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 3^rd 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 2^nd, 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 3^rd in the Abarth Spider Sport; right: Jo Bonnier with the Ferguson P99.

The 1965 event was the 17^th (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 16^th, 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 19^th; 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, 4^th 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 7^th 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, 1^st place. (Courtesy SupercarNostalgia); centre: Alfa Romeo 33/2 as raced by Michel Weber to 5^th 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.