1960 Turner Mk I Modsports

The vendor, who has owned this car since July 1975, believes that it was originally built from a kit by the first owner, or built by Turner factory. 

He tells us that a previous owner of the car serviced and maintained Vulcan bombers for a living and that, at one time, the car’s brake and oil lines were very much ‘à la Vulcan’.

Last registered for the road in 1967, the car has competed from day one at numerous race meetings, hill climbs and sprints over the years, and has turned a wheel at, among other illustrious venues, Goodwood, Castle Combe, Brands Hatch, Oulton, Lydden and Silverstone. Every previous owner listed in the log book has competed in the car.

‘Tilly’ (a nickname given to the car by a girlfriend) last raced in 1984 at the Birkett Six Hour Relay Race at Silverstone.

That was the first time the race was cut short, and the reason was that the vendor spun and stalled ‘Tilly’, dumping copious amounts of fuel and oil all over the track.

That unfortunate occurrence prompted the vendor to embark upon a rebuild of the car, including a new body-shell - the lightweight, yellow, fibre-glass body you see in the photographs.

This body has never been used and was built by the vendor, who used to look after the fibre-glass moulds for Mk I Turners and is clearly an expert at his craft.

As is often the case with even the best laid plans, the rebuild never got any further, and the car has sat in dry storage twiddling its thumbs ever since.

So, what you have here is a car that was built to compete, and spent all of its life doing so until 1984, when it took unexpected early retirement.

All the bits and pieces are with the car, but they are of course, frozen in time at 1984.

Which means that there’ll be some work to do to get safety systems, silencers, fuel tanks, etc, up to modern FIA standards if you’re planning to compete in her once again.
 

Having never been used, the yellow glass-fibre body-shell is in as-new condition, although ‘new’ in this context means 40 years old.

Consequently, there a fair bit of dust in grime in evidence, but no damage or signs of wear anywhere that we can see.

All the parts that came off the car in readiness for the rebuild are still with it, including spare bonnet options, add-on spoilers, racing Minilite front wheels and Compamotive split-rim rear wheels. Some spare steel rear wheels are also available if desired.
 

There’s not much more to say about the interior than there is about the exterior.

In fact, there’s even less.

It’s a race car, so it’s decidedly spartan to begin with.

But this one has had most things removed prior to the rebuild that never happened, so it’s next-level spartan.

We’re assured that all the requisite bits and pieces needed to restore the interior to its 1984 originality are ready to go.

Obviously, a number of safety and other upgrades will be necessary to satisfy modern FIA eligibility conditions.  
 

Today, just as it did in 1984, the car has a Turner Mk I chassis (space framed with aluminium panels) with a Mark II front-end from a Triumph Herald featuring double wishbones and rack and pinion steering. The front suspension is all rose jointed, as is the rear anti-roll bar.

The engine is a pre-crossflow Ford 1500cc with 2 twin-choke 45 DCOE Weber carbs, and dry sump pump and tank. It has a five-bearing crank with steel big end caps and steel cam shaft caps.

The gear box is a Ford Corsair ‘Bullet Box’; the rear axle is from a Ford Anglia 105E; it has Triumph Herald disc brakes at the front, Ford drum brakes at the rear, twin brake cylinders and an adjustable brake balance bar for fine-tuning the front-to-back brake balance.

It has one limited slip differential and three standard differentials with varying ratio options which can be swapped in or out to optimally meet the demands of different circuits.

The chassis was apparently built by a fellow who prepared E-Types and other exotica for racing. The vendor thinks it is aircraft-grade tubing and recalls being told that an electrical system was used to ‘stick it all together’.

All the parts needed to complete a rebuild (to 1984 criteria) are present, correct and come with the car.
 

The car hasn’t been anywhere or done anything since 1984.

It was last registered for use on an open road in 1967, by which point it already had 7 years of racing, climbing and sprinting under its various belts.  

Its history is attested to in numerous letters between the vendor and previous owners, all of whom it seems are full of praise for, and warmth towards, this charming, capable and proven racer.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will spot the 'stolen' marker on the HPI (published in the photo gallery), but this is attributed to a different plate (6029X) and doesn't relate this this car (it has remained in the ownership of the same person anyhow, so is a mute point).

Held in a state of suspended animation for 40 years, this characterful and competent racer has been kept warm and dry for decades, waiting for someone to give her the time and attention she needs to get back to doing what she does best.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £5,000 - £10,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in St Leonards-on-sea, East Sussex. To arrange an appointment to view this vehicle please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.