Caldecote Cars

A small profile on two of the interesting cars that took part in Falcon's July Autotest.

One of the attractions of club autotesting is that you can more or less take part in any car. We have had some real variety at Neil and Allison’s back garden over the years. Every event sees at least one new interesting car and the July season opener was no exception. The two that really took my eye were Owen Turners Imp and Nigel Taylors Turner. Very different, but both fascinating.

Nigel Taylor giving his Turner Mk1 it's Autotest début

Nigel has owned his "A" series engined Turner Mk 1 for eight years, although it was he first time he had driven it in competition. Nigel first saw the car when he was a young man. He was helping out at the garage where his uncle worked when it came in for service. It was love at first sight, although it was some twenty years that he heard it was for sale.

The Turner was in a sorry state, laying in a derelict barn with no screen and a Rover V8 engine resting on top of the bonnet! It took Nigel around three years to restore the car. The original steel tube chassis was retained but not much else. Nigel remade all the bulkheads out of steel and aluminium and made a brand new fibreglass body from a mould owned by the Turner club.

When Nigel bought the car, it had a rather wheezy 950cc engine with twin Strombergs. Nigel has fitted a more robust 1275 motor, running a single SU and this is what powered the car at Upper Caldecote.

Nigel is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Turners. He is a keen member of the owners club and has been to see Jack Turner, their creator, who is now 84 years old and lives in Crikhowell. Nigel and his brother have two more Turners tucked away on a small-holding awaiting restoration. One of which he may build as a trials car. Class 5 watch out!

Spot the difference! Owen Turners K series power plant alongside Richard Tompkins fire-pump engine!

Owen Turners Imp is a very different car. It sounded very fruity and powerful as Owen threw it around the cones at upper Caldecote and it was only later that I realised the Linwood fire pump engine had been junked in favour of a Rover K series lump. It took Owen quite a bit of work cutting and welding to create the room to for the vertical blocked K series, but once this was created it fits in a treat. There’s lots of room in the engine bay, mainly because the radiator is up front and the bulky engine driven fan and cowling have gone.

Owen has retained the Imp transaxle, driveshafts and even the beloved "donuts". The car is mainly used for rallying and Owen has not had any problems with the driveline, although he is not sure how it would stand up to the stresses of trialling! He has done quite a bit of experimenting with the exhaust and at the moment there is a big silencer box rigidly mounted across the back of the car, connected to the manifold with flexible pipe. It was quite interesting to compare Owens car with Richard Tompkins original. Dave Nash was present and was quite fascinated, scurrying away to stuff his Alfa boxer engine in the back of a Skoda cabriolet before the next Autotest!

It sets a good poser for the next quiz night. How many different engines have you seen in the back of an Imp? I can think of at least two Beetles, Ford Pinto, the rotary Mazda and whatever Mike Workman has got stuck in the back of his. There are even a few Imp engined Imps left!

Owen is a keen member of Watling MC. Click here to visit their site.