COB 5068 - Current Owner?

[rstainer]

This car, used by John Atkins for 37 years, has a new owner. Does anyone know who it is?

[nikbj68]

6058? JA 11
   
   John Atkins, AC Cobra 289 by Alansart on Flickr.
   
    Not John Atkins, as noted on the photographers` description above, it`s Stuart Graham, who along with Justin Law drove it at the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power last year, but I think it was still awaiting a new owner then. Possibly Richard Wright would know?
   Note, it has not borne the "JA 11" registration since at least 2009, as I saw it at the ACOC 60th at Brooklands with it`s original JPA 9C plate back on.

[rstainer]

Nik,
   
   Is your reply (COB 5068-Current Owner?) that 'it's Stuart Graham' or 'possibly Richard Wright would know'?
   
   RS

[nikbj68]

6058. Driven in the above photo by Stuart Graham, and it might be worth asking Richard if he knows who the new owner may be.
   I thought adding the correct chassis number, photo & registration numbers might help your quest.

[aaron]

If you remember Robin this car was at Stonor Park last year for the 50th Anniversary of the Cobra , driven there by John Atkins, which was after the Pageant Of Power event in June.

[rstainer]

Aaron,
   
   I know the car well. All I'm after is the new owner's name.
   
   Please note that this string was replaced by 'COB 6058-Current Owner' (dyslexic transposition error).
   
   Robin

[aaron]

Robin,
   
   I was purely stating that the car was at Stonor Park after the POP,wth John driving, which I would have thought that he was still the owner of the car then and that the car had not then been sold to a new owner.

[SJ351]

Hurst Park Autos were brokering it a while back and Trevor may divulge details of any new owner. I well remember John racing it in HSCC Roadsports in the mid-80's and out powering the rest of the field with some nice power slides out of the bends but, generally extremely cleanly raced on chrome wires. I wonder how original the car is as it is one of a handful of UK based Mk11 Cobras that I know of that suffered severe fire damage in the past. However,critically,I believe it retains its original chassis. It later appeared with knock on Revolution wheels and certainly has very desirable provenance as a rolling entity, whatever its past.

[rstainer]

Hurst Park were not aware that the car had been sold.
   
   6058's Register entry (see ACOC website) reads in part:
    R Gaunt Esq, W8. Extensively raced in the 80s. Enlarged engine (variously reported as 5.0, 5.2 & 5.3L [306, 318 & 324cid]), vented discs, large calipers, rose-jointed suspension (mid 80s). 5 speed gearbox (late 80s). Non-standard side vents. RH brace tube removed. Fire damage in 1977 (see ACtion Christmas 78 & Supercar Classics July 87 accounts).
   [Robin Gaunt (67), Nicholas Dew (68), Philip Rhodes (70), Paul Hodgkinson (76)]
   
   HSCC Roadsports regulations do not allow the modifications in bold.
   
   RS
   HSCC Roadsports Chairman 1993-2002

[SJ351]

Nothing wrong with a bit of pedantry Robin. I thought my memory might be showing sigms of early Alzheimers so dug out my old HSCC race programmes. To my relief, we have on John Atkins entered at Brands Hatch in 1985 in the John Lelliot Post Historic Road Sports Championship in an AC Cobra. I also have the paddock photograph to prove. Roger Dowson went on to fit the big brakes for the AMOC Gordon Russell Intermarque races.

[rstainer]

Post-Historic Road Sports was renamed Historic Road Sports circa 1987; Road Sports technical regulations require cars to be per manufacturer's production specification excepting very limited changes specifically allowed: see 5.1 to 5.14 on the HSCC website.