Tag: Nipper

Nipper News

Maralyn and Susan Tucker-Peake in Nipper on Bluehills

I recently had a nice letter from Maralyn Knight with news about “The Tucker Nipper Special”. For the full storey about this famous old car you need to go back to the July ‘97 Classical Gas, but there’s space here for a quick resume.

Maralyn’s father was of course the late H. W. Tucker-Peake. Tucker and Betty campaigned their “Tucker-MG” for many years. The car evolving to create space for  Maralyn and Susan to ride in the back. In due course they wanted a trials car of their own so Tucker built “The Nipper”, based on the running gear and chassis from a Ford 5 cwt van. With sister Susan in the passenger seat Maralyn was very successful with her car and won two triples.      Maralyn explains that until recently she hadn’t heard anything about the Nipper since selling it to a lady called Rosemary Cond from Gloucestershire back in the late 60’s. She knew that Rosemary had done a few competitions with it but that was that. Before Tucker passed away he had heard that the famous old car was in a barn somewhere. Sadly his detective work was never completed as tragically he couldn’t speak properly after suffering a stroke.

However, quite by chance, a friend of Maralyn’s spotted an ad for a “Nipper” in a magazine and low and behold it was her old car. She got in touch with the person selling it and found it was Rosemary Cond’s old passenger. But by then the Nipper had already been sold. Maralyn traced the new owner to Barton le Clay, close to where it was born! The car was in remarkably good condition, considering it’s age, and the new owner was prepared to sell. But it would have taken a fair bit of time and money to restore it and Maralyn decided to let it go. She regrets that now, but that’s life! The latest news is that Nipper is under restoration by a gentleman in Lechlade in Gloucestershire. Maralyn is in touch with him and has provided him with some pictures of the car as it was originally built. She hopes it will soon be returned to its former and original glory, in particular that the new owner will do away with the Lotus 7 style nose and front wings that it acquired in later years.

What we need now is a “Classic Specials” class so cars like the Nipper and Primrose can be seen on the MCC hills again.

20 June 1999 – I received an interesting E-Mail from Simon Woodall the other week, this corrects some of the facts in my original piece.

  • I am not Margaret’s son, she is my Aunt. I am Victors son. This is an error Tucker made when compiling the details for the MCC book and seems to have passed into history.
  • Although Margaret was the first woman to win a Triple, it is only fair to reveal the whole truth behind this. Margaret and Maralyn both achieved their goals on the same trial but as Margaret had an earlier number she finished first and therefore it was she that took the honours of being the first woman to win a Triple.
  • Woolford Special Mk2 with which Margaret won her Triple. A typical special – A7 frame plus Ford 10 engine, but with the engine so far back in the frame that the prop shaft was only six inches long. It was the overwhelming success of this vehicle that caused the RAC to introduce the spark plug to front axle measurement and thus was the National Trials Formula born!.

Further news is that the gentleman in Letchlade has put the “Nipper” up for sale at £3,000. There is an ad in the July Practical Classics magazine.

We have been publishing stuff about Classic Trials on the Web since 1995 and always appreciate feedback. Comments, Corrections, Criticism & Concerns are all welcome. You can leave a comment to have your say here on this web site or our Social Media

A Fishy Tale

Susan Jamieson and Maralyn Knight with Tuckers Triple. Presented to Falcon as the clubs new Trials Trophy.

What connects a Nipper to a Lobster besides the fact that it’s claw nips?  You don’t know, really!…. read on.It all began with my frightful gaff in the April edition of Classical Gas, saying that Falconry’s former editor, Maralyn Knight, was the first lady to gain a coveted MCC Triple.  Fortunately for historians Ron Warren corrected me the following month.  I was delighted, not only that he set the record straight, it also confirmed that someone out there is reading this stuff!

Ron’s correction sent me scurrying to Peter Garniers book, not that I didn’t believe him.  In the thirty years since I first met Ron I have learned that he doesn’t say something unless he’s pretty certain it’s right!    No, I was after material for a story and here it is.

Maralyn’s father, Tucker, was president of both Falcon and the MCC.  Tuck conceived, built and drove the Tucker MG, perhaps the ultimate all round sporting machine.  Not only did he campaign it in trials, it was also his circuit racer.  Tucker and Betty had two daughters, Maralyn and Susan, and they took them trialling whenever possible, Tuck even converted his car to a four seater!    However, the time came when they couldn’t go with mum and dad anymore.   Tucker responded by building them a trial’s machine of their own, based on a 5cwt Ford Van.  The name was inspiration itself, “The Tucker Nipper Special”.   With sister Sue as passenger Maralyn had five successful years with the car,   becoming the second woman to win a triple and the first to win two.

The Miss Tucker-Peakes in the “Tucker-Nipper Special” at the foot of Bluehills 2

Maralyn married Peter Knight in 1967 and gave up trials driving, but not motorsport.  The couple became RAC timekeepers, officiating in many major events, especially at Silverstone.  Maralyn didn’t severe her trial’s connections completely as she is heavily involved in producing “Triple”, the MCC’s magazine.  I don’t  know what happened to the “Nipper”, but the Tucker MG is presently being restored by Jim Templeton.

Meanwhile, sister Susan had taken to saloon car racing, first with an Anglia, then an Escort and finally a season racing all over Europe as a Skoda works driver.  When Tuck built Susan’s Escort she sold the Anglia to boy friend David Ovey.  David later went on to race at Le Mans in Charles Ivey’s Porsche and became an airline pilot.  He is now married to Tomorrows World presenter Sharnaz Pakravan, lives in London, and is fully occupied as a house husband!

I can remember marshalling at Nottingham Sports Car Club meetings at Silverstone when Sue and David were racing.  David’s sister Marion was also a Falcon member around this time.  She was a keen marshal, and an occasional rally driver, she even had a certain Michael Leete as her navigator on one occasion!  Marion was a studying hotel and catering management at the time.   Today she owns and runs the Lobster Tail restaurant in Great Offley.   Specialising in fish this is a very nice place with excellent food, it’s recommended.

As Ron pointed out Margaret Woodall was the first lady to win a Triple.  Margaret was married to Bert Woodall who with his brother Victor built the big Wolseley-Ford special in 1938.  After the war Bertie built a second (Mk 2) Ford special in 1951, winning him a triple in 1952 with Maggie getting hers in the same car in 1955.  Margaret is still involved with the sport, running the finish controls at MCC events.

Bert and Margaret’s son, Simon, organised   the Clee Hills classic for many years and is the current ACTC chairman.  Simon competes in the ACTC series with a class 8 VW buggy and a rather special convertible BAJA in class 7 in the MCC events.

Isn’t amazing what you can learn by reading Classical Gas!!!

Bertie Woodall in the Wolesley-Ford Special.

Link to a Nipper Update

We have been publishing stuff about Classic Trials on the Web since 1995 and always appreciate feedback. Comments, Corrections, Criticism & Concerns are all welcome. You can leave a comment to have your say here on this web site or our Social Media