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Chassis 766.2  -  Built January - April 1966             

Owner : Gerry Hulford

Factory International history :  Nürburgring 500kms (D) '69

                                                     Barcelona 12 hrs (E) '69

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The Unipower GT was never originally designed as a racing car but at the Racing Car Show in January 1966, Universal Power Drives (UPD) displayed a Prototype road-car, along with a bare chassis with its principal components installed, but in the UPD Press release before the Show launch, a Competition GT version was mentioned as being offered with no price being mentioned. One early visitor to the Unipower stand was a certain Mr. A. Emlyn. Newman, who had a Tool making company in London, and on seeing the car for the first time with his young son, thought that it would indeed make a nice race car. Conversations ensued and it was decided that UPD would build a Competition GT version for Newman, with payment and an order placed on the 18th January ‘66. Of note is that this was also the very first Unipower GT ordered from UPD and whilst later given an amended Chassis number changed from #1 to #2, it was the first chassis sold (just happening to be a Competition GT spec car) and built on the production line. (For the avoidance of doubt, its provenance has been documented and verified by the Founder of the Unipower, Ernie Unger and its designer Val Dare-Bryan)

Given that the Unipower’s designer Val Dare-Bryan was a race-car designer, the design 766.2's chassis incorporated changes necessary to be UPD's first Competition GT version. A good friend of Newman, Gorden Allen, who was making a name for his company in making crankshafts and special competition engines, prompted a very unique specific requirement to be incorporated in the build. The engine bulkhead was redesigned and moved forward considerably along with its chassis tube, requiring the driver’s seat to be 'sunk' into the more forward positioned bulkhead, in order to make more room for one of Gorden’s engine derivatives. Most likely it is thought that a 2-cyl Ford engine of 1102cc capacity with forward facing intake trumpets, mounted on a Mini gearbox would be installed, being one of a few interesting alternatives being experimented with at the time by Gorden’s company. The car was therefore 'bespoke' built with this in mind, it now being the only Unipower GT of any derivative built with this modification. The car's suspension was also totally bespoke at that time, with the emerging rose-jointed  suspension fitted to ALL suspension (customer Competition GT cars were not fully rose-jointed) and moving parts like the gear-change, Cooper 'S' disc brakes front and rear with a greater brake-bias adjustment facilitated in the pedal box, as well as Anti-Roll bars fitted to the front and rear. Other upgrades were the fitment of a Monza fast fuel filler and rubber bag tank of increased capacity, full harness seat belts, Graviner Fire extinguisher and the lack of any rubber mounts securing the engine. Many of these developments were incorporated into the following Competition GT spec cars sold. The completed car was delivered to Newman on the 30th April ’66.

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​Early testing at Silverstone soon after delivery, exposed some issues, which both Ernie Unger and Val Dare-Bryan were brought in to work with its owner to resolve with often with Andrew Hedges doing the test driving. The issues with the car had been caused by trying to, whilst sold as a Competition GT car, bring such a version to market way too early before sufficient testing had been completed whilst at the same time devoting most of their efforts principally to building the road-cars, their principal objective. Time passed in further developing the car and as the intended engine to be fitted was also experiencing some delays in development, progress on 766.2 was fitted in wherever possible, as again production cars were the main priority. The car was finally installed with a conventional Mini engine of 1102cc capacity (for the then 1100cc class) with a twin-choke down-draft 46IDA Weber, necessitating the cars unique cut-out in the rear window to accommodate this. It was also during this period of latter development, that when using the MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) testing facility near Nuneaton, England to develop the road cars, the Unipower GT's tendency to 'wander' down the Mile-straight, when subjected to cross-winds became apparent, being identified as a lack of down-force on the front of the car. Subsequent experimentation in September 1966 by Val Dare-Bryan, using Unipower GT chassis 766.3 borrowed from its then owner for dynamic measurements, that he discovered the benefit of, for the first on any car, an Air-Dam, which to his surprise not only reduced lift but also reduced drag. (see Aerodynamic Developments). Chassis 766.2 was fitted with the new Air-Dam and underwent further testing at a local airfield as well as at Silverstone with Roy Pike driving. When experimenting with different tyre sizes, the wheel arches were cut-away considerably to enable this (see photos), and to remedy this some 'splash-mould' wide wheel arches were made to fit the standard rear clam-shell, the resultant much wider look to the car being seen as both aesthetically pleasing and functional. This 'wide' rear clam-shell development was subsequently offered to some Customer's for their cars, as the Competition GT spec cars were usually delivered with bodywork having only slightly flared wheel arches. Final Factory development of updates to Chassis 766.2 were finalised towards the end of 1966, some of which formed the basis of the following Competition GT specification (2nd Competition GT chassis was built in mid-1966) , but continued to be improved upon in collaboration with its owner during early 1967.

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​With the early issues now resolved to its owner's satisfaction, John E. Miles (John 'Turner' Miles) was brought in to race the car at various UK National race meetings in early 1967 (see Unipower GT in Competition) and saw improving success fitted with the wide bodied rear clamshell that had previously been developed for the car and fitted with the Air-dam for some early races (See photo below of the car bearing race #203), but not sometimes afterwards, for reasons unknown.

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Sometime in 1968, with the factory still to transition to U.W.F. Automative Engineering in Nov that year, the car was bought back by Piers Weld-Forester from Newman. The Air-dam was fitted but by now a much shallower version and with the rear clamshell changed back to a conventional rear clamshell with wide wheel arches. Piers would race this car at both Brands Hatch and Snetterton that year.

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The build and development of Chassis 766.2 as a Unipower Competition GT spec car was wholly instrumental, as Val Dare-Bryan has said, in enabling UPD to then offer Competition GT spec cars to prospective customers with a greater confidence level, resulting in further Competition GT chassis being built. Whilst a second chassis was built in mid-1966, the next time a Competition GT chassis would be displayed at a show was with Chassis 1266.9 built in December 1966 and displayed at the 1967 Racing Car Show in January. This was subsequently bought later that year and delivered to Janspeed Engineering in June 1967. (see Unipower GT in Competition).