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John
(Jack) H Turner built the first Turner in The Smithy, Seisdon,
South Staffordshire. The cars featured a large diameter steel tube
ladder frame chassis, aluminium or fibreglass bodies, and power
plants included an engine designed by Turner. The lightweight bodies
gave a good power to weight ratio, and the cars handled well.
Turners were initially road cars,
Petula Clark owned several, but were also very
competitive winning the Autosport Team prize in 1958 and 1959 and
competing at Sebring.
The
Sports Mk 1 became available towards the end of 1959. It was
basically a re-styling but with Triumph Herald front suspension similar
to the Ginetta G4. Alongside the BMC engined model, at a basic kit
price of £550, the customer had the choice of the 1098cc Coventry Climax
FWA or the 1216cc FWE variant. The tuners and Turner dealer Alexander,
offered an alloy crossflow head and special camshaft for the "A" series
engines. Along with front discs (standard only on the
Climax-engined cars) the Turner-Alexanders were spoilt by an
uncomfortable flat spot at 3000rpm but had a 0-60 in 13.4sec and a top
speed of 95mph. The FWA Climax-powered cars returned 12.8sec and
104mph.
The Sports Mk 1 cars were still criticised for trim and
retardation and in late 1960 the
Sports Mk 2 was announced. It came with front discs as
standard and even more engine options. Turner had moved from
producing Austin A30 and A35 specials to an individual identity enhanced
by the race car "Tatty" Turner. "Tatty" Turner was conceived by
dealer Gordon Unsworth and built by Alan Smith who tuned the FWE engine.
Driven by Pat Ferguson in 1961 and Warwick Banks the following year it
was capable of beating works Lotus Elites. "Tatty" is still alive
and well and was sold only recently.
The
1962 Racing Car Show launched the pretty 2+2 G Turner with a fibreglass
body and a bonded steel floor pan bracing. Suspension and layout
followed established practice except that the rear torsion bars became
trailing arms in conjunction with coil springs and Girling
dampers. Turner conceived this car as a model ready should two-seaters
become unpopular and it was not promoted. Available to order only just
nine were built, all with Ford 1500cc engines, and all nine survive.
Turner rationalised his
line in 1963 with the Sports Mk 3 which sold steadily and supplied
80-100 cars to the total of some 800 Turners. Turner went into
voluntary liquidation in January 1966. |