James Richard Stoop was born in 1920 and was always called Dickie. His father was Sir Adrian Stoop a well known English rugby player. When the 2nd World War started Dickie joined the Royal Air Force and it was during this time that his passion for driving sports cars began. He and Tony Gaze would spend hours in their MG’s speeding around the tarmac perimeter roads of the airfield that they were stationed at.

He progressed from a Frazer Nash BMW 328 to a Mille Miglia Frazer Nash it was at this time that he started his long lasting friendship with John Aldington of AFN Cars of Isleworth. He entered the Mille Miglia Frazer Nash in to the Spa 23 Hour Race and from that first long distance race the bug had well and truly bitten. He then went on to do 10 Le Mans 24 Hour entries winning the 2 Litre Class in 1950 & 1958.

The fascination of the Frazer Nash marque meant that he was a well known face at AFN Cars so when AFN became the UK Concessionaires for a new manufacturer from Germany called Porsche Dickie became a fan he purchased two 356 Carrera 4 Cam cars which he raced HOT 4 & YOU 4. He won the Autosport 3 Hours at Snetterton (1960) in the YOU 4 registered Carrera. His next Porsche was the first 904GTS to be imported into the UK which was also then registered YOU 4, which he raced for the next 2 years entering at Goodwood and other UK race circuits.

Dickie was always keen to see what the Porsche Factory’s latest tweeks and modifications were and whenever he could he would check out the factory works cars to see how they were built then he would order these special race parts to improve his cars. He had his ear very close to the ground what with John Aldington and his other contacts he was soon being told how the new model 911 was starting to make a big name for itself in the world of Hillclimbs and racing and so he ordered a new race version requesting that it had every option possible from their Sports Purpose schedule which was newly announced to the chosen few in 1967. This included their top racing version engine (No Warranty) Close Ratio Gearbox with race Limited Slip Diff, 100 Litre Race Tank, Roll Hoop, Race Seats, Race Shock Absorbers upgraded anti roll bars front & rear etc etc finished in the Porsche racing silver as used on the factory cars. Dickie had several sets of spare 904 steel alloy race wheels which he used on this 911 and when first fitted the tyres would rub on the arches so he and Chris Maltin hammered back the lips of all 4 arches in the paddock at their first event Castle Combe only one month after delivery of the car and he finished 2nd Overall & 1st in Class. We know of at least 15 events that Dickie entered and raced in between 1967 & 1968 with great success winning his class at most rounds and often winning outright but always a top 3 placing. He won at Crystal Palace and set some new lap records at several circuits.

Sadly at Croft on the 19th May 68 on lap 3 Dickie had a heart attack and thus the car mounted the banking at Barcroft and crashed through the fencing. The police impounded the car and after the coroners hearing the car was taken to AFN where the car sat for a long time. It appears that Dan Margulies ended up with the car after this but the second 906 engine that had been built for the car was used for the AFN sponsored red 1965 car that Nick Faure and Vick Elford used to drive. We bought one of the engine cases of the car from Trevor Messett before he passed away and he in turn had bought the engine from Maltins Porsche of Henley on Thames at the point that they closing down. The rest of the car ended up with a Porsche Club early member from Middlesex and we managed to buy the car in the mid 1980’s.

Recently we retrieved the car from our long term storage barn and started the restoration of the car. The metalwork and paintwork are all finished and we intend to rebuild all the suspension, brakes, oil system engine and gearbox over the coming few months and hopefully in the not to distant future the car will return to the race track to be used as always intended.

Watch this video of the car racing in 1967