Bill Blydenstein Passes Away

***MikeWarner*** · 14-09-2007, 19:58

Sadly I have to report that tuning guru and cylinder head expert Bill Blydenstein, one of the legends of the Vauxhall marque, passed away on Wednesday September 12th.

Bill commenced his racing career in 1958. In 1966 he read a report in a motor magazine about the new HB Viva. Bored with shoehorning bigger and bigger engines into Minis he wrote to Vauxhall to suggest some assistance in preparing one of the new cars for racing. Fortunately Vauxhall men Colin Wood and Roy Cook of Engineering and Jeremy Lawrence from Marketing persuaded the management of the day to work a little “back door” magic.

The result was the 1967 Shaw & Kilburn Special Viva. A tuned, pushrod engined HB, it was developed and built by Blydenstein in the double garage at the side of his house and driven by him to a sensational debut class win at Snetterton. But capable driver that Bill was, he realised that if he was to concentrate on getting the best out of the car, they would need to get another driver.

Enter larger-than-life Gerry Marshall, to start a career that would take Vauxhall to the top of saloon car racing in the UK and earn Gerry the title “Mr Vauxhall”.

Following a very successful 1970 season, in January 1971 a group of London Region Vauxhall dealers decided to circumvent any opposition from General Motors or Vauxhall to racing by forming Dealer Team Vauxhall or DTV.

In 1971 the team switched to the new Firenza body style and a range of specialised racing engines were developed over the next few years with fuel injection and special heads with capacities between 2.0 and 2.6 litres. The final iteration used Lotus LV240 16-valve heads and with a capacity of 2.3 litres developed around 230bhp. The chassis was continually developed too, acquiring a five speed ZF gearbox and droop snoot in sympathy with the 1974 HP Firenza. The car became the stuff of legend, achieving 63 victories and many championships in its long career and earning the nickname “Old Nail”.

Bill was a quiet, self effacing engineering genius to whom the Vauxhall marque owes a huge debt of gratitude.

Rest in peace.

Many thanks to From Ian Coomber of the VBOA for providing the above text.

tommychimp · 14-09-2007, 20:18

RIP Bill, You legend!

**Gordon Livsey** · 14-09-2007, 20:56

the last i heard befor his death was that he was advised from his doctor to retire due to health problems, a true legend at what he did

lotus corsa · 14-09-2007, 22:04

will be missed great man

ALLNOVA · 14-09-2007, 22:53

Legend indeed.. lucky enough to have a spoken with Bill myself and can honestly say he was a true gentleman.. he would spend all day on the phone talking about tuning and heads etc, never short of some quality advice. Was he not also an Aeronautical engineer?

What a great guy!

tomstickland · 15-09-2007, 09:24

I spoke to Bill on the phone back in 2001 and he was very helpful.

**Nobbie** · 15-09-2007, 11:10

Very great loss, he's a legend, just like gerry marshall was, now there both gone. Luckily they did produce a great deal of written knowledge, that can't be forgotten.

chip · 15-09-2007, 11:13

RIP to one of the few true vauxhall legends.

tom_beverley · 15-09-2007, 15:20

RIP Bill, you will always be remembered for the fantastic things you accomplished. Thoughts go with his family.

giles473937 · 16-09-2007, 14:15

I was lucky enough to meet him on several occasions at Brands Hatch in the 70s when he was with Gerry Marshall, 'Baby Bertha' and 'Big Bertha'

More lately spoke to him several times for advice before getting the head currently on my car modded by 'Blydenstein Engineering'

A great man, whose contribution over the years to Motorsport can never be underestimated.

RIP

nova boy roy · 17-09-2007, 09:30

What a shame !!!! he was an absolute top bloke !!!

xx 5id xx · 17-09-2007, 13:41

I also spoke to Bill a few times when 'Project NovaStyle' was in full effect ... talking about the performance specs of 20XE engine and how to get the best out of it...

Was calling me bonkers for not sticking with the 1.6se engine for the Nova GSi! lol

R.I.P. Bill..... hope you're racing around in the white fluffy clouds...

Stefan · 18-09-2007, 22:36

RIP Bill...
Spoke to him last year when I needed some bigger valves. Very, very nice chap. Will be missed in the Vauxhall community.

ianwoodsr · 19-09-2007, 10:00

thats a shame very nice guy

John V6 · 19-09-2007, 18:49

What a shame.

I spoke to him a couple of years ago about doing some head work on my Cav. I was talking to him for over an hour and he gave me some excellent advice on tuning, mods etc, which I still remember to this day.

RIP mate.

vauxhallastra · 19-09-2007, 20:39

Didn't know much about this guy...but he sounds amazing in the vaxuhall world

RIP

RJM25R · 20-09-2007, 07:12

Shame. Been a bad year already! Colin Mcrae as well

RIP

gunzi · 20-09-2007, 12:47

I spoke with him about Headwork to my old E16SE a couple of years ago. He gave me some great advice, top bloke very helpful and friendly. RIP.

corsa1 · 10-10-2007, 12:42

After half a century in engine tuning and motorsport, Bill Blydenstein remained a true enthusiast, generous with his time and advice. A true gentleman, he will be missed.

glmorris · 18-10-2007, 22:25

So sad to hear of Bill's passing, he was a gentleman and genius. He had modified the cylinder heads of my Carlton GSI 24V and Omega 3.0 24V. I still own both cars and think of him every time I put my foot to the floor!

Condolences to his family, he will be sadly missed.

I am honoured to have known him, and can say he was one of the most honest and sincere people I have ever met. He saved me a fortune when the crank pulley on my Omega let go, the timing belt jumped about 4 teeth, the Vauxhall dealer I took the car to said that ALL 24 valves were bent, I had my suspisions,spoke with Bill, he asked for the valves and confirmed that NONE were bent, the same valves are still in the heads he modified, and still going great. By the way, both cars will start from rest in fifth gear since he waved his magic wand over the heads, thats how much extra torque he released with his magic.

dave448 · 28-10-2007, 22:59

Nice man ...... he talked alot about his other home in the far north of scotand where he would go hunting ....

j23hsk · 29-10-2007, 11:10

will be missed........i had a stage 3 head on my nova sri big valve head etc from him,god did it love taking a thrashing,still runs to this day!!

Ross_Mk2 · 29-10-2007, 11:31

CP@Novaload · 05-11-2007, 19:59

I like many others on here got to know Bill a bit on my fairly regular visits and telephone chats.

Every now and then you come up against people who you sense really know what they are talking about and you get the feeling that you in the presence of greatness. Bill was one of these people - looking around his workshop at his hall of fame photo's and listening to his views on tuning which he gave with tremendous enthusiasm even tho he was well on in years was always a priviledge.

I've found the following on Youtube which feature some of Bills handiwork in action and is a real treat for any petrolhead.

Enjoy: (ps its a 2 parter and well worth watching through!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY5zdnGvT0c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDAK4jBKmow

sreeja · 12-11-2007, 04:45

It is very sad to hear.His death is a very big loss.

14-09-2007, 19:58	#1
*MikeWarner* MIGWeb Webmaster Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Southampton Drives: Astra Sporthatch SRi iTrader: (0) Posts: 12,336	Bill Blydenstein Passes Away Sadly I have to report that tuning guru and cylinder head expert Bill Blydenstein, one of the legends of the Vauxhall marque, passed away on Wednesday September 12th. Bill commenced his racing career in 1958. In 1966 he read a report in a motor magazine about the new HB Viva. Bored with shoehorning bigger and bigger engines into Minis he wrote to Vauxhall to suggest some assistance in preparing one of the new cars for racing. Fortunately Vauxhall men Colin Wood and Roy Cook of Engineering and Jeremy Lawrence from Marketing persuaded the management of the day to work a little “back door” magic. The result was the 1967 Shaw & Kilburn Special Viva. A tuned, pushrod engined HB, it was developed and built by Blydenstein in the double garage at the side of his house and driven by him to a sensational debut class win at Snetterton. But capable driver that Bill was, he realised that if he was to concentrate on getting the best out of the car, they would need to get another driver. Enter larger-than-life Gerry Marshall, to start a career that would take Vauxhall to the top of saloon car racing in the UK and earn Gerry the title “Mr Vauxhall”. Following a very successful 1970 season, in January 1971 a group of London Region Vauxhall dealers decided to circumvent any opposition from General Motors or Vauxhall to racing by forming Dealer Team Vauxhall or DTV. In 1971 the team switched to the new Firenza body style and a range of specialised racing engines were developed over the next few years with fuel injection and special heads with capacities between 2.0 and 2.6 litres. The final iteration used Lotus LV240 16-valve heads and with a capacity of 2.3 litres developed around 230bhp. The chassis was continually developed too, acquiring a five speed ZF gearbox and droop snoot in sympathy with the 1974 HP Firenza. The car became the stuff of legend, achieving 63 victories and many championships in its long career and earning the nickname “Old Nail”. Bill was a quiet, self effacing engineering genius to whom the Vauxhall marque owes a huge debt of gratitude. Rest in peace. Many thanks to From Ian Coomber of the VBOA for providing the above text. Attached Thumbnails __________________ MIGWeb Webmaster My Astra Sporthatch SRi XP 1.9 CDTi (150PS) - The longest Astra Model Name Ever! "Why do things that happen to stupid people keep happening to me?" - H. Simpson.

15-09-2007, 09:24	#6
tomstickland MIGClub Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Gloucester Drives: 3MW B18iS iTrader: (1) Posts: 17,843	I spoke to Bill on the phone back in 2001 and he was very helpful. __________________ Do you want to install and run "Adobe Flash Player 9"? No, now f* *.

15-09-2007, 11:10	#7
Nobbie MIGWeb Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: HERTFORDSHIRE Drives: 500bhp LET, soonish! iTrader: (3) Posts: 8,800	Very great loss, he's a legend, just like gerry marshall was, now there both gone. Luckily they did produce a great deal of written knowledge, that can't be forgotten. __________________ Central Region Co-ordinator Central Region Forums/Events WWW.LYTHABY.CO.UK

15-09-2007, 11:13	#8
chip MIGClub Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Southwest Drives: Like its stolen iTrader: (4) Posts: 27,065	RIP to one of the few true vauxhall legends. __________________ For no nonsense hardcore vauxhall modifying advice: www.VauxSport.com My Total-Vauxhall Magazine Staff Nova in the www.VauxSport.com garage My Total-Vauxhall Magazine Staff Calibra in the www.VauxSport.com garage

15-09-2007, 15:20	#9
tom_beverley MIGWeb User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Cleveland, NE UK Drives: Nova / Fabia vRS iTrader: (1) Posts: 32	RIP Bill, you will always be remembered for the fantastic things you accomplished. Thoughts go with his family. __________________ For the best Vauxhall Nova Club visit pngclub.com

14-09-2007, 20:18	#2
tommychimp MIGClub Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Telford Drives: Astra Mk3/Mk4 SRi1.8 iTrader: (0) Posts: 2,297	RIP Bill, You legend!

14-09-2007, 20:56	#3
Gordon Livsey MIGWeb Moderator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: lanarkshire Drives: carb'd xe nova iTrader: (0) Posts: 6,569	the last i heard befor his death was that he was advised from his doctor to retire due to health problems, a true legend at what he did

14-09-2007, 22:04	#4
lotus corsa MIGWeb User Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: j7 m11 essex Drives: mk2 astra turbo iTrader: (0) Posts: 272	will be missed great man

14-09-2007, 22:53	#5
ALLNOVA MIGWeb User Join Date: Apr 2005 Drives: nova 2.0t 8v soon :) iTrader: (1) Posts: 395	Legend indeed.. lucky enough to have a spoken with Bill myself and can honestly say he was a true gentleman.. he would spend all day on the phone talking about tuning and heads etc, never short of some quality advice. Was he not also an Aeronautical engineer? What a great guy!

16-09-2007, 14:15	#10
giles473937 MIGClub Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Portsmouth Drives: 2.0 Sport / 1.9CDTi iTrader: (2) Posts: 391	I was lucky enough to meet him on several occasions at Brands Hatch in the 70s when he was with Gerry Marshall, 'Baby Bertha' and 'Big Bertha' More lately spoke to him several times for advice before getting the head currently on my car modded by 'Blydenstein Engineering' A great man, whose contribution over the years to Motorsport can never be underestimated. RIP

17-09-2007, 09:30	#11
nova boy roy MIGWeb User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: somerset Drives: nova 2.16v iTrader: (3) Posts: 1,557	What a shame !!!! he was an absolute top bloke !!! __________________ BOOBIES MAKE ME SMILE!!!!!!!

17-09-2007, 13:41	#12
xx 5id xx MIGWeb User Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Berkshire Drives: BMW Beauty iTrader: (1) Posts: 6,896	I also spoke to Bill a few times when 'Project NovaStyle' was in full effect ... talking about the performance specs of 20XE engine and how to get the best out of it... Was calling me bonkers for not sticking with the 1.6se engine for the Nova GSi! lol R.I.P. Bill..... hope you're racing around in the white fluffy clouds... __________________ www.xstyle.co.uk *Astra Cesaro Sport 20XE Coscast High Spec* *Project NovaStyle - Suicide Doors Nova with High Spec c20XE*

18-09-2007, 22:36	#13
Stefan MIGWeb User Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Braintree, Essex Drives: Mk3 Astra iTrader: (3) Posts: 1,505	RIP Bill... Spoke to him last year when I needed some bigger valves. Very, very nice chap. Will be missed in the Vauxhall community.

19-09-2007, 10:00	#14
ianwoodsr MIGWeb User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: walsall Drives: nova 1.6 gte iTrader: (0) Posts: 556	thats a shame very nice guy __________________ migs 1.6 16v rally car www.eurorallye.co.uk

19-09-2007, 18:49	#15
John V6 MIGWeb User Join Date: Sep 2002 Drives: Cavalier V6 CDX iTrader: (0) Posts: 197	What a shame. I spoke to him a couple of years ago about doing some head work on my Cav. I was talking to him for over an hour and he gave me some excellent advice on tuning, mods etc, which I still remember to this day. RIP mate.

19-09-2007, 20:39	#16
vauxhallastra MIGWeb User Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: gloucester Drives: 200sx S13 Turbo iTrader: (0) Posts: 67	Didn't know much about this guy...but he sounds amazing in the vaxuhall world RIP

20-09-2007, 07:12	#17
RJM25R Gagged Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: OLDHAM Drives: RB5 GOLF R32 CBR600 iTrader: (4) Posts: 275	Shame. Been a bad year already! Colin Mcrae as well RIP __________________ Old school-the only way!

20-09-2007, 12:47	#18
gunzi MIGWeb User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Pompey iTrader: (0) Posts: 73	I spoke with him about Headwork to my old E16SE a couple of years ago. He gave me some great advice, top bloke very helpful and friendly. RIP. __________________ Casper Stalling

10-10-2007, 12:42	#19
corsa1 MIGWeb User Join Date: Jan 2005 iTrader: (0) Posts: 56	Bill Blydenstein After half a century in engine tuning and motorsport, Bill Blydenstein remained a true enthusiast, generous with his time and advice. A true gentleman, he will be missed.

18-10-2007, 22:25	#20
glmorris MIGWeb User Join Date: Oct 2007 iTrader: (0) Posts: 1	The master of going faster - R.I.P. my friend. So sad to hear of Bill's passing, he was a gentleman and genius. He had modified the cylinder heads of my Carlton GSI 24V and Omega 3.0 24V. I still own both cars and think of him every time I put my foot to the floor! Condolences to his family, he will be sadly missed. I am honoured to have known him, and can say he was one of the most honest and sincere people I have ever met. He saved me a fortune when the crank pulley on my Omega let go, the timing belt jumped about 4 teeth, the Vauxhall dealer I took the car to said that ALL 24 valves were bent, I had my suspisions,spoke with Bill, he asked for the valves and confirmed that NONE were bent, the same valves are still in the heads he modified, and still going great. By the way, both cars will start from rest in fifth gear since he waved his magic wand over the heads, thats how much extra torque he released with his magic.

28-10-2007, 22:59	#21
dave448 MIGWeb User Join Date: May 2003 Location: se london Drives: nova1.3sr / /astra 1.8sxi iTrader: (0) Posts: 153	Nice man ...... he talked alot about his other home in the far north of scotand where he would go hunting ....

29-10-2007, 11:10	#22
j23hsk MIGWeb User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: scotland,highlands iTrader: (0) Posts: 113	will be missed........i had a stage 3 head on my nova sri big valve head etc from him,god did it love taking a thrashing,still runs to this day!!

29-10-2007, 11:31	#23
Ross_Mk2 MIGWeb User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Quarry Bank Drives: Astra Mk2 SX iTrader: (0) Posts: 68	RIP

05-11-2007, 19:59	#24
CP@Novaload MIGWeb User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Nova 1.4 Sport. iTrader: (0) Posts: 274	I like many others on here got to know Bill a bit on my fairly regular visits and telephone chats. Every now and then you come up against people who you sense really know what they are talking about and you get the feeling that you in the presence of greatness. Bill was one of these people - looking around his workshop at his hall of fame photo's and listening to his views on tuning which he gave with tremendous enthusiasm even tho he was well on in years was always a priviledge. I've found the following on Youtube which feature some of Bills handiwork in action and is a real treat for any petrolhead. Enjoy: (ps its a 2 parter and well worth watching through!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY5zdnGvT0c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDAK4jBKmow

12-11-2007, 04:45	#25
sreeja MIGWeb User Join Date: Nov 2007 iTrader: (0) Posts: 10	It is very sad to hear.His death is a very big loss. __________________ sreeja r nair