A FUNERAL service in the Welsh town of Crickhowell marked the passing on one of Britain's great names in sports cars.
John Henry Turner, known to his pals as Jack, the man behind the Turner marque died recently at the age of 94.
Jack was a quiet man and never one to brag, but his part in the creation of some amazing and very fast British cars cannot be underestimated.
This acclaimed Welsh engineer started to build cars at the end of the Second World War at Seisdon in South Staffordshire, before moving to Merridale Street, Wolverhampton in the early 1950s and then to Pendeford Aerodrome in Wolverhampton where car production continued through until early 1966 when the doors were closed.
Although known as a racing car specialist, Jack Turner decided during 1954 to produce a simple, affordable, entry-level sports car.
After a special based on an MG Magnette, the first real Turner comprised a simple tubular chassis, a Vauxhall Wyvern engine and rather skimpy aluminium bodywork. It also featured cast magnesium wheels with detachable rims.
Then other designs began to flow which were lightweight with a good power to weight ratio, and renowned for great handling both on the road and the race track.
While providing a lot of fun on the road Turners excelled in motor sport and racing.
In the UK they won the a team prize in 1958 and 1959 and a class championship win in the 1960 Autosport Championship as well as many individual successes in club racing including between 1956 and 1966 and beyond.
Motorsport successes continued with the use of the BMC A series engines and later in the higher Classes with Coventry Climax and Ford engines.
And from its small beginnings Turner began to notch up successes in the USA with wins in the 1957 and 1958 Sam Collier Memorial Trophy race and entries at Sebring in 1959 and 1960.
Turner sports cars rapidly proved that they could give established names such as Lotus, MG and Healey a run for their money both on the race track and the road and are successful in historic motor sport events around the world to this day.
It is a shame that these amazing and very hairy cars did not flourish in later years but sales were hit by the arrival of the Austin-Healey Sprite. Hopes were pinned on a Hillman Imp-powered glassfibre monococque roadster but the firm was wound up in 1966.
Today Turner cars are certainly popular with the preservation movement because it is estimated that 300 of the 670 built still survive.
It is certainly interesting to ponder that with the right investment, marketing and image creation, the Turner just might have grown to compete against Porsche – a real British supercar with with Welsh roots.