Each week with every film we produce we’re going to aim to give you a bit of a gallery behind the scenes. This week we’re in the mountain roads of Arizona with driver and owner Terry Larson. As you’re well aware by this point, Terry’s D-Type is anything but ordinary.
From our film article:
There are cars with history, and then there is OKV 2. The second works D-Type to roll out of the factory in Coventry in 1954 was immediately handed to Sterling Moss, where he and co driver Peter Walker set a new record speed on the Mulsanne Straight. A chipper 172.97 miles per hour.
Over the next years the car would be held by the hands of some of the most capable racing drivers of the era. Norman Dewis, Peter Whitehead, Tony Role, Ken Wharton and Duncan Hamilton just to name a few.
It went on to a successful career in the mid to late fifties racing around the UK and European circuits, but not without a significant series of crashes and rebuilds. Jack Broadhead hired Bob Berry to race it at Goodwood, securing multiple podiums in period. In 1956 the car was painted a lighter BRG where it then placed 3rd at Silverstone and 1st at Goodwood. Later in the meeting it was heavily crashed…again. At that point most had considered it a total write off after a cartwheel at St. Mary’s. Mercifully the car was rebuilt…again.
From Coventrycars.com: “Through 1956-1958 OKV 2 continued to be raced by a variety of drivers including Jack Fairman, Ron Flockhart, Peter Blond and cyclist Reg Harris.
In 1958 engine changed at works from E2004-9 to E2065-9. Soon thereafter sold to Gerry Crozier. In 1960 sold, via Chequered Flag, to David Jaycox in Canada. Later owners included George Gordon, James Mace and James Catto between early 1960s and 1980.
During this period, one driver was killed and car was crashed, around 1964, by A. Smith at Mosport Park. In 1980 403 was sold in damaged state to Geoffrey Miller (Canada), and soon thereafter sold to Lynx. Car that was re-imported was to late D-Type production specification with steel frame. In the early 1980s it was rebuilt and sold to James Wallis of Sevenoaks, UK. In 1995 it was sold to Robert Cooper of Gloucestershire, UK., and in 1999 to Terry Larson of the USA. Terry’s first drive in the car was racing at the Goodwood circuit. Used in many tours and raced several times including in the Monterey Historics. It was driven by Norman Dewis in the monterey historics twice.”
To say that the car we had the pleasure of filming for the Arizona Concours has history, to put it in the words of current custodian Terry Larson, “would be a massive understatement.”
