Bob King began his motor racing career as a mechanic in New Zealand, working on speedway machines. Later, he returned to the UK and started selling road cars. One day, a customer traded in an Elva sports car, inspiring Bob to race it himself. This led to him preparing cars for others. To meet the growing demand, King founded Racing Preparations, specializing in Coventry Climax engines. Alan Cornock later joined the company, and as the demand for Climax engines waned, the decision was made to start building customer cars.

In 1968, the Royale RP1 Formula Ford was produced. The name "Royale" referenced the Park Royal area of London and served as a pun on "King," while "RP" stood for Racing Preparations. The RP2 followed as Royale’s first production car, with 30 units built. Over the next few years, Royale produced a significant number of competitive Formula Fords and Super Vees.

The RP4 was designed for the new Motor Racing Stables F100 Championship, a series for lightweight sports cars powered by 1,300cc engines. However, the championship struggled to gain traction, competing with the long-established and popular Clubmans Championships, and lasted only two years (1970-71). Despite this, Royale's early sports prototypes achieved success, winning the championship both years. The RP4’s successor, the RP6, also found success in the SCCA’s CSR series. With only nine RP6s built, they remain rare to this day.

In 1972, Royale introduced the RP17, an evolution of the RP4. Designed as a full two-litre Group 6 car and known for its campaigns in the two-litre Can-Am series, the RP17 became a celebrated "giant killer," known for its competitiveness even against larger competitors.

Royale RP6 Chassis 8 was first delivered to Arthur Banting of Overtoom, Amsterdam. It was fitted with a customer-supplied 1300cc Ford downdraft engine, F100-spec suspension, Dunlop 356 compound tyres, dual oil temperature gauges, and optional body spats. The car, presented in white, was raced in the Dutch Sports Car Championship from 1971. During its first two years, it achieved notable results, including a fourth-place finish in April 1972 at Zandvoort and a podium finish there in May of the same year.

In 1975, the car was purchased by the LIPS Autotron Museum in Drunen, Holland, where it remained until 1985. It was then repatriated to the UK by R. Tolhurst.

Chassis 08 was later acquired from Roger Hurst in February 1987 by Richard Higgins, who competed with it in the HSCC 2 Litre Championship in Class C, achieving numerous class podiums.

After Higgins’ ownership, and a period where the car's history is unclear, Chassis 08 was purchased by Chris Bailey around 2005, and subsequently by respected gentleman racer Kevin Cooke.

During Cooke’s ownership, and in an effort to re-obtain its FIA paperwork to compete in Europe, the car was meticulously upgraded to RP17 specification by Peter Richardson. FIA/HTP papers were issued upon completion in 2014. Following the upgrades, the car was maintained to the highest standards by Gerry Wainwright Motorsport.

Fitted with a strong BDG engine rebuilt by Craig Beck in 2022, the car has had just five outings since the rebuild and remains consistently competitive. Notable results include the Silverstone Classic (now the Silverstone Festival), where it qualified ahead of all Lolas, Marches, Osellas, and Chevrons, except for an M8F and John Burton’s B26. It also secured an outright win at Brands Hatch in 2023 on the GP circuit, driven by Rob Wainwright, with a fastest lap of 1:30.2.

Included with the vehicle is a comprehensive history file, featuring previous HTP papers valid until December 31, 2024, checklists, printed email communications, and supporting evidence.

The history file also contains various folders with an impressive collection of worldwide articles, period photographs, race results, classified listings, and order sheets for each RP6. Copies of the Royale register and other significant documents are included, alongside a previous HSCC identity form, older FIA paperwork, and a 2015 suspension geometry and vehicle dynamics report by GSD Race Dynamics. A folder with setup records and sundry documents is also provided.

A useful spares package is included, featuring a spare set of (MB) wheels, a silencer for track-day testing, a radiator, a rear upright, wheel bearings, a starter motor, and additional sundry items.

This exceptional Royale represents perhaps the most cost-effective route to a competitive seat in the Masters Sports Car Legends grid, Peter Auto, Thundersports, or any other series for two-litre sports prototypes.

Klasiko Ltd

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