BRIAN REDMAN’S TOP 10 DRIVES

FIRST DRIVE IN E-TYPE ‘4 WPD’

OULTON PARK JAGUAR E-TYPE

10 Gordon Brown was a huge Jaguar enthusiast, and in 1965 asked if I’d like to try his ex-Stirling Moss XK120 at a Woodvale sprint. I managed fastest time of the day, and Gordon said he’d get me a drive in the ex-John Coombs/Graham Hill lightweight E-type ‘4 WPD’, recently bought by Charles Bridges’s Red Rose Motors.

I met Charles and the E-type on a beautiful Thursday morning in late April at Oulton Park, along with mechanic Terry Wells, who’d essentially come with the car. I’d never driven an E-type before but knew the track well. This was a great opportunity and I drove as if my life depended on it. I managed to lap three seconds faster than Charles, and under Jackie Stewart’s GT record set in the Ecurie Ecosse Tojeiro.

Charles and I went on to have a great season with the E-type, beaten only once, by Ron Fry’s Ferrari 250 LM at Silverstone. In 1966 we continued with a Lola T70 Mk2 in club and international events, and that led to even more opportunities. At the end of the year I was given third place in the Grovewood Awards behind Chris Lambert and Jackie Oliver. I was on my way…

1967 PARIS 1000KM

MONTLHERY FERRARI 250 LM (6th)

9 In 1967 I turned professional when Charles Bridges’s younger brother David offered me a guaranteed £30 a week with a competitive car and a mechanic to race in Formula 2. But no one important had ever heard of me, so Brabham declined to sell us one of their new BT23 chassis, and Cosworth declined to sell David one of their latest engines.

So, I was thrown into F2 at the deep end, competing against top teams and international stars in David’s two-year-old BT16. I learned a lot, scored a few promising results, did Spa and Le Mans in GT40s, and then David Piper asked if I’d like to drive his