Vintage Thing No.167 - Torum

Torum on the 2021 Launceston Trial

I first came across Torum outside Georgie Mellor’s engine tuning establishment in Plymouth. I’d brought my Siva Llama there in an attempt to rectify a lack of puff above 60 mph and outside was what you might call a “cobby” trials car.

This would have been around 1999, by which time Joe Caudle and Andy Prosser were successfully campaigning Torum in classic long-distance trials.

Torum began in 1985 as a Midge, a component car built to plans offered by John Cowperthwaite of JC Sports Cars. For about £30, an enthusiast received templates and plans to turn a tatty Triumph Herald or Spitfire into a vintage-styled sports car.

After getting so far with the project, family commitments and a career in teaching intervened for 10 years before Joe could resume construction.

I asked Joe how he got into motorsport.  

“I first remember becoming interested in motorsport and cars at an early age when my Uncle Harry used to visit. He went to the Grand Prix races throughout Europe in the 1960s and regaled me with stories of Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Graham Hill etc. He also took me out in his interesting cars including Citroen DS, Mercedes Benz 190SL, Alfa Romeo Alfetta…… When I moved to Cornwall in 1969, I met fellow petrol head Andy Smith at Redruth Grammar School – many years later we reconnected and now I co-drive in events in his ex-Stirling Moss and Roger Clark FIA MGB rally car BGS. At school our enthusiasm was limited to following the Grand Prix drivers of the day and emulating their exploits with Scalextric. I remember competing with slot cars against the now president of Camel Vale Motor Club, Roger Hoskin in a club event where he beat me. We rekindled that rivalry at a Scalextric evening at Kelly House in 2010 and this time I emerged the winner!

“In the mid-1970s when I was at Newton Park teacher training college in Bath I set up and was chairman of the college motor club. We ran no official events but unofficial time trials were fun on the college drive although I nearly met my end as passenger in a Mini Cooper! I introduced my fellow student Keith Oswin to rallying. He and I had adventures following the international and national rally championship events at a rapid rate with me driving my Ford Anglia 105E and Keith navigating. We supported Roger Chilman on events (he is married to my wife’s best friend form school days). He took me for a test in his Escort in a rally stage but due to motion sickness my competition career stalled at that point. My wife’s cousin. Phil Collins, became a famous rally driver and he and Keith won a National Championship event held on the Epynt Ranges as Keith often co-drove for well-known drivers in events as part of his journalism for Autosport.

“Keith later went on to be National and then International Rally Editor for Autosport. In the early 1980s Keith offered me a drive in the junior rally championship in a Talbot Samba supplied and sponsored by Autosport. Unfortunately a full-time teaching job, marriage and mortgage put paid to that idea.”

By the time he could take up competition again, Joe’s focus had changed. He joined the Launceston & North Cornwall Motor Club and discovered trials.  

“I marshalled a lot and competed as a passenger with Harry Hobbs, our best result was winning the Spry Trophy. Later I passengered for Roland Uglow. My first events as a driver came about as Warin Kelly kindly offered me the use of his late brother Ollie’s Austin Seven Rabbit, a Trials Formula Special. I also drove my Ford MK2 RS2000 in grass auto tests etc and was stage commander for ASWMC championship rallies. In 1987 and 1988 I was a Deputy Clerk of Course for the Tour of Cornwall Rally.

“Although the Rabbit was no longer very competitive it was a lot of fun and inspired me, with Andrew Dinner’s help and Roland Uglow’s technical help, to build the Comet Sporting Trials car. That proved to have lots of weaknesses but eventually managed to finish some events. I lent that car for Andy Prosser to drive with me as passenger. After a few events we contrived to execute a triple roll during a David Ayers Trial at Roland Uglow’s farm. Andy then broke the Comet to provide many parts for the Probilt with which he won many events and 2 South West Championships.

Joe decided that he would now drive in further competition events and Torum was re-conceived as a trials car, not unlike Stephen Bailey’s example (VT No. 140).

Joe said many people told him that building your own Class 8 special was too difficult for the average, er, Joe so he delibeately set out to prove them wrong.

“With Andy as fabricator and me bankrolling and designing (making some of it up as we went along), Torum was finished in 1997. 12 years after I initially started to build a JC Midge – family, house restoration, career moves etc sort of slowed progress!”

Using a Triumph Spitfire as a starting point, Joe had already built a wooden frame for the bodywork in accordance with the Midge plans. He sold that and also the Triumph parts that were not suitable for trials use, such as the independent Triumph rear suspension. 

I asked Joe why he called his special Torum and he replied, “Torum was a name I came across in a children’s story book that I was reading to my class at the time the build was under way. Torum’s Magic Drum is a Scandinavian tale of a boy called Torum who messed about with his Shaman father’s drum. He conjures up a dark winter that lasts for six months during which he must defeat the Tomte Men, Ice Giants and Trolls to reinstate the summer daylight. So as Torum defeated the Trolls, that was the name I chose as Troll trials cars were all conquering at the time. I felt able to explain the name after we beat all the Trolls entered in class 8 in the MCC Exeter Trial of 1999.”

With Andy Prosser drafted in as chief fabricator, Joe revised the original chassis along much stronger spaceframe lines while still incorporating Triumph chassis members. This allowed them to retain Triumph independent front suspension while adopting a rigid Escort rear axle. Ford also supplied the rest of the powertrain. Joe and Andy fitted an RS2000 engine with a four speed Type 9 gearbox.

Andy built a well triangulated frame incorporating a roll cage and coil spring rear suspension with five links suspension as befitted a Class 8 trials special.

They clad the frame in aluminium panels and use the dash top and radiator shroud purchased from John Cowperthwaite when Joe bought the plans backalong.

The project was supported by Sid Broad at Madford Garage without whose advice and help Torum would have never have reached completion.

Torum’s first event was the 1997 Tamar Trial where, driven by Andy, the diff broke on Bedrock. They replaced that with a Fack diff and, after successfully completing the 1998 L&NCMC Launceston Trial, Joe won his first Bronze medal in the 1998 Land’s End Trial, passengered by Ben Towe. From then on, Joe used Torum regularly in local one day and testing trials. Joe and Ben won a Silver in the 1999 but had to retire from the 1999 Edinburgh with a propshaft U/J failure.

Joe said he put his daughter, Suzi, off trials for life when she passengered for him in the 1999 Launceston Trial but won a Silver in the 2000 Exeter Trial and won 1^st Class award in the 2001 Ron Beer Trial. Joe won another Silver in the 2002 Land’s End with passenger John Turner before winning a number of Tin awards in the less damaging MCC Class O in several long-distance trials throughout the noughties. He gained a Lands End Centenary Celebration Medal in 2010 with Sean Lehni.

I asked Joe what significant changes he’d made to Torum over the years.

“As a special it was always developed the in my ownership – raised rear suspension, stronger UJs, improved some of the electrics and used a variety of tyres to find the best in different conditions. After the diff broke on the first event a Fack differential was fitted and proved reliable throughout my ownership. The biggest repair was to the chassis cross member under the driver’s seat that was ripped out on a section on the 1998 MCC Land’s End Trial - a bronze medal resulted as, despite the almighty bang, we pressed on and cleaned the hill.”

What weaknesses showed up over the years and how did you overcome them?

“The chassis cracked at the front where the suspension was mounted and was strengthened, the headlight wiring loom of dubious manufacture was replaced with one from a Ford Escort. The Panhard rod mounting on the rear axle needed strengthening. Initially DOT5 silicon brake fluid was used but was too spongy especially on the hydraulic handbrake. DOT4 was used from then on.

“Rear suspension rubber bushes were replaced with compliant polybushes. Front and rear wheel bearings were changed regularly as otherwise the car was reliable and strong. they wore quite rapidly with trials use!

“If I could have afforded to do so I would have fitted an equally powerful but lighter engine. The Pinto was what I had at the time and also understood having had an RS2000 for several years as a road car.”

Joe sold Torum to Simon Oates in 2012. “When the coalition government took over in 2011 Michael Gove, the Secretary for Education, took away the budget that paid for my work as Cornwall Council Primary Education Adviser in Cornwall. I took voluntary redundancy. Private consultancy did not pay as well or as reliably so I sold Torum to Simon Oates in 2012. I wanted the car to continue to compete properly as to do so whilst worrying about the cost involved was no fun.

“I then focused on developing the Ford Pop that John Turner and I had purchased during the Foot and Mouth motorsport shut down as a project. The Pop won Class O in the Tamar Trial in 2008, beating an eclectic mixed entry that included JT on a Lambretta, a Peugeot 205 and a Ford Sierra. The Pop retired from the Land’s End Trial in 2007 but finished the 2008 event. After many period modifications, my last competitive drive in motorsport was a double drive with JT in the Motor Traders in 2016."

That Ford Pop - also known as Mabel - is now the subject of supercharging experiments with Vintage and Classic Spares. 

"The following July I suffered a broken neck and fractured skull as a result of a fall at home.

“Due to the damage inflicted to my inner ear, I had to recover from balance issues, however it did result in my no longer suffering from Travel Sickness! So my return to motorsport has seen some success with Andy Smith in BGS on Classic Road Trials, Tours and navigational events. Currently we are not competing as we are building a very special 1966 MGB GT evocation.”

At rest outside the Frog and Bucket after the 2019 Tamar Trial.

Simon Oates had many further successes culminating in 2021when he won Best Car in the John Aley Trial.

Just before the Covid lockdown, Simon lost drive on the 2020 Launceston trial. I tried towing Torum off Norman’s Stump with the Arkley-MG but couldn’t quite make it back to the yard in Lew Woods, covering poor Torum in mud from my car’s muddy rooster tails. Simon later confirmed he’d broken a halfshaft.

“I eventually got all the mud off and took it apart. A replacement half shaft had to be fettled and new wheel bearings both sides plus brake shoes, brake seals replaced, now all back together. I thought I’d check the Volvo Amazon trailing arm bushes. Even though they were replaced 4 years ago at great expense the neoprene is damaged! I made some new ones up with rose joints as cheaper way to do it.”

Simon now has a Class 7 Liege in which he has achieved some notable successes. He recently sold Torum to Trevor Bailey in Somerset, who has already begun entering MCC events. 

Nice rear wheels