Wilson's Martini magic lives on

HILLCLIMBS, though always loud, brash and entertaining, can occasionally appear rather repetitive to the casual observer. The appeal of the last Guernsey Motor Cycle and Car Club's event of the year, the August bank holiday meet, was undoubtedly broadened by the welcome return of veteran hillclimber Peter Wilson and his gorgeous 750cc vintage Martini MK1.

Older readers will recall the Martini's heyday of the 1960s, when Wilson established a cult following of young enthusiasts and made history as the first driver to beat the longer, old-style course's 40sec. barrier.

After that momentous drive, Wilson was taken up and down the hill in an open top car and to rapturous applause.

He held the record for seven years until 1972, by which time his days as the unchallenged top dog were over.

After 11 years away from the hill - bar a disastrous, aborted comeback attempt two years ago - the unlikely return last Monday of the famous 1962 vehicle added a dash of colour and excitement to class 16, for racing cars between 601 and 1,100cc.

The Martini's intrigue drew amateur photographers, vintage experts and non-partisan passers-by in equal measure and in a number other, quicker and more successful cars could not even begin to dream of matching.

Wilson harboured no ill-conceived hopes of glory: the class record is 31.46sec.; his aim was to get near to the 40sec. mark. Incidentally, he managed 42.02 on his fourth run.

But that's missing the point. Wilson's return appealed for far more aesthetic and emotional reasons.

His Martini is wrapped in history, its driver's personal story one of a long love affair between man and motor perhaps unsurpassed on these shores.

'It was built in '62 and I bought it the following year and have been racing it on and off ever since,' said Wilson.

'Everyone knows about it. It was built by the famous Renato "Tico" Martini specifically for hillclimbs and first went up the hill in '63. The hill was longer in those days and breaking the 40sec. barrier was a really special moment.'

The Martini name is synonymous with classic motor racing. The venerable car designer's modern vehicles are still racing in Formula 3.

In between his F3 ventures and designing the car now owned with such pride by Wilson, Martini even broke into Formula 1.

Tico Martini - what a sexy name. Even to my mind, which is not usually too absorbed by the daily happenings of motor sport, the name conjures up the image of a sleek vintage car soaked in tradition, prestige and romanticism and I wasn't disappointed on my first viewing of the dazzling machine.

Wilson is not a mechanical expert and waiting patiently for others to repair his car was part of the reason for his lengthy hiatus. He paid tribute to Brian Carre, who has looked after the chassis for 40 years, and Maurice Ogier, who has recently worked on the motor.

Without the unstinting dedication and loyalty of those two friends, Wilson wouldn't have got close to the hill last weekend.

His previous attempt to do so before this meet met with spectacular failure when the car blew up only yards away from the starting line.

That, though, was a minor hiccup of an accident compared with one that came close to taking Wilson's life in the mid-60s. On that occasion a major motorbike crash left him unconscious for two weeks.

'I tend not to think about that too much. These things happen when you're young. I mean, I was only about 20.'

Remarkably, Wilson can't remember even the vaguest detail of the accident. But eyewitnesses recall that his back wheel hit a wet drain cover, which sent him careering at considerable speed towards the wall on the lamp post bend.

That the Martini and its driver on that fateful day are still being pushed to the limits says everything about the uniqueness and style of man and machine.

In spirit and body, the MK1 is certainly very different to the cars of today.

'That's for sure - and it's more difficult to drive, too. With these modern cars, they don't want the back to come out. With mine, the back has to come out, otherwise it would go straight into the wall. It's powered from the back end effectively.'

Unsurprisingly, Wilson was forced into regularly modifying his car on Monday. He set the tyre pressure at 15psi originally, upped it to 22 and ended on 30.

'I was happier like that towards the end.'

Indeed, it was very obviously sticking too much on the first two of its four runs up the hill.

'I didn't realise how much the condition of the hill has changed. There is so much more grip now than I was ever used to. That took a while to adjust to.'

There are those who would advocate Wilson making more fundamental modifications than merely fairly routine adjustments in tyre pressure.

'That would ruin the whole concept of this car. The point is that it's a vintage car. It has to retain its uniqueness or it would lose its value.'

Ah, value. What is it worth, then?

'It doesn't matter because it's not for sale.'

Having realised his dream of returning to Le Val des Terres, his next ambition is to take his car to Goodwood and the demonstration hillclimb for classic cars.

'But that's by invitation only. I've never taken it there before because I've never had an invite. But it's becoming a bit more famous now and I'm hoping for an invitation one of these days.'