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The Motor Car Collection of the late Graham Galliers - Part II306The ex-Jim Clark 1966 Guards Trophy race,Peter Westbury, Mac Daghorn1966 Felday-BRM 4 Group 7Sports-Racing Prototype1,2,3 and 4Jim Clark in the Felday-BRM 4 during hisfamous outing in the car, Brands Hatch, 1966© Ted WalkerSic transit Gloria – ‘thus passes glory’ or ‘worldly glory is but fleeting’– is a phrase very seldom used in any auction description. But here wefeel it is entirely apt. It applies emphatically to the neglected conditionof what should be – as we hope perceptively connoisseurial bidderswill recognize – the still saveable remains of a uniquely significantsports-racing car once driven Internationally by none other than thelegendary, double-Formula 1 World Champion Driver, Jim Clark.The Scots genius was always a curious-minded, inquisitive racingdriver – always eager to pit his instinctive talents against a challengewhich was different, new, exotic and in this case immenselysophisticated. This Felday 4 had been built by former RAC BritishHill-Climb Champion turned most capable circuit-racing driver, PeterWestbury. He had previously won the British title in the ex-StirlingMoss front-engined 4-wheel-drive Ferguson-Climax P99, and hadbeen immensely impressed by the Ferguson Formula all-wheel drivesystem. Consequently he had set out with Harry Ferguson ResearchLtd’s enthusiastic support, to adapt such a system to modern sportsprototypecompetition.He had established his Felday Engineering business in his homevillage of Holmbury St Mary – old name ‘Felday’ – in the Surrey hillsbetween Guildford and Dorking. In 1963 he had won the Hill-ClimbChampionship in his self-built Felday-Daimler 1 single-seater, and afterclinching the British title he was loaned the Ferguson-Climax P99 todemonstrate at the Wiscombe Park hill-climb.While building a projected Felday 2 for the sports car EuropeanMountain Championship, Westbury was loaned the P99 for theopening rounds of the 1964 RAC British Hill-climb Championship.Before Felday 2 got very far, an 1880cc BRM V8 engine was acquiredand another spaceframe two-seater sports car project began, theFelday 3. However, its completion was shelved as the P99 clinchedPeter Westbury’s second consecutive British Championship title.Still determined, in the Autumn of 1964, to contest some EuropeanMountain Championship events, the shelved Felday 3’s BRM V8engine was installed instead in a Lotus 23B chassis, while FeldayEngineering moved into larger premises - at Forest Green.Still eager to succeed in Europe, Peter Westbury embarked upon theFelday 4 – the innovative car whose remains are now offered here.He produced a sheet-steel ‘monocoque’ backbone structure for his‘Mark 4’ with the BRM V8 engine turned about-face at the rear, clutchat the front. Ferguson FF transmission then drove to all four wheels.The chassis structure was displayed bare at the January, 1965,London Racing Car Show, but progress remained slow while BRMloaned its P67 4WD single-seater to Peter for occasional hill-climb use.The Felday-BRM 4 finally made its racing debut in the Boxing DayBrands Hatch meeting. An occasional race programme was thenpursued with the 2-litre 4WD car, Westbury and team-mate MacDaghorn – who had been working at Felday Engineering for sometime - both shining at club level.176 | Goodwood festival of speed

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