1970s

1970-74 – Marshall & Fraser: the garage business

1970-1974 – David and Ginger Marshall leave their previous employments to set up the Marshall & Fraser garage business in Aylesbury with Ian Fraser as a sleeping partner.

1975 – Estate Car Racing – Really?

1975 – the team develops a hybrid lightweight Special Saloon Mini using a Mini Clubman Estate shape plus a 970 Mini Cooper S engine. The unusual use of the estate car body raises comments at first but these soon change to admiration as team wins the Astley Trophy race at Snetterton in September followed by three second places during the season.

Mini Estate chassis

Body under construction

1976 – Second Championship Win

1976 – the team competes in 14 Special Saloon races sponsored by Hitachi, Esso and Forward Trust with seven wins and seven second places to their credit and, as a result, win the 1000cc Forward Trust Championship.

Mini Countryman

1977 – Fragile modifications

Winter 1976-77 – facing increased competition from Hillman Imp engined cars, the team modifies a Hillman Imp cylinder block and head to fit onto a Mini transmission case. A unique crankshaft is manufactured by Gordon Allen.

From September 1977, and entering only five races that year, the team ends with one second place and several non-finishes as the modifications to the engine prove too fragile.

1978 – Fragility combatted; third Championship Win

To combat these weaknesses, the team produce their own cylinder block. This modification proves so reliable that in 1978, while competing in the BRSCC Hitachi Special Saloon Championship plus a few other club races, the team achieves ten pole positions, nine wins, two seconds and two thirds with just one DNF and wins the Hitachi Championship.

Notable amongst the nine lap records achieved in 1978 was at Snetterton where Ginger knocked 2 seconds off the record, lapping at 92.6mph (149kph).

1979-1981 – Radical Reliant

In order to stay ahead of the competition, the team next develops a car based on the lightweight, fibreglass construction of a Reliant Kitten Estate which has the same dimensions as the Mini Estate but a more raked windscreen.