CAFÉ RACER 76

First Love - An owner’s reunion with his Ferrari after 37 years

Almost 50 years ago, an Englishman named Deryk Haithwaite purchased a brand-new Ferrari 275 GTB/4 at the age of just 26. Recently, he was reunited with the rare right-hand-drive beauty after 37 years – and Classic Driver was on hand to witness the emotional rendezvous…

Most could only dream of owning a Prancing Horse at such a tender age, but ordering a brand-new four-cam Ferrari 275 GTB was not to be Deryk Haithwaite’s first experience of Ferrari ownership. He had previously owned a shortnose two-cam 275 and, after finding himself in the fortunate financial position of being able to afford the more powerful variant, he placed the order through the UK Ferrari concessionaire, Colonel Ronnie Hoare.

There’s always time for a picture...

Once the car had been built, Haithwaite travelled from his home in the Channel Islands to Maranello to collect it – ordered in right-hand drive, as the Isle of Jersey, where he lived, drives on the left. After a factory tour and final inspection, Deryk set off on the long journey home, the car wearing the same export plates it sports during today’s reunion (a nice touch from DK Engineering, who organised the rendezvous). “Back in those days, there were no speed limits,” Deryk reminisces, “so a large part of the journey was completed at a 150mph cruise.” Such rapid progress allowed him time to stop and take pictures of his new mount at rest stops.

The other first love

After arriving home (and enjoying some memorable journeys along the quiet, picturesque roads of Jersey), Deryk drove to a party where he met a young lady named Diana. Shortly after they were introduced, Diana remembered a tale her brother had told her earlier that week, about a friendly young man who had given him a lift back from his marshalling post to the start line at the 5 Mile Road, where Deryk was stretching the legs of his new machine. Impressed by Deryk’s kindheartedness, Diana accepted his offer of a lift home from the party, and the pair began dating. Almost 48 years on, the two are still together and have been happily married for decades – and today, Diana has accompanied Deryk to be reunited with his other first love.

A big heart, but a body of steel

After becoming an item, the pair completed many road trips across Europe in the Ferrari during Deryk’s 11-year ownership: “We went to an Italian ski resort in the car, much to the bemusement of the locals,” the couple recalls. “It did surprisingly well in the snow.” Deryk also regularly parked the car in central London overnight, where his decision to specify a steel body (rather than the now sought-after aluminium option) was soon vindicated. “I specified the steel body as it was more resistant to dings and dents than the aluminium body, and I never intended to race it,” he says. Indeed, during a weekend spent in London visiting Diana at university, Deryk awoke to find a Mini had ploughed into his sleeping steed – and though the impact had collapsed the little Brit’s suspension, the steel-bodied Ferrari escaped without a scratch.

A timely offer

After enjoying the car for 11 years, the time came for Deryk to part ways with his beloved four-cam. On his son’s 8th birthday, antique dealer Keith Banham offered Deryk a package deal, which included £20,000 cash, a Breguet wristwatch, and a carriage clock worth £4,000. The offer was too good to turn down on a car for which he had paid around £6,000 brand-new; in those days, classic Ferraris were still considered to be depreciating assets, and making such a profit was unheard-of. Deryk used the cash to become a partner in a stockbroking firm, a move that ultimately proved lucrative and he went on to own a string of other iconic cars, including several Porsche 911s, a pre-War Alfa, a Renault Gordini and the Bugatti Type 37 he still owns today. Meanwhile, of course, the four-cam Ferrari has enjoyed its own good fortunes, too.

Capturing the moment

So, there’s the background of the story – now watch the moment DK Engineering’s James Cottingham reunited Deryk with ‘his’ Ferrari. Second first-drives don’t come any more poignant.

Video: Grid Stars for DK Engineering

WHITE COLLAR BIKE GSX 750 SADEWA

After multiple projects for friends, clients and customers, Ram from White Collar Bikes finally decided to build a steed for himself. Plotting and planning for many a year, the back-catalogue of ideas could no longer be contained within his head. The original plan was to build two bikes, called Nakula and Sadewa; the names of the twins from the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. But as the plan came together, the designs refined and sacrifices made, a single bike was decided upon.

The tale itself explores the four “objects of human pursuit”. Dharma: righteousness and moral values, Artha: prosperity and economic values, Kāma: pleasure, love and psychological values, and Mokṣa: liberation and spiritual values. Frankly it’s a tome that makes the Iliad seem like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but sure offers enough inspiration for what was to be a very personal build.

What may not be initially apparent though is that this, for Ram, is a budget build. It makes sense when you compare it to his previously featured bikes, including the Bhaskara Thruxton and Barracuda CB. But this GSX750 is far removed from it’s humble origins. The lessons of humility in the inspirational source material have obviously rubbed off!

The mid 80s GSX750E donor was devastated. Stripped down entirely it took but a couple minutes of deliberation, to decide that only the engine would be of any use. Everything else was shipped out the back door of the workshop in preparation for a clean sheet design. A design that would combine classic Cafe Racer aethetics with elements of modern CNC-billet machine work.

So out came the frame jig and the welder. A new steel tube frame now cradles the engine. A simpler and lighter affair than the original box-section item, it allows the oil-cooled lump to dominate proceedings. The engine itself provided enough thrust, the reliable 80 bhp block was treated to a refresh and a clean up. A modern BMW oil cooler means the engine won’t break a sweat in the clammiest of conditions.

With the discarding of the original frame went the amusingly monikered Full-Floater suspension. A new swingarm, carved from a billet of aluminum and braced with some T7 tubing is an impressive statement at the back of the bike. The raw finish lets you see appreciate the work that’s gone into the item.

With the rear end replaced, the original GSX forks were never going to be an option. A Yamaha R6 lent its front end to the project, providing suspension that could take advantage of the more aggressive frame geometry. For a moment Ram thought about making his own wheels, but with the build queue getting longer and with a set of perfectly good Yamaha rims in the workshop it made sense to go OEM on this one. Wrapped in a set of Pirelli Qualifiers, the intentions of the machine are clear.

Stripped of their anodizing, the forks are held in White Collar Bike yokes. T7 aluminum again, their simple geometric design gives that ‘hewn-from’ look that reverberates around the bike. This certainly wipes the floor with most other budget builds, but if I had an idle CNC mill sat in my garage I’m pretty sure I couldn’t resist the temptation to crank out some shiny aluminium goodies.

The party piece though is that fuel tank/seat combination. The 5 gallon Manx-esque tank flows seamlessly into the humped tail unit. A single lump of brushed aluminium, painstakingly hammered, wheeled and tig’d to get the finish Ram demanded of himself. “A pain in the ass… but I enjoyed it”, about sums it up. The reward for his perseverance is a one-off piece that defines the bike.

Another nod to modernity is the leather strap across the tank, not there to hold the fuel cell, but for to provide a place for a Smartphone. Too big to fit comfortably in a pocket, latched onto the tank strap, alongside a few spanners, there’s all the tools you’ll need in an easy access location. One of the few things not made by Ram, he looked up an old college friend who stitched up all the contrasting leather-work on the bike. When you have multiple builds, a full time business and a family to look after, you have to know when to bend. I think we can understand in this instance!

There are tons of other WCB made details on the bike, almost too numerous to go into. From the oversize beval drive throttle assembly to the machined aluminium headlight, as you’d expect the standard of finish is sublime throughout the machine. Simple bar end indicators alongside knurled aluminium grips; the swooping 4-2 chromed exhaust system. It goes on and on; the harder you look, the more you see.

Sensibly, some cycle parts were pilfered from a variety of standard bikes. A ZX14 donated levers and a master cylinder, a Ducati Monster, its slave cylinder. But virtually every siginificant item on the bike has been made in house, a credit to Ram and his skills.

So with his personal ride sorted, is Ram finally content? Of course not. 2015 has been a busy year and his garage is already full of new and exciting bikes ready for future fettling. Sacrifices have to be made and so Ram has made the difficult decision to let the bike go. The man is relentless and we get the feeling it’s the build process that is the main driver for him. And we absolutely can’t wait to see what he’s got cooking next.

Be sure to get a glimpse of more projects on Bike Shed Archive | Facebook | Instagram

Photography by Ferry Kana via PIPEBURN

A diverse range of racers at Silverstone Auctions’ Competition Cars sale

Whether you’re an experienced hand looking for an ultra-competitive car, or a novice looking for an ideal place to start, Silverstone Auctions’ Competition Cars sale, to be held on 23 July at the Northamptonshire circuit, offers something for anyone with a serious interest in historic motorsport…

Held as a precursor to its main Silverstone Classic sale, Silverstone Auctions’ Competition Cars sale offers an impressive variety of predominantly historic competition vehicles, from single-seaters to Super Touring Cars.

Your ticket to...

Our favourite has to be the ex-Gordon Spice Ford Capri (est. £75,000-90,000), which, despite its slightly confusing history, is a potential entry for the Gerry Marshall Trophy, the headline race at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting. Another car with sought-after Goodwood eligibility is the Cooper Monaco T49 Mk1 (£160,000-180,000), which has belonged to a string of famous British motorsport names over the years, including Frank Sytner.

If you’d like to be at the sharp end of the grid, several cars could allegedly be front-runners. Take, for example, the 1975 Chevron B31 (£130,000-150,000), the 1954 Morgan 4/4 – upgraded to ‘Supersports’ specification (£70,000-90,000), or the 1999 Renault Laguna Super Touring Car – the very last Laguna chassis built by Williams before Renault pulled out of the renowned series.

Something for everyone

Of the handful of single-seaters on offer, our pick would be the ‘on the button’ March Formula 3 carin which Piercarlo Ghinzani won the 1977 European F3 Championship, estimated at £45,000-55,000. And for those looking to enter the world of historic motorsport for the first time, the rally-prepared 1965 Ford Cortina (£13,000-15,000) or Morris Mini Cooper S (£42,000-48,000), eligible for a host of events, might well appeal.

Photos: Silverstone Auctions