Alta auto racing team
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Alta was a Formula One constructor from Britain. By 1945 Geoffrey Taylor, builder of lesser race cars, began to plan a car of Formula One dimensions. Three years later he completed his first car which debuted at the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix driven by John Heath and unfortunately, lasting for just seven laps. For 1950, three Alta Formula 1 cars and a strong supply of HWM engines were in the GP series with drivers such as Joe Kelly and Stirling Moss, this last one managing a third place at Bari and second place at Mettet. Johnny Claes won a race in Formula 2 with the Alta. During 1952 the Altas scored a 1-2-3 finish at Goodwood and victories other F2 minor races.
During 1955 Alta agreed to purchase engines from Connaught Engineering, and the team went on the be named Connaught-Alta. Few good results came up that year. In 1956 things were better with a third place in the Goodwood Trophy by Les Leston and second and third places in the International Trophy by Archie Scott-Brown and Desmond Titterington respectively. Jack Fairman got a fourth place at the British GP and at the Italian GP, Ron Flockhart finished third. At Brands Hatch Scott-Brown and Stuart Lewis-Evans gave the Connaught-Altas team a 1-2 finish. In 1957 the team saw Lewis-Evans winning the Glover Trophy at Goodwood as well as a fourth place at Monaco, and Ivor Bueb in third place at Pau.
Bernie Ecclestone took over Connaught in 1958 and the team managed to compete until the end of 1960. In the proceeding years the Alta Car & Engineering Company was closed down; and Taylor died in 1966 but his son Michael reformed the company in Epsom in 1976. Sadly it was not a success.
Complete Formula One results
| Yr | Main drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | G.Crossley, J.Kelly | GBR | MON | IND | SWI | BEL | FRA | ITA | |
| 1951 | J.Kelly | SWI | IND | BEL | FRA | GBR | DEU | ITA | SPA |
| 1952 | G.Whitehead, P.Whitehead | SWI | IND | BEL | FRA | GBR | DEU | DUT | ITA |
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