Arrival

Mechanical

Trim & Detail

Finish

Tornado Cars Limited was founded by Bill Woodhouse and Tony Bullen, who worked together to develop a stylish fiberglass body and an underslung frame to accommodate drivetrain parts from the Ford Popular. They badged this first design Typhoon and introduced it to the British marketplace in 1958.

The best thing that can be said of the Ford Popular’s 1172cc side-valve flathead engine was that it was economical. However, in such a small and lightweight car, its performance was satisfactory. Soon Typhoon sales were off to a brisk start. Tornado Cars molded between three and four hundred Typhoon bodies. Most were sold as “kit cars,” so the number ultimately completed is uncertain but the production rate was rapid enough to justify moving to a larger building in the small town of Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire (about twenty miles northwest of London). In just two years, Tornado Cars grew to about fifty employees and was producing a range of model variants, both in kit form and also as completely assembled cars. Subsequent offerings would feature the new and much better Ford Anglia 105E engine and ultimately a Cosworth-tuned Ford (1340cc) powerhouse, but the partners wanted to produce an offering for the two liter class.

In very early 1960, Bill Woodhouse purchased a wrecked 1956 TR3 and assigned shop foreman Eric Martin responsibility for building a prototype. The Triumph’s engine, gearbox, instruments and various sundries would be used. A Typhoon fiberglass body, in red but with black removable hardtop, was selected. It would need a handful of modifications to suit a new and specially built chassis and the physically larger TR3 engine. A Laycock overdrive equipped transmission, Ford Thames 400E front wishbones, and a Ford Zephyr MkII rear axle were also installed. Ford drum brakes would be used at all four corners. Ford Thames van 15″ steel disc wheels were used, but first a dozen holes were drilled in each, to lighten them.

The Tornado ThunderBolt was first mentioned in race records for the 3/19/1960 race at Goodwood. Woodhouse drove, and retired early. The ThunderBolt raced again on 5/21/1960 at Silverstone. Woodhouse drove again, and finished third. Silverstone track records and various media reports from the period indicate the ThunderBolt was capable of 135-145mph top speeds, and the company claimed to have clocked the ThunderBolt at 153mph in testing, but the car’s handling got mixed reviews. In August 1960, Autosport magazine summed it up this way: “blindingly fast, but a real handful to drive.” Their judgement may have been pre-mature though. At approximately this time a veteran Triumph racer named Colin Hextall joined Tornado, bringing a wealth of racing skill and experience with him. In September, the ThunderBolt anchored Tornado’s three-car works team to a first overall finish in the six-hour 750 Motor Club relay race at Silverstone. That was the Tornado company’s proudest moment.

http://www.britishracecar.com/bobwismer-tornado-thunderbolt.htm