Mansell’s first title-winning car heads to London

A Formula Ford single-seater raced by Nigel Mansell will form the centrepiece of a special display at Historic Motorsport International (HMI) at London ExCel between the 23 and 26 February.

A revered Crosslé 32F bearing the colours which took Mansell to claim 27 wins and a 1977 British Formula Ford Championship will take pride of place on the Crosslé stand as the company celebrates 60 years of race car manufacture.

Founded in 1957 in Northern Ireland, Crosslé Car Company is the world’s longest-standing constructor of customer racing cars with almost 1,000 built to date – this year marks 60 years since the late Dr. John Crosslé MBE built and raced his first car.

At HMI the company will display legendary cars from its past, including sports racing and Formula single-seaters from the sixties and seventies, alongside archive material from their days in top-level competition.

The real excitement, however, will accompany the global launch of a new Crosslé for 2017. Inspired by iconic designs from the late sixties and developed for the Classic Racing School in France, the new single-seater blends period lines with modern convenience to appeal to a whole new world of historic motorsport enthusiasts.

Since 2012, the Crosslé Car Company has been owned by Paul McMorran. However, the founding family is still actively involved with Caroline Crosslé as a director.

McMorran: “Historic Motorsport International is the perfect event to celebrate our 60^th anniversary and the special place Crosslé holds in global motorsport. The show also provides the ideal platform to launch a new Crosslé that targets an unexplored niche in historic motorsport and fits perfectly with the ethos of this show.

“The new car represents a new direction for Crosslé that I think will generate a great deal of interest among show visitors, with simple logistics and an attractive price tag.”

Special features at the show also include the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC) celebration marking 50 years of Formula Ford, while Cosworth will be celebrating the golden anniversary of its all-conquering Cosworth DFV F1 engine.

HMI and London Classic Car Show (LCCS) will be held at ExCeL London from the 23 to 26 February, with access to both shows included in the entry price. HMI will open its doors at 12.00 pm on Thursday 23 February, while the LCCS will open at 3pm that afternoon.