Chapman Mercury One (1932::1939) Engine 3900cc Mercury
Race Number 23 Michael Hawley (Henley in Arden)
CHAPMAN MERCURY ALBUM
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/albums/72157706187015865
The Chapman Mercury is a car in the true spirit grass rootes Motorsport. Built by race enthusiast Phil Chapman
Phil Chapman ran a small auto electric business in Sheffield, a motorsport enthusiast unable to afford a new competitive car, for road and track, so instead decided to build one. His first car CM1 emerged from a corrugated shed built on a Triumph Special chassis and powered by a V8 Mercury engine.CM II followed in 1952 with a self designed spaceframe chassis used by Phil unt il956 when it was dismantelled to build CM III
Phil designed the whole car himself starting by chalking the design for the chassis on the workshop floor, then cutting and welding the tubing. He also built the fibre glass moulds for the body taking every care down to the wood rim steering wheel. In competition the cars were a resounding success competing in Sprints and Hillclimbs throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s.
CM3 was sold in 1964 to fund his next project CM IV with his own four wheel drive system. But after two difficult seasons Phil had a complete change and took up gliding.
By the 1970s the lure of Motorsport proved to great and he bought back CM III to rebuild as a retirement project, returning it to a competitive Hill Climb car, in which he and his daughter Sandra Tomlin shared at events. As Phil grew older he passed the car to his grandson Oliver Tomlin who maintains the car to his Grand Fathers standards, both his sister Amy and his Mother continue to compete, Mom in a Formula One engined Pilbeam.
Phil Chapman passed away in in 2011 but the competitive gene lives on
Thankyou for a massive 55,529,603 views
Shot 17.07.2016 at Shelsey Walsh Classic Nostalgia Meeting, Worcestershire REF 121-445
