primotipo…

Stan Jones, Maybach 4 Chev in the Lowood, Queensland paddock, June 1959…

I love Quentin Miles wonderful clear period photo of the fun of the fair and especially the business end of the last car built in the most famous range of Australian Specials- not that the ‘Special’ descriptor does justice to the quality of the design and construction of the Maybachs under Charlie Dean’s leadership at Repco Research in Sydney Road, Brunswick, in Melbourne’s inner north.

In essence my article about Stan Jones is also a piece about Maybach- it together with the 1954 Southport Australian Grand Prix feature provide plenty of background on the cars and their progressive evolution from Maybach 1- the 1954 NZ GP winner, the shortlived Maybach 2 which should have won the ’54 AGP but instead died a violent death during that race, and the replacement Mercedes Benz W154 inspired Maybach 3- the final iteration of the Maybach 6-cylinder engined machines. Maybach 3 became Maybach 4 when Ern Seeliger skilfully re-engineered aspects of the car to accept the new, lightish Chev, 283 cid ‘small-block’, cast-iron, pushrod OHV V8. Click here for Stan and Maybach;

https://primotipo.com/2014/12/26/stan-jones-australian-and-new-zealand-grand-prix-and-gold-star-winner/

and here for the ’54 AGP;

https://primotipo.com/2018/03/01/1954-australian-grand-prix-southport-qld/

Jones’ forceful speed and the ongoing evolution of the Maybachs kept the cars at the forefront of Australian single-seater racing into 1955 but game-changers were the arrival of modern ‘red cars’- Lex Davison’s acquisition of Tony Gaze’ Ferrari 500/625, Reg Hunt’s Maser 250F powered A6GCM and his subsequent 250F to name two.

Stan gave up the unequal struggle and acquired a 250F, ultimately doing very well with it- winning the ’58 Gold Star and the ’59 AGP at Longford, thank goodness he finally won the race in which he had deserved to triumph for the best part of a decade.

Even though the Maser was his front line tool he was not averse to giving Maybach a gallop, as here on the Queensland airfield circuit.

As Stanley focussed on the Maserati, Maybach 3 languished in a corner of Ern Seeliger’s workshop in Baker Street, Richmond. Ern was a successful racer, engineer/preparer and a close friend of Jones. With a view to selling it Stan handed Seeliger the car telling him to ‘do what he liked with it’.

The essential elements of Maybach 3 were a chassis built up from two 4 inch diameter steel tubes, the Maybach 3.8 litre, 260 bhp, SOHC 6 cylinder engine fitted with a Charlie Dean/Phil Irving designed and carefully cobbled together fuel injection system, the engine laid down at an angle of about 60 degrees to the left to lower the bonnet line, like the W196- the car was also styled along the lines of that Benz. The cars front suspension comprised upper wishbones and a lower transverse leaf spring and at the rear utilised quarter elliptic leaf springs and radius rods. Brakes were PBR drums and the gearbox a 4 speed manual.

Towards the end of its life the limiting factor of Maybach 3’s performance was the end of Charlie Dean’s supply of Maybach engines, no more power could be squeezed from them- and there were none left in any event!

In addition there were now plenty of competitive well sorted cars. The only locally built racer capable of running with Hunt, Davison and Jones was the Lou Abrahams owned and built, Ted Gray driven Tornado Ford V8- and from late September 1957, Tornado Chev V8. There is little doubt that Ern looked long and hard at a machine that was prepared only 1.5 Km from his own ‘shop for inspiration. Click here for the Tornado story;

https://primotipo.com/2015/11/27/the-longford-trophy-1958-the-tornados-ted-gray/

Pretty soon a 283 Chev was on its way to Australia, Seeliger modified the 4.6 litre V8 by fitment of two Carter 4-barrel carbs, the cylinder heads and valve gear were ported, polished and lightened, with the oilways modified and the unit dry-sumped. The motor produced about 274 bhp @ 6000 rpm and had a truckload of torque- around 300 lb feet of it at 3500 rpm. Ern and his band of merry men did not just plonk the engine into the space formerly occupied by the German straight-six however.

Seeliger thoroughly overhauled the machine, lengthening the chassis to accept the de Dion rear end he designed to better put the cars power and torque to the road. A transverse leaf spring was installed instead of the quarter elliptics and an anti-roll bar used at the front incorporating brake torque rods. The rear track was widened by an inch and a larger 30 gallon fuel tank fitted to feed the thirsty Chevy.

Seeliger designed and built a multi-plate clutch which used the existing Maybach 4 speed ‘box and diff albeit modified with shortened axles and cv joints to mate with the de Dion tube.

Ern made the cars debut in this form at Fishermans Bend in March 1958, his bid for victory came to an end with stripped tyres- the car was quick right out of the box, Seeliger a mighty fine design and development engineer.

Whilst a very good driver he was not in Stan’s league- Jones was stiff not to win the ’58 AGP at Bathurst aboard his 250F- as was Ted Gray unlucky to dip out in Tornado 2 Chev, but Seeliger finished 2^nd in the Maybach with Lex Davison, always a lucky AGP competitor, the winner. Be in no doubt my friends Maybach 4 Chev in Jones hands was a winning car- had he felt so inclined in 1958 but he was busy winning the Gold Star aboard the 250F in any event.

Into 1959 Maybach 4 was still competitive in Ern’s hands, and Stanley took a win in the Gold Star, South Australian Trophy event at Port Wakefield in late March and 3^rd place in the Lowood Trophy race as pictured in this article behind the Cooper Climaxes of Alec Mildren and Bill Patterson. Before too long Stan would show his speed in a Cooper T51.

The reign of the ‘Red Cars’ was quickly coming to an end In Australia but lets never forget the dark blue Tornado 2 and silver/blue Maybach 4- Chev V8 engined locally engineered devices very much as quick as the more sophisticated, twin-cam, exotic, expensive factory cars from Italy’s north…

Etcetera…

Seeliger, above, with his mount at Bathurst during the 1958 Australian Grand Prix weekend- and a successful meeting too, second behind Lex Davison’s Ferrari 500/625 3 litre.

In June 2020 i was contacted by Melbourne enthusiast John Comber who had done a weeks work experience as a fifteen year old at Seeliger’s Baker Street, Richmond workshop in 1958.

On the strength of that he embarked on a Panel Beating career- his recollections recorded in a creative writing class not so long ago are a wonderful step back in time as a youth’s perspective of Ern’s workshop.

‘…My second job was also with a neighbour, Mr Seeliger, who had a small automotive engineering business in Richmond…The arrangements were for me and my friend Trevor to be at the Seeliger’s house at 7.30 am Monday morning, do a days work and see how we liked it.’

‘On the Monday, with a  packed lunch and wearing our best “old clothes” we arrived at 7.30 just as Mr Seeliger was starting the engine of his utility. “Jump in boys” he said and we took off straight away, heading for Richmond (from Blackburn).’

‘I still remember quite clearly his opening comments, “Well i have the right job for you two bastards today, you can clean some car parts with kero, “That’ll keep you busy”.

‘The thought of cleaning the car parts with kerosene didn’t faze me but the language had caused me something of a jolt. To me this was school-yard  language and i wasn’t used to adults swearing, certainly not from my parents or relatives, or family friends.’

‘Well the rest of the day turned out fine, Trevor and i set-to with a can of kerosene cleaning mechanical parts and some body parts as well. This was quite an easy job and allowed us to look around and take in the surroundings. Mr Seeliger’s workshop  was converted from some old run-down stables with cobblestones between the sheds and an overhead loft used for storage. The yard was quite large with grass growing between some old cars and car trailers adding to the overall run-down appearance of the place.’

‘This must have been too much for Trevor as he didn’t come any more but i was there each day for the next fortnight, working amongst the cars was perfect for me…’

‘The core of Mr Seeliger’s business was tuning and maintaining racing cars, he was a qualified aircraft engineer and understood high performance engines and was also a racing driver himself. One of the racing cars he worked on had a V8 engine and was a potential race-winner. I learned later that this car was known as the “Maybach” and had a long history of success. He had spent several days working on the rear of the car making some modifications. Finally with it all finished i can still visualise him standing on the back of the car, making it bounce up and down and saying “That’ll keep me ahead of those bloody Ferraris.”

‘There were only three on staff, Mr Seeliger, a mechanic, and Roy, the apprentice. Although Roy was only a year or two older than me he was quite friendly and helpful. To quote an old mechanic’s saying “he knew his way around a toolbox”, sometimes i helped with jobs on customer cars- simple jobs…’

‘Working conditions can best be described as matching the already mentioned surroundings: primitive might sum it up. There was no lunch-room, morning tea break was around the car being worked on and discussing the progress of the job while sipping tea or coffee. Lunch break was a little better though with a couple of old car seats to sit on…There was no heating of any sort, the area between the main sheds being open to the elements. The toilet was basic and the only tap available for hand washing was also used for filling radiators and washing cars etc.’

‘Despite these poor working conditions, which by twenty-first century standards, would be deemed illegal, i thoroughly enjoyed myself working with cars and receiving five pounds each week. Now i was even more eager to finish school and begin an apprenticeship as a panel beater’, John Comber concluded in a wonderful personal account of what it was like ‘in the day’.

 

Photos/References…

Quentin Miles, Australian Motor Sports Review 1959 & 1960, Australian Motor Heritage Foundation Archives, John Comber article and photograph, David Zeunert Collection 

Tailpiece: Winners are Grinners: Stan, Maybach 4, Port Wakefield 1959…

Finito…