Melvyn Adams

MMCPJONES · **Posted:** Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:48 am

Hi,

I have just learnt that Melvyn Adams has passed away.

Melvyn was a really nice person. A real privateer racer, he drove his Sunbeam Imp with passion and flair. His results will be his legacy.

Martyn

impmann · **Posted:** Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:49 am

Thats very sad.

I used to own one of his engines (built for fast road) and it was amazing...

limjamrace · **Posted:** Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:36 am

Yes i remember reading (CCC) about his cylinder head on his Group 2 car was superior to the others.. Home brew head it said!
Makes me think that time is getting on -it must have been nearly 40 years ago.
To think my first car was a Singer Chamois at 17 and all this time later guys and girls like Frank are doing it still!
Wonder what things will be like in another 40 years!

BevanIMP · **Posted:** Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:03 pm

On behalf of the Bevan family, I would like to offer our sincere condolences to Melvyns family.

He was not only a fellow competitor but a friend of my Grandfathers and a regular visitor to the Bevan household.

Another name passes and again a little bit more knowledge is lost!!!!!!!!!

It was only a few months ago that my father and I were discussing using Melvyn to build a race engine in my grandfathers absence.

Jonathan Bevan

Noddy · **Posted:** Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:32 pm

So sorry to intrude but for some reason ive no idea who Melvyn Adams was , i feel after 23 years of imping i should , Please someone enlighten me on someone who was obviously well respected and knowledgable .

MMCPJONES · **Posted:** Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:44 pm

Hi,

Melvyn finished 2nd in class to Bill McGovern in the 1972 British Saloon Car Championship, finished 6th overall and took the coveted Privateers Championship. He won his class in 1973 and finished 3rd overall. All this with a homebuily ex.scrapyard Imp and using S/H parts from George Bevan. In 1974 he raced a VW Passat with backing from Cars and Car Conversions magazine. He raced a Modsports Davrian Mk7a in 1980 with some success until funds ran out.

HTH,

Martyn

impmann · **Posted:** Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:47 pm

Melvyn was a privateer racer, who raced against/with the Bevan Imp back in the day. Melvyn started off by using parts from George Bevan but then started developing his own ideas - he was on a much smaller budget than George and did not have any works backing IIRC. He never achieved the same degree of success that the Bevan Imp did - although it could be argued that his car was just as beautifully prepared and was (on certain circuits at least) the equal in terms of sheer pace. Sadly, all the pics I have are of the car in black and white (and not very good tbh) - it was a beautiful car.

He was another brilliant engine builder, whose skills and knowledge sadly go to the grave with him. Certainly my own experience of his engines gave me massive respect for the man (I've owned one and a mate had another) - his engineering was up there with the best of them IMHO. I never got to meet him - I wish I had.

Noddy · **Posted:** Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:53 pm

Thanks for the info, like you've said obviously a great engineer and doing it with no backing commands even more respect for his achievements . I've obviously missed out on not knowing of him.

colin rooney · **Posted:** Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:10 pm

Sad news indeed as Melvyn was only asking Alex Trueman a few months ago if we might be able to find him a decent imp so he could go back racing.I never meet Melvyn but have watched some old racing on motors tv a few years ago and Melvyn was out there giving it every thing he had and done the imp proud

Col

67cali · **Posted:** Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:38 pm

Alex Trueman and I used to chat to Melvyn when we went to the Bexhill 100 car show. Melvyn always came over when he saw our Imps, chatted to us for ages about his racing days.

He would always end up telling us the same story each year, but it was brilliant:

He was approached at one race meeting by someone from Rootes. They had watched him race and they were keen to help out. The car was rather tired and battered and he was told that they would give him a brand new shell. I forget if it was his dad who paid the bills, but they were rather worried at how much they would have to pay for the new shell as they were on a very tight budget. All they had been told was to bring a cheque book to the main gates. They get to the factory, speak to the guy who tells them to give him a cheque for 2.00, yes, two pounds. They get a receipt in return for the purchase of a body shell which was all that the security guard on the gate needed to let them take the shell out the factory grounds.

So Melvyn's car shell cost him 2.00.

God bless him.

Prometheus · **Posted:** Sun Apr 27, 2008 11:12 am

impmann wrote:

Sadly, all the pics I have are of the car in black and white (and not very good tbh) - it was a beautiful car.

Would still be nice to see Tim. Or perhaps someone else has some better shots? If placed in the album so a bit more permanent with a fitting description to remember Melvyn's achievements. Just a thought.

I wonder if the theimpclub.co.uk could have an area to commemorate people such as Melvyn. A bit of a memorial section. where people could post their memories and pics etc like a kind of epitaph. With the permission of the families perhaps ?? Just another thought.

Dave

Jonathan Adams · **Joined:** Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:55 pm **Posts:** 1

I would just like to say on behalf of all my family, thank you all very much indeed for your very kind words and tributes to my Dad.
My Dad was a very modest man and did not often speak of the actual success he had achieved on the track, only the enjoyment he got from racing, so it is very nice to see his results written down here.

My Dad was not only a fantastic driver but also, as has been mentioned, a great engine builder, mechanic and race engineer as I found out when I started kart racing a few years ago. The nature of kart racing means that you are always having to deal with bumps and knocks etc, and the kart often came in after a race looking it had been in a demolition derby, fortunately Dad was more than up to the job and the kart was always fixed and ready in time for the next race. I wouldn't have got anywhere if it hadn't been for him.

The main thing I will remember about him was the simple fact that when we were racing he would never ever give up, no matter how bad things seemed, no matter what problems we were faced with, he always managed to find a way to lift me up and get us racing again. That is something I will always remember.

As has been said, his car was always beautifully prepared but unfortunately I only have a few poor quality black and white pictures of my Dads racing exploits, and im afraid I do not know the exact dates or meetings that the pictures were taken but hopefully it is ok to put them up here anyway.

Again, thank you all for your very kind words, they are much appreciated

Jonathan Adams

skamanfrank · **Posted:** Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:24 pm

Very moving post and I love the photos too.
The second one is brilliant.

Noddy · **Posted:** Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:14 pm

Fantastic photos , he obviously enjoyed racing and wasn't scared to push the car to the limit. Many Thanks for posting them up for us all to admire ,

bazzateer · **Posted:** Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:25 pm

Great photos! What size tyres are they!?

Pos	Pos in class	#	Team / Entrant Car- Engine	Drivers, Nationality	Engine vol. (cc)	Engine Type	Group	Distance, time	Qualifying position	Qualifying time	Fastest lap	Reason out
10	1		George Bevan Hillman Imp	Bill McGovern, GB	998	L4	A	23	13	1.50,2	1.54,6
13	2		Hillman Imp	Melvyn Adams, GB	998	L4	A	22	20	1.55,8
14	7		Ford Escort 1300 GT	Jeremy Nightingale, GB	1298	L4	B	22	24	1.57,0
DNF			Hillman Imp	Trevor Willcocks, GB	998	L4	A		19	1.55,6
DNF			Guys Automobiles Hillman Imp	John Turner, GB	998	L4	A		18	1.53,8		Clutch
DNF			CAM of Potters Bar Hillman Imp	Adrian Webb, GB	998	L4	A		23	1.57,0

The Imp Site

Melvyn Adams

1971

1972

1973

Literature

Non-Imp info