at a steeper angle of attack than as seen at Edmonton.  The T260 had begun the season as the ultimate ‘stubbie’ but now boasted an exceptionally long footprint.

New wings, front and rear, at Laguna Seca. (Courtesy TheRoaringSeason)

In qualifying, Stewart was within a second of Revson and Hulme, the former taking pole.  However, the Lola was 4th on the grid as the Mk.2 Autocoast Ti22 was three tenths quicker in the hands of David Hobbs.  The Ti had less race pace and was soon displaced on the Sunday by Stewart who further progressed by passing Hulme for 2nd.  Revson struggled with an ailing engine to finish the race but hung on to take the win.  There was some post-race confusion as it was contended by the Haas team that Revson should have been black flagged and the race awarded to the Lola.  However, Revson’s victory was subsequently upheld, so Stewart had to be content with 2nd – itself by no means a bad result.

Though looking unwieldy with its front and rear ‘extensions,’ Stewart was able in the T260 to outpace Hulme’s M8F at Laguna Seca. (unattributed, via Bonhams)

The teams were at Riverside at the end of October to close out the Cam-Am series.  The T260 made its way to its customary 3rd fastest in qualifying.  Stewart took it past Revson and settled into a secure but lonely 2nd place until the engine failed with 3/5 of the race run.

Final aerodynamic tweak for the T260 is substantial end plates for the rear wing. (Courtesy Lola Heritage)

On face value, the final series points table for the top three suggested ‘business as usual’ for McLaren.  However, Stewart and the T260 had provided the most substantial challenge for a very long time to the dominance of the M8s.


Although there was never any prospect of Stewart committing to another season with Haas, it’s reasonable to suppose that with a winter of development and a new, ambitious driver, the wins tally could have been considerably greater than just two in 1972.  However, the obdurate handling problems of the T260 had taken their toll.  For Lola, the attraction of a new start became irresistible, and thus Broadley laid down a brief for the T310 – a Can-Am car that was long and wide and looking not at all related to its short and stubby, highly characterful, predecessor.  But I have to leave the last word to Sir Jackie: I enjoyed working with Carl Haas in 1971, but the car had been a dog to drive . . .


Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Ollon Villars in the Sixties

Ollon is a small Swiss town with a population of about 8,000. Situated near and to the west of the River Rhone,  it is a little to the south of the western end of Lake Geneva, about 400 metres above sea level.  Heading west, mountainous topography is encountered, including the notable peak of Les Diablerets.  In this direction, after some 5 miles and at an elevation of 1,260 metres, Villars sur Ollon is reached, a village inhabited by around 2,000 people.  The connecting road, with several hairpin turns, was first used as a hill-climb course in 1951.  Every other year, (with some exceptions), for the following two decades it served as one of the most popular hill-climb venues.  By 1958 the event’s status was good enough to allow it to feature as a round of the European Mountain Championship, regulated and governed by the FIA.


At the start of the decade pure racing cars were dominant at the head of the results table.  In 1960 this can be seen in the list of the ten fastest times:

Barth’s fastest time was 4 minutes, 52.7 seconds – he was the only driver to get below 5 minutes – next up, Heini Walter, was 11.6 seconds ‘slower.’  The RSK-based 718/2, launched in Spring 1959, had benefited during the 1960 season from subsequent development informed by feedback from Stirling Moss.  Porsche had successfully interested Moss in driving the 718 in Formula 2 in 1960 by loaning a car to the Rob Walker team.  It was hoped that this would lead to a works drive in the new Formula 1 in 1961.

The Heini Walter RS60 had run as a works car at Le Mans, following which it had its modified rear bodywork, (purpose-made to enhance top speed capability on the Mulsanne straight), removed, and the engine replaced with a larger (1,700 cc) unit.  It was then loaned to Walter for hill-climb entries under his own name.  He was happy enough with this car to retain it for ’61 and was rewarded by a series of good results which secured for him that year’s Championship. 

Brabham competed at Ollon Villars as the reigning Formula 1 World Champion, his Cooper T51-Climax clearly demonstrating that everyone would have to make the move from front- to rear-engined cars.  For Ollon Villars he was equipped with the improved T53 chassis powered by a smaller 1,475 cc FPF Coventry Climax engine.  Using the T53 with the 2,497 cc version of the engine, Brabham would finish 1960 as Formula 1 Champion for a second successive season.
 
Below, left: Edgar Barth in the winning Formula 2 Porsche. (Courtesy Arthur Fenzlau).  Right: Jack Brabham in the 3rd placed Cooper T53.


While there had been 129 competitors recording completed/timed runs in 1960, the number was much reduced in 1962 – down to just 56, (through it’s possible that there was a failure to record/preserve lower order competitors’ times)Porsches were again prolific in the top ten:


An important development for Porsche in its quest to maintain the 718 series cars’ competitiveness was the utilisation of a 210 bhp version of the Formula 1 eight cylinder engine.  In this form the cars were designated as 718/8 W-RS Spyder. 

The event was further distinguished in 1962 by Jim Clark’s participation.  Already considered an outstanding talent and potential future World Champion, and with the ill feelings from the previous season’s tragic Monza accident fading, Clark arrived at Ollon Villars as the subject of much expectation.  Some thought that he might be fastest in the smaller capacity Racing class.  Unfortunately however, the Lotus team was unable to put a really suitable and competitive car at his disposal.  All that could be drummed up was the loan of a Scuderia Filipinetti Lotus 21.  Its dynamic attributes proved to be beyond even Clark’s prodigious talents, leaving documented reports of his performance limited to mention of an ‘off’ in practice and the absence of any record of the best time achieved. 

The photographs seen below are credited to Kuno Zimmermann.  They were found on the website, smallcar.ch, a wonderful resource which I would greatly recommend.  Left to right: Heini Walter, Porsche 718/8W-RS Spyder; near the start, #185 Walter, #184 Scarfiotti, (#186 unidentified); Jim Clark #31.


1963 saw some familiar names at the top of the results table.  Porsche supplied three of the top ten runners, but competition was more in-depth and diverse than in the first two events of the decade.  The best-placed Porsche was 2nd, 7 seconds behind the winner:

Especially notable cars were Bonnier’s Ferguson, Brabham’s Brabham and Muller’s Porsche ‘missing link.’  The Ferguson was a very distinctive machine, it being not only 4 wheel drive, but also the last car built for Formula 1 with a front-engined powertrain.  In addition to this victory in Switzerland, the 2.5 litre car was further successful in capturing the 1964 British Hillclimb Championship.  The Brabham BT4 was introduced in 1962, primarily to be raced in the Tasman series ‘down under.’  Its agility, however, made it very suitable for hill-climbing and the third (of three) chassis constructed was sold to Charles Vögele specifically for European hill-climbing campaigns – and in 1963 he was dominant in the car in the Swiss national championship. 

As I outlined in The Dream Hybrid - Conceived in the Fifties!, the ‘Dreikantschaber’ was created to bridge the gap between the Porsche GTL and the 904: Porsche had readily appreciated since the latter part of 1962 that it would need something more radical than the GTL if it was to retain its competitiveness in the GT racing classes – threatened as that would be by new/improved rival models such as the Alfa Romeo TZ and the Abarth Simca 2000.  Thus, while the GTL would continue through 1963, the 1,966 engine and better brakes began also to be utilised in a new bodied, 718, RS61-based, ‘GS-GT.’  The two examples of this made – also known as ‘Dreikantantschaber’/DKS* – ran in parallel with the GTLs, from the Targa Florio onwards.  This model would serve as a steppingstone to the ultimate requirement, a mid-engine GT, which was realised in November 1963 with the initial presentation of Butzi Porsche’s rapidly-developed 904/Carrera GTS.  *This is the German name for a sharp, triangular-pointed scraping tool – the visual reference being to the ‘sharp’ form of the car’s nose/front end. 

Both images below courtesy of Automobile Sport.  Left: Hans Herrmann claiming 3rd in the Abarth Spider Sport; right: Jo Bonnier with the Ferguson P99.


The 1965 event was the 17th (of 20) round of the World Sportscar Championship, which that season was two-pronged: 1) International Championship for GT Manufacturers, and, 2) International Trophy for GT Prototypes.  The former, in its Division 1 class, was dominated and won by Abarth, the marque’s fourth consecutive World Championship triumph.  Ferrari was clearly in the ascendancy in the Prototypes competition and would finish the season with almost double the points scored by runner-up, Porsche.  Within the European Mountain Championship, Ludovico Scarfiotti’s scoring had been underlining Ferrari’s strength, with his Sant Ambroeus-entered, (works-backed), Dino 206 SP being the winning car at Ollon Villars, as it had been at Trento Bondone, Cesana-Sestrieres and Fribourg. 

Scarfiotti's car was an open-top version of the Dino 166 P with a bigger (2.0 V6) engine, giving 218 bhp.  For his part, Scarfiotti was an extremely accomplished and versatile driver, having won the European Hillclimb Championship in ’62, Le Mans the following year, and he was an Italian Grand Prix winner.  His main opposition in ’65 came from the works Porsche 904/8s of Gerhard Mitter and Herbert Muller and Abarth 2000 OT of Hans Herrmann.  Also able to challenge were, for example, 904 GTS Porsches in the hands of drivers such as Herbert Muller, Rolf Stommelen and Michel Weber, while Herbert Demetz could also turn rapid ascents in the 2.0 Abarth.  The ten fastest in ’65 were:


The model designation of Mitter’s car (chassis #906-010) was enigmatic and quite confusing.  Firstly, though referred to as 904s, the Bergspyders used for sportscar racing and hill-climbing in ’65 had chassis numbers configured 906-0xx, all with an eight cylinder engine.  To compound potential misunderstandings, #010 was used for a chassis which appeared at the Rossfeld hill-climb meeting in June but was then promptly junked and the number re-used for the chassis Mitter debuted at Ollon Villars.  This was itself distinctive as it was an even lighter Bergspyder – at 488 kg – thanks to a new tubular spaceframe construction, one of the first outcomes of Ferdinand Piech’s involvement in the works racing organisation.  Thus, this car was virtually a 906, a model type which would long remain emblematic of Piech’s influence and achievements.  Crucially, the 906 allowed a huge scope for development, in contrast to the limitations of the 904, being more of a road car modified for the track. 

Alongside Mitter’s 904/8 as a Porsche System Engineering Ltd. (i.e. works) entry, was an Elva Mk.7, driven by Anton Fischhaber.  This was powered by the same Type 771 1,991 cc flat 8 engine used in #906-010.  The Elva chassis, as proven in other applications, was effective and enabled Fischhaber to finish 16th, his best time being 4 min. 36.3 sec, 24 seconds greater than Mitter’s.  For further comparison, the similar, but BMW M10-engined Mk.8 Elva of Sidney Charpilloz was 5.4 seconds slower. 

With his World Championship successes of the era, Carlo Abarth was keen to add the European Mountain title to the brand’s the honours list.  His problem however was the lack of a multi-cylinder engine of the level of capability at the disposal of  the Porsche and Ferrari marques.  Of the several coupe and barchetta type cars being built at Corso Marche mid-decade, the most suitable for the hills were the OT (Omologata Turismo) Spiders.  There was however an underlying compromise in so much as the Fiat 850-based chassis was relatively heavy.  A positive feature however was the first use by Abarth of glass fibre for fabrication of the whole body structure.  Designated as Tipo 139, the car, as driven at Ollon Villars by Demetz, utilised the 1,946 cc version of the Abarth 4 cylinder Bialbero, good for 209 bhp.  In simple terms the Abarth’s main disadvantage against the Porsche and the Ferrari was its weight – quoted as 710 kg.  Thus, it was bound to struggle with performance, given that its 209 bhp compared with 218 for the Ferrari and at least 250 from the Porsche unit. 
Images below, left: Peter Ettmuller’s Shelby Cobra, finished 19th; centre: winner, Scarfiotti’s Ferrari 206P. (Copyright GPL – Geoff Goddard); right: Ferrari 275 of Giampiero Biscaldi. (Courtesy Alamy).


The meeting in 1967 – also known as the Swiss Mountain Grand Prix - was the last which enjoyed the status of being a round of the International Manufacturers Championship, (also known previously as the World Sportscar Championship, and, subsequently as the International Championship for Makes.)  The change of status was no reflection on the venue – hill-climbing underwent a diminution of popularity through the sixties, and events became less well supported.  While there were four climbs in the 1965 Championship calendar, Ollon Villars was the only one in ‘67, and the category did not feature anywhere in subsequent years.  The European Hillclimb Championship would however continue, (through to the current day), and in ‘67 Ollon Villars was the penultimate of eight rounds.  The competitors arrived at the Vaud canton in late August, with Porsche assured of the Championship, its cars, running in the premier, Sportscar (Prototype), class, having been victorious at all six of the previous rounds.
 
The two Weissach works drivers were Gerhard Mitter and Rolf Stommelen.  Mitter was the reigning European champion having outscored the opposition in 1966 at the wheel of a Porsche 910 coupe.  The Porsche System Engineering team was keen to repeat that success and was conscious that an increased level of competition could be expected in ’67, especially in the shape of the Abarth 2000 SP, Ferrari 412P, Lola-BMW T110 and Alfa 33.  Thus it was decided to revert to the ultra-lightweight Bergspyder format as had been successful in ’65 (904/8).  This decision was facilitated by a regulations change which removed the minimum weight limit and reintroduced governance by the very liberal Group 7 technical stipulations.  Both using the resulting 910/8 Bergspyder, Mitter and Stommelen had won all the previous rounds, at Montseny/Trento-Bondone/Freiburg-Schauninsland and at Rossfeld/Mont Ventoux/Cesana-Sestriere, respectively.
 
Key specification features of the Spyders included the very low weight of just 499 kg at the beginning of the season.  And this was further reduced as development continued during the season, primarily on the car allocated to Mitter, the frame of which was rebuilt in aluminium, a measure that gave a one-third weight saving.  A variety of other modifications included a tiny fuel tank – 15 litres capacity – and some exotic materials: magnesium wheel rims, beryllium for the brake discs and titanium for the brake calipers and stub axles.  Bodywork was in very thin gauge glass-fibre with notably short side panels – prompting a ‘Mini-Skirt Spyder’ nickname.  By the time of the Ollon Villars event, the kerb weight was down to 418 kg.  A side benefit of the enhanced light weight was the feasibility of using ballast over the front axle in order to ‘calm’ the handling characteristics, contributing significantly to the car’s drivability.  As for the other crucial performance component, the type 771 engine delivered 260 bhp.  All this was good enough to allow Mitter to take first place with a time of 3 min. 55 sec, (for comparison, the eventual record time, achieved by Francois Cevert in ’71, being 3.47).  The top ten in ’67 were:


The Ollon Villars course was not generally thought to be especially hazardous, though following his outright record-establishing run in ’71, Francois Cevert is quoted as saying: ‘Never again will I indulge in such a dangerous adventure. I find the climb quite frightening, brushing guardrails at high speed and clipping trees. Circuit racing is much less demanding.’  Cevert’s opinion is validated by the fact that two drivers died at the ’67 event – Axel Perrenoud, driving a Shelby Cobra on the Friday, and Michel Pillet the following day at the wheel of a Ecurie La Meute Triumph Spitfire.

Images below, left: Peter Schetty’s Abarth 2000 SP, 4th fastest. (Courtesy Equipe Bergamote); centre: Sepp Greger’s Porsche 906. (Courtesy Zwischengas CZ); Porsche 910 of Rolf Stommelen. (Courtesy Karl Ludvisgen).


On 31st August 1969 the 7th round of the European Championship was again held at Ollon Villars.  Where ’67 had been a season of Porsche and Mitter/Stommelen domination, ’69 had proved to be a walkover for Ferrari and Peter Schetty.  He had mastered the 212E Group 7 barchetta and was very fast on all the ‘mountain’ courses.  In winning once again at Ollon Villars – making it a championship series clean sweep, (though he was not entered for the final round at Gaisberg) – Schetty set a fastest time of 3 min.47 sec, 8 seconds better than Mitter had managed in ’67 and a fraction slower than Cevert’s all time record.  The 212E was a development of the Dino 206S with various weight-saving modifications similar to those practised by Porsche on the Bergspyders.  But, as implemented at Maranello, such measures did not result in an equally lightweight car, the 212E weighing in at around 515 kg.   The Ferrari however benefited from a very high performance engine (Tipo 232) – a 2,000 cc flat 12 rated at over 300 bhp.


Images below; left: Schetty, Ferrari 212E, 1st place. (Courtesy SupercarNostalgia); centre: Alfa Romeo 33/2 as raced by Michel Weber to 5th place, (this photograph not taken at Ollon Villars); right: Arturo Merzario in the Abarth SE010.


The FIA-governed European Hillclimb Championship has continued through to the current day.  Since the last Ollon Villars-hosted round in 1971, various revival events have been held there, the first being in 1998 when 12,000 spectators attended the International Retrospective Hill-Climb.