Car builder, fabricator, collector, entrepreneur, TV presenter and racing driver are but a few of the things you'll find on Derek Drinkwater's resumé. He's always been interested in cars but one the really captivted him was the slab-sided Cadillac Series 61 special entered by American Sportsman Briggs Cunningham in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It was unlike anything ever raced at LeMans, and the Americans were certainly a spectacle.

It was a fairly stock 1950 Cadillac custom-skinned by Grumman Aircraft Company of Long Island, New York, and when the French race fans saw it, they dubbed it "Le Monstre".

The nickname turned out to be a sign of affection, and the 331 cubic-inch V8 powered beast finished eleventh overall (its sister ship, a stock Series 61 coupe was nicknamed "Petit Pataud", or "Little Clumsy", finished tenth).

Derek has now raced his Le Monstre replica at Le Mans Classic, Daytona Classic, Laguna Seca, Road America and Watkins Glen. In Part One of the story he tells how he built it and began to fettle it on the track.

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