Merlyn Mk 21 car-by-car histories
Gordon Smiley's brand new Merlyn Mk 21. Copyright David Hutson 2011. Used with permission.
The Merlyn Mk 21 was built for Formula 3 and Formula B in 1971. Jody Scheckter, Gordon Smiley and Håkan Dahlqvist were all successful in their Mk 21s, but there were few other sales. Only seven were built.
The first Merlyn Mk 21 was intended for French driver Jean-Pierre Cassegrain to race as a works entry in the British F3 series in 1971, but after his sponsorship failed to materialise, the seat went to Jody Scheckter, who had been hugely successful in Formula Ford with an ex-Emerson Fittipaldi Merlyn Mk 11A and had spent the first half of 1971 in Dr Joseph Ehrlich's EMC F3 car. Scheckter won three F3 races in the Mk 21 but Colchester Racing Developments were unable to capitalise on this success and only three more Formula 3 cars were sold, two to Håkan Dahlqvist and one to Bernard Vermillio. A further works car was run for Peter Lamplough in 1972. SCCA Formula B versions of the Mk 21 were sold to Porter Brownlee and Gordon Smiley, both in the Midwest Division.
Two of the cars were badly damaged in accidents but it appears that at least one was rebuilt and continued to race. Their longevity was impressive. Both the cars exported to Sweden by Håkan Dahlqvist raced until at least 1977 and the two cars in Formula B were still going strong in 1976, by which time two of the British-based cars had begun new careers in Formula Ford 2000 and in Formula 4.
If you can add to our understanding of these cars, or have photographs that we can use, please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com.
Built for Jean-Pierre Cassegrain to race as a works entry in Formula 3 in 1971 but his finance fell through, and Jody Scheckter took over the drive. Scheckter won at Oulton Park in August, Thruxton in September, and Mallory Park in October. The car was retained by the works for 1972, when Peter Lamplough took over the drive, but exactly how he used the factory's new "Mk 22" and the older ex-Scheckter Mk 21 is unclear. This is believed to be the car badly damaged in Lamplough's accident at Monaco in May 1972.
Driven by: Jody Scheckter and Peter Lamplough. First race: Croft, 8 Aug 1971. Total of 13 recorded races.
Mike Winn in his Merlyn Mk 21 at the 1975 SCCA Runoffs. Copyright Ted Walker 2012. Used with permission.
New to Gordon Smiley (Shawnee Mission, Kansas) for Formula B in 1971, via Bill Ippolito's Race America (Dallas, TX). Smiley led before retiring at his first SCCA National, at Bonneville Raceway Park , and then dominated his next race at Mid-America Raceway two weeks later. He also won the SCCA National at Dallas International Motor Speedway in October. Retained by Smiley for 1972, when he won the Ponca City SCCA National and the Continental Championship at Road Atlanta. He retired at the Runoffs, as he had in 1971. When Smiley moved into F5000 in 1973, the Merlyn was acquired by chief mechanic Charlie Williams and run by him for David Loring (Concord, Mass) in 1974. Loring won the Stuttgart SCCA National in April 1974 and then raced it in the Players Formula Atlantic championship. Then sold to Mike Winn (Little Rock, AR) who raced it in FB in late 1974 and Formula Atlantic in 1975, using a Ford twin cam engine. He maintained its record by winning the Lake Afton SCCA National in 1975. To Barry Findley (North Little Rock, AR) who won a SCCA National at Chennault Field early in 1976 before upgrading to a March 74B. It was next seen in the early 1990s when bought from a racing car dealer called Norm in Colorado by David Clubine (Brantford, Ontario, Canada). The car was then complete but apart, and lacking an engine and gearbox. He did not do anything with it, and in about 2005 sold it to Bill Tebbutt (Mississauga, Ontario). Tebbutt sold it in 2009 but cannot remember the buyer's name.
Driven by: Gordon Smiley, David Loring, Mike Winn and Barry Findley. First race: Bonneville Raceway Park (R6), 6 Sep 1971. Total of 23 recorded races.
New to Håkan Dahlqvist for Formula 3 in Sweden and England. Dahlqvist won at Mantorp Park in June and Knutstorp in September. Retained by Dahlqvist's Karlssons Klister Racing Team as a second car in 1973 and driven by Stig Blomqvist and Conny Ljungfeldt. It was then sold to Mats Byström for 1974. To Kjell Andersson for 1975. Retained by Andersson for 1976 and 1977. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Håkan Dahlqvist, Stig Blomqvist, Conny Ljungfeldt, Mats Byström and Kjell Andersson. First race: Nürburgring, 2 Apr 1972. Total of 27 recorded races.
New for Peter Lamplough to race as a works entry in Formula 3 in 1972, and described as a "Mk 22". However, Lamplough also had the ex-Scheckter Mk 21 available to him, and exactly how the two cars were used in 1972 is unclear. After crashing badly at Monaco in May and suffering a compound fracture to his leg, Lamplough only returned to F3 in September 1972. After accidents at Oulton Park and Thruxton, he failed to qualify at Mallory Park on 1 October in what Autosport called the "disappointing" Mk 22-Holbay. He went much better at Snetterton a week later but then faied to qualify at Brands Hatch the following weekend, where Duncan Rabagliati noted the chassis number as "342/F3/72". Lamplough last raced the car at Thruxton at the end of the month.
Subsequent history unknown, but see the Mike Gue car and the Alasdair Southall car.
Driven by: Peter Lamplough. First race: Brands Hatch (R1), 19 Mar 1972. Total of 8 recorded races.
Porter Brownlee in his Merlyn Mk 21 at the SCCA Runoffs in 1975. Copyright Ted Walker 2024. Used with permission.
New to Porter Brownlee (Little Rock, AR) in late 1972 for SCCA Formula B. Raced in Midwest Division FB in 1973, 1974 and 1975, qualifying for the Runoffs each season. To David Pence (Little Rock, AR) for FB in 1976 and 1977. Subsequent history unknown. A later advert for the car says that "by the early 1990s, chassis 394/FB/4 belonged to Chicago privateer John Mayes. He loaned it to British restorer James Denty, who fitted a 1600cc Cosworth BDA engine and raced the yellow Merlyn in Historic F2 in 2000. It was sold to an unknown owner in 2001, and raced by Peter Shaw in 2001 and 2002, and by John Dunham (Basingstoke, Hampshire) in 2003. It was offered for sale by H and H in 2004, and after this spent some time in Denmark before being acquired by Kurt Buess (Switzerland). When Buess retired from racing, he sold the car to Hans-Rudolf Howald (Heimenhausen, Switzerland) in 2010. Howald used the car in hillclimbs in Switzerland and France. Run by Howald at Circuit de Bresse in August 2021. It was advertised in 2022 with a comment that "after a short period in Denmark it came to Switzerland to Kurt Buess".
Driven by: Porter Brownlee and David Pence. First race: Mid-America Raceway, 24 Sep 1972. Total of 23 recorded races.
Anthony Taylor's Merlyn Mk 21 in the early 1990s. Copyright Richard Taylor 2024. Used with permission.
New to Håkan Dahlqvist for British and European F3 in 1973, and described as a "Mk 22". Dahlqvist won the Swedish F3 title in this car. Retained by Dahlqvist for Swedish F3 in 1974, when it was also driven at one race by Matts Nygren. To Lars-Åke Olsson for Swedish F3 in 1975. To Thomas Gunnarsson for Swedish F3 in 1976. To Thorbjörn Bäck for Swedish F3 in 1977. Subsequent history unknown, but in about 1987 or 1988, Richard Parkin located the car in Sweden and brought it back to England. He sold it to Anthony Taylor about a year later, and Taylor restored it to Formula B specification, using it briefly in HSCC historic racing. Taylor's understanding was that it was Dahlqvist's Swedish F3 championship winning car. The car was later sold via Chris Alford about 1994 or 1995. Richard Taylor, Anthony's son, recalls that it might have gone to Canada.
Driven by: Håkan Dahlqvist, Matts Nygren, Lars-Åke Olsson, Thomas Gunnarsson and Thorbjörn Bäck. First race: Nürburgring, 1 Apr 1973. Total of 35 recorded races.
Gordon Smiley's Formula Atlantic Merlyn Mk 21 in 1974. Copyright David Hutson 2011. Used with permission.
New to Bernard Vermillio for British F3 in 1973, but he failed to arrive for most of his races and had a poor season. The car was acquired from from Vermilio by Gordon Smiley (Mirriam, Kansas) who had come to England to race a works Merlyn Mk 25 in Formula Ford, and the Mk 21 was converted for him to also race in the Formula Atlantic series. His only race in the Mk 21 was in the Brands Hatch race in mid-March supporting the Race of Champions. He crashed during the very wet race and according to Clive Hayward, he "stuffed it pretty thoroughly". Smiley moved to the Elden F3 team.
Driven by: Bernard Vermillio and Gordon Smiley. First race: Oulton Park (R5), 28 May 1973. Total of 8 recorded races.
Merlyn Mk 21s in 1972
Colchester Racing Developments retained the ex-Scheckter 318/F3/71 for new driver Peter Lamplough and also built a new car 342/F3/72, described as a Mk 22; Gordon Smiley retained his 320/FB/71 in Formula B; Håkan Dahlqvist took delivery of 328/F3/72 for F3 in Sweden; and later in the season Porter Brownlee took delivery of 394/FB/72 for FB in Arkansas. At this stage five Mk 21s had been built.
Merlyn Mk 21s in 1973
The two works cars, 318/F3/71 and 342/F3/72 were not seen in 1973; nor was Gordon Smiley's Formula B 320/FB/71; Håkan Dahlqvist sold his 328/F3/72 to Conny Ljungfeldt and bought a new car, 440/F3/73; Porter Brownlee retained his 394/FB/72; and a second new car, 445/F3/73, was built for Bernard Vermillio; Seven Mk 21s had now been built, although some were called Mk 22s.
Merlyn Mk 21s in 1974
The two works cars, 318/F3/71 and 342/F3/72 were again not seen in 1974; Gordon Smiley's Formula B 320/FB/71 went to Charlie Williams for David Loring to drive; Conny Ljungfeldt's ex-Håkan Dahlqvist 328/F3/72 went to Mats Byström for 1974; Porter Brownlee again retained his Formula B 394/FB/72; Håkan Dahlqvist retained 440/F3/73; and the ex-Bernard Vermillio 445/F3/73 was rebuilt to Formula Atlantic specification for Gordon Smiley to drive.
By the end of 1974, two of the Mk 21s were out of commission, 318/F3/71 since Monaco in May 1972 and 445/F3/73 since Smiley's crash at Brands Hatch in March 1974.
Merlyn Mk 21s in 1975
By 1975, two of the Mk 21s had been crashed and a third had vanished. Of the other four, the ex-Gordon Smiley/David Loring Formula B 320/FB/71 had been sold by Charlie Williams to Mike Winn; Mats Byström's ex-Håkan Dahlqvist/Conny Ljungfeldt 328/F3/72 went to Kjell Andersson for 1975; Porter Brownlee retained his Formula B 394/FB/72 for another season; and Håkan Dahlqvist sold his 440/F3/73 to Lars-Åke Olsson.
Two more Mk 21s appeared in 1975: one used by Wally Liles in Formula Ford 2000 and one raced by Mike Gue in Formula 4. These must be two from the missing three: either the ex-Jody Scheckter 318/F3/71, the ex-Peter Lamplough 342/F3/72 or the ex-Bernard Vermillio/Gordon Smiley 445/F3/73. The description of Gue's car suggest it was the ex-Peter Lamplough 342/F3/72. The Liles car is probably the ex-Vermillio/Smiley 445/F3/73.
Wally Liles (Branston, Lincolnshire) raced a Merlyn Mk 21 in Formula Ford 2000 in 1975 and 1976. Liles bought it from Peter Slade and understood that it had been raced originally as "an F3 by Jody Scheckter and badly damaged in an accident at Beckets corner" and that "the wreck was bought and converted to Formula Atlantic driven by Gordon Smiley". Slade had started to convert it to Formula Ford 2000, a job completed by Liles. The fabricated front uprights broke on the first test so Liles replaced them with Triumph cast uprights. The car was overweight and unreliable in this form, and Liles soon gave up on it. In 1976, he traded it to Belgium for a Formula Vee. Its exact movements in Belgium are unresolved, but by the 1990s it was owned by Georges Legein (Brussels, Belgium). According to Gérard Gamand, Legein raced it in the Euro F2 series between 1993 and 1995, and it may also have been raced by his son Bruno Legein. A later owner, Greg Swan, advises that the car was last raced by Georges Legein at Spa in 1997. After Legein's ownership, it remained with MEC Auto for some years and was then sold to France. At this time it was noted to have some unusual features such as cast iron calipers and Triumph front uprights that would indicate that it had been used in Formula Ford, identifying it as the ex-Liles car. This car was later owned by Christian Darnaude in France. Its next definite sighting was in June 2013 when James Ledamun bought it from someone in Alençon (Normandy, France). At that time it was fitted with a Ford twin cam engine and was dark blue with a white stripe. He sold it a few weeks later to Dermot Healy (Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester). In late 2013 it was acquired by Greg Swan (Bicester, Oxfordshire). Sold to Simon Brown about 2019.
Driven by: Wally Liles. First race: Cadwell Park, 25 Jul 1976. Only one recorded race.
In 1975, Mike Gue (Calne, Wiltshire) drove a Merlyn Mk 21 or Mk 22 in a couple of Formula 4 races. At the end of that season, he advertised it as a "Merlyn F3 1972/3" that was "Ex-Peter Lamplough" and in "F4 trim" with a Holbay R70 engine. In April 1976, Joe Therstappen appeared in the opening round of the F4 series in what the 750MC Journal described as "a smart Merlyn Mk22". He raced it again at Brands Hatch later that month, where Autosport called it a Mk24, and at Thruxton in August, where he crashed on the opening lap. Ray Peters (Canvey Island, Essex) then appeared at Mallory Park in June 1977 in a Merlyn described by the 750MC Journal as the ex-Therstappen Merlyn. Peters also drove a "Merlyn-Holbay Mk22" at the opening round in 1978, suggesting it was still running in the 1000cc class. Chris Townsend advises that this may be the car advertised by Dave Cox (Stonehouse, Gloucestershire) in May 1983, and perhaps owned by Richard Draper and Bernie Toleman later in the 1980s.
Subsequent history unknown but see the Alasdair Southall car.
Driven by: Mike Gue, Joe Therstappen and Ray Peters. First race: Silverstone (R17), 7 Sep 1975. Total of 6 recorded races.
Merlyn Mk 21s later in the 1970s
Of the seven cars built, six were still active in 1976 or later. In Formula B, both the the ex-Gordon Smiley Formula B 320/FB/71 and the ex-Porter Brownlee 394/FB/72 were still racing, and in Sweden both the ex-Håkan Dahlqvist cars, 328/F3/72 and 440/F3/73, were still active. Two more were racing in England until at least 1978: one in Formula Ford 2000 and one in Formula 4.
Merlyn Mk 21s in historic racing
The ex-Porter Brownlee 394/FB/72 has been used in historic racing by James Denty, Peter Shaw and John Dunham. One of the ex-Håkan Dahlqvist cars, thought to be 440/F3/73, was used in historic racing by Anthony Taylor. Also Greg Swan acquired an ex-Georges Legein car in 2014 that he understands to be the ex-Bernard Vermillio/Gordon Smiley 445/F3/73.
Of the unresolved cars in historic racing, 'the Reg Skeels car' is believed to be the ex-Scheckter 318/F3/71 and 'the Alasdair Southall car' is believed to be the ex-Lamplough 342/F3/72.
That only leaves the ex-Gordon Smiley 320/FB/71, which was in Canada in 2009, and the other Dahlqvist car, 328/F3/72, which was reported to be back in Dahlqvist's ownership prior to his death in September 2020.
Alf Skeels’ Merlyn Mk 21 at Oulton Park in July 1992. Copyright Dave Williams 2024. Used with permission.
According to an HVIF application completed by Reg Skeels in 1990, the ex-Scheckter Merlyn Mk 21 was retained at the factory from 1972 to 1989. Reg's son Alf Skeels recalls the car arriving from Clive Hayward as a rusty frame with suspension and bodywork, the latter being in very poor condition. The Skeels restored the car to immaculate condition and fitted a 1600cc Ford BDA engine. It was classed as "F3/Atlantic" and was raced in historics between 1991 and 1994 by Mike Littlewood and Alf Skeels. Reg Skeels then sold the car Georges Legein (Brussels, Belgium). Legein already had one of the other Mk 21s in F3 specification and preferred that car to the ex-Skeels car. According to Stephan Kupka, talking to Philippe Demeyer in 2024, the car was sold to a UK dealer for Jody Scheckter's collection. Exactly when this happened remains unclear, but it was in Scheckter's collection by 2012. Auctioned by RM Sothebys at Monaco in May 2024 and sold to a US owner
Alasdair Southall with his Merlyn Mk 21 at Silverstone in August 1995. Copyright Keith Lewcock 2024. Used with permission.
Alasdair Southall (Blockley, Gloucestershire) raced a Merlyn Mk 21 in Class C of the HSCC Historic Formula Racing Car Championship in 1994 and 1995. He had bought it from Alan Baillie in bits, and restored it between 1993 and 1994 as a Formula Atlantic, using Peter Denty's car as a template where required. He raced it for two seasons but stopped racing after a nast accident at Paul Ricard. The car was repaired and Southall remembers selling it less engine and gearbox soon after, but cannot recall the buyer. It was next seen when Neil Bowman (Barnet, London) raced an identical,Merlyn Mk 21 in the 1600cc class of the HSCC Derek Bell Trophy series in 2007 and 2008. Then in 2011 and 2012, he raced the Merlyn in the F3 DBT class and in the HSCC Classic Formula 3 Championship. He also raced the Merlyn "Mk 22" in Classic F3 in 2013 and 2015, winning the 1600cc F3 class that year. Subsequent history unknown.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Clive Hayward for information from Merlyn records and his recollections of the cars; to Chris Townsend for his work following the cars through Swedish F3 and through their lower level careers in Britain; to David Hutson for information on the two Mk 21s raced by Gordon Smiley; to Wally Liles, Alf Skeels, Hans-Rudolf Howald, Greg Swan, Richard Taylor, Richard Parkin, David Clubine, James Ledamun, Ralph Ledamun, Dermot Healy, Alasdair Southall and Bill Tebbutt for information on their cars; to Philippe Demeyer and Gérard Gamand for their help with the cars' Belgian and French history; and to former Mk 21 owners Porter Brownlee and Mike Winn for the information they posted on 10 Tenths.
If you can add to our understanding of these cars, or have photographs that we can use, please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com.
These histories last updated on .