By Jimmy Johnston - SAC#54

The following is something that I promised to write for the Club ( SAC ) a few years ago, but travels, racing, and a few other problems in life, caused a delay on this entry into the SAC archives. This is a compilation of a number of articles that I wrote for Performance Racing News. Please be assured that this is not a complete history, And that references are made to other sources, some can be read with a grain of salt, Others can be read with the authors best intentions. The intent is that others can read our intent, And rejoice in the fact that Scotland has a place in International motorsports.

Part I - The Early Years.

Fifty Years ago at a small airport circuit at Charterhall in Scotland a sportscar team made it's first appearance. Unheralded, and with a result that was noted by the team manager as "a successful try-out" was the beginning of the most successful non factory sportscar racing team in motor racing history. Previously, team manager, David Murray had raced sportscars, and Grand Prix cars ( he raced in the first Post war G.P. in the new era of Grand Prix racing, and the first race to be part of the new World Championship – Silverstone – 1950.) with a certain amount of success, but had come too close to "The Grim Reaper" for comfort at the 1951 German Grand Prix at the famous Nurburgring circuit. After escaping from an near fatal crash unhurt, Murray, according to his book decided that maybe his efforts in auto racing would be better rewarded as a team manager, rather than as a Grand Prix driver. Whatever the reason David Murray gave up driving as a Grand Prix driver, and set about to form a race team of privateer, read non-factory, drivers. Murray, a business man from Edinburgh, Scotland, was also a chartered accountant, and had a better than most, knowledge of the financial implications of motor racing, he was not the sort of bloke to put up his own money for the benefit of others to enjoy the thrill and excitement of racing cars. The plan was for a three car team, cars to be bought and paid for by the drivers, the team to be managed by Murray, and the cars to be prepared and looked after by Walter Ernest "Wilkie" Wilkinson, David Murray's partner in an auto tuning and service company, Merchiston Motors, located in Merchiston Mews, Edinburgh. Wilkie had been involved in auto racing as a race mechanic for a long time, and had been Murray's race mechanic in his Grand Prix endeavors. Wilkie also had the reputation to be able to perform magic, when he "Breathed" on a race engine. Having the team manager, mechanic, and race shop already at hand, the big problem for David Murray was to find three drivers who owned, or were willing to own their race cars, and turn themselves and their cars over to the care and administrations of Murray and Wilkie. To complicate matters, Murray had decided that the cars should all be Jaguar XK120's, and that the team should compete in the World Sportscar Championship Series. There are differing stories as to how the original three drivers were signed on, and Murray's account of the proceedings in his book published in 1962 should be taken with a certain amount of the proverbial "Grain of Salt." Bottom line however was that three drivers were found, complete with Jaguar XK120 race cars. The team now consisted of Murray, Wilkinson, Ian Stewart, Bill Dobson, and Sir James Scott Douglas, a young Scottish nobleman with an "Enormous bag of Gold." It was then up to Murray to gather up some financial aid from automotive suppliers to get the show on the road. Esso was the first to come on board, and with a reported cheque for 5,000.00 pounds sterling, ( an unheard of amount of money for a private team in that era.) the crew got under way. The cars were prepared at Merchiston Motors, and all three were painted to match the "Flag Metallic Blue" of Ian Stewart's XK120, a colour that Murray noted as matching the team colours of Scotland's soccer and rugby national team jerseys, and of course the colour of Scotland's National Flag, the "Cross of St. Andrew." All that remained was to find a name for the team. According to custom of the time, race teams preferred to have Italian or French names, the Italian "Scuderia Scozzese" was not to David's liking, so the French name of "Ecurie Ecosse" was adopted. A literal translation of the french to english being "Team Scotland" which suited Murray's nationalistic bent. Ian Stewart sketched up a design for a team crest, and all Ecurie Ecosse cars to this day displayed the badge either on the wings of the car, or on the nose of the single seaters. ( The Scottish Flag in the form of a crest, with the name of the team emblazoned around it.) There is no individual race records of the teams first season, some say Murray did not record them because the cars did not belong to Ecurie Ecosse, but rather were owned by the drivers, however there is a record of general performance. The team entered 14 race meetings, ( it is not noted if all 3 cars were entered at each race meet, ) in all the record states that there were 10 first place finishes, 6 second place finishes, and 6 third place finishes, for a total of 22 podium placings in their first year of competition. It should be noted that a lot of these race meetings were local club events, and not international race meets. Although the team had had a very successful first season, there were problems inherent in having a race team that did not own it's own cars. The decision was made to have Ecurie Ecosse purchase the cars for the 1953 race season. On top of that two of the drivers were to leave due to family and other business interests. Bill Dobson to the bosom of the family business, and Sir Jamie Scott Douglas to South America, although he was to reappear on numerous occasions in the drivers seat of an Ecurie Ecosse car. The winter of 1952 was to be a busy affair for David Murray. According to Murray, Major E. G. Thomson, a wealthy Scottish business man, and motoring enthusiast, gave Ecurie Ecosse the use of a Cooper-Bristol as a training vehicle for future team drivers to show their potential. Much later it was acknowledged that Major Thomson was a very silent, but generous financial backer of Ecurie Ecosse. The Cooper-Bristol was put to good use, and two new drivers were found for the 1953 season. Ninian Sanderson from Glasgow, and a young fellow from Dumbarton by the name of Jimmy Stewart, no relation to Ian, but the older brother of Jackie Stewart, who was to join the team a few years up the road. Three "C-Type" Jaguars were purchased by Ecurie Ecosse for the 1953 season, ex-works cars that were bought at a very good price from the factory. ( David Murray was never to disclose his association with the financial ends of his relationship with Jaguar, but always held that association in the best of private jurisprudence.) Over the next few years Murray was able to procure a continuous supply of cars and equipment from Jaguar at an unbelievable price compared to today's market costs. The cars were supplied by Jaguar, and prepared again at Merchiston Motors, and liveried in the now familiar blue colour scheme of the Ecurie Ecosse team. 1953 showed a similar record of success as the previous season, with 10 wins, 9 seconds, and 5 third place finishes in 15 events entered. 1953 also saw the first of Ecurie Ecosse appearances on the European continent. 1954 was probably the banner year for the team in the event entered - to podium finish ratio, with 12 wins, 11 seconds, and 9 third place finishes for a total of 32 podiums for the 17 events entered. Now the "C-Types" were getting quite long in the tooth, and new cars were required. Back to Jaguar to make a deal for the new model, the Jaguar "D-Type" Two brand new "D-Types" were ordered and delivered later that spring. Car Number XKD501 was part of that order. This car was later to be one of the most renowned race cars in the history of motor sport. With 2 "D-Types" and one of the older "C-Types" Ecurie Ecosse had a less spectacular 1955 season, but not one to be sneezed at, the team managed to garner 7 wins, 5 seconds, and 3 third place finishes in 12 events contested. The brakes on the early "D-Types" were prone to failure, and this led to Jaguar and Dunlop developing competition grade disk brakes for later versions of the cars. ( Some say by the insistence of one David Murray.) In 1956 the Scottish squad of Ecurie Ecosse regained their high ratio of podium finishes with 9 wins, 8 seconds, and 9 third place finishes in the 16 events contested, but what makes this performance really outstanding, is that almost all of the events entered in 1956 were international races contested by the full factory might of the international auto racing industry. ( Read Ferrari, Masseratti. BRM, Astin Martin., and the rest of the European manufactures.) The crown jewel in the 1956 campaign for Ecurie Ecosse has to be their victory at Le Mans. Ron Flockhart, and Ninian Sanderson drove their Ecurie Ecosse "D-Type" Jaguar for the overall win against the best that all the factory teams and drivers put up against them. A privateer - non factory - team, even beating the factory Jaguar team with the latest version of the "D-Type" and the best drivers that money could buy, Ecurie Ecosse won the biggest sportscar race in the world. Remember car # XKD501 ? Yup, that one, that is the car that won the 1956 "24 Hours of Le Mans", and it cost Ecurie Ecosse 3,663 pounds 4 shillings and 2 pence, including purchase tax, or around $12,000.00 U.S. Old "501" was sold at auction a few years ago for $ 1,706,500.00 U.S. the most money paid for any British car ever.


Part II - The Glory Days