Thanks to an observant reader I was sent over these great pictures of Owen Greenwood's infamous 'sidecar' creation. They are all pictures I never saw before and I quite like them. It also struck to me that the 'four-wheeled motorbike', as the thing was named soon after it entered the sidecar championship in 1965, appears to be road registered at one point. I can't find anything on '139 GYN' though. What's more: I don't think that is Owen Greenwood at the wheel, but who is it then? And how about the lady passengers?
Anything goes: 1960s paddock scene includes a clever piece of British engineering
Picture via Michael Craig
Mind that aluminum body… Greenwood Special weighed just over 300kgs
Picture via Michael Craig
Mini sidecar became the terror of the tracks in the mid-1960s, pulverizing the championship
Picture via Michael Craig
Oops! Things didn't go well all the time though. Double rear wheels can be seen here
Picture via Michael Craig
About 20 years ago I borrowed some slides of the Owen Greenwood special taken trackside at Snetterton. Didn't think to get them copied at the time. I'll see if the photographer is still on the planet... Don't hold your breath.
ReplyDeleteSounds good Phil. I won't hold my breath but will come back to you within a year!
DeleteI've made a lot of researches and talked to a few people involved in the Greenwood Special but I had never seen those pictures before too. It's the first time a see the car with a registration plate on it. It seems that the front panel is missing on the picture (similar to this picture: http://img11.hostingpics.net/pics/3134965551155236e96d9cf1f3o.jpg Maybe it could be the Curley Trike. A similar car made a couple of years later...
ReplyDeleteMore information: http://www.mosquito-triad.com/The_origin.html
I pretty much convinced it's not the Curley trike, but who knows it's yet another Greenwood copy?
ReplyDeletePretty sure the Curley Trike only had three wheels. Took the Trifid for a spin the other night. Hooligan - couldn't help myself. No news on the slides yet....
ReplyDeleteI know you are a Hooligan!
DeleteOwen lived only 400yrds from the A46 and was his test track.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to get the Curley Trike to Blyton Park! :-) Pete
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing Owen Greenwood and passenger cleaning up at Cadwell Park in the Sixties along with Helmut Fath racing together both airbourne as the bikes came over the hill.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to see the Greenwood Special on the track again.
I worked for Parkin Engineering Company in Whiston Yorkshire where the owner Howard Parking had us make a 4 wheel Drive 4 wheel Steer 1275 Mini Cooper "S" Bill Needham tuned motor where he would do Autocross with 20 Second Start penalty as it was so light and extremely fast. Think what the creations would be like if we had the Suzuki Hayabusa motor to play with.
Ron Gill. NZ