Bonjour à toutes et tous
Vous avez certainement reçu ce mail fin octobre 2008 de la part d’un amicaliste américain Mark Brinker
Quelqu’un a-t-il des nouvelles ? Derek peut être ? Peter Breed ?
C’est toujours extraordinaire de connaître des gens qui veulent améliorer la mécanique Panhard après une cinquantaine d’années
Hello:
I am writing to update all of you regarding my progress towards a record attempt at Bonneville in my D.B. HBR-5 (chassis # 1025). As many of you know, I was originally scheduled to make a record attempt in October of 2007. Last minute problems with the car ended our plans for October. But we are now scheduled to make a run for the under 750cc production sports car record in my D.B. HBR-5 in August of 2008.
My D.B. has an engine displacement of 747 cc as I am going for the under 750cc class record. This record is NOT a vintage class. It is open to sports cars of all year’s right up to 2008. The engine has been highly modified with a custom billet crankshaft, special roller bearings, racing rods, pistons, valves, pushrods, etc. The engine makes 47 HP at the front wheels (more at the flywheel but we have not measured this). The engine revs freely to 10,000 RPM (honest!).
On Saturday of this past weekend I took the car to an event called The Texas Mile. For those of you interested in knowing more about this event, the website is http://www.texasmile.net/
The Texas Mile is a speed trial. From a standing start, you race down an abandoned Air Force landing strip for exactly one mile. You are timed over the last 132 feet of the run.
My best speed of the day was 90.858 MPH which would be good enough for the class record at Bonneville if I could repeat this performance. On the favorable side, I think my car was still accelerating at the end of the mile run and at Bonneville you get more than a mile to reach top speed. On the unfavorable side, Bonneville is at an equivalent of 4500 feet of elevation and you race on salt (tire slippage).
Those of you who know me know that I am a huge D.B. and Panhard enthusiast. And I will be trying to bring home a victory at Bonneville for all of us. If I am successful, D.B. will be known as the fastest under 750cc production sports car of all time.
I am unaware of another D.B. that has ever run at Bonneville. Does anyone know if one has ever run there?
I am also interested in knowing what the fastest speed ever recorded for a 750cc HBR-5. Anyone know the answer to that one?
Attached is a photo of my car.
I will be in touch after Bonneville in August.
Mark Brinker
Houston, Texas