F1 drivers Rover 620i / racing at 24h of lemons

[motorpunk]

You’ve seen those desperate adverts, right? Some humdrum crud advertised as “Previously owned by Micky Frenulum who once played in goal for Stoke in the 1970s”, or something. And you think; “so fucking what? It’s a shit old car and no-one cares”. 

Anyway. This wasn’t even for sale. It was part of a deceased estate or something and was somehow dumped outside a mate of a mates industrial unit in the Midlands. No-one wanted it. It’s a Rover 620i with plaggy wood, velour seats, an expired MOT and issues. 

And so, with a few mates we clubbed together and bought it because… the previous owner was an F1 driver. No, really. He scored but one point, years ago, and seemingly celebrated by buying this 620i and leaving loads of fag ash, cat hair and dandruff in it.

 

WHO IS IT THEN?! I hear you type. Well I’m not telling (yet). No-one will believe me anyway but there’s paperwork and everything. And why, when I have 3 cars already, would I want a rotten 620i anyway?

Have a clue;

Happy Christmas. I’m off to hide this in a barn so the missus doesn’t find out what I’m up to…

[Bren]

Looks nice. How old?

[horriblemercedes]

I'd like to buy Jon Voight's Chrysler LeBaron 

[Dave_Q]

The F1 people have a list, there are only 3 Brits who have scored 1 point, not heard of any of them TBH.

Chris Bristow died in the 60s and Rob Schroeder in 2011 (and he was also American according to Google) so it must have been Tim Parnell? Says he died in 2017.

[Fumbler]

57 minutes ago, horriblemercedes said:

I'd like to buy Jon Voight's Chrysler LeBaron 

What about Frank Sinatra's own woodie wagon?

[HillmanImp]

Also, F1 didn't pay as much in the olden days. I'd like to think that Gabriele Tarquini used this when he was a taxi cab driver, saving up for a train ticket back to Italy. 

I mean being a BTCC champion, youd assume he'd use an Alfa but he needs to get the passengers there etc etc. 

[Boycie]

Fag ash , dodgy stains ... sounds like James Hunt lol , may I recommend the  "Hunt the Shunt " bio ... I'm amazed he made 45 , what a man though 

 

 

 

 

[ProgRocker]

Rover 600 series. One of the nicest looking 1990s cars imo. Well bought.

[Jim Bell]

I think it's Joe Fry and you've rounded his 0.5 up to a whole round 1 using the Dipsom-Barnett conversion table to allow for inflation. 

It looks like a nice car either way. I would definitely drive it to a good old fashioned country pub then complain about the smell of shit and lack of WiFi. 

[wesacosa]

10 hours ago, Dave_Q said:

The F1 people have a list, there are only 3 Brits who have scored 1 point, not heard of any of them TBH.

Chris Bristow died in the 60s and Rob Schroeder in 2011 (and he was also American according to Google) so it must have been Tim Parnell? Says he died in 2017.

I don't think that is the full list. Justin Wilson and Ralph Firman both scored one point in their career.  Plus given a number of the teams are in the UK , the driver may not be English 

[vinyljunky]

10 hours ago, Fumbler said:

What about Frank Sinatra's own woodie wagon?

By the 1980s sadly for Francis Albert the woodies were all simulated. 

[wesacosa]

11 hours ago, motorpunk said:

You’ve seen those desperate adverts, right? Some humdrum crud advertised as “Previously owned by Micky Frenulum who once played in goal for Stoke in the 1970s”, or something. And you think; “so fucking what? It’s a shit old car and no-one cares”. 

Anyway. This wasn’t even for sale. It was part of a deceased estate or something and was somehow dumped outside a mate of a mates industrial unit in the Midlands. No-one wanted it. It’s a Rover 620i with plaggy wood, velour seats, an expired MOT and issues. 

And so, with a few mates we clubbed together and bought it because… the previous owner was an F1 driver. No, really. He scored but one point, years ago, and seemingly celebrated by buying this 620i and leaving loads of fag ash, cat hair and dandruff in it.

 

WHO IS IT THEN?! I hear you type. Well I’m not telling (yet). No-one will believe me anyway but there’s paperwork and everything. And why, when I have 3 cars already, would I want a rotten 620i anyway?

Have a clue;

Happy Christmas. I’m off to hide this in a barn so the missus doesn’t find out what I’m up to…

I loved my 623i.  nice cars

Out if interest, are the deceased and the previous f1 owner the same person or two different people?

[neil1971]

9 hours ago, Nyphur said:

Can I have a cryptic guess as to the previous owner (hopefully without spoiling it) by asking - Will you let fat people drive the car?

I wouldn't have guessed who it was without that clue, but checked the name it brought to mind and the driver did indeed score just one point in his F1 career.

[wesacosa]

9 hours ago, Nyphur said:

Can I have a cryptic guess as to the previous owner (hopefully without spoiling it) by asking - Will you let fat people drive the car?

I think we might be thinking of the same person.....

[worldofceri]

11 hours ago, motorpunk said:

NO

[Schaefft]

12 hours ago, motorpunk said:

You’ve seen those desperate adverts, right? Some humdrum crud advertised as “Previously owned by Micky Frenulum who once played in goal for Stoke in the 1970s”, or something. And you think; “so fucking what? It’s a shit old car and no-one cares”. 

Anyway. This wasn’t even for sale. It was part of a deceased estate or something and was somehow dumped outside a mate of a mates industrial unit in the Midlands. No-one wanted it. It’s a Rover 620i with plaggy wood, velour seats, an expired MOT and issues. 

And so, with a few mates we clubbed together and bought it because… the previous owner was an F1 driver. No, really. He scored but one point, years ago, and seemingly celebrated by buying this 620i and leaving loads of fag ash, cat hair and dandruff in it.

 

WHO IS IT THEN?! I hear you type. Well I’m not telling (yet). No-one will believe me anyway but there’s paperwork and everything. And why, when I have 3 cars already, would I want a rotten 620i anyway?

Have a clue;

Happy Christmas. I’m off to hide this in a barn so the missus doesn’t find out what I’m up to…

F1 car replica for Lemons!

[motorpunk]

[SiC]

Pah! That's a mere flesh wound!

These definitely are becoming a very rare sight on the roads now like most Rovers. Sad really.

[HillmanImp]

13 hours ago, neil1971 said:

I wouldn't have guessed who it was without that clue, but checked the name it brought to mind and the driver did indeed score just one point in his F1 career.

Who is it you're thinking of? I'm not getting the reference. 

[wesacosa]

Just now, HillmanImp said:

Who is it you're thinking of? I'm not getting the reference. 

Slim Borgudd 

[wesacosa]

4 minutes ago, Nyphur said:

 

I too was thinking Slim Borgudd - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slim_Borgudd

Scored a solitary point (at Silverstone no less), lived in Coventry, popped his clogs in February this year.

if it is him he gets extra cool points for the other thing he is well known for....

 

 

No, not that

but driving the coolest BTCC car 

 

[RoverFolkUs]

I was offered a near immaculate Rover 600 about 7 or 8 years ago now very cheaply, £750 I think? At the time it was on the expensive side

I haven't seen one in the wild for absolutely ages now. Must be at least a couple of years? They rarely come up for sale, so for me to think £750 seemed pricey for an immaculate one less than a decade ago seems crazy

Looking forward to seeing what you do with it

[wesacosa]

7 minutes ago, Nyphur said:

 

I too was thinking Slim Borgudd - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slim_Borgudd

Scored a solitary point (at Silverstone no less), lived in Coventry, popped his clogs in February this year.

I have to say your cryptic clue did go over my head, but on looking for single points scorers who croaked recently he was my best guess (then about an hour later I twigged your clue)

if its not him I have no idea who it is

[neil1971]

15 minutes ago, HillmanImp said:

Who is it you're thinking of? I'm not getting the reference. 

This is his car from Silverstone 1981 where he scored that solitary point, if we're right in thinking it's Slim Borgudd, driver and musician

 

[Pieman]

Following his F1 career, Slim became most famous for driving these, and was European champion.  

 

 

Without a doubt my dad will have worked on that truck - he worked for Lucas who supplied the 100mph speed governors for race trucks and my dad fitted and calibrated them.

As for the Mazda BTCC car, Borgudd only drove that in the end of season 1993 Touring Car World Cup at Monza, it was driven by Patrick Watts in the regular season and run by Roger Dowson Engineering (I am a massive BTCC nerd).  And I agree that it's a stunning car and an even more stunning livery.

[tooSavvy]

BTCC 'fog of memory' 🤔🤔....

Correct me >> did a purple Mazda not end its first lap, of the first round BTCC... In a cloud of dust, in the middle of a potato field???

Image seems stuck.... 

Also a 'midengine' Sierra which swapped ends so violently as to be undrivable/scrapped 🤔🤔

🚙💨

[Bradders59]

He was also ABBA,s drummer if my memory serves.

[flat4alfa]

Check out the sponsorship effort

 

http://en.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/story/6511.html

In the 1960s he toured Britain and met Chris Barber, a jazz band leader and enthusiastic amateur racer. Barber was able to combine racing with his music and Borgudd realised that he could do the same. He bought Barber's Lotus 22 and shipped it back to Sweden to race in club events

[wesacosa]

1 hour ago, tooSavvy said:

BTCC 'fog of memory' 🤔🤔....

Correct me >> did a purple Mazda not end its first lap, of the first round BTCC... In a cloud of dust, in the middle of a potato field???

Image seems stuck.... 

Also a 'midengine' Sierra which swapped ends so violently as to be undrivable/scrapped 🤔🤔

🚙💨

it wasn't its first lap of the season, but it was on the first lap after Patrick Watts had miraculously qualified on pole position at Snetterton a few rounds in to the 1993 season

As @Piemansaid Borgudd only raced it in the end of season world cup (although he did both Monza 93 and Donington 94, plus the Nordic series in 1994)

He was supposed to race a brand new Roger Dowson built 323 in the BTCC in 1995 but the sponsorship fell through at the last minute and the car never raced, although its now out and about on the historic circuit. I saw it at Super Touring Power at Brands this summer and it looked and sounded fabulous

the rhubarb and custard Xedos still survives and is on the historic racing circuit in New Zealand along with David Leslie's 94 white Xedos

[motorpunk]

Yes, some great sleuthing there, it is indeed Slim Borgudd’s own Rover 620i. He scored one point for F1 backmarkers ATS in F1, did truck racing and some saloons too. Oh, and he was a session musician who played drums for ABBA. 
 

I worked on both the Accord and 620 (insert plug for my Quality control book here), and love them. I also brought my daughter home from hospital when she was born, in a near-identical car. Strange sensation when I got in and drove this one when loading it.

The plan, if we can finance it, is to build a car in tribute to him, ship it to USA, and race it in 24 hours of Lemons.