Vintage Thing No.147 - Imp-powered dragster.

Tony Gane looks quietly confident at Santa Pod in 1968. (Photo : M Wheeler)

Twas at this year's Powderham Show, I got talking to Peter Batty, organiser of award winning MCC stand, when he told me about an Imp powered dragster that he'd campaigned in the sensational seventies.

It sounded nuts.

He said it would run a 12 or 13 second quarter mile, with a terminal speed of over 100mph.

There is a tendency to think "Yeah right!" when you hear about some mechanical marvels but this one sounded stranger than fiction. I wanted to believe it, too, and Peter Batty is a gentleman of the MCC, for heaven's sake!

Then he sent me some pictures.

With those people in the background, my eyes go funny. Is this a model of a full size dragster? Or are they giants? (Photo : Peter Batty)

The Imp dragster looks much bigger than it was. Those rear wheels are actually 10" Mini alloys. Measure them up against the Imp engine that sits between them if you don't believe me.

And the front wheels are from a Moulton Mini bicycle. Their maximum speed is usually reckoned to be rated at 60mph....

Perhaps it was just as well there were no front brakes.

Peter Batty on the left, winner of the G Max Trophy, 1972. (Photo : Brian Sparrow)

 In reply to my many questions, Peter Batty kindly sent me a comprehensive reply.

'"Originally, the car was built in 1968 and raced by Tony Gane. I bought it in 1971 and think it cost £90 but can't be sure as I paid by instalments (hard up student in those days). Originally the engine was 875cc but in 1973 we had it relined by Greetham engineering in Coventry taking it to 998cc. The cylinder head was also Wills ringed.  The ports were all opened out and polished and the camshaft originally would have been a modified Sport one." 

You can see here the four Amals and the chain drive to the gearbox. (Photo : Peter Batty)

'"The gearbox and clutch were from a Norton type ES2 with 4 speeds. This was probably the weakest part of the dragster set up and clutch plates caused me lots of grief . Once set up it would perform great but we went through lots of plates." 

'"At one stage I added a routes type blower to the car with a 2 inch SU carb but it never really performed as well as the 4 original Amal carbs so eventually went back to using 4 more modern Amal Concentric Carbs. The engine ran on methanol, not petrol, with up to 40% Nitro methane added, depending on the day. Oil changes were done practically after every run up the dragstrip. The oil filter was remote from the block." 

I particularly like the 2 remote float bowls for the 4 carbs and the forward facing zorsts exiting on the rear tyres. (Photo : Peter Batty)

'"There was no cooling apart from the block would be filled with water but not pressurised just allowed to vent or boil away. The total car weighed less than 400lbs. Rear brakes were drum taken from a standard Mini with solid axle. The wheels  were JAP mag alloy Mini wheels with Dunlop Racing tyres fitted. Never got around to finding any slick tyres as not very common in those days for that size.

'"The solid rear axle was fitted with Mini hydraulic brake hubs which were operated by the tall handle on right side of car. This handle was connected to a small master cylinder to operate the brake shoes. The car was so light it would stop quite well but I had decided to change the brake shoes to  discs from a Mini Cooper and got the kit but never got around to fitting discs." 
'"I did not use the engine to slow the dragster but hit the engine kill button and then engaged the clutch to get into neutral and use the handbrake. All quite exhilarating at 100mph. The danger of using the engine to slow down was it would overheat as no cooling only just the block filled with water. Hence also didn't hang around long at the start as this also could overheat and hence blow the engine. There was always a good run off area at the end of the strip after that it was off into the corn fields!!!"

'"Most dragsters only had rear brakes but over a certain terminal speed it was advisable to fit a parachute i.e 120 plus mph but the car wasn't really fast enough to need a parachute, Brakes weren't bad  but  to disc from a Mini but never got round to it. You can see the tall handle on the side is the hydraulic hand brake lever. The other is the gear lever. I still have these." 

'"There was no starter motor fitted as sparks were provided by a Vertex Scintilla Magneto so no battery. To start the car you either had to push with another vehicle hence the bar behind the engine or I could start it in the garage using a purpose set of steel rollers. You sat the dragster on the rollers and then jacked one rear wheel of another car onto the end of the rollers and this in turn would drive the rollers. It could be very hairy in the garage. I remember one evening I started the dragster up and the following week I got a letter from the local council about noise complaints. They said I had a speedboat engine running annoying the neighbours. We moved from there a few years later as never got on with them."

At Santa Pod in 1972. (Photo : Peter Batty)

'"I also made a purpose use trailer which I could use for general use (8ft x 4ft) or add an extension to take the dragster."

'"I never sold the complete car but split the parts up in 1977. The competition construction regs were changing so for safety reasons I decided not to sell the complete car but break it up. The engine went into my Sunbeam Stiletto which I then used for trials. I added a single downdraft Weber carb when it went into the Stiletto. 

'"I probably made more money selling the bits like the Magneto, £40, Wheels £25, Gearbox £40 etc. I recently learnt that the aluminium engine plates are still in existence with the chap I sold these to. He also had the rollers as ran a Drag Bike.  I still have the steering wheel and some aluminium body panels." 

The dragster with no name next to its Peugeot 404 push car. (Photo : Brian Sparrow)

'"The original car never had a name but in 1976 I did call it Sting after a purple paint job. Then the body panels got damaged when a drunk guy fell onto the car (another story)  and I had to re panel it so it never got painted just plain aluminium.  Car Number was GD 10 then went to FD10 and finally JD64 when the club reclassified all dragsters." 

'"It regularly ran in the 13 sec and then we got it into the 12sec but I can't find those tickets.

At Silverstone in 1974 I geared the final drive up higher by changing the chain sprockets. Elapsed times were crap as it bogged down but final speed went to 127mph.  The car probably had more potential but costs and family time stopped me competing." 

Peter on Blue Hills in the 1980 Land's End Trial using the engine that originally powered the dragster. (Photo : Peter Batty)