22-10-09
This B42 has not been seen for nearly 30 years, Hugh Price is about to change all that.....
Hugh Price has acquired B42-78-16 and he tells us of its history:
"The car was purchased by John David Briggs an American who had been racing Can Am and F5000 in the states. His Mother owned the Hotel Tropicana in Las Vegas so his team was Team Tropicana. In 1977 he met up with Peter Gethin in the US on the Can Am circuit and employed him to run an F2 team for him in the European F2 Championship in 1978. He acquired 2 older chassis probably B40's to get going and ordered 2 new B42's chassis 16 and 17 for him and Don Briedenbach. Briggs qualified for most of the races DB did not do so well. 1978 was probably the prime F2 year so there were 35-40 entries for each race.
Briggs then sold the car to Warren Booth at the end of the season and went back to the States to do F5000.
Booth raced the car in F2 and Aurora in 1979 and then apparently sold it to Jim Evans who wanted it as a supersaloon base. It was never altered, sold on and it remained unused for 29 years. When I bought it the bodywork was still in Booth's colour scheme and was pretty well complete less the Hart 420R. It is now undergoing a full rebuild with Mike Catlow and should be out next season. The Hart engine was sold to Russell Busst a couple of years ago and now powers his B31."