JOHN HORSEMAN'S HARRINGTON LE MANS V8
 

 
 

 First time I saw a picture of the car was in TBON sometime in the nineties.


The car was originally registered as a Sunbeam Harrington Le Mans on June 6th 1962. Left Rootes Jan 12th 1962 Chassis B 9110308 OD HRO colour code 39 carnival red with license number 4 PPJ. Registered to the First owner William Perring & Co. of Chiswick High Road, London. Still registered at DVLA!

 

 
 

 Second owners was Brian Perring of Lingfield, Surrey (maybe the same person or relative). Wasp urchased in May 1963. Car got 1 TKR as license number.

Third owner was David Stern of Harlington, Middlesex bought sometime in 196??

 
 Fourth and most important owner was John H. Horsman of Long Ashton, Woodend Drive, Ascot, Berkshire, who bought the car in 1965. John was the engineer in charge of the winning Aston Martin DB214 cars at Monza in 1963 won by Roy Salvadori and also engineer and assistant to John Wyer whilst at Ford Advanced Vehicles (FAV) working on the design and build of the GT40. He was a director along with John Wyer and John Willment of J. W. Automotive Engineering and was in charge of the preparation and development of the Ford GT40 and Mirage cars which won the World Sports Car Championship in 1968 and Le Mans in 1968 and 1969. He also solved the Porsche 917 handling problems enabling British Company J.W.A.E. to win the Sports Car Championship in 1970 and 71. He developed the M1, M2 and M3 Mirages. He was Managing Director of Gulf Research Racing Company and built M6, GR7 and GR8 Mirages which won Le Mans in 1975 with Ickx and Bell in a GR
 

 
 

 Whilst the necessary equipment to convert this Harrington Le Mans to Tiger specifications certainly came from Rootes Competitions. John Horsman says that the parts in a FAV van full of test programme transmission, suspension, steering and brake components was sourced in Coventry by former Aston Martin technician and by then Competitions Department Race and Rally engineer Des O'dell. It was during this time that the Harrington was stripped down and despatched to the Rootes Competitions Department in Coventry, where former colleague Des O'Dell and his team 'Tigerised' it by changing firewall, transmission tunnel, upgrading suspension and steering.

The Ford V8 engine was originally used by an ex-Shelby Team. The rebuilt stock 289 cu in block (engine no 3M 23 W) with hydraulic lifters started its life in the American equipped Ford Fairlane station wagon used to support the race Cobras around the European paddocks. The Harrington V8 project was then completed by Ermanno Cuoghi and Jo Ramirez (later to be key personnel at Ferrari and McLaren) at FAV in Slough late 1965. Within nine months the job was completed. In January 1966 it got the license number 325 PE. Rumours suggest that the engine came from a GT40 and that the car was a test car for Gulf Racing, which all are untrue.

 

 
 

 Harrington V8 became Horsman's daily driver whilst working for both FAV and Gulf Research Racing, transporting him reliably to UK race car tests from 1965 to 1972. A photo of 325 PE appears in his book 'Racing in the Rain'. "At first the car was very under-tyred as it was still running on the original Alpine wheels, but when this was sorted it was a great car" "I enjoyed every minute in it", he says.


Fifth owner, in March 1972 log book entry confirms ownership transferred into the name of Gulf Research Racing Co of Slough, for whom Horsman was MD


In 1974 Gulf Mirage Team Engineer Ian Richardson became the sixth owner, who "barned" it for many years until,

Seventh owner Sussex Sports Car, Gerry Wadman and Martin Pester of the Sunbeam Tiger Owners Club obtained this piece of motoring history in 2007. Apart from bodywork refurbishment some time ago, which involved the removal of exterior trim much of which was included loose in the car. At this time, after spending thirty-six years out of the limelight in a barn, this historic 1960's GT - with well charted conversion by the works and the number one long distance racing team of the period - is a most deserving, potent and potentially rewarding case for restoration, SSC said.

 

 
 
 In 2008 at the auction mentioned above the car was sold for £14,375 inc. buyer's premium to its Eighth owner, somebody from Greece was all we knew until recently. With help from Jerry Logan, Seattle, USA who met John H. Horsman at an Auto Show at Tubac Arizona, where John told him the secret of its location today, which is The Hellenic Motor Museum in Athens, Greece, owned by its founder and chairman Mr Theodore Charagionis.
 

 

My friend Jerry Logan at left together with John H Horseman (now 82) outside the car show the 28th of January 2012
 
 A couple of pics from 2015, car is still under restoration. Preparation for racing? A Ford GT40 shows the racing livery colours.
 

 
 
 To get any answers, the museum was contacted and a reply came just a day later, with a nice mail (dated 170207) from Marina Philipoussi GM who explained the situation and thoughts about the future. Here are some words: The Harrington V8 is still needing some detailing to be ready not for the road, but for the track, as it will be part of the racing cars exhibition of our Museum. The most obvious alteration being fitment of 15" Minilite wheels instead of 13" in the past. This was considered essential because the 4.7 liter V8 engine, which is considerably more powerful than the "Tiger" one, was in need of a longer final drive, for long legged circuits like Historic Le Mans. Extra power required also a wider back track, so wider and dished wheels were chosen for the back. From the pictures you may notice that new Minilites have improved also the looks of the car. Please notice that new production Minilite are from aluminium, thus heavier than original ones.
 

 

by Jerry Logan

 

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