Chassis 002 was built by Ray Mallock on behalf of Ecurie Ecosse for the 1985 World Sports Car Championship. Fitted with a 3.3l DFL Ford Cosworth V8 engine, the car was named “Henry” after the great Henry Ford. Completed in February 1985 the car conformed in every way to the FIA regulations and was the first of three pure Ecosse cars to be built by Mallock’s RML Racing. David Leslie, Mike Wilds and Mallock went on to race the car in the following events that year:
April 28th 1985 – Monza – Mallock/Wilds – 2nd C2, 10th o/a
May 12th 1985 – Silverstone – Mallock/Wilds – 1st C2, 9th o/a
15th June 1985 – Le Mans – Mallock/Wilds/Leslie – Retired/Disqualified
14th July 1985 – Hockenheim – Mallock/Wilds/Leslie – 1st C2, 8th o/a
1st September 1985 – Spa - Mallock/Wilds/Leslie – 4th C2, 14th o/a
22nd September 1985 – Brands Hatch – Mallock/Wilds – 1st C2, 5th o/a
With a season of strong finishes under its belt, Henry finished second overall in the 1985 C2 World Sportscar Championship.
For the 1986 season, 002 was replaced by a brand new car, 003, which was fitted with a significantly more fuel efficient Rover V6. However, 002 was still driven by American trio Les Delano, Andy Petery and John Hotchkiss at that year’s Le Mans. The extra points for finishing 4th in the C2 Class would turn out to be critical when combined with those earned by chassis 003 throughout the season, Ecurie Ecosse winning the C2 World Sportscar Championship by a single point from Spice.
After the team’s success in the 1986 season, Henry was first sold to Don Shead and then Lawrence Jacobsen who both raced the car in the British C2 Championship in the late 1980s. The car then changed hands again, being sold to John Pearson, with whom it remained until being purchased by its current owner in 2005. During this time the car was treated to a bare tub mechanical restoration by renowned race preparers Pearson Engineering and also received a total engine rebuild by Geoff Richardson. Since then it has been used sparingly at prestigious events throughout Europe.
