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Denis Jenkinson of ‘Motor Sport’ magazine was a great fan of theprogramme, and he reported how for the new marque’s Internationaldebut in the August Bank Holiday Monday Guards Trophy race atBrands Hatch, Mac Daghorn was to drive the brand-new Felday-Ford5 ‘big banger’ – see Lot 407 – while “…Felday 4 was driven by noneother than Jim Clark. Among the many reasons that led up to Clarkdriving the Felday 4 was the fact that Colin Chapman…” - head ofClark’s Lotus Formula 1 team – “…had been showing an interest in theFerguson 4WD mechanism, and thought his number-one driver shouldget some practical experience…”.During practice Jim Clark very quickly got the hang of 4-wheeldrivemotoring, lapping just 1sec outside Denny Hulme’s classrecord. However, before Saturday’s session an electrical short-circuitprevented the car starting. Rgardless, Jimmy was fastest of the 2-litrecontenders, starting on row four alongside Denny Hulme in Sid Taylor’sLola-Chevrolet T70 Spyder.The Grand Prix circuit’s surface was greasy, and Jim Clark exploitedthe Felday’s 4-wheel-drive system to the full to win Heat One’s 2-litreclass, eighth overall behind four Lola T70s and three McLarens.Rain began after five laps of Heat Two, flooding triggering red flags threelaps later. After a long delay it was decided to re-run the Heat over 20laps instead of the original 30. Sadly for Felday, Clark’s BRM engine diedon the grid, a push-start incurring a one-minute penalty. The car thenbegan to smoke, and was black-flagged. Clark still qualified as a finisher,fourth 2-litre class while sharing the class fastest lap.With the demise of major-league sports car racing in the UK at the endof that year, the sports-racing Feldays were all dressed-up but withnowhere to go. This ex-Clark ‘4’ was campaigned by hill-climber JohnMcCartney in 1967-70, then advertised during October 1970.The information file compiled by late owner Graham Galliers includesnotes suggesting that the BRM engine and Ferguson FF 4WDtransmission system both passed to hill-climbing BRM P67 ownerDavid Good in 1971. By that April the car was being advertised by‘Low Cost Racing of Farnham’ as an engineless rolling chassis. Theadvertisement trail dries up after October 1971.We understand that the car was converted by Tammy Aberg (ex-Dennis Poore equipe) and John Head of Rosary Garage, Bramshaw,installing a Rover V8 engine and Hewland rear-drive transmission forautocross exponent Ken Piper. The resultant special enjoyed somesuccess in his experienced hands, while the car’s long-discarded FF4WD transmission seems to have been last heard of with an Americanmechanic named Rob Thurman who had been with Mike Spencein the late 1960s. According to his then colleague Bob Dove, MrThurman had all of the Felday 4’s transmission parts in the living roomof his London house in 1971. He is assumed to have taken the systemwith him when he returned to the US soon after…Another lead part followed-up by Graham Galliers involved MalcolmAngood who had been David Good’s mechanic when he ran the 4WDBRM P67 and who reputedly “had a complete spare transmission forthat car under his bench”. There remains the possibility that the Felday4’s FF system may yet be retrievable, or at least re-sourceable…The badly deteriorated remains of this fascinating – and significant– sports-racing prototype (including cut-down bodywork of ‘beachbuggy appearance’) were retrieved from contemporary intermediateowner David Kendall in the West Country by leading restoration andpreparation specialists Hall & Hall in 2005, and were then acquired –complete with Rover V8 engine and Hewland gearbox - by GrahamGalliers in 2006.For a new owner with the compassion, the heart and the wherewithalto rescue this iconic 4-wheel-drive sports-racing prototype, posteritywill plainly be indebted – while this once-sophisticated ex-Jim Clarkcontender could in future years provide an immense ‘up-side’.We at Bonhams recall the car most vividly from that Brands Hatchinternational race meeting 47 years ago, flickering around the GrandPrix circuit at jaw-dropping pace, driven by that familiar little figure inthe dark-blue crash helmet with his trademark white peak…Jim Clark,no less… Offered without reserve and sold strictly as viewed.£5,000 - 7,000€6,200 - 8,600No Reserve234Motor Cars | 77