In 1932 four young men in the Bournemouth area decide to do something about the lack of motor sport in the local area. These four men were George Hartwell, Dudley Ship, Barry Peters and John Elliott. - Bournemouth Motor Club
Sunbeam Works Team
In 1948 the authorities at Rootes (that's the family) were beginning to appreciate the fact that participation in rally competition invariably produced answers which were not available from any other source.
The cars were seriously entered in competition, first in 1948. A team of three 80 models was run in the 1949 Monte Carlo Rally: the cars being driven by Peter Monkhouse, Nick Haines and George Hartwell. Monkhouse, fourth in the 1,500 cc class, was thirty-first overall; Haines with Leslie Johnson and John Eason Gibson as co-drivers thirty-seventh, and Hartwell forty-sixth.
Success began to crown their efforts in the summer of 1949 when a team of three 90s was entered in the Alpine Rally and came away with a special award for the best non-French team. In fact, they won the prize 'as the only eligible marque with three cars intact'. All the same, the cars had shown up well despite this not particularly charitable comment by Joseph Lowrey in the Motor for in fact Monkhouse and Hartwell, who Lowrey says 'were consistently getting their Sunbeam-Talbot far ahead of its team mates', finished fifth overall.
It was Gatsonides who led the team in the 1950 Alpine, backed up by Hartwell and Murray Frame. Gatsonides and Hartwell were first and second respectively in the 2-1itre class at half distance.
Coupe des Alpes: Hartwell was involved in a collision and although he stayed at the scene of the accident to help sort it out he was not allowed to pass through the frontier as were most of the Rally, and indeed was fired at with pistols when he tried. As if that was not trouble enough, his dynamo came adrift.
1952 Alpine Trial: Hartwell and Johnson were both eliminated on the first day between Bolzano and Cortina over the steep and difficult Pordoi Pass.
In the late forties and early fifties 500cc racing grew from being a means for the ordinary man to go racing in a homebuilt car using a variety of readily available secondhand parts to an international formula with races all over the world for up and coming Grand Prix drivers driving sleek factory built machines fitted with the latest racing motorcycle engines from Britains leading bike manufacturers.
Many well known names in British motor racing made their first appearances in 500s. Indeed the entry lists of 500 races reads like a Who's Who of motor racing in the second half of the twentieth century! The ranks include drivers such as Stirling Moss, Mike Hawthorn, Peter Colins, Harry Schell, Stuart Lewis Evans and Ken Wharton. Other names more famous for their contribution outside the cockpits include Ken Tyrell, Bernie Ecclestone, John Cooper and George Hartwell.
Talbot 90 Racing
Sunbeam...The Glory Days...!! The Sunbeam Talbot
90 whilst a solid and very well built motor
Hartwell and Deane, on their way to winning the 1954 Alpine Rally. Stirling Moss
small incident, en route to the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally. Unknown racer.(Any ...
Der Sunbeam Alpine Roadster leitet sich vom Sunbeam-Talbot 90 Mk II Drophead Coupe ab. 1952 bastelte sich der Rootes-Hndler und Rally-Fahrer George Hartwell aus Bournemouth fr seinen eigenen Gebrauch diesen offenen Zweisitzer. Dem Rootes-Management gefiel dieser Wagen so gut, da sie ihn ab 1953 selbst bauten. Der Name sollte an die Erfolge des Hauses Rootes bei der Alpen-Rally 1949 erinnern. Promt gewann der Alpine im Juli 1953 und 1954 noch einmal den Coupe des Alpes.
A rally driver named George Hartwell was one of the first people to recognise the racing potential of the Imp and based at his Bournemouth dealership the Hartwell-tuned Imps were carefully developed. Driven by Hartwell engineer, Ray Payne, the Team Hartwell race Imp achieved some good success in the late 60s.
Vanguards made it Payne's Imp into a 1:43 model, in its 1967 BARC Saloon Car Championship winning livery.
At Brands Hatch, 1964, 5 or 1966? Photo from Robert B in France, published by 'Sterling49' at forums.autosport.com. 'Sterling49' said most of R.B. photos are from 1964, maybe a few from '65. Brabham F3 wheels - quite a few Impers used them.
In the 1965 programme the Hartwell Imp was listed as Black & white, driven by A.D. Taylor (Tony)
On the assumption that it might be Ray Payne's Imp, Doc Knutsen replied:
The Imps that Ray Payne drove for his employers were dual-coloured in the Team Hartwell house colours, ie white on top, orange below the belt line. He also built excellent Imp engines and transmissions for a number of customers, many of whom would put Hartwell stickers on the car. I have two Payne-built 998 Imp engines, both of which are on active duty in Historic saloons, having hibernated through the Eighties and Nineties.
Roger HURT raced his 998 Hartwell Imp with competition no. 94 in Class SK: Special up to 1000cc at Castle Combe Monday 17th April 2006, Easter Monday Race Day. It was the Top Hat Sir John Whitmore Trophy for pre-66 Historic Touring Cars
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