Hi, & welcome to the Classic Modified Website
This site is dedicated to our newly formed formula, which made its racing debut in April 2011 at the independently promoted Swaffam Raceway in Norfolk.
It’s just as the tin say’s, a mixture of classics from the sixties & earlier, that have then been modified to run on Ford V6 Essex & Cologne engines. The emphasis is very much on bringing an interesting & exciting form of racing to the oval, for fans, & drivers alike to enjoy!
The inspiration comes from the USA in the form of the American Ministox’s / Modifieds along with the Speed / Economy cars that ran at Hednesford here in the UK back in the seventies. The cars are lightly ironed out to prevent body panel damage during what should prove to be close racing.
If like us, you share a love of cars that were designed & built by humans as opposed to the jelly mould creations that cram our streets today, then I’m sure we are the formula for you. Classics like your dad or granddad, & maybe even yourself used to drive? Beefed up with a V6 power plant, running on big 10” slicks mounted to a live axle with a locked diff giving some “fast & furious” drifting action!
This is “grass roots” racing for the working class hero, & no place for the open chequebook approach to racing. If you want to spend a small fortune on a racing car then this is not the place for you. However if you want to get your hands dirty, spend up to a couple of grand modifying a classic, & racing with a big grin on your face, then look no further.
But that’s not to say that the cars won’t be smart. In fact in our formula the car is the important factor! They will all be finished to a high standard of quality. The finish will replicate the NASCAR style of numbering, & sign writing should look historically correct. We want these machines to grab people’s attention, & have the “wow” factor. Also it is important that we get as many different models of cars out on the track (read on)!
From your author’s point of view, here am I, with no mechanical or previous racing experience building my first race car (& I’m not the only one)! This all came about from simply seeing a video of the Mk 1 Cortina doing a few practice laps around Swaffam, & I was hooked! The Classic Modified family of drivers have all been very helpful, & there is a great feeling of camaraderie with Mark Tegerdine (Drivers Rep) at the helm. And if I can do it, then so could you!
So whether you’re a potential driver or spectator please enjoy our website, get involved in our forum (register & check out the build pictures)
You can also find us on Face Book.
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If you’re into your oval racing (& if your reading this then I guess you are) then you will know that there is a high interest in nostalgia at the moment. The “good old days” of racing, when a driver might put you in the fence, then help you fix your car back out in the pits. Crowds were large then, & there seemed to be a connection between the crowd & driver. Cars were built cheaply which meant that drivers ran very exciting races, which in turn meant that the crowds would come to watch. Everybody was happy!
Well Swaffam under Shawn Mason’s directorship has launched new cheaper formulas, & implemented rules such as a one-tyre make in order to help reduce racing costs for the drivers. Swaffam is an independent track & when Shawn was introduced to the Classic Modifieds concept he immediately saw the potential.
So the Classic Modified was born. The cars needed to be interesting, fast, cheap & good to look at! Cars would be from the sixties or older. They would only run Ford V6 engines, & limited changes allowed. Gearboxes would be standard items, & cars would run on live axles with locked diffs. The most expensive parts would be body panels if they were to be damaged, so the formula is non contact, with bumpers for protection rather than as weapons. All cars run on the same tyres (second hand 10” slicks at £8 each).
Another important factor was that this formula doesn’t turn into a one-make series i.e. full of Escorts, so a limit of five identical cars in any one season has been applied
(5 Anglia’s 105e, 5 Escorts, & 5 Capri’s etc etc). We also want non-Fords racing, so to overcome running gear issues, & in order to keep costs down we have allowed the Scimitar chassis to be used as a donor. The best example is Dave Cumbridge’s Morris Minor 1000. This has been built by combining the Morris body to a Scimitar chassis.
Another driver bought a complete Scimitar fitted with a Ford 3ltr Essex for £40. Match that with a body off e-bay for a couple of hundred quid & you get the idea of how potentially cheap it could be.
Any saloon or coupe will be considered (just ask the drivers rep if its acceptable before you start building). If you go down the Scimitar donor route then the chassis simply has to be shortened or lengthened to match the wheelbase of your chosen model.
Four door cars can be made to look more like their sportier 2 door GT versions.
Imagine a Vauxhall Viva, or perhaps a Rover, how about Henry’s Consul, Zephyr, Zodiac or a 100e. or maybe a Herald. Morris, Rilley, Hillman Minx, & don’t forget the cars from over the seas such as a 2002 Beemer, or if you want to be really radical how about a Beetle (front engine using the Scimitar chassis).
Thanks for reading.
Darren Barnes CM#69
