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MG MG Y Type - TRAGIC NEWS Ex Dick Jacob's YB Special

The ex Dick Jacob's YB Special (YB 0412) was seriously damaged in the Iconic 50's Race at MG Live Silverstone on Sunday afternoon. I will post a photo and get an update from owner Roger Martin. Sadly, it looks a total write off to my untrained eye. A very sad loss of an historically significant Y Type and one of the few still racing. Older owners may recall the antics of Frank Vautier in his YB durimg the late 70's through to the 90's. No doubt some owners round the world will be able to update of us of Ys that are presently being raced. Though hopefully not stock car racing!

JERRY BIRKBECK

This is very sad. The body is all fibreglass, so in theory repairable.
A previous owner, David Rouse, my son's godfather campaigned the car during the 70s, with us as support crew on many occasions. Unfortunately David died last year.
Attached is a picture of the car at Snetterton in 1973, my son was 4 months at the time.
Clive


Clive Puttock

Jerry

Dick Jacobs YB Special was YB 1551 I think you will find.

Paul
Paul Barrow

Re the numbering. Do not get confused. There was the Yb saloon that DJ won the saloon championship in, and the special, that I think was the last Yb chassis MG produced. DJ designed and had built the special body.It was thought that he produced two of these specials, but the second has never been found.
Clive
Clive Puttock

Many apologies to all of you. Paul is absolutely correct Dick Jacobs YB Special is indeed YB 1551.

My confusion arose as Roger Martin had contacted me and I responded with my codolences. However, Roger's reply confirmed that this was not the case. He was scrutineering when the car was bought in. He seemed to think that the driver was Stuart Dean

I will aim to clarify both whom the driver was, his condition and what the future is of the car.

Many thanks for raising the error


Sincerely
Jerry
JERRY BIRKBECK

I had a quick look through DJ's book last night, and can't see any reference to YB0412, or a special that looks like the photo included in Clive's post above.

That style of bodywork is more like what you would find around in the very early 1960's rather than 1950's.

DJ's special - SHK7 (YB1551) had a hand beaten aluminium body, certainly not fibreglass, and was an open single seater style, not closed coupe.

Perhaps the confusion is in the name of the identity - so whose special was it ?

Cheers

Tony
A L SLATTERY

Thats an interesting point Tony. The photo that Roger Martin, one of the scrutineers, took annoyingly has the photo embedded in the email. I cant open it on my phone but will have a look
on my laptop. Roger refered to it as the ex Dick Jacobs YB special. It is fleetingly mentioned in the MGCC Facebook site report of the race.I'll see what I can find and post the info accordingly.
Cheers
Jerry
JERRY BIRKBECK

For more pictures of YB 1551, please see http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/imgytr/specialys/yb1551.shtml for my personal collection of original photographs of Dick's YB 1551.

Paul
Paul Barrow

If the car was 1551 (which I suspect it was as the owner Stuart Dean races it a lot) then that is indeed sad. However a car of that significance and value is never written off as the value does not lie in the physical car itself but its provenance. As it is a regular at the Goodwood revival it is worth well into six figures - in excess of its rebuild cost. So I have no doubt it will be back. The main thing is that Stuart is OK.

DJ built a number of specials on Y chassis. The one Clive has posted a photo of I have not seen in the flesh but looks great. I wonder where it is now (its not 1551).

I race both my ex DJ YB and my ex Gregor Grant YB. I am taking part in the Double 12 at Brooklands in the latter weekend after next. I came second overall (out of c150 cars) in that event last year. Will be tougher this year..
Marc Hanson

As far As I know the car in my picture is 1551, a car that I knew and attended meetings with David when he raced. At the Brands Hatch MG 50th anniversary meeting in 1974 David drove the car accompanied by Dick Jacobs.
Clive Puttock

I have just spoken to David's widow who confirms that the car was sold to Stuart Dean. David indeed raced the car against Stuart at MG events. Stuart always wanted to buy the car, and finally David relented.
Clive Puttock

Bad news about the Y type Coupe 1551, do hope it is sorted and back on the track ASAP. I recall seeing it race in a VSCC event at Pembrey and quite competitive.

Referring to some of the previous comments, I found a reference to it in "An MG Experience", Dick Jacobs Biography:
(quote) " During 1953 we had undertaken at Mill Garage to build a fibreglass open two seater on a new TD chassis for a customer..... and I took delivery of the last YB chassis to leave the factory. This was fitted with a coupe fibreglass body a 1,500cc engine and Wolseley 6/80 front brakes" (end quote) This coupe was registered XNO 1 and the TD special XNO 2



The registration No. SHK 7 according to the biography, was carried on a special, built in 1950/51 on a TD chassis, with Y type front suspension "as this was lighter than the TD and the rear had Enever's version of the FIAT 1400 coil spring suspension". This car was panelled in light gauge aluminium on steel tubes.

There are period photo's of all 3 cars in the biography.

My Best Wishes to Stuart Dean and hopes he makes a speedy recovery.

David
D P Jones

This thread was discussed between 05/06/2018 and 08/06/2018

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