The three Morgan SLRs gather legends like no other cars within the Morgan community, save TOK 258. Over the years they have changed hands and continents, back and forth,. It is wonderful to now see all the three back from where they started, in the United Kingdom, being racing on the tracks they know so well. This is the SLR that was the biggest mystery. Hopefully, this article will help lift some of the veil. Please send in your pictures and tales and (and corrections if any) and they shall be included!

The car was built by Chris Lawrence and John Sprinzel (Sprinzel Lawrence Racing) late in 1963. They built three SLRs on Morgan chassis and this was the second. (The first SLR was built on a Triumph chassis and is five inches shorter). They were combined with a Lawrencetune engine. The lovely aerodynamic SLR bodies were fashioned in light aluminium originally by Charlie Williams of Williams and Pritchard. As the project was developing with each car, all four SLRs were, in fact, slightly different from the start.

Many of the lessons learned with TOK 258 were expressed in the SLRs. After the TOK stub axles were found to be cracked after the LeMans win, bigger stub stub axles and wheel hubs were used on the the SLRs to prevent this. This and others of the SLR improvements were later incorporated into the Plus 8s.

This SLR is also distinctive as it is the only one unpainted boasting polished aluminium from the start. It was built for Pip Arnold & driven directly on completion from the shop to Spa to be raced by Chris Lawrence against the Porsche's Works racers.  The story is that there was no time to paint the car so they paid a group of youngsters to polish the bare aluminium! 

In 1969, the car was acquired by John Atkins and registered in the UK as TAE 253G.  (John Atkins also owned 581 DOK, the first Morgan SLR.) Sometime in this period it was extensively repaired after a garage fire by Maurice Gomm, a prominent body builder and was restored with or by Rob Wells of Libramotive along with a then young mechanic, Brian Gateson. Brian Gateson now runs his own Morgan business (Techniques) & will be entrusted with the car. The other two Morgan SLRs are maintained by Brett Syndercombe at Brands Hatch Morgans. 
 

In 1981, this SLR  was purchased by George Raterink, a noted vintage racer from Colorado, and the car was shipped to the USA. The next owner was a blessing for the car. A sales ad as spotted by chance by David "SuperDave" Bondon, the very well-known American moggie racer and Concours winner. Dave has a great habit. Whenever he is delayed at an airport, he browses the local ads searching for automobile beauties. This is how in he found the SLR in Denver 1983, still with its extra body. He restored it and went on with it to win a decade's worth of races and Concours awards.

In 1995, the car was purchased by Larry Nelson, another American and in 1998 he sold it to Adrian van der Kroft, a European Morgan collector and fine racer. Adrian brought the car back to the UK and raced it there. 

In November 2009, the car was purchased by John Emberson. John's Morgan experience began in 2000 when he was attracted to the Aero 8 while attending the 2000 Geneva Motor Show where the Aero was first unveiled. After speaking with Melvyn Rutter, a British Morgan dealer, he was convinced to buy a Morgan trad, which he and his family promptly fell in love with! he bought a Morgan Roadster Lightweight in 2004 and entered the Morgan Challenge in 2006 racing every year since. In 2004, he acquired a Jim Tucker race-prepared 1961 Plus 4. In the Centenary year, he purchased one of the Limited Edition Aeromaxes with the SLR. He intends to co-pilot the SLR with Morgan notable, Bill Wykeham. 

This legend has found a fine home. We wish John the very best of luck and fun!