A life fuelled by Aviation and Motor Sport

Our speaker this month is former Aviator and racing driver Robs Lamplough.

The combined skills of Pilot and Racing Driver have over decades featured in the top level of Motorsport, however Robs became a pioneer in the international search and restoration of both historic racing cars and airworthy military aircraft.

A host of significant historic aeroplanes and racing cars owe their survival to him, at a time when only a few skilled experts existed prior to the many today.

His passion for aviation and motorsport were clearly inherited from his Grandfather who was a physicist at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough during both world wars. His father a WW11 Squadron Leader serving in Africa.

Unsurprisingly he joined the RAF and learnt to fly in a Provost at Cranwell. Tragically his father was killed in a flying accident during his course and he left the service.

In 1962 Robs bought a Mini Cooper modified by renown tuner Don Moore, entered into a number of races competing against a well known member of BMRC, whose identity will be revealed at the meeting!

He quickly developed to become a professional international racing driver. Within just two years his first pro race was at the 1964 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, in a Brabham BT8, shown here at Laguna later that year.

In the following years he competed in an incredible long list of single seaters and sports cars, both in period and historic cars.
A common addiction is his enthusiasm for BRM’s, he still owns a P25 and P48 shown here competing in France at Angouléme .

Robs will also reveal his memorable meeting with Louis Stanley in Bourne to acquire three former team cars. This proved to be a catalyst for owning, competing and dealing in historic racecars. Many can be viewed in a rolling presentation on the night prior to Robs’ talk.

Amongst them is the ex Jim Clark Lotus 33 which took him to his second World Championship in 1965.

A former North American Racing Team (NART) Ferrari 275LM found languishing in Ecuador fitted with a NSU Wankel Engine! Eventually its original engine was located as part of a total renovation and sold by the new owner for a world record sum.

Robs rekindled his passion for aviation, when together with his brother in law he purchased an ex RAF WW11 Harvard advanced trainer.

In the mid 1970’s following a tip off from a friend he travelled to Israel in search of two abandoned WW11 Hawker Hurricanes in a scrap yard in Tel Aviv. The dealer was located in a street translated from Hebrew as “The street of a thousand bent car dealers” Sure enough there they were, purchased and bought back to Duxford for restoration.

Eventually the search widened and Spitfires and P51 Mustang’s found derelict in a Kibbutz, given as a gift for the children to play in! They were acquired together with a host of spares and form the basis for many Warbirds now flying today.

His prowess as a pilot featured not only in air shows but were in demand in the film industry, he flew his aircraft in Memphis Belle, Pearl Harbour and Dark Blue World. Robs has so many stories to tell it at has been an impossible task selecting those to focus on for the evening but I am certain it will be a highly entertaining and informative evening, not to be missed!!