(K Buckley)
Don Holland’s Cooper S from Robbie Francevic’s monstering Ford Fairlane at Bay Park, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand in April 1968.
Imagine looking at that ‘block of flats’ baring down on you at some speed in ‘yer mirrors!?
Were these things ‘sports-racing closed’, or perhaps ‘sports-sedans’ by then. The Kiwis will have called theirs something else of course- what? In any event, these highly-modified tourers have always been my favourite taxi-variants.
Alan Boyle picks up the story, ‘Don Holland came other with two other Mini-racers, light-weight and extremely quick cars – John Leffler and Lynn Brown, three nice guys, I’ve visited them in Sydney since.
Relaxing in the Pukekohe paddock after the racing, ‘John Leffler, Don Holland Lynn Brown. Margaret and Violet Mini.’ I wonder if this visit was during the Tasman rounds, it would be interesting to know the results? How did Violet go in her car? See this piece on the Francevic Ford; https://themotorhood.com/themotorhood/2017/11/24/special-feature-robbie-francevics-fairlane
More questions than answers this time…
(A Boyle)
Credits…
Ken Buckley photo via Milan Fistonic, Alan Boyle
Finito…
primotipo... 
This should clarify things a little. http://www.historicmusclecars.co.nz/Pages/History/history.htm
Thanks Bill.
M
Hi Mark,
Keep up the great work you are doing. I spend far too much time on your site
Talking about Cooper Bristols, this one,( image attached) appeared at some historic racing meetings ages ago.
I was wondering is it one of the original examples imported in period or a more recent import.
And where is it now??
I am still searching for my photos of the MYF ford , I know I saw them recently but cannot find where they have been put.
And while you are talking about those great front engine race cars, like Tornado and Maybach, there are a couple of Jaguar specials worthy of some investigation, namely the Jag Ford and the early iteration of the Dalro Jaguar.
Thanks for your efforts
Cheers
Iain
Thanks Iain,
Key ‘Len Lukey’ into the primo search engine and there will be some information in that piece about Lukey’s T23.
Mark
Mark,
With regard to your comment “I wonder if this visit was during the Tasman rounds”, I have checked the Racing Car News reports on the four 1968 NZ Tasman meetings and the only saloon races referred to are those at Pukekohe. No mention of Holland, Leffler or Brown there, although Brian Foley is shown as finishing second in a Mini Cooper in the Group 5 Championship race.
Given that the final NZ Tasman meeting for 1968 was Teretonga on 27 January, it seems unlikely that the Holland / Leffler / Brown appearance at Bay Park in April was part of a Tasman junket.
Cheers,
Rob Bartholomaeus