In 2001 for sale at E-Bay UK for £6,000.-
	Click on engine for larger photo

Vixen VB1

Based in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire

A single seat historic racecar, one time Formula Four Championship winner with an Imp engine and a Hewland gearbox.

The Vixen was made in 1967. It triumphed maybe 1969 - 1970 (and maybe both earlier and later). In the advert (see below) it has wings. Wings did not appear in Formula 1 cars until part-way through the 1968 season.

It goes at speeds beyond 8500 rpm without mishap.

Newsgroups: uk.rec.motorsport.misc
From: jeanmcgarry@aol.com
Subject: Vixen VB for Sale
Date: 02 Sep 2001 15:56:53 GMT

Jean McGarry: Single seater Vixen VB for sale. Hillclimber.
The car is owned by a neighbour of mine, so I don't have the details to hand, but I know there is a spare set of bodypanels and another spare nose cone and a master-mould for the nose cone. I have also seen its pink RAC logbook which makes it eligible for racing.

Car and car conversions 1977, June:
When Alan Fraser left for Tenerife, Bernard Unett went on to race in Vixen cars. The Vixens dominated the BP Formula 4 championship in 1968: Imp-powered Vixens won the first 6 places. Unett won the BP title.

For 1969 Vixen announced their new F4 car would also be raced in Formula 3. They planned it to be a spaceframe design with conventional suspension and a wedge shaped body. By July '69 they said the car was nearly ready to race and would be pedalled by a well known F3 driver. Unett already had a brief go at Fomula 3 using a Lotus 31 in 1967, and he started to develop a Holbay powered car for Vixen. However, Unett crashed the car at Silverstone on its first test and that's as far as the project got.

Pat Longhurst, 'Mr Davrian' raced Formula 4 Vixen Imps during his racing career.

When the Vixen won the Formula Four Championship, Rootes used it (Feb. 1969) in their Sunbeam Imp Sport adverts, saying the Sport and the Vixen shared the same basic engine and suspension:

Two Imps. One difference. Four seats.

The one without mudguards is a Vixen Imp. Currently Formula Four championship winner. The one with windows is a Sunbeam Imp Sport. Very comfortable, very quick. And blessed with the same basic engine and suspension as the Vixen. If you can call an ally-head, twin carbs, 10:1 compression, 55 bhp @ 6100 revs and up to 90mph basic. Though with the Imp Sport you get four seats, superior interior fittings, and of course 'the ususal Imp advantages' to quote Cars and Car Converions. For only £733^*. The Sunbeam Imp Sport. A wolf in sheep's clothing.
_{* Ex works price, inc. p.t. Seat belts extra.}

The Vixen was entered in a E-Bay UK auction on 23 November 2001. Asking price: £6,000. The bidding ended on 27 November with still no bids made. The seller ended this listing five days early because the item was no longer available for sale.

1967 Vixen VB1 Single seat rececar.
Running a correct Hillman Imp race engine mated to a Hewland MK9 gearbox. This car has its correct pink RAC Logbook and is a privately owned car. Currently set up for hillclimbing but only slight modification required to return it to a track car (ie: set up the suspension and change the fueltank).
There is a full set of spare bodypanels and a very useful master-mould for the nosecone should the next owner have a mishap. I would prefer to sell the bodypanels with the car but might consider letting the car go on its own and sell the bodypanels at a later date.
This car is known in racing circles and at one time raced in New Zealand. Starts easily and runs sweetly. Looks very like a Cooper. This is a pretty and correct Historic racing car. Happy bidding.
Thame, Oxon

At Prescott Hillclimb, June 2008, there was a beautifully restored Formula 4 Vixen. Nick Cleak took photos.

Hill Climb Vixen

During the 1972 season Duckhams sponsored the three Huntsman Garage prepared hill climbers. They had a total of 49 class awards between them, including 29 class firsts, using Duckhams Q20-50. The Huntsman Team was based in Downend, Bristol. It consisted of:

• a 998cc Huntsman Vixen - David Franklin
• a 998cc Ginetta G.17B - Ken MacMaster
• a 4220cc E-type Jaguar - Nigel Prow

The most successful of the trio was the Vixen, which gained no fewer than 14 first places to its credit. Apart from 14 wins, David Franklin had six class seconds and two class thirds. Also, he held class records at Wiscombe Park, Pontypool Park, Loton Park and Presott during 1972.
The photo was taken at the Prescott hill climb.

Many Vixens? Mark Cole wrote in his Hot Car column 'Sport Scene' of February 1971 about the Formula Four and how it might become the top category in club motor racing. He gives three reasons:

1. F4 engine capacity increasing to 1000cc, assuring faster and more exciting racing
2. the 750 Motor Club taking over control of F4, assuring its future or so it looks
3. 1970 F3 cars will be able to compete, alongside the 1000cc Vixens and other F4 cars.

[...] This means that the 1000cc Imp-engined Vixens will be seen battling it out against the Ford-engined F3s. [...] The Imps rely on good carburetion for their power. Imp expert Ian Carter estimates that with the restictor, a 1000cc Imp in full-race tune will show 103bhp - and being 80 lbs lighter than the 107 bhp Ford F3s will not be at a disadvantage. The Vixens have Knight-modified gearboxes.  

Formula Four (F4)

Winged & ground effects, single seat, open wheel, formula roadracing cars. The rules are quite liberal regarding chassis alterations and modifications, but the motor must be be production based.

Originally F4 was intended for 250cc and 650cc motorcycle-engined cars. The formula really only started to gain acceptance when the 875cc Hillman Imp engine was made elligible. Then the one-litre Imp engine was brought into the the F4 fold and more folk started to take notice.

Then the FIA decided to chop the 1-litre Formula 3 in favour of a 1600cc formula. A great number of 1-litre engines and Formula 3 chassis of varying ages were free to compete elsewhere. These were then made elligible for F4, which meant an immediate increase in drivers and competitive machinery. A degree of parity between the power outputs was achieved by regulating throttle flange sizes. Various engine types involved:

• Ford 1-litre downdraught
• Ford 1-litre sidedraught
• BK 1-litre
• Imp 1-litre

So in 1973 the formula started to show a bit of real life.

1975 regulations

• The engine must be British and from either Ford, BL or Chrysler
• The engine must have a capacity of no more than 1000cc. To achieve this capacity, you can alter bore or stroke, but the head must come from an engine of not less than 848cc and not more than 1100cc.
• Both block and head must come from cars homologated in Group 1 (Production saloons).
• Valve gear is fairly free, but the cam must remain in the same position as original and the valves must remain parallel.
• The BL and Chrysler engines are now free when it comes to carburation - ie. no restrictions on size of carbs of number of chokes, and injection is permitted.
• Ford side-draught engines cannot use injection, and only one operating carb choke is permitted. The carb must be fitted with a single restrictor with an internal diameter of not more than 40mm. Removable chokes can act the part of of the restrictor if required.
  The downdraught Fordies has similar restrictions, except that the permitted restrictor diameter is not more than 36mm.

In theory these regulations should standardise the power output at around 120bhp from each engine type, but the Ford engines - particularly the downdraught - are the more successful.

• The chassis is left remarkably free, it having to be rear-engined, single-seater type with no restrictions other than a few related to metal types.
• And you can use whatever wheels and tyres you fancy - whatever you can afford.
• Certain regs apply to body work, perhaps the most inportant being those related to aerodynamics with wings having to conform to dimensions laid down for Formula 3.

Few Imp-based Formula Four cars were used from 1975 on.

The F4 Championship of 1974 was over 16 rounds and sponsored by Low Cost Racing Ltd, the company which specialises in selling racing cars of this type. Lorina Boughton finsihed second.