innes ireland story - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #1 03-04-2007, 10:10 PM

i was reading the thread in the parts section about a fellow who had some stuff stolen and was very upset about it. it made me think of this story and i decided not to hijack his thread so...
this story was in road and track for which he was a regular contributor for many years...

innes ireland was a formula one driver in his youth. at the time of stirling moss, jimmy clark and other legendary figures in f1. he was a brit too. he won one gp race in a car that had a suspect clutch and so he short shifted it the whole race so it finished. he mused that perhaps he drove the cars a little too hard every other time.
when he was a kid in england it was ww2 and us yanks were crawling all over the english countryside with planes, tanks, jeeps and trucks. his family were farmers. one day a convoy of us six by six trucks were driving by and one of them broke down alongside the road on his farm. now he was maybe 12, mind you but he was a pretty good mechanic even then. so the convoy left the truck behind and ground off.
naturally he decided to see what the trouble was. he lifted the hood and soon found that the fan belt was loose and the battery had simply run down. so he went back to the barn and returned with enough tools to get it back on. then he took the crank and started it by hand. he decided to assist the allied cause by driving the truck around a bit to charge the battery. since he was too young for a license and the truck was not his any way he spent a couple of hours crawling around his farm trying out the low range and all wheel drive capability of the six by six truck.
then he parked it back where he found it and went home.
he mused that the GI's must have wondered how the truck "healed itself" while they were gone.

he was a tremendously entertaining writer. he died maybe ten years ago of lung cancer i think. a little too much abuse of his body.

i should look to see if he wrote any memoirs. and buy them.

tom w

davestlouis · #2 03-04-2007, 10:35 PM

Innes Ireland wrote all sorts of neat stuff for magazines. I also like Peter Egan (sp?) and the column he wrote, and may still write for all I know. I haven't picked up a "modern car" magazine in years...C&D, Motor Trend, et al.

t walgamuth · #3 03-04-2007, 10:57 PM

peter is still writing for road and track and, i think, also cycle world.

i have the complete collection of his columns in hard bound copy.

i, in the last week re read the last book.

he is always worth a second or third look.

it happens we were both born in the winter of 1948. i dont know what his birthday is but it wouldnt surprise me if it were the same as mine.

we have owned some of the same cars. including bugeye sprites and 53 cadillac sedans. i have yet to own an e type coupe, but maybe one day i will. think i can find one with a 300d motor in it?

just kidding.

tom w

davestlouis · #4 03-04-2007, 11:14 PM

300D like Adenauer, or W123???

t walgamuth · #5 03-04-2007, 11:21 PM

actually i pondered that possible confusion for a half second while typing that in.

dieskel. (that is popeye language) 115 or 123.

i always include a translation when speaking in foreign tounges out of courtesy.

tom w

davestlouis · #6 03-04-2007, 11:57 PM

Tom, given all the old Jag's with small block Chevy lumps, why not a Mercedes? I looked at a Series I XJ6 several years ago that some genius had actually taken a Chevy straight six(250 cid?) and 3 speed turbohydromatic and put it in the car...so he had a mongrel that didn't weigh any less than the Jag engine, and didn't perform any better. His explanation was that he had an old Nova laying around and a Jag that had a bad engine...voila, a match made in heaven.

t walgamuth · #7 03-05-2007, 06:20 AM

many engine swaps start out that way. fortunately most end before they are complete though.

when in europe in 1973 i saw a healy 3000 with a three liter benz motor. it was owned by some young german guys. i suppose it was the equivalent to a us guy tossing in a small block chebby. although in the case of a healy the sb ford is a better fit imho.

but a chebby six?

what WAS he thinking? those things were designed in the early thirties. a very durable lump but very heavy for the output. not appropriate for a sports car.

tom w