Very Competitive 1959 Turner Historic Race Car

 

Turner Cars

Jack Turner built the first car to bear his name in 1949, this was effectively a re-bodied & modified MG K3 Magnette Special. Following interest from other racers, Jack started his company Turner Sports Cars (Wolverhampton) Ltd & advertised as ‘Special Chassis or Complete Cars Made to Order’. He also developed & built his own 4 cylinder 500cc racing engines, & built a good business in designing & supplying cast Electron alloy wheels for both his own cars & those of John Tojeiro, Brian Lister & other builders of racing cars.

Jack soon developed his own chassis & suspension design & by 1951 was offering these for sale as racing specials. These early Turners soon started to build a reputation as competitive & reliable machines. 

The first production Turner was the 803, an early customer was actress & pop star Petula Clark. The 950, Mk1 & Mk2 production models followed with increasingly bigger engines, the Mk1 with more ‘conventional’ body shape. Various engine options were available for the different models including BMC A-Series, Coventry Climax & Ford. 

Both in period & today Turners make very effective racing cars. They are light & have strong & rigid chassis, with well proven suspension & brake systems, they are known for their giant killing reputation.

In total only approximately 670 Turners of all models were built between 1949 & 1966, with over 50% being exported to America. Just over 300 are known to survive worldwide, making them rare & therefore welcome in many historic race series & events.

 

This Car

Chassis Number 30/206

Originally registered 1255 PO on 1st May 1959, then later re-registered as XFO 156 which it retains today. It has an interesting history, having been built as a 950S, it was involved in a road accident in 1960 when an apparently drunk driver drove into the back of it while it was parked in a layby. It was returned to the Turner factory & repaired by fitting the then current Mk1 body which it still carries, it was also upgraded to full Mk1 specification at the same time. 

30/206’s early history after the accident is unknown, although most Turners were used in some form of competition in period. It surfaces in 2001 in good condition as a race car, having been exported in that year to America & owned by Norm Sippel, editor of Historic Racing USA magazine, who prepared it for VSCCA racing, it is pictured on The Turner Register website  http://www.turnersportscars.co.uk/  at Lime Rock & Roebling Road raceways.  

Returned to UK in 2013 & purchased by one of our clients requiring recommissioning & upgrading to meet current UK race safety & technical specifications. A change of priorities meant the car sat for several years, we eventually bought it from him personally, completed the work including a full mechanical rebuild with 1293cc race engine, straight cut close ratio gearbox & limited slip differential. We then race it very successfully for several years, before another client asked if they could buy it in March 2019. They have enjoyed the car at many events since, with many class wins & podiums in Equipe Classic Racing. Always prepared & run by WCE. A change of focus to more modern machinery means it was not used at all in 2023 & is now for sale.

Eligible for Equipe Classic Racing, MRL Pre’63, Masters Gentlemen Drivers, GT & Sports Car Cup & CSCC. 

 

Current Specification

Original 950S chassis.

Original Mk1 inner & outer body.

Original factory hard top & side screens.

1293cc capacity checked & sealed full race engine. Last refreshed for the 2022 season. 

Weber 45 DCOE.

Specially made extractor exhaust manifold.

Straight cut, close ratio gearbox.

Plate type LSD.

Race half shafts.

Specially made billet steering arms.

Full 6 point Roll Centre roll cage.

Sparco race seat & TRS harness.

Sparce plumbed in fire fystem.

40 ltr alloy foam filled fuel cell.

Twin fuel pumps.

3 spare 13” wire wheels fitted with used Dunlop 450L 13 racing tyres.

 

Please contact Paul Woolmer using the contact button or paul@woolmerclassic.co.uk or 01234 376119 to discuss this great car & to arrange a viewing/ test drive at our base near Bedford.