Doug Whiteford won the first Australian Grand Prix held at Albert Park in his Talbot Lago T26C 70 years ago today, November 21, 1953.
He won the Formula Libre race from Curley Brydon’s MG TC Spl and Andy Brown’s MG K3. 40 starters took on the challenge, racing in the opposite direction to today on a course that goes around the lake but is a bit different to the original.
I’d forgotten the anniversary. The Australian Grand Prix Corporation celebrated the occasion back in March during the F1 weekend. My mate, Auto Action publisher Bruce Williams called before to say they were going to post online the article I wrote back then for the pre-AGP Auto Action, see here: https://autoaction.com.au/2023/11/21/australian-grand-prix-at-albert-park-70-years-young-2
That front row above is Lex Davison in his ex-Moss F2 HWM, then fitted with a Jaguar C-Type spec 3.4-litre XK-six at left, Stan Jones’ Maybach 1 4.3-litre and Whiteford’s 4.5-litre Talbot-Lago at right.
The bolter early was Stan Jones in Maybach 1, he led till the halfway mark but retired after completing 58 of the 64 lap, 250 mile journey. Whiteford lost a tyre off the rim with 10 laps to run, but he was close to his pit, and had a huge lead so the 30 second stop to change the wheel wasn’t a problem.
Whiteford looking modestly chuffed with his win. He took the same car to AGP victory at Mount Panorama, Bathurst the year before, and won at Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley aboard his famous Ford V8 Ute based special, Black Bess, in 1950.
Dicer Doug was a formidable, aggressive driver who was also a master-mechanic. His preparation and presentation skills were legendary, so too his mechanical sympathy. He was the complete package.
See here: https://primotipo.com/2019/03/16/1953-australian-grand-prix-albert-park/ here: https://primotipo.com/2022/05/04/doug-whiteford-talbot-lago-t26c-take-3/ and here: https://primotipo.com/2022/11/19/maybach-1-take-3-or-4/
Credits…
Auto Action, The Age, Spencer Wills
Finito…
primotipo... 
Was this the Talbot Lago T26C that ended up in New Zealand?
Allan Freeman the owner/driver ?
I saw it at Levin as teenager in the early 60’s.
Warming up the preselector gearbox with the rear wheels jacked up in the pits! Rear wheels spinning dangerously! LOL
Hi Dennis,
The T-L shown is chassis #110007 – the ’52-3 AGP winner. His second one, of more advanced mechanical spec, was an earlier chassis #110002.
Quick google, Allan Freeman’s was #110011: ex-Johnny Claes-Duncan Hamilton then to Freeman in 1955.
Bernie The Great owns #110007 and 110011. Vern Schuppan sold #110002 a couple of years ago, no idea of the owner.
Mark
Nice one mark
Sent from my iPhone
Mark,
With regard to Doug’s 1950 AGP win, “Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills” should read “Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley”.
Cheers,
Rob B
Thanks Rob,
I really shouldn’t rely on my memory with advancing years…
m