TURNER. John Turner introduced his limited-production sports car series in 1955 and built them at Wo

During this period they gained a good reputation among club racing drivers, although some of their circuit virtues meant that Turners had road-use shortcomings. In common with several similar, but usually less pretty, models from other British specialists, the Turners were mar-keted in 'kit' form, although complete cars were exported. Austin A30 and A35 components were extensively used, with a conventional chassis frame of two main tubular side members and cross members, with a sheet steel subframe and glass fibre body shell, mounted on Austin ifs and rear axle. These Turners were strictly two seaters, with tidy, well-instrumented cockpits but with seats whose adjustment called for spanner work and with the oddity of the filler cap for the small fuel tank being inside the modest boot. Detachable side screens were normal, but sliding side windows became optional when a hard top was introduced in 1961. For 1960 the Coventry Climax FWA 1098cc was offered as an alternative to the 948cc BMC A-series unit; with the FWA, front disc brakes became standard. Outwardly, a wide grille distinguished these cars, earlier 803cc and 948cc versions having a narrower half-moon grille. With the FWA, the Turner just reached 160kph (100mph), while if the revs were used freely its acceleration matched that of the MGA. The engine proved surprisingly docile and tractable for everyday use, albeit noisy. As tuned by Alexander, the A-series engine gave closely similar performance, while the Ford 105E became a third engine option in 1961. Turner road-holding was above average for the class. With a good competition record behind them these cars were more than a match in all but price for rival models such as the Sprite, and they brought the Turner company to its high point in the early 1960s. In 1962 a more sophisticated GT was added to the range, but by that time the company's fortunes were declining in the face of rival models from major manufacturers and production ceased in 1966. A few of the functional little two seaters lingered on in club racing for years afterwards.

Specification (Turner-Climax) Engine: Coventry Climax straight-four; 72.4 x 66.6mm, 1098cc; single ohc; twin SU carburettors; 75bhp at 6000rpm. Gearbox: four-speed manual. Chassis: tubular; front suspension independent by wishbones, coil springs, dampers and anti-roll bar; rear suspension by live axle, longitudinal torsion bars, radius arms and dampers; disc front/ drum rear brakes. Dimensions: wheelbase 204cm/801in; front track 116cm/451in; rear track 114cm/45in.