The oldest of only three Morgan SLRs returned to Silverstone after last racing there 34 years ago. Entered in the GTSCC race at the HSCC’s International Trophy meeting, new owner Simon Orebi-Gann and his teammate Richard Bourne qualified 2nd in class and 13th overall on the 44-car grid. In the race, they finished a very creditable 3rd in class and 15th overall.
Originally built in 1961 by John Sprinzel and Chris Lawrence, the SLRs were developed specifically to compete at Le Mans. The aerodynamic profile of the car, a far removal from that of the traditional Morgan shape, was designed to take advantage of the long Mulsanne straight where the car could “stretch its legs” and achieve speeds around 135 mph.
“This car was built for Gordon Spice, and upon taking delivery, he took it to Goodwood for testing, where he wrote it off on only the third lap. She went back to Chris Lawrence for a rebuild, which was completed after the other two chassis were made. After that, the car was raced in the 1960s at events like the Guards Trophy.
“I’m trying to trace its exact history. The last UK owner was Sir Aubrey Brocklebank, who painted it fire-engine red after it caught fire during its last outing at Silverstone. It was sold to Bill Fink in California, who raced it in the U.S. for a number of years. I purchased the car from Bill a couple of years ago, and this is the result of our restoration, about which I’m extremely pleased,” said a delighted Simon Orebi-Gann after the race.
By Mike Jiggle
