THE VENOM-AUSTIN

THE VENOM-AUSTIN

HABITUEES of the hill-climb and sprint venues have no doubt wondered at the rapid progress of a frankly batteredlooking vehicle called a Venom-Austin. A quick glance dismisses it as a Formula Three Cooper, but the motive power is now provided by a B.M.C. ” A ” aeries unit. Nothing startling about this, but the intrepid driver is Daniel Richmond, who runs the successful Downton Engineering works at Downton near Salisbury, which specialises in extracting phenomenal b.h.p. figures from innocent-looking family-car engines. The Venom-Austin began life as a Cooper Mk. IX Formula Three car, with transverse leaf and wishbone suspension, which was acquired by John Fenning, who cut off the chassis aft of the cockpit and grafted On a new rear end capable of taking a 3-cylinder D.K.W. engine and Cooper gearbox, which was considered just the thing for Formula Junior racing at the time. Having grafted on a set of to-in. Alfin drums Fenning-drove it in