Bill Pitt, Jaguar D-Type, leads Doug Whiteford, Maserati 300S and race winner David McKay heading up Mountain Straight during the early stages of the 31-lap, 100-mile Australian Tourist Trophy at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, on October 6, 1958.
That weekend was an incredible double-header combining the Australian Grand Prix won by Lex Davison’s Ferrari 500/625, and the Australian Tourist Trophy.
It was the second running of an event first won by Stirling Moss in a Maserati 300S during the 1956 AGP carnival at Albert Park.
By then, we had a good grid of outright current sports cars, including: Aston Martin DB3S – ex-works car for David McKay, and Warren Blomfeld’s Tom Sulman-owned customer machine, Maserati 300S – Doug Whiteford’s ex-works car, Derek Jolly’s ex-works Lotus 15 Climax FPF 1.5, Ron Phillips’ ex-Peter Whitehead Cooper T38 Jaguar, customer Jaguar D-Types for Bill Pitt and Jack Murray, plus a C-Type for young thruster Frank Matich. The quickest of the local cars was Gavan Sandford Morgan in Derek Jolly’s Decca Mk 2 Climax FWA.
Pitt and McKay head up Mountain Straight, while Whiteford, Phillips and Jolly negotiate Hell Corner (P Longley)
McKay won with Jolly’s 1.5-litre Lotus second – first in class – then Ron Phillips’ Cooper T38, Frank Matich in the Leaton Motors C-Type, Gavan Sandford Morgan, Decca MK2 Climax then Warren Blomfield’s Aston Martin DB3S in sixth.
Etcetera…
Early laps I suspect with Bill Pitt in the Geordie Anderson D-Type from the obscured Jolly Lotus 15 and distinctive blue flash of Ron Phillip’s Cooper Jag.
As many of you may recall, Ron Phillips won the 1959 Australian Tourist Trophy in the Cooper held at Lowood in June from Pitt’s Jag and Bob Jane’s Maserati 300S. See MotorSport feature about the Cooper-Jag here:https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-2022/137/home-away-a-cooper-jaguars-racing-adventures/
Not to forget Derek Jolly of course. He took ATT honours in the second of his Lotus 15s at Longford in March 1960, on that occasion Doug Whiteford’s Maserati 300S was second and Frank Matich third in a D-Type.
McKay in DB3S/9 and Warren Blomfeld in DB3S/103 below.
The Leaton C-Type was Frank Matich’s first Big Car and he handled it rather well in a career that stretched all the way to the end of the 1974 Tasman Cup.
He won the Australian Tourist Trophy four times: 1964, Lotus 19B Climax, 1966, Elfin 400 Oldsmobile, and 1967-68 in his Matich SR3: Oldsmobile powered in ’67, Repco-Brabham 4.4 powered in 1968. Not to forget the Australian Sports Car Championship aboard the 4.8-litre Matich SR4 Repco in 1969.
Educated guess territory…Jim Wright’s Buchanan TR2 from Harry Capes’ Jaguar XK120. 14th and 19th respectively. And below, Phillip’s Cooper Jag again, in front of I’m not sure who.
Credits…
Des Lawrence, Peter Longley, Edgerton Family Archive, Bob Ross Collection, Ron Reid, David Medley, Paul Kelly Collection, Ken Devine Archive
Finito…
primotipo... 
The Edgerton archives are wonderful collection of photos from the post-war period of racing and motoring of that period and before, Greville has been so generous in allowing so many of us to view it.
The Cooper-Jaguar 38 should read Mark ll, several of my Cooper books referred to that car as the one Peter Whitehead and his half-brother Graham raced in various European and UK events in 1955 including that years Le-Mans 24 hours where it placed a DNF, from memory oil pressure issue. Of course, it had a long NZ/Australian history and was magnificently restored in the 80s by Ian Macca …., does Frank Moore still own it ?
Yours in Motoring Rob Bailey..
Cheers Rob,
Quite right. I did a feature on the car that was published in MotorSport in 2022. I’ve added the link to it in the article. It includes input from Grev plus some of the family photographs. And yes, Frank still owns it.
M
So great seeing all these old photos of my father (David McKay)… this is pre the Scuds (Scuderia Veloce) period. Thank you! Love Primotipo.
Mark,
The above text has Frank Matich winning the Australian Tourist Trophy in 1967-68 in his “Matich SR3 Repco-Brabham 4.4”.
The 1967 ATT race reports in Australian Motor Manual and Sports Car World both have the car as Oldsmobile-powered.
The Sports Car World report on the 1968 ATT does have the SR3 as Repco-powered although the Official Programme has the capacity as 4990cc.
Cheers,
Rob B.
Cheers Rob,
Agreed re Olds in ’67. Probably one of his last runs so powered before conversion to 620 Repco 4.4. 5-litre SR3 in ’68 sounds wrong, but I’d defer to the RBE employees of the day.
m