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Lola Mk4A Climax…

Posted: July 1, 2024 in F1, Features
Tags: 1963 New Zealand Grand Prix, 1971 Australian Grand Prix, Australian Motor Racing History, John Surtees, Lola Mk4 Climax, Lola Mk4A Climax, Surtees TS8/9 Chev, Tony Maggs

John Surtees is chasing Jack Brabham hard in the latter stages of the 1963 Australian Grand Prix at Warwick Farm on February 10, 1963. He is racing a Lola Mk4A Climax 2.7 FPF chassis #BRGP44.

Jack’s Brabham, Brabham BT4 Climax passed him late in the race, John fell short by 12 seconds in a race run in intensive heat, but he had a good southern summer, winning two of the eight Australasian internationals, the NZ GP at Pukekohe and the Lakeside International.

I’ve had a crack at this topic before, but there are a swag of shots looking for a home, so why not? See here: https://primotipo.com/2017/10/05/cruisin-for-a-bruisin/ And here too, Lola Heritage have a great article: http://www.lolaheritage.co.uk/type_numbers/mk4/mk4.html

Dick Ellis cutaway of an F1 Lola Mk4 Coventry Climax FWMV 1.5 V8

Surtees, Team Lotus Lotus 18 Climax at Ardmore during the 1961 NZ GP, DNF (M Fistonic)

1963 wasn’t his first trip Down Under. Il Grande John did the Kiwi Internationals with Team Lotus in 1961 when Innes Ireland, Jim Clark and Surtees raced Lotus 18 2.5 FPFs fitted with the dreaded Queerbox. In a grim tour for the team, Surtees didn’t finish any of his three races at Ardmore, Levin or Wigram.

He was back again in 1962, running a Reg Parnell Cooper T53 2.7 in Australia, finishing second at Sandown and winning from Jack Brabham’s Cooper T55 2.7 on Longford’s daunting mix of roads, undulations, railway viaduct and barbed wire.

Parnell ran a pair of Lola T4 Climaxes, 1.5 FPF powered early on, then 1.5 FWMV V8 engined when the engine became available in Grand Prix racing that year. Surtees finished a great fourth in the World Drivers Championship during the season in which the monocoque Lotus 25 Climax rewrote the chassis design rulebook.

Surtees winning Lola Mk4A and Bruce McLaren, Cooper T62 on the front row at Pukekohe, NZ GP 1963. That’s Brabham’s #4 BT4, and Tony Maggs in the other Parnell Lola Mk4 at far left (D Oxton)

Later Kiwi Ace, David Oxton attends to a Colotti ratio change on Surtees’ car, Pukekohe (D Oxton)

Reg (Bowmaker-Yeoman Racing Team) fitted 2.7FPFs to two of his T4s in place of the smaller F1 V8 for the 1963 Formula Libre Australasian Internationals for Surtees and South African driver, Tony Maggs use. Parnell knew the local-ropes, having raced a Ferrari Super Squalo 3.4 as part of a two car team together with Peter Whitehead in the 1957 New Zealand Internationals. He did well too, winning the NZ GP and the Dunedin Road Race in what was his last hurrah as a driver before taking on Aston Martin team management duties.

Other hot-shots that summer included Jack Brabham in his new F1 BT3 derived BT4 2.7 FPF, while Bruce McLaren raced the similarly powered Cooper T62 with which he won the 1962 Australian Grand Prix at Caversham, near Perth that November. Graham Hill (and Innes Ireland in some NZ races) raced the radical, fast Ferguson P99 albeit he lacked the mumbo of his completion, running 2.5 FPF’s rather than the more fancied 2.7 ‘Indy’ variant.

Young Cooper T53 mounted thrusters included Chris Amon, Jim Palmer and Angus Hyslop. In Australia the local quicks included David McKay and Bib Stillwell in new BT4s, while Lex Davison and young grazier John Youl raced Coopers T53 and T55 respectively.

Surtees’s Lola Mk4A #BRGP44 was quick everywhere, starting the tour with a bang by winning the NZ GP at the new Pukekohe circuit near Auckland, then gearbox problems caused DNFs at Levinand Wigram. He failed to finish at Teretonga as well, albeit Maggs placed second behind McLaren at the track near Invercargill at the very south of the South Island.

Surtees in the Wigram – RNZAF airfield – paddock. That Ferrari 250 SWB belonged to ‘Richardson’ for those wanting to do further research (W Collins)

Surtees and handsome Mk4A at Teretonga, ninth after undisclosed problems (G Woods)

There was then a fortnight to ship the cars across the Tasman Sea to Sydney Harbour for the AGP to be held on the challenging, technical Warwick Farm on February 10.

Surtees put down a marker, popping his Lola on pole in Jack’s backyard. He then led the race until Brabham – who started well back on the grid having sorted a new BT4 chassis during practice – passed him with 14 laps to run, the Brit suffering along with many others in the intense heat. John had the consolation of meeting fastest lap.

Then it was off to Lakeside, north of Brisbane. There Surtees started from Q3 and won from Hill, bagging the P99’s best result for the tour, with Stillwell third in his new Brabham BT4. Chris Amon was fourth and impressing pit-pundits with every drive. At the end of the summer Reg Parnell took the 19 year old off to Europe where he did rather well…initially racing #BRGP44 FWMV powered throughout 1963.

Shell drivers at Warwick Farm: David McKay, Tony Maggs, Graham Hill, John Surtees, Jim Palmer and Chris Amon (C Galloway)

Surtees hooks into the right-hander at the end of Pit Straight, Paddock, at Warwick Farm 1963 (B Donaldson)

Surtees returned to Europe to meet his new Ferrari team commitments, missing the final two races at Longford and Sandown, with Tony Maggs, sixth and second in the Parnell Lolas respectively.

Had there been a Tasman Cup that summer – the first was contested and won by Bruce McLaren in 1964 – Bruce would have won it. Brabham won at Levin and Warwick Farm, Surtees at Pukekohe and Lakeside, while McLaren was victorious at Wigram, Teretonga, Longford and Sandown.

The Lolas had proved very competitive Formula Libre machines but were thoroughly outclassed in ’63 GP racing: Amon, Maurice Trintignant, Lucien Bianchi, Mike Hailwood and Masten Gregory all failed to bag a point for Reg Parnell Racing.

Surtees Mk4 during 1962. The idea of that yellow enamelled spaceframe chassis was to make it easy to see any cracks that arose (unattributed)

Etcetera…

Pretty car. Surtees during the soggy German Grand Prix was second behind Graham Hill’s BRM. He first raced the chassis he used throughout his 1963 Australiasion Tour, T4A #BRGP44, at Karlskoga in August, there he led until a valve spring broke.

Main Men. Reg Parnell, Surtees and who? during the May 1962 Dutch Grand Prix weekend at Zandvoort. John popped his car on pole but crashed in the early laps after a wishbone failure.

More Main Men. Surtees and Lola’s Eric Broadley at Aintree during the British GP meeting in July. And below, John with the car in the paddock. FWMV is on Webers, a bit cheaper, but less powerful than the Lucas injected alternative.

Lola had a fantastic weekend with Surtees qualifying and finishing second in the race. The cars gained pace after the cockpit area was found to be flexing by Surtees in the lead up to the Belgian Grand Prix, when additional tubes were added to the suspect area.

Don Beresford – father of engineer Nigel Beresford of Ralt, Tyrrell, Penske Cars et al fame – working on a T4 at Bromley during 1962. It’s after the chassis cockpit section was strengthened, note the additional tubular section which has been added, so it’s probably the chassis Surtees raced carrying #6 in the December 29, 1962 South African Grand Prix at East London, DNF.

The ’63 New Zealand GP was a week later on January 5, no rest for the wicked!

Credits…

Bob Donaldson-State Library of New South Wales, Dick Ellis, Colin Galloway, Milan Fistonic, David Oxton Collection, Graham Woods Collection, Warner Collins, Lynton Hemer, Dick Simpson-oldracephotos.com, Michelle Glenn, Nigel Beresford Collection

Tailpieces…

Surtees, Surtees TS8/9 Chev, Alan Hamilton, McLaren M10B Chev, Colin Bond, McLaren M10C Repco-Holden and Graeme Lawrence, Brabham BT29 Ford FVC (L Hemer)

John Surtees was a busy lad throughout the 1960s with Grand Prix, World Endurance Championship and Can-Am programmes in most seasons, so he never did do a Tasman.

Scuderia Ferrari had plans afoot for Surtees to race a Ferrari Dino V6 – the ‘Surtees Tasman Special’ Ferrari 246 #006 – in 1966 but a late season Can-Am accident at Mosport in a Lola T70 Chev hospitalised him that winter so that didn’t happen. Chris Amon subsequently went rather well with updated 246 variants in 1968-69.

By 1971 Surtees’ commercial imperatives had evolved somewhat. Not only was he contesting Grand Prix racing with a two car team, he was also a constructor of customer racing cars, including Formula 5000 machines, which had been adopted as the Tasman Formula from 1970.

So it made sense for Surtees to contest the November 1971 Australian Grand Prix at Warwick Farm in a Surtees TS8/TS9 Chev, perhaps selling a car or two, then leave the car here for his protege, Mike Hailwood to race in the following 1972 Tasman.

Surtees in front of Max Stewart’s Mildren Waggott TC-4V in the Farm’s Esses (D Simpson-oldracephotos.com)

Surtees qualified ninth after fraught practice sessions sorting handling problems, then had a miserable race without his preferred Firestones, but he still got as high as fourth before pitting for a new left-front tyre, losing three laps in the process, before having another puncture late in the race, finally finishing 14th. “He certainly gave the crowd good value while he was going, “The History of The Australian Grand Prix” recorded.

Frank Matich triumphed that day in his brand new Matich A50 Repco-Holden with Kevin Bartlett and Hamilton second and third in their McLaren M10B Chevs.

Finally, Mike Hailwood did well in the 1972 Tasman Series, he was second to Graham McRae’s Leda GM1 Chev despite not winning round, and was then the best of Team Surtees F1 drivers that season; eighth in the World Championship.

Finito…

Pirelli and Alfa Romeo…

Posted: June 26, 2024 in F1, Features, Sports Racers, Touring Cars
Tags: 1925 AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship, Alfa Romeo, Alfa Romeo 158, Alfa Romeo 159, Alfa Romeo P2, Alfa Romeo P3, Pirelli Magazine

One thing leads to another. I was researching Giuseppe Luraghi, a longtime CEO of Alfa Romeo. Apart from mega talent as a corporate leader he was somewhat of a renaissance man, a gifted writer and poet. He initiated the Pirelli magazine way back in 1948 when he headed up Linoleum, a Pirelli Group subsidiary.

Pirelli, “Addressed it to the general public, it was a way of reaching out to the consumer with much more than a simple advertising message. Above all it was a way of conveying business culture.”

So, then yer go digging on that internet thingy and find Pirelli’s archives, these shots are the amazing result. I’ve mixed them up, they aren’t placed in chronological order so I’ve visually separated them by choosing Pirelli magazine covers or impactful or clever advertisements so you know when we are onto another subject. I’ve kept the words to a minimum, let the pics do the talkin’…

Gastone Brilli-Peri, by winning the Italian Grand Prix, gave Alfa Romeo the four-round 1925 Manufacturers World Championship in an Alfa Romeo P2.

Pete DePaolo won the Indy 500 in a Duesenberg 122, Albert Divo the French Grand Prix in a Delage 2LCV, while Alfa’s P2 won at Monza and at Spa, where Antonio Ascari drove the winning machine in the Belgian Grand Prix.

Brilli Peri, enroute to his Italian GP win and Campari below, in another P2 in the pits. Brilli Peri won from Giuseppe Campari/Minozzi/Sozzi with Meo Costantini third in a Bugatti T39.

Antonio Brivio after winning the 1935 Targa Florio in a Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo Tipo B.

Sticking with the P3 theme, Luigi Fagioli stands beside his car during the September 1933 Spanish Grand Prix weekend. The race was won by Louis Chiron’s Alfa P3 from Fagioli, and held on the Laserte road circuit near San Sebastián.

Mock up for a 1952 ad by Pavel Engelmann

Piero Taruffi and navigator Isidoro Ceroli with Alfa Romeo 6C2500 Sport during the first Carrera Panamericana from May 5-10 1950.

They finished fourth behind three American crews driving an Oldsmobile and two Cadillacs.

Piero Taruffi, again, but a little earlier, here with a shock of dark hair! and his Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Monza after finishing second in the April 1932 Rome Grand Prix.

The race, held on the 4km Circuito del Littorio, was won by Luigi Fagioli’s works-Maserati V5 5-litre V16.

Pirelli White Star, sketch for an exhibition stand in 1931

Pirelli wrote that of all the motor racing films, “there was only one racing driver who was called upon time and again to play himself in front of the camera – the Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio.”

“It was in 1950: in the photos now in the Pirelli Historical Archive, the film is referred to with its provisional title Perdizone. It was actually released the following year as Ultimo incontro (last meeting).”

“We are on the Monza racetrack, with the protagonists Amedeo Nazzari, Alida Valli and Jean-Pierre Aumont. It is a sombre tale of betrayal and blackmail in the world of motor sport, in which the driver Fangio plays…the driver Fangio.”

“That year the Argentine was racing with the mighty Alfa Romeo team along with legends of speed such as Nino Farina, who went on to win the (1950) world title.”

“The long P-logo of Pirelli, which supplied the read Alfa Romeo cars with Stella Bianca tyres, is embroidered on their overalls, underneath the cloverleaf symbol.”

“In Perdizone/Ultimo incontro, Fangio was already on his way to becoming a legend, but his serious, watchful look is that of a true actor. The driver from Balcarce stopped racing in the late 1950s, with five world championships under his belt.”

“During his career his name appeared a number of times next to that of Pirelli: it happened again in 1965, and once again there was a camera there to record it. This was a spot produced for Carosello TV commercials with reportage by Ugo Mulas.”

“The driver once again played himself, the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio now clocking up the laps in his Alfa Giulia GTC.”

“When he gets out, he looks into the camera and recalls: ‘I used to race with the Stelvio, but now this Cinturato is really different from the rest. Extraordinario!’ And in his magnificent Italian-Argentine manner, Fangio goes on to tell the audience on the television screen about his endless string of successes.”

Benito Mussolini and pet pussy aboard an Alfa Romeo in 1923. What model is it I wonder?

Meanwhile poor old Tazio is tasked with amusing Ill Duce’s sons in his P3, Bruno in the driving seat and Vittorio behind.

Mussolini with Nuvolari again, and the director-general of Alfa Romeo Prospero Gianferrari (both in the centre). “The P3 is probably the car with which Nuvolari won the August 14, 1932 Coppa Acerbo.”

Antonio Ascari in the P2, with designers Luigi Bazzi in the light coloured overalls at left, Vittorio Jano and Giorgio Rimini during the 1924 Italian Grand Prix weekend.

Before the start of the race: Antonio Ascari’s Alfa P2 #1 Christian Werner’s Mercedes M72 #2 and Jules Goux’ Rolland-Pilain Schmid #3.

Alfa Romeo won in a rout taking the first four placings: Ascari, Louis Wagner, Campari and Bruno Presenti, and Fernando Minoia.

Scuderia Alfa Romeo: unidentified in the overcoat, mechanic Giulio Ramponi, drivers Minoia and Campari, the engineer and entrepreneur Nicola Romeo, and driver Antonio Ascari.

Ascari and Ramponi go for a greet-the-punters wander.

Giuseppe Campari and P2.

Gigi Villoresi, Nino Farina and Alberto Ascari in 1950, this photo was published on the cover of the January-February issue of the Pirelli magazine. Nice portrait of Gigi in a Ferrari below.

Scuderia Ferrari shot of Luigi Arcangeli, Tazio Nuvolari and Enzo Ferrari sitting on an Alfa Romeo P2 during the European Hillclimb Championship in June 29, 1930

The Pirellis are Stella Bianca’s, the venue is Cuneo-Colle della Maddalena. While Pirelli wrote that Tazio was first and Luigi third, Rudy Caracciola won the day on a Mercedes.

And below walking to the start alongside an Alfa – a modified P2 of the type Achille Varzi used to win the Targa Florio in 1930 Bob King reckons, a quick look at Hull & Slater confirms this – circa 1930. Does anybody recognise the venue?

Antonio Ascari and a mechanic aboard, “probably an Alfa Romeo P1”, venue unknown.

I’m not so sure about the P1 theory…Giuseppe Merosi’s Fiat 804 copy wasn’t much chop. His engine had most of the same features as Fiat’s Type 404: DOHC, 65x100mm bore/stroke 1991cc six so the power output was about the same but the Gran Premio Romeo was longer and heavier. Its aero was inferior too, the epochal Fiat had a staggered mechanics seat which slimmed down its profile, the Alfa did not.

While P1s were entered for the 1923 Italian Grand Prix – for Ugo Sivocci, Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Compari – after Sivocci crashed to his death in practice the team withdrew from the meeting as a mark of respect, the P1s never raced.

The car shown above carries #18, the Monza P1s used numbers, 6, 12 and 17, so the shot wasn’t taken on or about that weekend.

Is the car shown a P2, an early one? The Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing is my reference site for the results of the major races in this era, I cannot see an Alfa P2 number 18 entered in any of the races the site covers in either 1924 or 1925. A mystery…

Oscar Galvez fettles the engine of his 3-litre supercharged straight-eight Alfa Romeo 308 in January 1949, can’t quite read the chassis number…

He was third in the Buenos Aires Grand Prix behind the Maserati 4CLT’s raced by Alberto Ascari and Gigi Villerosi.

Achille Varzi’s Mille Miglia winning Alfa Romeo 8C2600 Monza Spider Brianza on the Carozzeria Brianza Stand in 1934.

The first four cars home were (2654cc) 8C2600 Monzas: Varzi/Bignami, Nuvolari/Siena, Chiron/Rosa and Battglia/Bianchi.

Classic shot of Nino Farina on the way to winning the July 1950 British Grand Prix in an Alfa 158.

A month later the circus is on the grid at Pescara for the August 19 Grand Prix on the road circuit of the same name.

From the left is Fangio’s #34 Alfa 158, then the similar machine of Luigi Fagioli’s, with Louis Rosier’s Talbot-Lago T26C on the right. The race was won by Fangio from Rosier and Fagioli.

Paddock scenes at Monza during the September 1950 Italian GP weekend.

The Consalvo Sanesi 158, and Giuseppe Farina #10 Alfa Romeo 159 above, and Fagioli’s 158 below. Farina won the race from Alberto Ascari’s Ferrari 375, then Fagioli.

Below mechanics attend to the engine of Fagioli’s 158.

Prince Raimondo Lanza di Trabia inspects his left-front Pirelli, Alfa Romeo 1900 TI during pre-event scrutineering in Milan before the start of the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally.

He was 72nd in the event won by Sydney Allard/Guy Warburton Allard P1, the best of the Alfa’s was the 17th placed Andersson/Lumme 1900TI.

Count Leonardo Bonzi alongside his Alfa Romeo in Bicocca, Milan before the start of the Mato Gross Rally in 1952.

Pirelli Coria soles resist the passage of time Ezio Bonini 1953

Mille Miglia 1955 start with the Santo Ciocca Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint on the ramp DNF. The race was of course won by the Stirling Moss/Denis Jenkinson Mercedes Benz 300SLR.

View of the pits during a soggy August 1949 Pescara Grand Prix weekend. Franco Rol won in his Alfa Romeo 6C2500 SS from Robert Vallone’s Ferrari 166S. Car 10 is Henri Louveau’s third placed Delage D6, #4 Louis Rosier’s Talbot Spéciale (DNS) and car #50, Bormioli’s ?

Asmara December 1938, site of the first Coppa di Natale. Behind the Pirelli sign is the Beata Vergine del Rosario church

Credits…

All images are from the Pirelli Foundation archives. Leonardo Bonzi, Publifoto, Federico Patellani. ‘Alfa Romeo A History’ Peter Hull and Roy Slater

Tailpiece…

Finito…

Citroen Special…

Posted: June 22, 2024 in Features, Obscurities
Tags: Australian Motor Racing History, Bill Buckle, Bob Winley, Charlie Buck, Citroen Light Fifteen, Citroen Special, Don James, Don Wright, Geoff Thorne, Ian Steele

Don Wright with his eyes riveted on the apex of a corner at Sydney’s Mount Druitt circuit aboard his Citroen Special in 1956.

Racer/engineer/restorer/historian Dick Willis in his fabulous book, Optimism, describes the Citroen Light Fifteen (Light 15) based monoposto as “Probably Australia’s only front wheel drive racing car of the fifties…it had a successful career especially in the late 1950s and early 1960s when it raced as a Division 2 car in NSW having many memorable dices with the Nota Major.”

At the 1951 Easter Bathurst meeting, Bill Buckle, a member of the noted motor dealer family – then the holder of the Sydney Citroen franchise amongst other marques – raced a Light 15 to second place in the Production Closed Car Handicap.

Suitably impressed by the competition potential of his product, he cast around for a crash damaged car and commenced construction of a monoposto racer to accept the road cars core mechanicals.

Working with his close school friend, and fellow auto apprentice, Charlie Buck, they built a simple twin-tube ladder chassis to which was mated the Citroën front subframe, steering, 2-litre OHV engine and gearbox, and rear beam axle.

Before the car was finished Buckle decided to visit France and sold the project to Don Wright to help fund his trip.

Wright and Buck then set to work in Wright’s Castle Hills workshop to finish it including fabrication of a stainless steel fuel tank and a slinky body made together with Stan Barrett. The 1911cc Light Fifteen engine was fitted with special valves, a pair of 1 1/2 inch SU carbs fed by an aircraft fuel pump and 17 inch stub exhausts. Those radical looking wheels were options Citroen offered in Europe but not here: light Michelin made ‘Pilote’ shod with the French tyre manufacturers new X-radial tyres

Don Wright, King Edward Park, Newcastle hillclimb circa 1953. Bob Winley, “In this shot the Citroen Special is very new with its original beam axle rear suspension and short nose.”

After several drives the cars shortcomings were laid bare and addressed. The duo modified the gearbox by eliminating reverse gear and machining and fitting a fourth forward gear in the space so released.

Unhappy with the rear suspension, Wright replaced the Citroen beam axle and transverse torsion bars with Morris Minor longitudinal (front) bars and bottom arms. “Uprights and top wishbones were fabricated to suit, the original rear stub axles having that convenient eight-bolt attachment,” Bob Winley, a later owner, and ultimately the car’s restorer, wrote

The car soon became a common sight on the hills and circuits of NSW including Foleys Hill, King Edward Park, Mount Druitt, Gnoo Blas, and then Bathurst in 1955. That year Don won the NSW Hillclimb championship at King Edward Park, Newcastle; quite a triumph for the sweet handling machine.

King Edward Park, Newcastle 1954. Winley, “The Citroen Special early on but after it was fitted with IRS: parallel wishbones and longitudinal Morris Minor torsion bars. Note the 17-inch stub exhausts. It seems to have grown an oil cooler too. I haven’t seen the ‘Mickey Mouse ears’ before. The front wheels could certainly throw rocks and water at the driver on any but clean tracks.” (J Moxham Collection)

*Wheels*‘ caption, “Don Wright’s FWD Citroen Special was one of three cars which broke 60 seconds at the 1955 NSW Hillclimb Championship. It is seen in our picture rounding the hairpin at Newcastle where the climb was held.” Covering the same meeting *Modern Motor* observed that “Speed, roadholding and showroom finish have made Don Wright’s Citroen Special a favourite with racing fans.”

Photographer Bruce Moxon wrote, “The Citroen Special at Castlereagh Airstrip on August 21, 1960 with girlfriend, Pauline at the wheel. It was owned by Geoff Thorne, with whom I worked at GE Cranes in Glebe, Sydney. Geoff was a toolmaker, but also a professional ice skater and musician.”

Later, Don sold the car to dentist lan Steele who raced at Bathurst circa 1957, the car passed it to Geoff Thorne, a genius ice-skating clown amongst his other talents. He raced it extensively and then Don James did well on new tracks such as Oran Park and Catalina Park from circa 1963. By then the machine was fitted with a crossflow DS cylinder head, extractors in lieu of the stack-exhausts, and Big Six front brakes. He did well in the Division 2/Formula Libre races common at the time.

Ray Bell wrote, “In November 1968 Bob Winley bought it and started racing it but couldn’t wear his red shirt because CAMS required fireproof overalls and underwear from then on! Bob ran in ‘modern’ races and the newly created Historic Car races and club events, winning money and trophies and being accused of doing ‘rain dances’ before race days, such are the car’s abilities in the wet. Bob fitted extractors and a muffler.”

Lynton Hemer’s shots of Bob Winley racing the Citroen at Oran Park – sporting its crossflow DS engine – on June 27, 1970, and below, exiting Forrest’s Elbow at Bathurst during practice for the Easter 1970 meeting (L Hemer)

After six years John Moxham, a Citroen fancier, bought the car and re-fitted an original type of cylinder head. The car sat unused, then John moved interstate, selling the car to another Citroen collector, John Vanechop. The car languished until Don Wright’s friends bought it in pieces and Don began its restoration. With Bob Winley’s help the car is now ready to re-join the Historic Racing scene with proud owner Perry Long at the wheel, Dick Willis wrote.

“It was on display at Eastern Creek in 2006 and underwent some testing by John Bowe at Wakefield Park (pic below in 2017) but hasn’t been seen since although its return to competition is believed to be imminent and we look forward to it with great anticipation as the Citroen Special is a really interesting and unique Australian Special.”

Etcetera…

Not a great photo of Don Wright but better than nothing! Greg Mackie observed of the man, “Citroen Special and Lancia Fancier.” Ray Bell spoke to Wright circa 2001, at that stage he was still operating an automotive repair business in West Pennant Hills, “his major pursuit these days is making replacement blocks for Lancia Lambdas, which he carves out of billets of aluminium! No castings…”

Citroen Special in its original form, a nice shot of the Michelin Pilote wheels and immaculate line of the car even in its original short-nose guise.

Don Wright coming down the mountain at Bathurst in 1955, he carried #20 in both the Easter and October meetings.

Bob Winley commented in an exchange on Facebook with Australian Gold Star Champion, Spencer Martin, about Spencer’s observation of the Citroen Special’s understeer, “Near the driver’s left hand is a slight bulge in the body for the gear lever and fuel filler for the stainless steel tank between the chassis rails, keeping the centre of gravity well forward. Spencer Martin I steered it ‘on the throttle’ in BP Corner at Oran Park. I found it a delight to drive (and I don’t enjoy understeer).”

Don Wright chasing Tom Sulman’s Maserati at Gnoo Blas or Mount Druitt, thoughts on venue folks?

A couple of fabulous in-period colour shots by Dick Willis. The one above is the front row of the grid, perhaps the November 1956 meeting at Mount Druitt.

From the left, perhaps Greg Hunt in the ex-Tomlinson/Bartlett/Brydon MG TA Spl, Jim Johnson in the Cigar MG, probably Ian Steele in the light blue Citroen Special – with gleaming Pilote wheels – and on the right in the low-slung, mid-engined Stewart MG with Gordon Stewart at the wheel.

Below is a superb paddock scene at Silverdale, perhaps the June 1960 meeting.

Gordon Stewart in the Stewart MG at left, #47 is our Citroen with Geoff Thorne up, #3 is Jack Myers WM-Cooper Waggott-Holden, #42 Don Swanson’s Lotus 11 Climax – up from Melbourne or had it changed hands by then? – while the Sprite at the far left was run by Leigh Whitely.

Bob Winley in the Huntley Hills Esses during the December 1968 meeting. He recalls, “I found something out that day. I did my practice run without seatbelts and nearly got thrown out of the car towards the end of the run. Lesson learn’t!”

A page from John Moxham’s photo album now in the custody of John Barass.

Credits…

The main image, the catalyst for this particular research journey, is courtesy of the Auto Action Archive.

The information was gleaned from Dick Willis wonderful book, ‘Optimism’ about Australian Specials, and demonstrates the potency of some Facebook groups. I carefully mined the comments of a whole lot of people on Bob Williamson’s Old Australian Motor Racing Photographs, and Greg Smith’s Pre-1960 Historic Racing in Australasia Facebook pages. Those photos and information are attributed to Ray Bell in one of Bob Winley’s posts, the Rick Marks, and Don Coe Collections, Nurk Daddo, John Moxham Collection via John Barass, Australian Motor Heritage Foundation via Brian Caldersmith, Bruce Moxon, Greg Mackie, Dick Simpson, Tim Shellshear, Bob Williamson and multiple, wonderfully informative posts by Bob Winley.

Wonderful teamwork! Let me know if I’ve cocked anything up on mark@bisset.com.au.

Finito…

Mercedes Benz W196S/300SLR…

Posted: June 16, 2024 in Features, Sports Racers
Tags: 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours, 1955 Mille Miglia, 1955 Swedish Grand Prix, 1955 Targa Florio, 1955 Tourist Trophy, Mercedes Benz 196S, Mercedes Benz 300SLR

The somewhat other-worldly sight of two Mercedes Benz W196S/300SLR’s with air-brakes deployed as they approach the Esses at Le Mans in 1955…

When you consider the engineering of this clever response to the braking power of the Jaguar D-Type’s Dunlop brakes one can’t but wonder about the development of a German equivalent?!

The Benz was the champion sportscar of 1955 winning most of the blue-riband events: Targa Florio, the Mille Miglia and the Tourist Trophy, the exception being Le Mans of course.

Mercedes withdrew whilst in the lead due to the accident in which Pierre Levegh was an innocent party, which took his life and that of about 84 spectators, not to forget the 180 folks who were injured.

Built by Mercedes test department, this one-off 3-litre 192bhp 300SL powered 105mph race transporter, in Mercedes words “Was predestined to demoralise the opposition. If the racing car transported was that fast, even worse could be expected of the Silver Arrow on its platform.”(Mercedes Benz)

Le Mans 1955. Hawthorn, Jaguar D-Type from Fangio early in the race, Dunlop Curves, note that Fangio’s air-brake is still deployed (unattributed)

Le Mans 1955. Castellotti, Hawthorn, Fangio: Ferrari 121 LM DNF, Jag XKD first, Benz 300SLR entry withdrawn (Getty)

Design and construction…

In essence the W196S, as the factory model number suggests, “is basically a Type W196R Formula One racing car with a two-seater sports car body,” Mercedes Benz (mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com) wrote. The W196R won back to back drivers titles for Juan Manuel Fangio and Mercedes in 1954-55.

“The main technical difference is to found in the engine: the racing sports car, not being bound by the Formula One regulations, limiting the engines displacement (to 2.5-litres), is powered by a 3-litre version of the eight-cylinder in-line engine and features cylinder blocks made, not from steel, but from light alloy. Apart from this, the 300SLR was not powered by special methanol-based racing fuel but by premium petrol.”

W196S cutaway with the multi-tubular spaceframe chassis and the disposition of major components: 3-litre straight-eight fuel injected engine, rear mounted transaxle and inboard drum brakes front and rear are clear (Autocar)

Key design elements of the car start with a multi-tubular steel spaceframe chassis. Suspension is by upper and lower wishbones at the front, torsion bars and dampers. At the rear are swing-axles, torsion bars with again telescopic dampers or shocks. Massive inboard drum brakes are used at both ends to stop the 701kg car in ready to race trim.

Le Mans 1955. The engine view is dominated by the Bosch direct-injection high pressure pump and inlets (Getty)

At the heart of the matter is the superbly built Mercedes straight-eight cylinder engine. Cast in two blocks of four-cylinders it runs on a pre-war style roller bearing crankshaft. Bosch provided the fuel injection, the two valves per cylinder of desmodromic actuation. The 3-litre engine produced circa 310 bhp @ 7400 rpm on ‘pump’ fuel as against the more exotic brew which fed its GP brother.

The full technical specifications of this car are at the end of the article.

A very famous photo I first saw in Automobile Year, Moss and Jenkinson, Mille Miglia 1955 (unattributed)

Race programme…

Mercedes didn’t attend the 23 January Buenos Aires 1000 Km first round of the Manufacturers Championship which was won by the Ferrari 375 Plus raced by Valiente/Ibanez. The Sebring 12 Hour was won by the Briggs Cunningham entered Jaguar XKD crewed by Mike Hawthorn and Phil Waters, again Mercedes missed the event held on 13 March.

The 300SLRs arrived with a bang in Italy with the Stirling Moss/Denis Jenkinson combination winning the Mille Miglia in front of Fangio driving solo in a sister car.

This win and all-time-record speed of 157.65km/h has been eulogised down the decades and needs no further comment from me. Seek out Denis Jenkinson’s account of the race in MotorSport, it is one of the great pieces of automotive race journalism.

Le Mans followed in June with the works Jag-Ds of Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb completing the largest number of laps to cross the line in first position, after Mercedes Benz respectful withdrawal from the event whilst in the lead.

Moss, 300SLR, Dundrod 1955 with the unmistakable slender frame of Herr Neubauer at right

Moss, SLR winner of the TT at Dundrod 1955, the following cars folks? (unattributed)

Dundrod’s wild road circuit hosted the Tourist Trophy in mid September. The race started in warm weather which deteriorated to rain later in an event became an 300SLR rout: the Moss/John Fitch car won from the Fangio/Kling machine with the Von Trips/Simon/Kling machine third. The best placed Jag was the Hawthorn/Desmond Titterington car in fourth, albeit it wasn’t running at the finish.

Targa Florio 1955, the Titterington/Fitch SLR gets s tickle before the off, typical Sicilian backdrop. The winner was the Moss/Peter Collins 300SLR (unattributed)

Targa Florio 1955, again Titterinton/Fitch fourth placed SLR from the third place Ferrari Monza 860 of Castellotti/Robert Manzon (unattributed)

The Germans again beat the Italians on home turf, taking the Targa Florio with a one-two from Ferrari on 16 October. The Moss/Peter Collins car finished ahead of Fangio/Kling with the best placed Ferrari the 860 Monza raced by Eugenio Castellotti and Robert Manzon.

Despite missing several events, Mercedes won the constructors championship by one point from Ferrari: 24 points to 23 with Jaguar in third on 16. The W196S won every single race it entered and finished…

At this point, Mercedes withdrew from the elite levels of the sport until returning with Peter Sauber’s sports-prototype cars in the mid-1980s. Click here for my W196R article; https://primotipo.com/2015/10/09/mercedes-benz-w196-french-gp-1954/

Technical Specifications…

The chassis is a light-weight multi-tubular spaceframe, front suspension comprised upper and lower wishbones, torsion bar springs and telescopic shocks. Those huge, light alloy finned drum brakes are mounted inboard and 300mm in diameter. Steering is worm-and-sector, the front tyres 6.00 x 16, the radiator is huge! The alloy oil tank is behind the right-front wheel, while the fuel tank sits high at the back, its capacity not specified by Mercedes.

The 234kg engine – type M196S – is eight-cylinders in line and inclined 53 degrees to the right in the chassis. The silumin head is cast in one piece: DOHC, two plugs per cylinder, two inclined valves per cylinder with desmodromic valve gear, compression ratio 9:1. Bosch 8-plunger injection pump,

Block – two Silumin blocks of four-cylinders each with chrome plated aluminium liners. Bore/stroke 78 x 78 mm, capacity 2982 cc. Crankshaft 10-bearing (roller bearings) Hirth-type crank with central power take off. Dry sump lubrication via a gear pump. Electricals are by Bosch: starter, generator and twin-magneto ignition.

Power, 310bhp @ 7400rpm, 276bhp @ 7000 rpm, and torque 31.7mkg @ 5950 rpm

The rear suspension comprises alloy uprights, a single-joint lower swing axle and top links, longitudinal torsion bar springs and telescopic shocks. The 275mm diameter brakes are inboard duplex light-alloy drums and air-cooled.

The transaxle is five-speed, a gate shift was used with a locking system

The wheelbase is 2370mm, front track 1330mm, rear track 1380mm, the cars length 4300mm, its width 1740mm and height 1100mm and the “weight of the car in ready for operation status” is/was 901kg.

While the five gear ratios were fixed, the final drive was to choice with top sipped quoted as “over 300km/h.”over 300 km/h. Wheelbase, 2370 m, Front track,1330 mm, Rear track, 1380 mm, Length, 4300 mm, Width, 1740 mm, Height, 1100 mm, Weight, 901 kg ready to race, Fuel tank 265 litres, Engine weight, 234 kg

Etcetera…

You should take a trip to mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com some time, the quality of the racing content is unbelievable. I’ve added in some shots but these are just the tip of the iceberg, have a look for yourself.

Credits…

M@RS-mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com, Getty Images, Autocar

Tailpiece…

Top shot! Isn’t that machine such a cohesive, great looking, purposeful racing car…

JM Fangio on the way to winning the 209km Swedish GP held at Kristianstad on August 7, 1955. He won from Stirling Moss’ 300SLR and Eugenio Castellotti’s works-Ferrari 121 LM in 1 hr 18m 13.7sec.

Finito…

Australian Racing Random 15…

Posted: June 6, 2024 in Features, Fotos
Tags: Australian Motor Racing History, Bowin P8 Repco-Holden, John Harvey, Ron Marks

I imagine the colour of the underwear of the photographer was changing at this moment, protected only by a layer of Armco as he was. Still, if the worst happened he could decamp into the dam behind…Shots from this spot at Sandown, outside Peters/Torana Corner are rare after about this time as the spot was made Verboten!

Norm Beechey, Holden Monaro HT GTS 350 from the Pete Geoghegan (left) and Bob Jane Mustang 302s, with a smidge of Jim McKeown’s Porsche 911S behind Pete, and then most of Brian Foley’s, and the rest. 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship, round three, April 19.

While Allan Moffat started from pole (where is he in this shot!?), Stormin’ Norm had a great day at the office, leading from start to finish and setting a lap record. He took his second 1970 ATCC round win of the season, victorious from Geoghegan and Moffat (Mustang Trans-Am 302) on the way to an immensely popular series win in his big, booming, Shell-yellow Monaro GTS 350; the first time an Oz built car had won the title.

These two shots are of man and machine at Symmons Plains circa-1970, not sure of the meeting date, the number doesn’t work for the ATCC round.

Ray Barfield races his ex-works/David McKay Aston Martin DB3S, chassis 9, at Caversham in 1959, meeting date folks?

The second placed car at Le Mans in 1956 (Stirling Moss/Peter Collins) was initially raced in Australia by McKay with success, before passing briefly through Stan Jones’ hands and into Barfield’s, where, I believe, it remains. More about the car in this article: https://primotipo.com/2017/09/28/david-mckays-aston-martin-db3ss/

Gary Russell-Brown very kindly sent in these shots of the Barfield/DB3S combination at Caversham during the June 6, 1960 Six Hour Le Mans. Ray was a DNF after completing 60 laps, the winner, Jack Ayres/Lionel Beattie did 178.

John Harvey under brakes on the entry to Creek Corner, Warwick Farm 1972. His mount is the brilliant – small, variable rate suspension, side-radiator, edgy-wedge – work of John Joyce, the Bob Jane owned Bowin P8 Repco-Holden F5000

P8-118-72 was completed at Bowin’s, Brookvale, Sydney factory in August 1972 to Bob Jane’s order, fitted with a Repco Holden V8 for John Harvey.

It practiced at the Surfers Aug 27 Gold Star round but didn’t start with fuel problems. Harvey then raced in a non-championship event at Warwick Farm a week later (above), where he was fifth in the first heat but collided with Kevin Bartlett at the start of second.

At that point, major team sponsor, Castrol, directed Jane to put most of the team’s energies into racing their touring cars: the Camaro, Monaro and Torana’s, while the Bowin and McLaren M6B Repco V8 sportscar were largely set aside.

In mid-1974 the car, less engine and gearbox, was sold to John Leffler to replace his damaged ANF2 Bowin P8 Hart-Ford #P8-136-74. Leffler pranged his new Bowin on its debut at Amaroo Park.

Converted to ANF2 specification – fitted with a Hart-Ford 416B 1.6-litre engine, Hewland FT200 gearbox etc – he raced P8-118-72 in the Australian F2 Championship and in Gold Star events. Once sorted, the car was a jet, winning the Phillip Island F2 round late in the year.

Sue Ransom leased and raced it at Calder and Wanneroo Park in 1975. The car remained in Western Australia, perhaps owned by Rod Housego and Ian Wookey, before reappearing at Wanneroo in Rob Richards hands between 1980-82 in Formula Pacific – Ford BDA engined – specification.

Perth Bowin fan Matthew Lloyd did a superb job restoring the car to ANF2 spec, but he died in 2008 just as it was being finished. Bought by Dean Saunders in 2009, I believe it is being slowly re-restored to Repco-Holden F5000 spec, do get in touch if you have more recent information. .

I just like this pair of posters to promote brand new Surfers Paradise International Raceway in 1966.

While it was a fabulous circuit, and at the time built in the-sticks, the incredible growth of the Gold Coast made it irresistible to developers, which was its fate circa August 1987.

See here for a bit about one of these early meetings: https://primotipo.com/2015/02/13/jackie-stewart-at-surfers-paradise-speed-week-1966-brabham-bt11a-climax-and-ferrari-250lm/

John Harvey’s Brabham BT23E Repco 740 in the foreground, while Niel Allen jumps aboard his McLaren M10B Chev at Bathurst during the Easter 1970 weekend.

He set the longtime – 32 years – lap record of 2:09.7 sec at that meeting, see here: https://primotipo.com/2018/11/26/bathurst-lap-record/

In the shot below Niel jumps off the line, it’s Leo Geoghegan’s Lotus 39 Repco on the far side.

Ain’t she sweet…John Harvey’s Bob Jane Racing Jane Repco 830 2.5 V8 at rest in the Warwick Farm paddock during the Gold Star round on September 6.

Harves was out with fuel pump failure, Leo Geoghegan won the race, and ultimately the title aboard his Lotus 59B Waggott TC-4V 2-litre.

This car was built on Bob Britton’s (Rennmax Engineering) Brabham BT23 jig to replace Jane’s ageing BT23E with many mods but notably changes in suspension geometry to suit the latest generation of ever-widening tyres. It exists in a West Australian museum.

See here for a piece on the 1970 Gold Star: https://primotipo.com/2019/07/05/oran-park-diamond-trophy-gold-star-1970/

Wal Donnelly racing his Turner Mk2 Ford at Warwick Farm in 1965. He did well with it, leaving for Europe not long after for some F3 racing.

This car had a very successful record in the hands of Donnelly, Paul Hamilton and others, see more here: http://www.turnersportscars.co.uk/articles/racing_car_news_aug_1971/racing_car_news_aug_1971.html

I love Graham Ruckert’s superb shot of John French on the limit in Pete Geoghegan’s recalcitrant but very powerful Ford Super Falcon in front of Brian Foley’s superb in every respect Alfa Romeo GTAm at Lakeside on July 25, 1971.

It was Lakeside’s Australian Touring Car Championship round that weekend. Pete gave the car a gallop in a support race but elected to race his trusty Mustang in the championship event, having French – a Ford factory racer – drive the Big Henry.

Frenchie stood in, similarly, in Moffat’s car at Surfers Pardise, making him the only man to race both these somewhat maligned Group C/Improved Touring Ford Falcon GTHO 351 racers. See here for more about the car: https://primotipo.com/2015/10/15/greatest-ever-australian-touring-car-championship-race-bathurst-easter-1972/

It seems right to show you furriners what a standard Ford Falcon GTHO looks like…here it’s Allan Moffat easing his beast – an XW Phase 1 GTHO – out of Peters Corner at Sandown during his victorious Sandown 3-Hour win on September 14, 1969.

Moffat/John French won from two other similar cars crewed by Tom Roddy/Murray Carter and Fred Gibson/Barry Seton.

Jim Clark, Lotus 49 Ford DFW ahead of Chris Amon, Ferrari Dino 246T at Dandenong Road, Sandown during their epic dice for the lead of the 1968 Australian Grand Prix in February 1968.

See here for more about that race: https://primotipo.com/2021/03/06/1968-australian-gp-sandown-2/

Geoff Brabham – 1975 Australian F2 Champion – raced his Birrana 274 Hart-Ford 416-B 1.6 ANF2 car twice at Calder in May and August 1975.

While Brian Sampson’s Cheetah Mk5 Toyota ANF3 car behind makes sense the Alan Gissing Holden sporty does not, so I guess it’s a practice session. Geoff won three of the seven rounds, and the ’75 title, with Alf Costanzo second and Andrew Miedecke third. See here: https://primotipo.com/2018/09/20/brabs-gets-the-jump/

Then he was off to Europe, racing an F3 Ralt RT1 Toyota in 1976, fame and fortune followed for the elder of the Brabham sons: https://primotipo.com/2015/03/31/geoff-and-jack-brabham-monza-1966/

Leo Geoghegan’s Lotus 39 Repco V8 is pushed onto the grid of the Mallala Gold Star round on October 13, 1969, not sure who that is alongside.

If the car looks a bit odd it’s coz it’s pregnant. Geoghegan contested the JAF Grand Prix (Japanese GP), on May 3 and won it, but he needed bigger tanks than the ones fitted designed for 100 mike Tasman races, see here: https://primotipo.com/2015/03/02/leo-geoghegan-australian-driving-champion-rip/

Garrie Cooper won that day at Mallala – GC’s only Gold Star victory – in his superb Elfin 600C Repco 830 V8 from Geoghegan and Max Stewart’s Mildren Waggott TC-4V 1.6.

Kevin Bartlett won the Gold Star that year aboard the Mildren Yellow Submarine which was powered by Alfa Romeo T33 2.5 V8s until the final round when he won the Hordern Trophy at Warwick Farm armed with the first of Merv Waggott’s 2-litre TC-4Vs.

Paul Radisich (above and below) tips his Holden Special Vehicles Commodore VE into Shell Corner during the Sandown 500, the ninth round of the 2007 Australian V8 Supercar Championship on September 14-16.

He shared the car with Rick Kelly to second place, the following machine is the Will Davison/Steve Johnson Ford Falcon BF. The race was won by Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes’ Triple Eight Falcon BF.

Garth Tander (HSV Commodore VE) won the 2007 drivers title – by two points from Whincup – and HSV the team championship.

All antipodean front row at the start of the 1969 Selangor Grand Prix. Roly Levis’ Brabham BT23C Ford on pole, then Graeme Lawrence’s McLaren M4A Ford FVA in the middle, and Garrie Cooper’s Elfin 600C Repco 830 V8 2.5 on the right.

Lawrence, surely with John McDonald the ‘winningest’ of drivers in South East Asia in the period, won the race from Levis and Australian, Tony Maw, Elfin 600 Ford.

Ron Marks and Graham Gillies aboard Marks’ Lancia Stratos HF in the Samford Forest on the press day before the start of the 1976 Lutwyche Village Warana Rally, the final round of six in the Australian Rally Championship that year.

The pair finished fourth, first was Murray Coote and Brian Marsden in a Datsun 1600. The ARC was won by Ross Dunkerton and Jeff Beaumont aboard a Datsun 240Z; four wins and one second placing.

Ex-water-skiing champion, Marks’ other rally credits included starts in the 1976 Holden Dealers, SEV Marchal and Southern Cross, and 1978 Southern Cross and the Castrol International rallies.

The shot above shows the car out front of the Annand & Thompson Lancia and Fiat dealership in Newstead, Brisbane, before the ’76 Warana Rally.

Graham Ruckert, “I was selling Fiat/Lancia cars for the dealership at the time, they provided some sponsorship for the event and we got to display the car during the week before the event…I had a short run in the passenger seat with Ron Marks on the Press Day at Samford which was pretty memorable!”

And above demonstrating the style for which the Stratos was famous during the October 1976 Holden Dealers International Rally held in the forests around Moe and Traralgon. Those large chimneys in the background belong to one of the coal fired power stations in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.

MG TC Specials to the fore at the start of the Lobethal 50, a support race for the 1948 South Australian 100, held at Lobethal on New Years Day, January 1. #32 is Ron Edgerton, #29 is Harold Clisby, #31 is WJ Mentz, while car #34 further back is raced by AK Eadie.

The 100 mile, 12 lap, handicap feature race was run in front of 10,000 spectators in cool conditions and was won by Jim Gullan’s Ballot Oldsmobile from Granton Harrison in the Phillips Ford V8 Special, then Edgerton’s TC.

Speaking of the great Harold Clisby, here he is a few years later at left with the equally talented Phil Irving at Sandown on March 2, 1962.

Harold would have been up to his armpits designing his F1 Clisby 1.5-litre engine, while Phil’s Repco Brabham RB620 2.5/3-litre is still a couple of years away…Mind you, Jack Brabham took more than a passing glance of the aluminium 3.9-litre Buick V8 fitted in the back of Chuck Daigh’s Scarab RE only yards away.

The F85 Oldsmobile V8 that Jack pitched successfully to the Repco Board as the basis of his new Tasman 2.5 litre engine was the Buick’s brother, different only in the number of head retention studs. See here: https://primotipo.com/2016/01/27/chucks-t-bird/

See here: https://primotipo.com/2018/10/18/clisby-douglas-spl-and-clisby-f1-1-5-litre-v6/ and here: https://primotipo.com/2014/08/07/rb620-v8-building-the-1966-world-championship-winning-engine-rodways-repco-recollections-episode-2/

Derek Kneller has just finished assembling Bob Muir’s – Bob and Marj Brown owned – Chevron B35 Ford BDX 2-litre F2 car in Chevron’s Bolton factory in early 1977.

Muir gave the cream of the factory F2 crop something to think about that year, especially at Mugello, see here: https://primotipo.com/2023/02/13/bob-muir-r-i-p/

Barry Randall’s Ex-Doug MacArthur Rennmax Repco 2.5 V8 blasting out of MG Corner at Phillip Island as a car in the background makes the downhill plunge into it.

Car then raced for many years in Victoria by the Gibson family out of Benalla, and for many years owned by Jay Bondini.

Mark Webber on his way to winning the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix in his Red Bull RB6 Renault. That’s Seb Vettel and Robert Kubica behind. See here for more: https://primotipo.com/2014/08/28/mark-webber-red-bull-rb6-renault-singapore-grand-prix-2010/ The nuances of the RB6 rear diffuser are shown during the 2010 Hungarian GP weekend below.

Battle of the ‘1.6-litre Four Valvers’ during the May 3, 1969 J.A.F. Grand Prix aka the Japanese GP.

Sohei Kato’s third-placed Mitsubishi Colt F2C R39B ahead of Glyn Scott’s fourth placed Bowin P3 Waggott TC-4V at Fuji International. Up the front, Leo Geoghegan won in his venerable ex-Jim Clark Lotus 39 Repco 830 2.5 V8 from Roly Levis’ Brabham BT23C Ford FVA. More here: https://primotipo.com/2015/03/02/leo-geoghegan-australian-driving-champion-rip/

A random internet find, a decent drawing of the Alec Mildren Brabham BT23D Alfa Romeo T33 2.5 V8 raced throughout 1968-69 by Frank Gardner and Kevin Bartlett.

KB is shown below in grand style by Dick Simpson at Bathurst during Easter 1968. Kevin was the quickest man on the mountain that weekend but was ousted with a broken rear upright, Phil West won his only Gold Star round aboard the Scuderia Veloce Brabham BT23A Repco V8. See here for more: https://primotipo.com/2021/07/06/mellow-yellow/

Credits…

Peter D’Abbs, Greg Feltham, Gary Russell-Brown, Jock Alexander, Lance Ruting, Graham Ruckert, David Blanch-autopics.com.au, Repco, MotorSport Images, Eli Solomon Archive, Bruce Keys, Tony Parkinson Collection, Derek Kneller, Kevin Drage, Graham Ruckert, Bob Dickson, Dick Simpson-oldracephotos.com

Tailpiece…

Marks and Gillies again in the Warana Rally.

Does anyone know the history of this car before it came to Australia? My Stratos owning friend, Phil Allen tells me he thinks there are only two Stratos resident in Australia at present and this isn’t the other one…

Finito…

Jaime Gard: Perth racer and engineer…

Posted: May 28, 2024 in Features
Tags: Australian Motor Racing History, Don O'Sullivan, Gard 27 Ford, Gard BMC FJ, Gardos OR2 Repco-Holden, Gardos Sports, Jaime Gard, McLaren M8DG Repco-Holden

Jaime Gard flicking through one of his scrap books in December 2023 at Joe Ricciardo’s outer-Perth headquarters.

The 87 year old youngster is as fit as a fiddle, a lifelong focus on exercise and health allows him to put in plenty of time looking after Joe’s car collection.

Throughout a career that dates back to the early 1950s he has worked for some of the best racing outfits in the country including Bob Jane, Ian Diffen, Frank Matich and most importantly his longtime friend, confidant and Perth co-conspirator, the late Don O’Sullivan.

It was Don who was confident enough in Jaime’s ability to commission the design and construction of two world class Repco-Holden 5-litre V8 powered machines: the 1972 Gardos Sports/McLaren M8DG and 1973 Gardos OR2 F5000.

Jaime tries the cockpit for size, Gard 27 Ford. Head is a Brian Martin designed and built three-valver Gard Archive)

Gard BMC FJ and Holden 48-215 at Lesmurdie Hillclimb in 1964 (Gard Archive)

Gard aboard O’Sullivan’s Cooper Ford at Caversham in 1967 (Gard Archive)

Gard cut his racing teeth preparing speedway cars before adding circuit machines to his repertoire, then started racing a self-prepared Appendix J Holden 48-215. Not long after he built his first single seater, the Gard BMC FJ, and then the Gard 27 Ford 1.5.

By the mid-1960s Jaime had joined O’Sullivan – a successful Perth property developer and entrepreneur – preparing and racing some of his cars, including various Coopers and a Lola T70 Ford.

The connection with Matich began with the purchase of the Matich SR3 Repco raced by O’Sullivan and was followed by an M10A McLaren Repco-Holden F5000.

Jaime primes the big Ford V8 while Don waits. Lola T70 Ford, Wanneroo Park 1970 (Gard Archive)

Jaime alongside O’Sullivan in the hi-winged Matich SR3 Repco 720 4.4 on the Warwick Farm grid in 1969. The bit of nosecone belongs to Matich’s all-conquering SR4 Repco (Gard Archive)

After O’Sullivan withdrew from racing Jaime had a long stint across town with Ian Diffen, including building a wild Valiant Charger V8 sports-sedan.

He was a noted speaker on vehicle dynamics, handling and engineering at various WA tertiary institutions during this period, and developed tyre testing equipment and processes which were adopted by Bob Jane T-Marts and Diffen’s tyre outlets.

Jaime maintains his currency too, still working on the Ricciardello family’s Alfa Romeo Alfetta Chev V8 sports sedan.

To read my story on Jaime – nobody has given him the full-treatment before – 4500 words, 42 photographs, 10 pages – you’ll need to buy the latest issue of Australian Muscle Car. Issue 144 is in-store in Australia now, and for the next month or so, or purchase the mag online here: https://www.musclecarmag.com.au/current-issue

About half the mag comprises Steve Normoyle’s pieces about the fantastic Holden Torana SL/R 5000 L34, it’s 50 this year, while Bryan Thompson Part 1 is a beauty too, plus lots more.

Etcetera…

The brand new Gardos OR2 Repco-Holden sits in the Adelaide International sun during the Adelaide 100, February 25, 1973 Tasman round weekend. Howie Sangster did too few laps to be classified, but the car impressed onlookers on its debut.

Warwick Brown won the race in his Lola T332 Chev, the wing alongside belongs to one of the two Racing Team VDS Chevron B24s raced by Peter Gethin and Teddy Pilette.

Jaime, seated, during the mid-1970s build of the Ian Diffen Charger sports-sedan.

It started life as Diffen’s Series Prod E38, then morphed into a Group C machine before being completely re-purposed. It’s extant and living back in Perth after being a Queenslander for decades.

Gard got to know Frank Gardner over the years, he did the initial track testing of the Diffen Charger.

Here he is snooping around O’Sullivan’s workshops in the late 1980’s sussing Jaime’s build of a new Lola Mk3B Chev, a Lola model with which FG was very familiar.

Credits…

Jaime Gard Collection

Tailpiece…

Jaime, Gard BMC FJ on the wilds of the Albany Round the Houses street circuit in 1964. Doesn’t that look fantastic!

Finito…

Jumpin’ Jack Myers…

Posted: May 2, 2024 in F1, Features, Touring Cars
Tags: 1957 Australian Grand Prix, 1959 Bathurst 100, Australian Motor Racing History, Cooper T20 Waggott-Holden, Cooper T23 Repco-Holden, Holden 48-215, Jack Myers, Tom Hawkes, WM Holden Special

Jack Myers may well have been the very first Holden Hero, but if not he was certainly an early bird in the very long line of touring car champs to race General Motors Holdens’ products.

Here he is in front of the pack aboard his very quick, self modified 48-215 during a South Pacific Trophy support race at Gnoo Blas, Orange in January 1956.

Hard chargers both, Stan Jones and Jack Myers at Mount Panorama during the October 1960 Craven A International weekend (C Lynch-SLNSW)

The Kingsford, NSW racer/mechanic/engineer/retailer was up to his armpits in Holden 48-215s from early on, racing a 110mph cream Humpy from 1953.

Myers soon offered 100 mph Holden motoring to all for £130. His kit involved boring your block to 3 3/16 inches, new pistons and rings, a shaved-head, re-ground cam, 12 inner valve-springs, an additional Stromberg carb, Myers inlet manifold and extractors, sports air-cleaners and a Lukey muffler. Seems as-cheap-as-chips!

Bathurst’s first ‘Production Car Race’ was held in October 1950; the first Holden entered at Mount Panorama was R Isackson’s Uni Motors car during the Easter 1951 meeting, but he didn’t start the race. The first Holden finisher on this holiest of racing turf was the 48-215 driven by R Mitchell who was fifth in a six lap sedan handicap in 1954. He was timed at 91mph down Conrod.

Fittingly, the first Mount Panorama Holden winner was Jack. John Medley anointed him “the Holden wonder-man of the mid-1950s, his black-roofed yellow car going progressively more quickly over the years.” 109.9mph down Conrod during the Easter 1956 weekend to be precise. He took that win in a six lap handicap in October 1955, the following year he was back in one of the swiftest Greys of all.

Myers aboard the Cooper T20 Holden during the 1957 AGP at Caversham. DNF in the race won by the Lex Davison/Bill Patterson Ferrari 500/625

Aboard the more advanced, spaceframe chassis, but still Cooper derived, WM Holden Special on Pit Straight during practice for the the Craven-A International at Bathurst in October 1960. DNS in the race won by Jack Brabham’s Cooper T51 Climax 2.5 FPF

After campaigning the winning Holden far and wide: Mount Druitt, Gnoo Blas, Mount Panorama, Strathpine, Lowood, Fishermans Bend and Port Wakefield, Myers was up for the next challenge.

He bought Stan Coffey’s, rolled Cooper T20 (#CB-1-52) single-seater and repaired it at his Anzac Parade ‘shop. Then, together with Merv Waggott, he built and progressively developed the big-daddy of early Holden engined racers, the 2.4-litre DOHC Waggott-Holden WM Holden.

It was always fast among the high-priced European exotica of the day, a front of the grid heat-start in the ’59 Bathurst 100 was indicative of its place in the pecking order. But the machine was an ongoing development exercise so finishing results weren’t great. See here for a feature about the car: https://primotipo.com/2015/02/10/stirling-moss-cumberland-park-speedway-sydney-cooper-t20-wm-holden-1956/

Stirling Moss was so fascinated by this home-grown application of technology to a Cooper type he knew so well, he did some demonstration laps in it at Sydney’s Cumberland Speedway whilst in Oz for the November 1956 AGP at Albert Park. Jack was twelfth at the Park and first Australian car home.

Myers was typical of so many Holden Heroes from the 1950s to 1970s, he serviced them for customers, modified them, made and sold hot-bits and raced them.

Etcetera…

Holden 48-215s on the production line – ‘the car floor press’ – at the GMH Woodville plant in South Australia, 1949. Holden’s early days are covered here: https://primotipo.com/2018/12/06/general-motors-holden-formative/

Myers Holden 48-215 at Mount Druitt, Sydney in the early 1950s.

Sitting up in the breeze! Myers, Cooper T20 Waggott-Holden, at Caversham, AGP 1957

Myers in the form-up area, or dummy-grid depending upon your religion, Craven-A International meeting at Mount Panorama in October 1960. That’s Austin Miller’s Cooper T51 at left.

While early on in his ownership of the ex-Stan Coffey Cooper T20, the car was rightly called a Cooper, but as Jack crashed and rebuilt the car/developed it, the machine became more Myers than Cooper, and fitted with that extraordinary twin-cam six fitted, more Waggott-Myers than Cooper!

Note the disc brakes above, albeit the front suspension still looks kosher-Cooper T20, the stylised Jack Myers brandmark in a neat touch. Myers didn’t start the car in the feature won by Jack Brabham’s Cooper T51 Climax.

Brabham was present at Bathurst for the first time since 1955, 6,000 people turned up for practice to see the twice World Champ. Unfortunately, as John Medley wrote, “Jack Myers crashed the newly disc-braked WM Cooper on top of the mountain, bending the chassis and destroying the suspension. There would be no overnight (or any) rebuilds this time. The motor was sold, the remains of the car sold separately, Myers borrowed the little Dalro Reno to run at this meeting, and would then turn his attention to his little hillclimb special – the ex-Saywell/Reynolds Mark IV Cooper with his Triumph ‘twin-twin’ engine.”

Tragically, Jack died at the wheel of the Cooper Triumph at Catalina Park, Katoomba on January 21, 1962 (7/1/18-21/1/62). The WM Holden was ultimately restored and lives at the National Motor Museum, Birdwood Mill campus, in the Adelaide Hills.

Myers – famous for racing in these horizontally hooped T-shirts – and crew in the Mount Panorama paddock, Easter 1959. Bonus points for crew-members names folks? That is a Cooper alloy wheel.

The boys push start that Waggott-Holden twin-cam six into life before the start of the 1959 Bathurst 100 on March 31. Stan Jones’ Maserati 250F is in the middle and race victor Ross Jensen’s 250F on pole at right. All the fun of the fair, look at that crowd! Jack was an excellent fourth behind Jensen, Len Lukey, Cooper T45 Climax, and Arnold Glass, Maserati 250F.

Stan is in the early stages of his best season and a bit ever, he was the reigning Gold Star Champion (1958) and at this stage of the year had won the Australian Grand Prix at Longford a month before. Jensen was seriously quick, he ran the Maserati at Bathurst in ’58, but failed to finish the 100, and finish the job he did a year later in convincing style!

WM Holden in the pits at Gnoo Blas, and again at the start of a race below, in February 1960. The ex-Whiteford Talbot-Lago T26C #110007 was raced by Barry Collerson.

While it is true that the WM-Holden was the sexiest and quickest Holden-powered racing car of the period, the most successful was Tom Hawkes’ Cooper T23 Repco-Holden (below). Chassis #CB/Mk2/1/53) was no less a car than the ex-Jack Brabham Redex Special – a Bristol 2-litre six cylinder powered T23 – albeit continuously evolved by Hawkes after Jack sold the car (to Stan Jones then on to Hawkes) when he left for Europe in early 1955. Its Repco Hi-Power crossflow headed engine was far less exotic than Merv’s twinc, but was more reliable.

Tom Hawkes aboard his Cooper T23 Repco-Holden during the 1956 AGP weekend at Albert Park. The potent, reliable, twin SU fed, Repco Hi-Power crossflow 2.3-litre engine on display; his best was a tremendous second in the 1957 Gold Star and third in the 1958 AGP at Bathurst. See here for features on this car: https://primotipo.com/2017/08/16/tom-hawkes-1958-australian-grand-prix/ and here: https://primotipo.com/2016/06/24/jacks-altona-grand-prix-and-cooper-t23-bristol/

Very late in its in-period competitive life the T23 was fitted with a Chev 283cid V8, a task commenced by Tom Hawkes and Murray Rainey, and finished by Earl Davey-Milne. It’s still owned by the Davey-Milnes and is shown below last week. Mighty fine it is too…

Back where we started, Gnoo Blas in 1956, how did Jack do in the touring car races that weekend, and who is at the wheel of in that little VW Beetle 1200!?

Credits…

Cec Lynch-Pix-State Library of New South Wales, Bob Williamson Collection, Les Mortimer, David Medley, Ken Devine, Kelsey Collection, Kaleda Family Collection, National Archives of Australia, ‘Bathurst:Cradle of Australian Motor Racing’ John Medley

Tailpieces…

“Don’t even think about it kid, my 48-215 has been worked over by Jack Myers, you don’t have a chance!”

This shot is from a Pix puff-piece in 1955 promoting Italian toy cars for David Jones, a national department store chain. The little dude appears to be a handy-mechanic and would be 80’ish now. Chassis number and make of EV unknown…

Finito…

Ronnie Moore : Kiwi Motorcycle Speedway Ace…

Posted: April 19, 2024 in Features
Tags: Alfa Romeo P3, Atom JAP, Cooper T43 Climax, Kieft, Kiwi Equipe, Les Moore, New Zealand Motor Racing History, Ronnie Moore, World Speedway Champion

Moore and his Kiwi Equipe Cooper T43 Climax FWB during the F2 London Trophy meeting at Crystal Palace on June 10, 1957

Ronnie Moore was an outstanding Kiwi sportsman, an international speedway rider who won the Individual World Speedway Championship in 1954 and 1959. He earned 13 international caps for the Australian national team, 50 for New Zealand and 21 for Great Britain in career that spanned 1949-75. In addition, he was a pretty handy F2 racer in 1957-58.

Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia on 8 April 1933, his father, Les Moore was also a champion rider who built a ‘Wall of Death’ in his backyard, and later turned it into a business, performing at Royal (Agriculture) Shows around Australia.

Ronnie began riding the wall at 13, then got his speedway start on an old Rudge after the family had moved to New Zealand in 1947.

Les stunned the NZ Speedway world when he rode the Rudge to a track record in Wellington, beating local star Bruce Abernethy. Les then got an offer to help set up a new track in Christchurch so the family shifted south.

While born in Australia, Ronnie always considered himself a Kiwi. He had to wait until he was 15 – the legal age to get a drivers licence – to have his first official race drive and later reckoned he could barely touch the foot-pegs on the Rudge when he lined up on the dirt track at Tai Tapu in 1948.

Kiwis Ronnie Moore and Barry Briggs from Australia’s Jack Young at Wembley during the September 1960 World Speedway Championship meeting

Wembley, September 1959, World Speedway Championship

In 1949, Moore began racing on a regular basis at his father’s Aranui Speedway in the Sandhills near Christchurch. He remembered counting the trucks as they brought all the dirt from the Lyttelton tunnel to create the track and arena.

Stuff.co.nz records that “His career clicked when he started riding a specialist, secondhand speedway bike his dad brought off Norman Parker,” a leading English racer who competed in New Zealand.

He moved to the UK in 1950. Wimbledon promoter Ronnie Green spotted his potential despite crashing through the wire-mesh safety fence on his first trial ride! He raced for the Wimbledon Dons in the British League, becoming team captain after two years, and continued with them until 1963, apart from two years in the late 1950s when he raced F2 Coopers.

“Speedway was second to football then in people going through the turnstiles, with crowds of up to 15,000 just for a league match.”

Moore was the youngest ever rider to qualify for a Speedway World Championship. He did that in 1950, aged just 17. Four years later, he became New Zealand’s first motorcycle world champion when he took the 1954 championship in front of 80,000 people at Wembley. Even more remarkable is that he was only 21 and took five wins from five starts, despite riding with a leg that had been broken badly not that long before in five places.

He had slid into a safety fence at a meeting in Denmark and stopped dead, his leg was bent around the bike’s handlebars. While the Danish doctors predicted a recovery time of nine months, Moore sought the advice of a Kiwi Harley Street surgeon who had made his name getting fighter pilots back in the sky quickly. His thigh to toe plaster cast was whipped off and the first of two braces were made which allowed the bone to heal, while reducing the rate at which his muscles would otherwise have withered.

Ronnie and Bruce Abernethy, Kiwi Stars both, in 1952 (A Jeffries)

The two Moore family Kiefts – chassis C51-2 and C52-3 – as they left the factory en-route to New Zealand in 1951. Yes, the truck remained in the UK…(C Read Collection)

He was World Championship runner up in 1955-56 to England’s Peter Craven and Swede Ove Fundin. Fellow Kiwi, Barry Briggs won the championship in 1957-58 when Ronnie raced Formula 2 cars while at the peak of his powers.

He formed a two car team – Kiwi Equipe – with fellow EnnZedder Ray Thackwell – father of Mike – and they ran a pair of Cooper T43 Climax’s in 1957-58.

The pair of them went very well, not least in Ronnie’s case because he had been dabbling with cars at home each summer. He and his dad bought a pair of Kieft 500s in 1951, the small engines were soon replaced with supercharged 1000cc Vincent Black Shadow Vee-twins. The cars were very much outright contenders in the Formula Libre. Ronnie recalled in ‘The Ronnie Moore Story’ that “The result was electrifying. I was once clocked at 125mph down Wigram’s main straight – and I was still in third gear.”

One second hand Kieft post its Wigram Big One in 1952. Nice road car until that point! (R Dew)

Moore had a very lucky escape at Wigram in 1952. He came through Hangar flat-chat to find Don Ransley in the middle of the track, Ransley had spun Les Moore’s Alfa 8C2300 sportscar, “I piled straight in and the world started spinning around.”

“It was like hitting an express train, the Kieft somersaulted and came to rest upside down with me trapped underneath. I was conscious and couldn’t move, then fuel started running out of the tank and over me. I was in agony and there was real danger of the car exploding. The three or four minutes I was under the car seemed like an eternity. Appalled at what happened, Don Ransley through caution to the wind, leapt out of the Alfa and single-handedly turned the Kieft over…Apart from surface abrasions, there was nothing seriously wrong with me a few days in bed wouldn’t cure. The poor Kieft was a different matter, about all I managed to salvage was a wheel and a few bits of the motor. The Alfa hardly had a scratch!”

Ronnie’s car racing career included testing duties of this speedway car. The Allard designed and built ‘Atom’ was a prototype of a proposed fleet of cars being considered for racing on British speedways the following year. Wimbledon, September 1955. He was caught out and rolled over by track ruts, Ronnie broke his collarbone but recovered quickly enough (G Woods Collection)

Cooper T43 Climax FWB, Brands Hatch 1957. Date unknown, the number doesn’t work for any of the Brands meetings Ronnie contested that year (Daily Mail)

In two truncated F2 seasons – about eight meetings in 1957 and six in 1958 – Ronnie did very well against seasoned F1 drivers and up-and-comers. His best results include a win against few cars at Roskilde, third in the Rochester Trophy at Brands and a fourth at Mallory Park. The race winners of meetings Moore contested were Jack Brabham, Tony Marsh and Roy Salvadori aboard Cooper T43s, and Maurice Trintignant on a factory Ferrari Dino 156.

His 1958 results included third at Brands in May and a pair of fourths in the Pau GP and Annerley Trophy at Crystal Palace. Race winners in his six ’58 meetings were the Trintignant, McLaren, Ian Burgess, Stuart Lewis-Evans and Syd Jensen Coopers (T43 and T45 Climaxes) and Cliff Allison’s Lotus 12 Climax.

Moore’s promising and way-too-short car racing career came to an end after a plea from his wife Jill, who was in hospital, giving birth to twin-daughters, Kim and Lea at the time. “She asked me if I’d quit. You break an arm or a leg in speedway, but you get over that. But three of your friends have been killed in car racing this year,” she said.

Ivor Bueb, Maserati 250F from Ronnie Moore’s Cooper T43 Climax during the September 1957 BRDC International Trophy meeting at Silverstone. Jean Behra won in a BRM P25, Bueb was ninth and Moore 17th (Getty)

Crystal Palace, June 1957. The pair of Kiwi Equipe Cooper T43s – Ray Thackwell’s is the car beyond (Getty)

So Moore returned to Wimbledon for 1958, then in 1959 became Speedway World Champion again after fellow Kiwi Barry Briggs gave up some of his nitro-fuel so Ronnie could top up his tank before his fifth and final ride that day. He was runner-up again in 1960, to Fundin. Moore won the New Zealand Speedway Championship in 1956, 1962, 1968 and 1969.

He returned home in 1963 after another broken leg, the family was ready to stop shuffling between New Zealand and England. Ronnie invested in a motorcycle business and even re-activated the ‘Wall of Death’ show.

Sure enough he soon got the competitive twitches, feeling as though he had unfinished business and made a return to international racing in 1969, riding for Wimbledon and reaching the World Championship final at the ripe old age of 36. In 1970, he took the World Pairs Championship with fellow speedway great Ivan Mauger, at Malmo Stadium in Sweden .

At Belle Vue Stadium, Manchester in 1969

Ronnie working on his bike in 1969. As to the make of frame and engine, your guess is as good as mine (Daily Mail)

1974 saw the first ’Battle of the World Champions’ series held in New Zealand and Australia, featuring four world champions: Barry Briggs, Ronnie Moore, Ove Fundin and Ivan Mauger. It was during the Jerilderie Park Speedway round in New South Wales that Moore nearly lost his life. His gear was stolen and he had to borrow someone else’s to ride. He crashed, suffering serious head injuries and was lucky to survive.

Moore was awarded an MBE in 1985 by the Queen, is a member of the Motorcycle New Zealand, New Zealand Sports and World Speedway Halls of Fame and won the Canterbury Sports Legends award in 2014. The Canterbury Park Motorcycle Speedway was renamed the Moore Park Motorcycle Speedway.

Twice World Champion, three times World Championship runner up, four times New Zealand Champion, World Pairs Champion and many other career achievements, Ronnie Moore is a great icon of New Zealand motorcycle sport, he died of lung cancer in Christchurch on August 18, 2018, aged 85.

Jill, Ronnie, Shani, Gina, Kim and Lea Moore at home circa 1972.

Etcetera…

While Ronnie was enjoying success in the UK, Les had acquired two Jano Alfa Romeos, an 8C2300 (chassis number please?) and no less a P3 than chassis #50005, the car with which Tazio Nuvolari belted the Silver Arrows by winning the 1935 German Grand Prix.

Moore found the P3 tricky to drive but won the Lady Wigram Trophy on the RNZAF airfield of the same name in 1951-52. Les died at the wheel of a celebrated NZ Special, the RA4 Vanguard, at Saltwater Creek, Timaru in October 1960 after the car rolled.

Valerie, Clarice, Les and Ron Moore with P3 Alfa Romeo after the 1952 Lady Wigram trophy victory (G Woods Collection)

Moore at Wimbledon in 1955 (unattributed)

As mentioned above, the Atom was built by Allard to the order and brief of Wimbledon Speedway owner Ronnie Green in 1955, he was keen to ‘spice-up the show’.

Powered by a 500cc JAP speedway and clutch assembly, the 64-inch wheelbase car used an Allard Clipper chassis and many Ford components. Two were built. Click here for a great article about the project on The Allard Register website: http://www.allardregister.org/blog/2010/7/9/the-allard-atom.html

Showtime! Date and place unknown. “Ronnie Moore on the Bally-rollers and Graham Pickup with the microphone. A free show outside the wall to attract punters to the show,” recalled Lindsay Mouat.

Craig Norman chipped in, “I was too scared to watch the actual show but I vividly remember watching spellbound at his outside display. He had perfect control and balance.”

Credits…

This piece uses as a base an article written by Motorcycling NZ historian Ian Dawson on the occasion of Moore’s admission to the MNZ Hall of Fame in 2012. Getty Images, F2 Index, Graham Woods, Chris Read Collection, ‘The Ronnie Moore Story’ by Rod Dew, Alan Jeffries, Lindsay Mouat, Craig Norman

Tailpiece…

Ronnie Moore, Geoff Mardon, Ove Fundin, George White and Peter Craven prepare to compete in the Speedway World Championship at Wembley in September 1959.

All of these PR shots were taken during daytime, before the crowds arrived…

Finito…

Riley Imp…

Posted: April 13, 2024 in Features, Sports Racers
Tags: Australian Grand Prix, Australian Motor Racing History, Riley Imp

Etcetera…

“A group of Rileys during the (Victorian) Centenary Grand Prix – January 1 1935 – weekend at Phillip Island,” wrote David Trunfull.

“The Ulster Imp is being driven by Bill Williamson, his passenger is Air Commodore Johnny Summers. The Brooklands #6 is being driven by Bill Galpin from New Zealand, the passenger is MC Shmith. This car is the ex-Riley works car that won the 1933 AGP driven by Bill Thompson. Brooklands 63.902 is being driven by Merton Wreford, his passenger is Alan Wyatt, the source of this photo. Wreford worked for the Riley distributor, BL Cohen.”

Another shot from the same event. “#6 is the Bill Thompson 1933 AGP car. It was brought over specially for the Centenary 300 by Bill Galpin but for some unknown reason it didn’t take place in the race.”

Trunfull, “The ex-Riley team car was raced in the UK by Sir Malcolm Campbell, AK v.d Becke and Sir Chris Staniland.” “The Brooklands also won the 1949 inaugural Lady Wigram Trophy (on the RNZAF Christchurch airforce base of the same name ) in the hands of Morrie Proctor. It still resides in Christchurch,” chipped in John Newell.

The car on the right is another ex-Riley team car which is said to have been a spare for the 1934 Ulster Tourist Trophy. BL Cohen Pty Ltd imported it in 1934, Bill Williamson raced it for them. The Head brothers later owned and raced it, fitting a 12/4 race engine.”

“This car (the Imp) is now one by Ian Ruffley’s family, the original Ulster Imp engine is probably fitted to the late Terry Moran’s car,” wrote Jim Runciman.

This shot from Tony Johns “was taken during the 1932 AGP weekend at Phillip Island.” #14 is the ninth placed Bill Williamson driven Riley, car #19 Ken McKinney’s Austin 7 DNF. Bill Thompson won the race in a Bugatti T37A.

A bit of trivia, “if you enlarge the photo, the open door on the left has CRD (Cyril Dickason) and RCM (Clarrie May) and CRW (Cec Warren) who would have shared the same garage when they raced Austins in the 1931 AGP the year before.”

Credits…

The Car, David Trunfull, Jim Runciman, John Newell, Tony Johns, VSCC NSW Archive

Finito…

Australian Racing Random 14…

Posted: March 30, 2024 in Features
Tags: Australian Motor Racing History, Cleveland Six, Fred Withers, Leyland P76 V8, Maserati 250F, Ross Jensen

Bruce McLaren tips his Cooper T70 Climax into Shell corner at Sandown during the 1964 Tasman Cup round – the Australian Grand Prix – DNF engine in the race won by Jack Brabham. See here: https://primotipo.com/2020/04/20/mclaren-cooper-t70-sandown/

The ‘first McLarens’ – two Cooper T70s – built by Bruce McLaren and Wally Willmott at Coopers in late 1963 have been very much in the news, and star of the historic show at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix carnival given it’s 60 years since Bruce McLaren won the very first Tasman Cup driving the two T70s that summer. Bruce won three of the eight rounds – NZ GP at Pukekohe, Lady Wigram Trophy and Teretonga International – in this car #T70 FL-2-64, so too did Jack Brabham (Brabham BT7A Climax), but Bruce had the better haul of points.

Sadly, Tim Mayer crashed the car Bruce is driving above, to his death at Longford three weeks after Sandown. The surviving car (#FL-1-64) is owned by Adam Berryman, proudly showing off a car which has been in the family since 1974 at Government House, Melbourne on March 21. See here for more about the T70: https://primotipo.com/2016/11/18/tim-mayer-what-might-have-been/

Aussie Ace, Bob Muir alongside the ex-Gary Campbell/Jones-Eisert Lola T330 Chev HU14 during the 1973 US L&M F5000 Championship round at Laguna Seca. Jerry Eisert is alongside Muir, John Wright is attending to the right-front, with Peter Molloy in the white top to the left.

Early days below in a Rennmax Mk1 Formula Vee at Warwick Farm in 1966, see more about Bob here: https://primotipo.com/2023/02/13/bob-muir-r-i-p/

Reg Hunt’s Maserati A6GCM/250 during the 1955 Moomba TT meeting held at Albert Park on March 26-27. I’m not so sure its the prosperous motor dealer owner at the wheel.

Hunt had a great weekend with his new car – a 2.5-litre Maserati 250F engined A6GCM – winning the Argus Cup 50-miler and one heat of the Argus Trophy 50-mile feature. He led the final until the red car’s crown wheel and pinion failed, giving Doug Whiteford’s well driven old Talbot-Lago T26C a lucky win.

Hunt turned the local scene on its head with this car, it was the most recent Grand Prix car imported to Australia for many a long year. All of his motor dealer rivals had to reach way-deep into their pockets to keep up with the Brighton Road dealer. See here for more on this car: https://primotipo.com/2017/12/12/hunts-gp-maser-a6gcm-2038/

Holden 48-215 at Albert Park was about the extent of the State Library of Victoria caption, before 1970 Australian Rally Champion, Bob Watson came to the rescue.

“It’s a BP Rally of the 1950s, possibly Lex Davison driving. A sub-event in Albert Park at the end of the rally, later events finished at Chadstone Shopping Centre on Mother’s day in front of huge crowds.” See here: https://primotipo.com/2018/12/06/general-motors-holden-formative/

Ross Jensen on the way to victory of the 1959 Bathurst 100 held over the Easter long-weekend, Maserati 250F, #2509/2504. He is negotiating Hell Corner before heading up Mountain Straight.

It was a terrific win by the visiting Kiwi, all of our Top-Guns were there but Ross beat the lot: Stan Jones, Arnold Glass, Len Lukey, Alec Mildren, Doug Whiteford and others. He was as sharp-as-a-tack having raced for the works-Lister Jaguar team in Europe in 1958 upon the recommendation of Archie Scott Brown who had raced his works-lister in New Zealand in the Summer of ’58 and was impressed by what he saw.

That’s Len Lukey congratulating him below, #5 is Len’s Cooper T45 Climax 2-litre, the 250F on the far side is Glass’s. Love the proboscis…

Colin Bond, Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 during the 1975 Phillip Island 500k enduro, a round of the Australian Manufacturers Championship.

It’s hard to believe its nearly a half-century since this crowd pleasing 5-litre/308 V8 engined beastie wrought havoc in Australian Touring Car racing, see here: https://primotipo.com/2024/03/05/holden-torana-sl-r-5000-l34/

1948 Australian Grand Prix winner, Frank Pratt, and passenger Alick Smith at Phillip Island, date unknown. Pratt, a Geelong motor cycle dealer and racer, had famously barely done any car racing when he won that Point Cook, RAAF Airbase, AGP (photo below). See here: https://primotipo.com/2021/09/27/werrangourt-archive-10-george-martins-bmw-328/

Held in searing summer heat, his BMW 328 hung on while the more fancied runners, both drivers and cars, wilted in the heat, see here: https://primotipo.com/2016/09/18/who-what-where-and-when-3/

Missed by that much…

Alain Prost during the West End Jubilee South Australian Open Pro-am golf tournament held at Kooyonga during the 1986 Australian Grand Prix week in Adelaide.

He looks pretty relaxed, and the weekend worked out mighty fine too.

Poor old Nigel had his 180mph Williams FW11 Honda 1.5 V6 tyre blowout, so his teammate Piquet was brought in for a precautionary tyre change and Alain’s McLaren MP4/2C TAG-Porsche 1.5 V6 won the race…and the title(s) in a thriller-diller of a race: Drivers and Constructors.

Glen Dix flags an ecstatic Alain Prost home in the 1986 AGP. His McLaren wasn’t as fast as the FW11 Williams that year but he chipped away with a mix of speed and consistency: the Fab-Four in ‘86 were Mansell, Piquet, Senna…and Prost

Jack Brabham contests a race at the short lived Altona circuit, to Melbourne’s west in March 1954, Cooper T23 Bristol. See here for details on the circuit and Jack’s visit there: https://primotipo.com/2016/06/24/jacks-altona-grand-prix-and-cooper-t23-bristol/

Sportscar grid at Warwick Farm circa 1967. Frank Matich, Matich SR3 Oldsmobile, Bob Jane, Elfin 400 Repco, Glyn Scott’s Lotus 23B Ford and Bill Brown – perhaps – in the Scuderia Veloce Ferrari 250LM. More on Matich’s Ferrari muncher here: https://primotipo.com/2023/04/02/matich-sr3/

Nigel Mansell blasts away from a pitstop on the Surfers Paradise road circuit during the March 21, 1993 Australian Indycar Grand Prix, Lola T93/00 Ford Cosworth XB V8.

In a portent of things to come that year, series debutant Mansell won the opening round of the ’93 CART Championship. He won five of the 16 rounds, and the championship with 191 points, fellow ex-F1 World Champ, Emerson Fittipaldi was second on 183, Penske PC22 Chev.

Not so much thought of as a racing car in Australia, Leyland’s P76 4.4-litre V8 got a run in New Zealand’s annual B &H 1000 enduro, in this case the 1975 event at Pukekohe.

This one was raced by the very experienced and successful David Oxton and Garry Pederson who finished fourth, the winning car was another Australian car, a Valiant Charger – usually dominant in this race – driven by Wayne Wilkinson and Bryan Innes.

Chris Denby, in an amusing Facebook post relates the story of the exhaust problem which befell the similar car raced by Dauntsey Teagle and Jim Murdoch. “Over a few laps its impressive engine became ‘uncorked’, which injected some great V8 sound into its otherwise fairly subdued race noise.”

“Suddenly it sounded more lie a stock-car than a production saloon – very impressive in the stand. The stewards were quick to act, within minutes a message came over the Tannoy asking if any spectator had a P76 V8 in the carpark would he allow his car to be relieved of its exhaust system to help a race team on the track (they faced exclusion otherwise).”

“That approach didn’t work. A later Tannoy message said, ‘If a spectator with a Leyland P76 notices a much louder than normal exhaust note upon leaving the track, don’t worry, the race mechanics will fix it before you depart…”

Vern Schuppan contesting the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in March 1973, BRM P160D.

The Victorian Governor’s Australian GP party is a wonderful event on the Thursday before the race, here is Jenny and Vern Schuppan on March 21, 2024.

Vern has just turned 81 and is a sharp as a tack. The couple live in a penthouse apartment in the Adelaide Markets – on the AGP course – and split their time between there, visiting their son and family in Melbourne, their daughter in Cambridge, and another home in Portugal.

Fred Withers at Penrith aboard the Marcus Clark & Company owned Cleveland Six racer, circa 1925.

It’s hard to believe that department stores once sold cars, but there-ya-go! This company was founded by Marcus Clark in Newtown, Sydney in 1883 and by the early 1900s was a colossus operating from buildings like this on the corner of Pitt and George Streets, Railway Square, Sydney.

Withers raced the Cleveland Six at Penrith and Maroubra Speedways in New South Wales/Sydney and at Aspendale, outside Melbourne in the 1920s. He was also a record-breaker of some repute using Cleveland and Essex products.

He was famous at the time for some crazy jumps performed with his Essex to gain column-inches in the dailies, this shot was taken in 1927.

Frank Matich contesting the 1970 New Zealand Grand Prix in his much-modified McLaren M10A Chev at Pukekohe. FM had a pretty good Tasman Series, winning here at Pukekohe and at Wigram a week later. While he had the pace, he didn’t have Graeme Lawrence’s Ferrari Dino 246T reliability. Graeme prevailed by five points, 30 to 25.

A little later, from 1971-74, Frank Matich and his small team designed and built six F5000 cars: three A50s, two A51s – one A51 evolved into the short-lived A52 – and this A53, the very last of the breed.

It was a tool intended to take on the best of the F5000 world, the US L&M Championship in 1974. That plan all turned to custard when Frank was injured in a boating accident early in ’74, then Joan Matich became ill. What might have been…see here for the story: https://primotipo.com/2015/09/11/frank-matich-matich-f5000-cars-etcetera/ and here: https://primotipo.com/2019/05/06/matich-a53-repco/

Matich A53/007 in build in FM’s ‘shop in Military Road, Cremorne in late 1973 (D Kneller)

Credits…

Getty Images, State Library of Victoria, Charles Pratt-State Library of Victoria, Rennie Ellis, MotorSport Images, Chris Denby, Peter Jones, John Sherwood Collection in ‘Half a Century of Speed’ by Tony & Pedr Davis and Barry Lake, Bob Williamson Collection, Eisert Family Collection, Derek Kneller, State Library of NSW-Lynch, Tony Glenn, oldracingcars.com

Tailpiece…

A Warwick Farm flaggie dealing with the excruciating summer heat during the 1961 Warwick Farm 100 international meeting, see here: https://primotipo.com/2018/11/16/1961-warwick-farm-100/

Finito…

	r7eb2339c739912 on Benalla Centenary 100, 19…
	Rob on Bib Stillwell: Cooper T49…
	Rob on Australian Racing Random …
	Happy 100th Jack… \|… on Lakeside Tasman Meeting, 12 Fe…
	Rob on Harry Galloway’s Racing…

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