GN SPIDER
The Ultimate Shelsley Special?
After reviewing a contemporary Shelsley Special with Nic Mann’s Mannic Beattie it felt entirely appropriate to look back at the beginning and ethos of such a machine and the moniker. Basil Davenport built GN Spider in 1923 and set about chasing the Shelsley Walsh hill record eventually setting 6 Best Time of Day (BTD) including 4 records, his first on September 4th 1926 at 48.8 seconds. Although he set his last BTD on May 4th 1929, Davenports final record came in 1928 at 46.2; 2.6 seconds trimmed off the target. in hillclimb terms that’s huge. A century later the August 2026 record set by Wallace Menzie using a 600hp V8 Judd engined Gould GR59 is 22.20! 100 years and 24 seconds difference!
GN and Frazer Nash are synonymous with Shelsley from the early days of both venue and company. Archie Frazer Nash brought a GN to compete in 1920, he returned the following year with the famous GN Kim 11 and that set an automotive president. The simplistic chain drive transmitting power from air-cooled V twins and a straightforward chassis clothed in skimpy bodywork easily lent technical potential for creative mechanical minds to make specials; the 1920s saw the birth of not just Spider but WASP and Gnat forming the historic ‘Insect’ trio. Built to attack the Worcestershire hill’s demanding slopes, the idea of a ‘Shelsley Special’ was also born. Other effective hillclimb cars such as the Becke Powerplus special, initially constructed in 1922 and further developed as the ‘20s roared on; also with the more recognisable GN configuration the Chawner GN joined the scene in 1925. 100 years later the cars are still competing and winning, and that simple and effective confection of dogs and chains, light weight bodies and air-cooled motors are as popular as ever in vintage hill-climbing, cars such as Magot and ‘Katipoo’ so named after an antipodean spider, are contemporary examples of the breed!
We have complied this gallery from contemporary historic events at Shelsely Walsh to celebrate Spider’s 1926 record and to present two rare colour images from Steve Welsh Collection of Basil Davenport with Spider at a Castle Combe. The most likely occasion was a GN and Frazer Nash gathering at an AFN organised race meeting in May 1965. One shows Davenport posed in Spider in a very period looking scene next to the ambulance shed that is still at Combe with a suitable vehicle and St Johns Ambulance men looking on. The 2nd sees Spider being released from it’s trailer and makes a neat connection to the photograph of current owner Jim Edwards unloading Spider at Vintage Shelsley in 2023.
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PRE-WAR ALFAS at VSCC PRESCOTT
The Vintage Sports-Car Club’s annual visit the Bugatti Owners Club venue brought along an unprecedented gathering of the Molshiem marques period opposition with 30 1920s/30s Alfa Romeos. Chris Mann’s 1924 RL Targa driven by James Harrington from was the earliest car competing and represented the first competitive steps of then Alfa competition manager Enzo Ferrari. Seven 1750 6 C Grand Sports including a Zagato bodied example all from the first years of the 1930s were joined by six slightly later 6C/8C Monzas. When static in the paddock the collection presented a unforgettable sight, on the hill the fabulous sound of the Vittorio Jano designed in-line 6 and 8 cylinder engines reverberating around the venue conjured up even more pre-war magic than usual. In support was an additional static display in the Orchard car park that was equality as engaging as the competition machinery in the main paddock.
This gallery presents a pictorial review of what must be considered in the modern era of historic motoring a unique moment in time.
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COLIN McRAE
The McRae R4, one of rallying’s great ‘What ifs’.
One of Colin McRae’s greatest treasures was his Metro 6R4. While his frontline career had wound down after the 1995 championship win and period with Ford, he enjoyed some rallying for pleasure with the 6R4. In 2003, he put his mind to what in his opinion a rally car should be. Out of his deliberations came the notion that it had to drive like the Metro, devoid of the tech gizmos that had invaded contemporary rallying machinery. Seeking purity of driving where the driver’s feel and input was paramount, he laid down a plan executed by DJM Race Preparation for a steel chassis and centre-cell clad in carbon-fibre panels. The body, based on the dimensions of the Ford KA, would be suspended on twin wishbones with Proflex dampers. To obtain the raw driving experience he found with the 6R4, it had to be un-blown, so a 4-cylinder 2.5-litre Millington Diamond engine would feed an in-house designed six-speed gearbox with some 350 BHP. The Gearbox would be adaptive between full manual and semi-automatic, manual fore and aft diffs., a choice of active or manual centre diff. and two- or four-wheel drive. The McRae R4 broke cover in 2006 at Goodwood Festival of Speed and caused much excitement with the motoring public, especially rally enthusiasts, as a future cost effective clubman’s car. The tragic circumstances of McRae’s death in 2007 and what that has meant to his family are paramount in the mind. For the rally scene, the car became a ‘what if’, particularly as some orders had been placed and there was rumour of a one-make series. This could have shaken British rallying out of the period of torpor that has plagued the sport a lot sooner; it would have been unthinkable when the R4 was launched that the UK would not host a world championship round after1999. On a happier note the WRC returns to the UK in 2027 and the McRae name is appearing on the rally scene once more. Colin’s daughter, Hollie, lifts the sports media profile as a commentator also getting behind the wheel for some action in a mini on the 2025 Roger Albert Clark rally. Hollie’s cousin Max got his name on the British Championship score board at the end of 2025 when he won the Cambrian event, 26 years after father Alistair won the Scottish BRC round and 30 years after uncle Colin nailed the world championship.
