Would you believe Brian Sampson blasting his Cheetah Mk5 Chev through Shell corner at Sandown in 1973? Nup, me neither…
Clearly he was playing with downdraught Webers instead of the 40DCOE’s usually fitted to his works-Motor Improvements 1.3-litre Toyota Corolla based F3 engine, an experiment that didn’t cause him to change induction direction: the car is a Cheetah Mk5 Toyota.
Great little motors, one was fitted to an ASP 340 Clubman car I owned. Lordy knows how many 1.3-litre ANF3 and Clubman races those engines won in mid-1970s in the hands of works-pilots Brian Shead, Brian Sampson and Peter Jones plus a swag of customers of whom Peter Macrow, Paul King and Dean Hosking readily spring to mind. There were plenty more.
I got to know Brian later in his life via my friend and Auto Action publisher/owner Bruce Williams. I did a piece about the Cheetah Mk6 for Auto Action in July 2021 and spent the better part of a day talking to Brian and Brendan Jones while Sambo and Williams relentlessly and hilariously hung-shit on one another for the duration. They had known and worked together for the better part of 40 years.
We did a return bout not too long before Brian died (17 November 2023), I’ve never completed the planned two articles, but we taped the long three-way chat and one day will remove the too-naughty bits and pop it up on the A-A website. Such a talented driver, engineer and businessman, not forgetting the top-bloke factor.
Brian buckles up, probably, but not definitely in the works-Toyota Celica sports-sedan which is shown below at Warwick Farm, perhaps in early 1973.
Etcetera…
After the initial post, racer, Brendan Jones, Sampson’s stepson sent me some more shots of Brian racing with the downdraught setup. The two shots above are at Adelaide International?, the two below at Calder. That’s David Crabtree’s #70 self modified Cheetah MK 4 below, a car he still owns. Dates of the meetings would be a bonus too.
Credits…
Brian Sampson Archive via Brendan Jones, Auto Action Archive-Greg Stanfield by courtesy of Bruce Williams, Mark Bishop
Tailpieces…
Of course, Cheetah aficionados know that Brian Shead built an F5000 car – of sorts – the Cheetah Mk4 Oldsmobile 3.5-litre V8. Originally to Don Biggar’s order, it’s raced above by Ian Judd at Mount Leura, Camperdown in the mid-1970s. Judd won the Australian Hillclimb Championship with it at Morwell in 1977.
See here for a piece I wrote in the current issue of Australian Auto Action about hillclimbing in the 1970s including this car, it’s on page 40: https://issuu.com/me8674/docs/aa1901_digital_issue
Of course there was a time when motor-noters speculated about Brian Shead building an F5000 Cheetah, in the mid-1970s.
Auto Action’s graphic designer has used a shot of Sambo aboard a Mk5 at Calder as the basis of his rendering of a potential ‘Cheetah Chev’ in issue #126, December 1975.
Finito…
primotipo... 
Mark,
The pic of Sambo with the downdrafts is no earlier than 1976. Brian
Shead first ran sidepods (Mk 6?) at Amaroo in March ’76, Sampson didn’t
yet have that upgrade.
They were running bigger Webers than DCOE40s, too. I would say that he
was trying 48IDAs in that picture, they having had 45DCOEs fitted to
that time (not even 42s) and as soon as Weber brought out the 48DCOEs
they had them on the cars.
Ray
Cheers Ray,
48s on a 1.3-litre pushrod engine!? Mine had 42s from memory.
I’ve asked Brendan Jones to date the Sandown shot if he can, feedback from the Motor Improvements customers will be interesting too.
M
ps; On one of the visits to Levanswell Road Brian showed Bruce and I to the patterns for the SOHC head MI developed to sit atop his Ford BDA/Kent 711M bottom end in the 1.6-two-valve-SOHC/OHV ANF2 years
I’ve confirmed this with Bob Abberfield, Mark. He was involved with two ‘Sambo’ Corolla engines, the one in Mal Brewster’s Elfin 700 and the one in the Peter Jones Cheetah Clubman when owned by Allen Swain. Bob had set up his own Corolla for his Farrell using bits from Motor Improvements, he had 45s because it was built before the 48s came out. I was aware of it at the time too, having discussions with the Brians but I didn’t do any stories on them.
As for the ‘F5000 Cheetah’ goes, there was talk at the time and Brian Shead often quipped that he’d started on the build. “I’ve made the pedals,” he’s say.
Ray
Thanks Ray,
Great stuff, Brendan Jones has flicked me a few other pics I’ll load later in the day, off to visit ‘me mum in her ‘penitentiary’ @ Cowes shortly.
m
Hello Mark. Sorry, that should have been AA 126 December 1975, not 1976. Cheers, Paul.
Thanks Paul,
Easy fix, I’ii be in there next week so shall read the thing in full!
M
This is a great article, Mark, on a gentleman, businessman of integrity, and fast, safe, successful race driver.
Like many, I got to know “Sambo” through historic racing, where he raced a variety of fast cars, including his Elva and Chevron Sports cars, in Group M/O.
He asked me one day what I did for a living, I explained (unknown to me his and my good friend Minogue) had suggested he talk to me.
“Sambo ” was to become a client for over 20 years and along the way suggested others also become clients. He was terrific to deal and we became at the various historic meetings, good friends.Later on I sold him an ex-A.Hamilton/Minogue Lola -Buick T87/50, which was way above my driving ability.
Not only was he a champion in open-wheel race cars but along the way picked up prime drives at the Bathurst 1,000 including the HDT and the famed win with Brock.
That’s great Rob,
‘Firm but fair’ is the style of feedback I get from people in discussions with Sambo.
Apart from you and Bruce, Ian MacDonald looked after his advertising needs forever and has good things to say about him. Longstanding relationships says it all really.
M
Mark, when I had a business partner steal over 2 million dollars out of a trust account and destroy an extremely profitable business in the late 1990s .
Brian suggested he was happy to deal with me and help fund a new business, I declined as I wished to start up by myself .
He was a quality person, fair on the race track, always entertaining in the pits, and a legend with that truck and trailer he travelled to the various race tracks in.
Hi Mark, I bought a Farrell (ex Stuart Richard’s/Rolf Vine) in 1976, and this had a very special 1300 Corolla that MI had built for an ill-fated AMI Corolla sports sedan project.
This had extra special goodies on it, including a fully degreed crankshaft pulley. It was supposedly good for 11,200 revs: much of the valve trained was reputedly titanium.
This had 48DCOEs on it, as did Peter Jones car, and undoubtedly a few others.
So no 40DCOEs there.
Thanks Mr Philosopher
M
Hello Mark. Thanks for the recent hill climbing related stories. I attended many Mt Leura events in the 1970s and frequently saw Ian Judd, Peter Holinger and Paul England. England’s Ausca easily fastest off the start line, but all were great to experience. The rendering of the Cheetah F5000 accompanied a story in AA issue 126, 18 December 1976.
Cheers Paul Best.
Hi Paul,
And thanks very much, I’ve altered the piece accordingly. And yes, great days for hillclimbing indeed!
Mark
Hey Mark, that’s me in the number 70 cheetah which is my MK4 with a Crabby nose, turret to match the speed of the terrible twins, Sambo and Sheady. I had extended sides on it also. In the F3 days, always update and try something different every meeting.
Cheers Crabby,’
What engine were you running at that stage? What year too please.
M