# 5 is the winning Carroll Shelby/Roy Salvadori Aston Martin DBR1/300, # 4 the Stirling Moss/Jack Fairman sister car, and # 3 the Innes Ireland/Masten Gregory Jaguar XK’D’ Type, both DNF.
1959 was the only Aston Martin Le Mans victory so far, Astons’ also won the World Sportscar Championship that year with wins in 3 of the 5 rounds; LeMans, Nurburgring 1000Km, and RAC Tourist Trophy at Goodwood. Ferrari and Porsche were second and third in the Championship respectively.
The DBR1 was one of the greatest cars produced under the 3 litre sports car formula, in addition to its 1959 successes it also won the Nurburgring 1000Km and the Tourist Trophy at Goodwood in 1958.
Its essential elements are laid bare in this James Allington period cutaway drawing for Automobile Year.
The engine is an inline 6, all aluminium, the crankshaft supported by 7 main bearings. Two valves per cylinder were fitted at an included angle of 95 degrees operated by twin gear driven overhead camshafts. Fuel was provided by 3 Weber carburettors, the ignition fired by 2 Lucas distributors driven off the end of each camshaft, 2 plugs per cylinder.
The engine was ‘undersquare’, bore and stroke 83X90mm for a capacity of 2932cc, the engine produced circa 265bhp@6500rpm on a compression ratio of 9:1.
Cockpit of the Moss/Fairman DBR Le Mans 1959. (unattributed)
A five speed gearbox was mounted transversely at the rear in unit with a ZF differential.
Front suspension was by twin trailing links springing by transverse torsion bars. At the rear a De Dion rear axle was used with twin trailing arms, a Watts linkage and again torsion bars were the springing medium.
Girling disc brakes were used and rack and pinion steering. The car had a wheelbase of 90 in, a track front and rear of 51.5 in, a width of 64 inches and a height to the top of the scuttle of 38.5 in…the whole lot weighing 1760lb.
The #4 Moss/Fairman and #5 Salvadori/Shelby Aston DBR/1’s at rest. Chez Aston, Le Mans 1959. (Unattributed)
Carroll Shelby, AstonMartin DBR1/300 Le Mans 1959 (unattributed)
Carroll Shelby driving, Roy Salvadori, David Brown the owner of Astons’ and Stirling Moss post victory. (unattributed)
Etcetera…
Front of the Le Mans grid 1959. #8 Flockhart/Lawrence Tojeiro Jaguar, #1 Bueb/Halford Lister Jaguar, #2 Hansgen/Blond Lister Jaguar and #3 Ireland/Gregory Jaguar D Type…all DNF. Stirling Moss is talking to the photographers priod to the ‘start sprint’. (Unattributed)
Le Mans start 1959. # 8 Flockhart Tojeiro Jag, # 1 Bueb Lister Jag, # 6 Trintignant Aston DBR/1, #2 Hansgen Lister Jag, # 5 Salvadori Aston DBR/1 and the rest. (Unattributed)
Trintignant/ Frere Aston post fuelling Le Mans 1959, the pair finished 2nd a lap behind the winning DBR/1. (Unattributed)
Fabulous shot of Derek Bell bang on the yellow line on the approach to La Source hairpin during the Grand Prix de Spa in 1970, he finished eighth sharing this Ecurie Francorhamps 512S with Hughes de Fierlant…
Jo Siffert and Brian Redman won the race in the dominant car of 1970/71, the Porsche 917K. These 5-litre 12-cylinder, 450-550bhp cars are still spoken of in awe 45 years later by those fortunate enough to see or drive them.
Ferrari were very busy in 1970 with F1 and their beloved sportscar programs. Porsche kept it simple, subcontracting the preparation and racing of their factory cars to John Wyer Engineering and Porsche Salzburg, they were not distracted by F1.
(unattributed)
On paper, the V12, spaceframe chassis 512S should have given the flat-12, spaceframe chassis 917 a better run for its money than it did. An early season Sebring 12 Hour win by Ignazio Giunti, Nino Vaccarella and Mario Andretti (above) flattered to deceive in a season the 917 hordes belted Ferrari into submission. What races the 917 didn’t win the lithe, nimble 3-litre flat-8 908/3 did.
Ferrari’s suitably tweaked 512S-1971-updated 512M showed early potential to serve it up to the 917 horde, but the Ferrari factory didn’t race it in ’71, the 15 cars built or converted from 512S spec were raced by privateers, while Scuderia Ferrari raced a single 3-litre 312PB in advance of a change in regulations from 1972. It was strategy that was most effective, but they probably left a win or two on the table in 1971 as a consequence.
(UPI)
Enzo Ferrari, second from the right, and buddies launch the new Ferrari 512S to the press in Modena on November 6, 1969. Key elements of the spiel with this photograph was ‘Latest Ferrari Sports Model’ was a 5000cc 12-cylinder engine producing 550bhp @ 8,500rpm and an ‘extremely low streamlined body with a panoramic cockpit in the forward position.’
Whether the shot below was taken on the same day is unclear, the very tall Mike Parkes stands out mid-pic with liddl’ Art Merzario second left and Clay Regazzoni to the right of the car, closest to us.
(UPI)(unattributed)
25 512S, Maranello late 1969…
Twenty five cars were required by the governing body, the CSI for homologation into Group 5. The cars are all lined up ready for inspection, the yellow Francorchamps car stands out. Porsche were awfully keen for the Ferrari production audit to be as vigorous as their own, the Scuderia’s ability to count having been proved poor in the past, the 250LM springs to mind…
The investment was huge compared with the small production runs of previous models, only three P4s were built, plus one P3 converted to a P4. Fiat acquired 50% Ferrari, taking control of its road car division in 1969 and put racing support arrangements in place going forward. Without that there would have been no 512 program, the company would not have had the working capital to build so many cars with sales of them far from certain.
(CA Caillier)
All the fun of the fair and more 512S all in a row, mechanics fettle Bell’s car, #21 is the seventh placed Schetty/Merzario Scuderia Ferrari 512S, the best placed 512S was the Ickx/Surtees machine in second.
Technical Specifications…
Busy pit stop for the Ickx/Surtees second placed 512S. Surtees jumping in, Ickx clear in the helmet behind, Spa 1970 (Rainer Schlegelmilch)(ferrari.com)
“Put together in just three months by a team headed by Mauro Forghieri”, Ferrari wrote. The steel tubular space frame chassis was developed with learnings from the P4 and 612, with the polycarbonate Berlinetta and Spyder bodywork designed by Giacomo Caliri.
4.06 metres long, 2 metres wide, 972mm high with a wheelbase of 2.4 metres and front and rear tracks of 1518mm/1511mm. Fuel capacity 120 litres, weight 840kg dry.
Andretti at Daytona in 1970, he was third in the car shared with Arturo Merzario and Jacky Ickx, the Pedro Rodriguez/Leo Kinnunen/Brian Redman Porsche 917K (ferrari.com)
Front suspension by upper and lower wishbones, coil springs/Koni shocks and adjustable roll bar. At the rear the period typical layout was adopted as well; single top links, inverted lower wishbones, twin radius rods and again coil spring/Konis. Magnesium uprights and wheels were used and tyre sizes 4.45-11.50-15 inches front and 6.0-14.50-15 inches at the rear. Steering was rack and pinion.
Engine, transmission and rear suspension detail of one of the works cars at Daytona in 1970(ferrari.com)
The engine was a Ferrari classic 60-degree all-alloy DOHC V12, of 4993.53cc; 87x70mm bore/stroke. The design incorporated four-valves per cylinder, Lucas indirect fuel injection, used a compression ratio of 11.5:1, one plug per cylinder and was of course dry-sumped. Quoted power, as cited earlier was 550bhp @ 8,500rpm. The gearbox had 5-speeds and reverse.
(ferrari.com)
Etcetera…
The Ferrari compound above at Le Mans in 1970.
The Dick Attwood/Hans Hermann Porsche 917K won the race with the best place of the eleven 512S which started the race was the NART entry driven by Sam Posey and Ronnie Bucknum.
#8 is the Art Merzario/Clay Regazzoni entry DNF after 38 laps with a collision, the #5 Jacky Ickx/Peter Schetty was also involved in a collision in which a marshal was killed after completing 142 laps. The car to the left without a number showing is the Derek Bell/Ronnie Petersen car which had a valve fail after only 39 laps- worse was bearing failure of the #6 Nino Vaccarella/Ignazio Giunti 512S after only seven laps were completed. Not a memorable Le Mans for Ferrari at all.
512S Long-tail during the filming of Steve McQueen’s Le Mans in 1971 (Getty)
Credits…
ferrari.com, A Caillier, Rainer Schlegelmilch, Getty Images, United Press International
Tailpiece…
(R Schlegelmilch)
Superb Spa panorama in 1970 by Rainer Schlegelmilch shows the seventh placed factory 512S chasing the winning Jo Siffert/Brian Redman John Wyer Porsche 917K.
‘Pete’ Geoghegan in the SV Ferrari 250LM, Hell Corner, Easter Bathurst ‘Gold Star’ meeting April 1968, crowd listening to the howl of that V12 on the downchanges. (Dick Simpson)
Pete’ Geoghegan hard on the brakes of the Scuderia Veloce Ferrari , before he leans it into Hell Corner, the left hander out of Pit Straight and onto Mountain Straight…
David McKay signed the brothers Geoghegan, Leo and Pete to share the car in the Surfers Paradise 12 Hour race later in ’68 , Australian spectators treated to the spectacle of the multiple Australian Touring Car Champion extracting all the ‘Red Lady’ had to offer in a series of sprint events earlier in the year to familiarise himself with the car. Over the years some fine drivers raced it, but McKay rated Geoghegan over most.
Pete Geoghegan 3 wheeling ‘6321’ into ‘The Dipper’ , Bathurst Easter ’68. Up ahead was teammate Bill Brown in the SV Ferrari P4/350 Can Am (Bob Jane Legends)
McKay’s ‘Scuderia Veloce’ was arguably the first of Australia’s professional racing teams, initially McKay was the driver but later SV’s entered cars for others including Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and nurtured the careers of local drivers including Spencer Martin, Larry Perkins and John Smith.
McKay was a remarkable man. He was a World War 2 veteran , a world class driver, the most influential motoring journalist of his day and a successful businessman with both SV the racing team, and Scuderia Veloce Motors, retailers of Volvo, Porsche and Ferrari, for whom he was the NSW concessionaire.
‘Australian Autosportsman’ magazine July 1965. Shell ‘Advertorial’! Spencer Martin on the cover in the SV Fazz 250LM, picture taken at the Easter meeting, i think, ‘Hell Corner’, which leads onto the uphill ‘Mountain Straight’ having gone past the pits. (Stephen Dalton Collection)
In some ways purchase of the 250LM didn’t make a lot of sense as the car was a heavy endurance machine…
Locally it was competing with lightweight sports-racers built for sprint events, it was competitive in 1965 , but into 1966 the appearance of Frank Matich’s Traco Olds/Elfin 400 and other similar cars made the going tough. By then the car had been sold to Kiwi Andy Buchanan but was prepared and entered by SV.
Its forte was long distance events, for which it was designed!, McKay and Spencer Martin, the young star McKay was nurturing, won the Caversham 6 Hour race in Western Australia in 1965. The Swan Valley event did not have great depth of field in the outright class ,’6321′ winning by 12 laps from Ron Thorp’s AC Cobra.
David McKay & Spencer Martin won the Caversham 6 Hour race in ’65, opening the 250LM’s long distance success ‘account’ (Terry Walker)
Evocative Longford shot of Spencer Martin, Long Bridge, 1966 (Alan Stewart Collection)
Keith Williams was a great promoter of his new circuit at Nerang outside Surfers Paradise, the LM won his 12 Hour enduro three years on the trot
In 1966 it was driven by Andy Buchanan and Jackie Stewart, 1967 by Australians Greg Cusack and Bill Brown and in 1968 by the Geoghegans, all of the victories were against cars which were faster on paper but not ultimately having the LMs combination of speed and reliability.
In 1968 McKay had pleasure and pain- victory for the LM but defeat of his Ferrari P4/350 Can-Am car, acquired earlier in the year with the express aim of victory in a race he thought was by then beyond the old LM. For those interested in the P4, click on this link to an article on the full history of this car; https://primotipo.com/2015/04/02/ferrari-p4canam-350-0858/
Scuderia Veloce’s team in the Surfers dummy grid, 12 Hour ’68. The winning Geoghegan Bros 250LM at left, 275GTB of Phil West/George Reynolds centre, and P4/Can Am 350 ‘0858’ of Bill Brown/Jim Palmer on the right, DNF accident (Rod MacKenzie)
The Roxburgh/Whiteford Datsun 1600 being rounded up by the LM, and Hamilton/Glynn Scott Porsche 906 Spyder , Surfers 12 Hour 1967 (Ray Bell)
By 1968 the car was owned by Sydney businessman Ashley Bence but Mckay soon repurchased it and kept it as a much cherished road car.
I missed its racing heyday but saw McKay drive it at the Sandown meeting in late 1978 at which Fangio demonstrated/raced his Mercedes Benz W196. Unfortunately an oil line came adrift causing McKay to spin and hit the fence at The Causeway. Graham Watson, later ‘Ralt Australia’ and a ‘Gold Star’ national champion himself repaired the car.
McKay in ‘6321’ tootling across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the late ’70’s. This shot was part of a ‘Sports Car World’ magazine article McKay wrote about the car, the trials and tribulations of delivery amusing…
A share in the car was sold by McKay to Spencer Martin, its original driver in ’65, the car contested some international historic events before ultimately being sold to Ralph Lauren…its life now a good deal easier than being taken to its limits by the likes of Pete Geoghegan.
Racing and Development of the LM In Period: Letter from Ferrari’s Mike Parkes to David McKay dated 1 February 1966 about ongoing development of the cars in Europe…
‘…Passing now to your LM you will no doubt be pleased to learn that the car has been homologated in the 50 car GT category, as has the 4.7 litre Ford GT, although infact neither they nor us have made 50 cars.
We are still making one or two LM`s, David Piper has probably given you all his ‘gen’ on modifications. He has gone up to 7″ front rims, also I think 8″ rears, and has increased the top speed considerably by lengthening the nose and making it similar to the 1962 GTO.
He has had quite a number of gear-box failures, some of which I suspect may have been due to Fax, his mechanic, but it is clear that the crown wheel and pinion should be changed after between 18-24 hours use, depending on the ratio employed, and the same applies to the pinion bearings.
I incidentally cannot recommend in the interest of liability, attempting to fit other than ex factory spares. My research incidentally, reveals that Fiat 500 bearing shells should not fit.
We have introduced a somewhat complicated modification to improve the gearbox life which includes machining out the bearing housings in the casing to take bigger bearings. I can probably send particulars if you decide that it is worth while.
We do not official recommend the use of ‘M’ tyres, and infact suspect that customers gear-box failures were due to their using ‘M’ tyres, but my own view is that the introduction of the ‘M’ tyre coincided with the limit of fatigue life of many peoples gear-boxes. You should use 550 front and 600-660 rear and probably reduce the camber a little at the rear and should find the car faster.
You can obtain variations of the intermediate gearbox ratios by using some of the ratios from the Targa Florio box should you find the standard LM ratios not suitable for your circuits.
For an engine overhaul, as I think I told you, you should definitely change valve springs checking carefully to ensure that you have the correct fitted length. Bearing shells need only be changed where they appear necessary, also rear main oil-seal. Valve seats should not be changed unless absolutely necessary, this being determined by how far they have sunk into the head. I would not think that it was worth changing the big end bolts.
I am at a loss to understand why you have to grind down the rear pad, but can assure you that you have the correct calipers. We have never carried out compression checks ourselves but your system seems very sound, the engine presumably being hot. I can give you no indication of the valves to expect.
I would be most interested in hearing about any sort of racing programme you could offer me in Australia for 1966-67. Yours, Mike Parkes’
‘6321’ now part of the Ralph Lauren Collection
250P and 250LM…
Ferrari’s rebuff of the sale of his company to Ford in 1963 resulted in a ferociously competitive response by FoMoCo in sports car racing; Eric Broadley’s GT40 design in the prototype class and Carroll Shelby’s Ford engined AC Cobras /Daytona Coupes the response in the GT category.
In ‘GT’ the dominance of Ferrari’s ‘250 GTO’ was being challenged by the Cobra’s, Maranello’s response was essentially to add a roof to its championship winning 1963 Prototype, the 3 litre V12 ‘250P’, call it the ‘250 Le Mans’ and seek to homologate it into the ‘GT’ class. The CSI were onto Ferrari though, only 32 cars were built rather than the 100 mandated by the rules, so the cars raced as Prototypes until the CSI eventually relented and agreed to ‘GT’ homologation.
All but the first few cars were built with 3.3 litre V12’s, the first were 3 litres, but the 250LM name stuck, rather than 275LM as Ferrari naming convention dictated. (250 cc x 12 cylinders is 3000cc…275cc x 12 cylinders is 3300cc).
The McKay car, chassis # ‘6321’ was one of the last cars built.
The 250 LM’s were popular customer endurance racing cars but not considered outright contenders for ‘Blue Riband’ events but the race failure of the Ferrari P2 and Ford’s GT40 and Mk11 resulted in a famous victory for ex-F1 driver Masten Gregory and future World Champion Jochen Rindt at Le Mans in 1965. The two drivers flogged the NART LM # ‘5893’ to within an inch of its life, to their surprise winning the event, Rindt famously expecting to be back in Paris early enough for dinner.
That victory was Ferrari ‘s last at Le Mans…
North American Racing Team ‘NART’ victorious 250LM ‘5893’ at Le Mans ’65. Drivers Masten Gregory & Jochen Rindt (unattributed)
Ferrari 250LM cutaway showing its 3.3 litre V12, 5 speed transaxle, spaceframe chassis and all independent suspension by wishbones and coil spring/dampers ( G Betti )
Etcetera…
First race meeting for ‘6321’, Sandown Tasman meeting 21 February 1965. Spencer Martin at the wheel. A win after Frank Matich retired his Lotus 19B Climax. (Ray Bell)
Fabulous shot of Spencer Martin in the LM, Warwick Farm, August 1965. (John Ellacott)
Spencer Martin ahead of Lionel Beattie in the Byfield Ayres Repco Holden Spl during the ‘Le Mans 6 Hour’ race at Caversham, in WA’s Swan Valley in 1965. Martin drove to victory sharing with car owner David McKay. (Alan Yates)
Another Caversham 1965 shot, by the look of the helmet perhaps David McKay at the wheel. LM ‘6321’. (Lionel McPherson)
Pete Geoghegan during the RAC Trophy meeting in May 1968, Warwick Farm (G Lanham)
‘Automobile Year’ coverage of the 250LM launch at the Paris Show in October 1963
Race History (inaccurate and incomplete ) of 250 LM ‘6321’…
Dick Simpson, Roderick Mackenzie, Giulio Betti cutaway drawing, Bob Jane Legends, Terry Walker, Automobile Year, John Ellacott, Alan Yates, Stephen Dalton Collection, Ray Bell, Lionel McPherson, Mike Parkes Letter from ‘The Nostalgia Forum’, Geoff Lanham
Fabulous shot of the Mike Spence/Phil Hill Chaparral 2F Chev at La Source hairpin, Spa-Francorchamps, May 1967.
The cars automatic gearbox failed in a race won by the Ickx/Thompson/Rees Mirage M1 Ford. 1967 was the last year of the 7-litre ‘monsters’, the CSI mandated a 5-litre limit from ’68.
Ford started the ’67 season with their new Ford GT MkIV and then left the scene having won Le Mans twice on the trot. ‘Mission accomplished’ in a sense. Ferrari won the championship from Porsche by two points in a season of grids comprising Ferrari P3/4, Porsche 910, Lola T70 , Ford GT40’s , Alfa Romeo T33 , Mirage M1 and Matra M630- truly a sportscar season to savour.
As Mike Spence buckles up his seatbelt in the Chaparral 2F Chev, second on the grid, he is surrounded by FoMoCo vehicles; #1 the victorious Gurney/Foyt, #3 Bianchi/Andretti and Hulme/Ruby Mk4’s, and the #5 Gardner/McCluskey and Schlesser/Ligier Mk2’s…not a Ferrari close by! (Unattributed)
The 2F was consistently quick throughout the season but often the transmission main drive-bearing failed. Both Hill and Spence were popular Chaparral team members. Of Hill, Jim Hall said ‘Phil was a great guy with a lot of talent and really fun to work with because he understood a lot of what was going on.’
“I think he was probably as good as anybody at making the car finish. He’d put many cars together himself and knew how everything was made and how to take care of it. He was a great endurance driver for other reasons, but for that reason too. When we got near the Can-Am season in 1966 we decided we’d offer Phil a drive. He was a great guy to have on your team – he pulled for you and worked for you. And in the endurance races he was our man. I think Phil enjoyed driving for us, we just had a good relationship.”
Phil Hill never raced again after his ’67 Brands 6 Hour victory, a great way to bow out after such a career of achievement. ‘It was absolutely satisfying to win that race at Brands Hatch…in retrospect there couldn’t be a better way to finish a career could there?’ he said.
Phil Hill pondering 2F transmission dramas at Le Mans 1967. Mike Spence sans helmet behind him. (Dave Friedman)
Hall also had great respect for Spence, who was killed at Indianapolis in May 1968 in a Lotus 56. “I really thought a lot of Mike. He was an awfully talented driver, very quick and a smart guy who worked hard. He was a good fit for Chaparral too. It takes the right kind of person to be on your team who fits in with your people and how they work and Mike fitted us well and was a joy to work with.”
Designer/Driver/Engineer Jim Hall’s cars bristled with innovation. The winged, 7-litre Chevrolet engined, fibreglass monocoque, auto ‘tranny Chaparrals thrilled European spectators and finally won a ’67 race, the Brands Hatch 6 Hour event in July before returning to their Midland, Texas base and the US Can-Am Championship from whence they came.
2F at rest, Spa pits 1967. Hill talks about set-up with Jim Hall. Note the front lip or splitter. Spence put the car on pole at 3:31:5, quick enough for sixth on the GP grid that June…in a car designed for 24 hour events. OK its 7-litres, but remarkable all the same. (Unattributed)
Innovative Chaparral 2F Chev…
The 2F was a massive departure from previous Chaparrals’ even by their standards.
This drawing neatly shows the Chap 2F key aero elements; cars shape, front spring loaded flap, you can just see the chin lip spoiler used on some tracks at the front. Rear mounted rads and beautiful ducting in and out and the movable high rear wing, to alter between download and neutral positions. (Brian Hatton)
The car featured hip mounted radiators to better position weight, this had the bi-product of keeping the cockpit cooler. The 5-year old 2A chassis had special mouldings bonded to it to create the square sided shape, the transformations were such that they were effectively new. To provide bodywork strength, sections were laid up in female moulds with 4-oz cloth and epoxy resin and ¼ in PVC foam. In areas where strength wasn’t required the fibreglass was very thin. Firestone developed wider tyres for ’67 which required wider bodywork. The actual chassis was covered by flat panels on either side, these were ‘skins’ with empty space between them and the old chassis.
Externally, only the central cab section looked the same. A new body profile was evolved in the form of a wedge to generate downforce. At the rear the body tapered away to a ‘spindle shape’ with a ‘chopped off tail’.
To balance downforce at the front a similar type of high mounted wing as was used on the ’66 2E Can-Am car was used, mounted directly to the rear uprights. The wing was connected to a foot pedal, and via hydraulics allowed the driver to have feathered ‘lo-drag’ or maximum downforce modes. Should anything go wrong with the feathering mechanism, or the driver needed his left foot for the brakes, the car went to fail safe maximum downforce, understeer mode.
The front opening contained a spring-loaded flap or duct that opened against air pressure when speeds exceeded 120mph, this helped balance aerodynamic loads front to rear.
The body floated free on its springs devoid of practically any downforce which was applied directly to the uprights by the monster rear wing. As the nose of the car pitched forward more front downforce was generated, at 150mph the nose compressed the front suspension, the trapdoor or flap opened progressively at 120-140mph at which point the car would then settle to its appropriate ride height front/rear.
2F naked at Le Mans for its transmission repair. Big wing and its mount direct to rear suspension uprights, note forward facing support strut. Mid mounted radiators, seat belt in the cockpit, radiator header tank, bell mouths of Chev/Weber carbs, spare wheel housing, exhaust ducting. ‘Le Mans’ number lights, 12X16 inch Chap alloys and big, wide Firestones. (Albert Bochroch)
Chaparral modelled both aluminium Chev 327CID and 427CID engines- different car weight limits were applicable under the regulations. They considered the existing Can-Am aluminium chassis with 5-litre engine, and a fibreglass chassis car with the bigger 7-litre ‘lump’. The 5.4-litre engine could have been ‘de-stroked’. Simulations showed the latest staggered valve ‘porcupine’ 7-litre Chev, cast in aluminium was the faster option. It weighed 85lbs more then the ‘smallblock’ but gave around 100bhp more. The engine used Weber style 58 IDM carburetors built by Chev and gave circa 575bhp @ 7500 rpm.
The Chaparral’s GM automatic transaxle was upgraded to three speeds but the ‘box was at its limits. The increased power and torque proved the gearbox was the packages weak link- this was feared by Chaparral from the start of the 2F program. GM simply did not want to build a new transmission and hoped internal changes could cope with the 7- litres greater torque, but this was not the case.
There is a lot of mystique about the transmission. Pete Lyons, in his ‘Profile Publications’ article on the Chaparral ‘Glassfibre Cars’ described it as follows, “It was laid out much like a Hewland with 2 speeds and later 3 and an hydraulic coupling, a torque convertor instead of a clutch.”
“The gears were simple straight-cut spurs engaged by sliding dog clutches; every second dog was cut back a little to assist the clutchless changes. The changes were all done manually, the driver easing his throttle foot to unload the dogs and snatching the gear as quickly as he could. It therefore wasn’t really an automatic transmission, it was a fluid clutch transmission. The engine was always started with a gear engaged, the driver preventing a lunge forward by firm pressure with his left foot. At…5000rpm the coupling was designed to lock up rigidly to prevent further slip and power loss. Sensitive drivers could feel this happening.”
The advantages of the ‘box were better modulation of braking, on down changes the fluid coupling lessened any tendency of the rear wheels to lock, finally the fluid coupling absorbed many shock loads such as a ‘yump’ landing, common at the time.
Superb James Allington cutaway of the 2F showing all of its innovations : fibreglass monocoque, wing, automatic transmission, 7-litre aluminium block Chev…1967 remember. Simply superb innovative design and execution by Jim Hall and his Texas Team (James Allington)
Jim Hall’s attention to weight saving was fanatical, the car weighed 1750lbs wet, 600lbs less! than the Ford MkIV. This was due to the fibreglass chassis, aluminium rather than (Ford) iron block engine. The batteries were of very expensive cadmium from the aerospace industry.
The body was made of a sandwich of 1/4 inch thick PVC foam between thin skins of ‘4oz cloth’ impregnated with Shell epoxy resin which was formed to shape in a vacuum bag apparatus and then cured at room temperature. Sylvania made new quartz iodide lights using hand made bulbs in Marchal reflectors.
The whole car was built to exceptionally high aerospace standards of quality and finish.
Jim Hall in his 1967 Can-Am challenger, the Chaparral 2G Chev at Bridgehampton. DNF chassis failure. The McLaren M6 Chevs were dominant that year, Robin Herd, the M6 designer freely acknowledged the effect Halls’ designs, especially the 2E, the first car with the high wing had on him. Hulme won the race in his M6A. (Pete Lyons)
Jim Hall and Aerodynamics…
Gordon Kirby interviewed Jim Hall in 2008, he published these comments by Hall about his seminal aerodynamic work in the mid-sixties.
“We calibrated the suspension by just rolling the car out and putting weights on it so we knew what load it took to move the car up and down. We had a cable drive that drove a pencil and a roll of paper that was run by a little motor so you could set your zero point. You would go out and make a run and push a button and make a mark across the paper so we knew what the front and rear downforce was. You could run a couple of different speeds and then you could put it on a graph. You knew that it was increasing as the square of the speed so you knew what the curve looked like and you pretty much had the downforce over a speed range. That was pretty simple to do.”
Hall’s method of measuring the air pressure or downforce on the surface of his car’s wings or bodywork was equally simple in concept. “The other thing we did was when we needed to change the surface we had a manometer that was just a bunch of u-tubes made out of tigon tubing and full of coloured water,” Hall related. “If you were in a sportscar you put it in the seat beside you and then went out and tapped a bunch of holes in the paper. You ran these to one side of the tubes and ran the other one to a pitot tube so you could get the dynamic air pressure on the surface.”
“I originally did it with a Polaroid camera. I had a Polaroid camera mounted on the dash and the manometer mounted on the seat back beside me. I didn’t even have a pitot tube for a static pressure source. I read in a book somewhere that a guy in WWI thought about doing this. The way he thought about doing it was you took a thermos bottle and put a piece of tubing in it and right before you made the test you opened it up then closed it so you had static air pressure in it. Then you went out to make your run and compared it to the pressures you got, then opened it and made sure it didn’t change. In a matter of about twenty minutes that thermos bottle would maintain an even enough temperature that the pressure wouldn’t change much. So you had some static pressure while you were sitting in the pit and you also had static pressure when you were going down the straightaway. It’s simple-minded, but pretty tricky! And that’s the way we started.”
“Then we bought a light airplane pitot tube and mounted it out front of the car. We found a static pressure place where we could run that pitot tube that matched the thermos. Then we had a static pressure source all the time.’
Thus began the serious science of racing car aerodynamics. Of course, Hall had no idea about the depth of the pandora’s box he was opening but he is without doubt the father of the modern aerodynamically-driven racing car.
This overhead shot is of the 2F at Targa 1967, drivers Hill and Hap Sharp. The angle is interesting; you can see the contours of the car, radical for the time. Front flap exit above the number, mid-ships mounted rads and exit venting, the row of 3 circular vents in the rear panel to relieve air pressure and the ever present driver adjustable rear wing, max downforce for 90% of the time in Sicily I imagine. (Unattributed)Chaparral 2F Chev ‘butt shot’ in the Le Mans parc ferme. The radically different aerodynamic treatment in terms of both the cars shape and rear wing apparent. Road registered to boot…The car qualfied 2nd in the hands of Mike Spence and Phil Hill, they retired on lap 225 with transmission oil seal failure. The sister Jennings/Johnson 2F failed after 91 laps with starter and battery dramas. The race was won by the Gurney/Foyt Ford MkIV. (Unattributed)The 1967 Chaparral 2F’s predecessor in endurance racing was the 1966 2D, here in Jo Bonnier’s hands in the Karussel at the Nurburgring where he and Phil Hill won on the cars European debut. The 2D also used a fibreglass monocoque chassis, had a 2 rather than 3 speed box of the 2F and was powered by a Chev 327cid/5360cc ‘small block’ Chev giving circa 475 bhp @ 7000 rpm. Like the 2F, its race record was littered with DNF’s, 6 from 7 starts. (Unattributed)
Chaparral 2F: Eight race history…
One of the things which strikes you about this big car when you look at its speed during 1967 is its pace on all types of circuits. It was on pole at Monza, Spa, and the Nurburgring, started from grid position two at Sebring and Le Mans, and grid three at Brands.
The challenges of the Daytona bowl are vastly different to the swoops and curves of Targa or the ‘Ring let alone the high speed challenge of Le Mans. It was clearly a complete-car, an excellent all around package- the best car, Phil Hill was quoted as saying, that he ever drove.
At Daytona 2F ran with its wing fixed in position, but still only just missed pole. Hill lead, took the fastest race lap and was pulling away from the Ferrari P4s until the fourth hour, falling off on marbles after a pitstop and hitting a wall. Hill was a little miffed that teammate Mike Spence, with whom he had a great working relationship, had not warned him about the hazard, their race ended on lap 93, Bandini and Amon took a Ferrari P4 win.
Mike Spence here, and Jim Hall raced the 2F at Sebring. Fastest race lap but again DNF with ‘box troubles. (Nigel Smuckatelli)
At Sebring Hill was forced to retire from the meeting having acute appendicitis, so Jim Hall stepped into the car with Spence, he was second on the grid but had trouble starting. The car retired on lap 145 with differential failure, the car car trailed smoke for several laps in advance of retirement, victory went to the McLaren/Andretti Ford MkIV.
In Europe the cars were based in Frankfurt, the Monza event was the first on the continent. Spence put the car on pole, using the second 2D chassis converted to 2F spec, and from the flag diced with the P4s but a universal joint failure eliminated the car before the end of the first hour. Bandini/Amon won in a P4.
At Spa a week later, the car had a small trim tab added at the wings trailing edge, the tab made it easier to adjust the wings settings at high speed. Hill put the car on pole by 3.5 seconds but rain fell on Sunday. ‘Rainmaster’ and local boy Jacky Ickx “ate us alive” Hill said. Spence ran in fifth until a fuel stop after which the car refused to start. At half distance it was eighth but another blown transmission seal caused its retirement. Ickx and Thomson won in a Mirage M1.
Phil Hill in his ‘outta this world’ futuristic Chaparral juxtaposed with the ancient Sicilian landscape…and the oh-so-conventional, if gorgeous Ferrari P4s for that matter. But Porsche prevailed, as they so often did at Targa. (Yves Debraine)
Mike Spence had other commitments so Hap Sharp stepped in with Phil Hill at the Little Madonie. The 575 bhp ‘roller skate’ was a challenge around the mountainside of the famous Targa course.
Local boy, Nino Vaccarella was faster in practice than the 2F by 1.5 minutes, the car not entirely happy over the bumps but was still up to fourth, 9.5 minutes behind the leading Porsche when a tyre went flat at Collesano. Paul Hawkins and Rolf Stommelen took the win in a factory Porsche 910.
Lookout! Phlegmatic Siciliani…Targa 1967. Ride height up for this event, front splitter replete with an empty pasta packet clear. Phil Hill/ Hap Sharp Chap 2F. (Unattributed)
At the ‘Ring Spence took five seconds from the old sportscar lap record and set the first over 100mph lap by a sporty. John Surtees was seven seconds adrift in his Lola T70. Hill put on his harness after the Le Mans start so came around in sixth, by lap eight he moved into the lead, but at about the 1.5 hour mark, on lap 10, the cars transmission again failed. Schutz/Buzzeta won in a Porsche 910.
Phil Hill is back in the pack on lap 1 of the Nurburgring 1000Km, having carefully put on his ‘belt. Amongst the class cars are a Ford GT40 in front of him, you can also see the nose of the Surtees/David Hobbs Lola T70Mk3 Aston Martin behind and to the side, DNF with rear suspension failure. That wing will have given cars being pursued no doubt as to the car behind! (Automobile Year)
Le Mans was and still is all important, two Chaparrals ran. Hill/Spence missed pole by only 0.3 of a second from a Ford MkIV. Johnson/Jennings in the other 2F were 24th. Both 2F’s got away well, by the end of the first hour Spence was fourth and by the second he was 2nd, then the wing actuation mechanism broke, the car went into high downforce, safe mode, knocking around 40 mph off the top speed.
Inevitably the transmsision gave trouble but the car was still in third when an heroic three hour rebuild of the transmission was commenced by the crew, all to no avail as the car was withdrawn. The other 2F retired earlier with electrical failure. The race was famously won by the All American Boys, AJ Foyt and Dan Gurney in a Ford MkIV.
The long three hour, crowd pleasing, crowd appreciating transmission rebuild is underway. Le-Mans 1967. Franz Weis and Karl Schmid start the process by stripping the rear of the car to gain ‘box access, no mean feat in itself given the careful integration of the overall package. (Karl Ludvigsen)
The inaugural Brands Hatch 500 Miles was the last championship race of the season. The Brabham/Hulme LolaT70 was on pole, Spence/Hill were 0.8 second adrift in third. Hulme took the lead but retired with rocker failure, letting the 2F into the lead. A long mid-race pitstop dropped them back to third but consistent laps taking two seconds per lap from the Ferrari in front saw the wonderful car displace the Stewart/Amon Ferrari P4. A winner, finally!
Motor racing is full of ‘ifs, buts and maybes’.
As the great, late and laconic Frank Gardner said ‘If Yer Aunty had Balls She’d be Yer Uncle’.
One wonders what this seminal, defining, brilliant car would have achieved had the ‘oh-so-clever’ ‘automatic gearbox’ which was such a big part of most of the Chaparral 2 program, had the re-engineered gearbox it so badly needed and deserved.
In a sad sequel, Jim Hall was preparing for another season with a 7-litre car for 1968 when the FIA announced a 3- litre limit for prototypes from 1968 and limited sportscars to 5-litres in capacity- 25 examples of which had to be built for homologation. The big Fords and Chaparrals were out, racing was the poorer for it.
It was not over for Chaparral of course, but after 1967 they focused on their domestic Can-Am Championship with equally radical cars, and many years later a victorious assault on the Indy 500, both stories for another time.
Mike Spence in the 2F at Brands Hatch headingfor victory and running ahead of the factory Ferrari P4 of Ludovico Scarfiotti and Peter Sutcliffe, 5th. (Louis Klemantaski)
Tailpiece…
Its hard to know which of Jim Hall’s cars was the wildest, perhaps the ’69 Can-Am 2H, a very unsuccessful one i will write about soon. He doubled his bets with the 1970 2J, the famous ‘ground effect sucker’ car being so quick officialdom banned it and with it the whole ethos that made the Can-Am the great ‘Formula Libre’ Series that it was. Here at Riverside, sportscar ace Vic Elford in the 2J Chev leads Peter Gethin in the championship winning McLaren M8D Chev. Hulme won the race in the other M8D, Gethin DNF engine on lap 21 and Elford DNF engine on lap2. (Unattributed)
Etcetera…
Jim Hall, left and Phil Hill CanAm 1966. (Unattributed)Chaparral 2F drawing, car depicted as it raced at Targa 1967. (Unattributed)Sebring engine change showing the girth of the aluminium 7-litre ‘big block’ Chev and the housing of the famous GM ‘automatic’ transaxle. I wonder how long the change it took from start to finish? (Unattributed)Targa 2F butt shot, aero treatment of the car nicely contrasts with the Sicilian ‘roadies’. Wing in maximum downforce mode. Note the rear devoid of tail panel, compared with the earlier Le-Mans rear shot. (Bernard Cahier)Phil Hill aviating the 2F at the Nurburgring despite the Chaparral wing in full downforce mode! Lightening fast, the 1000Km another race the car should have won on a circuit one would not necessarily have thought it were suited. A versatile car the 2F, quick pretty much everywhere. (Unattributed)The ‘Chaparral Family Tree’…(Unattributed)
Credits…
Pete Lyons ‘The Chaparral 2,2D,2F The Glassfibre Series’ Profile Publications, Cutaway drawing- James Allington, Jim Hall quotes from a Gordon Kirby ‘MotorSport’ articles in November 2008 and January 2011, Dave Friedman, Bill Wagenblatt ‘Track Thoughts’, Albert Bochroch, Nigel Smuckatelli, Karl Ludvigsen, Bernard Cahier, Louis Klemantaski, Brian Hatton
See this link for some great information on Jim Halls fabulous cars…
Steve McQueen , the ‘King of Cool’ to a couple of generations fettles his Jaguar XKSS on the set of ‘Wanted : Dead or Alive’…
McQueens movie exploits included such classics as ‘The Magnificent Seven’, ’The Great Escape’, ’The Thomas Crown Affair’, ’Papillon’, and in an automotive sense ‘Bullitt’ and the iconic racing movie ‘Le Mans’, ‘up there’ with ‘Grand Prix’ and now ‘Rush’ perhaps as THE racing movie.
‘Wanted : Dead or Alive’ ran as a tele-series in the US from 1958 to 1961 McQueen playing the role of bounty hunter Josh Randall, it essentially made his career, he was the first TV star to cross over to equivalent movie success.
He was a car, ‘bike and motor racing fanatic competing early in his career until the studios said ‘its racing or us, your choice!’.
Amongst the cars he owned were Cooper T62 Formula Junior, Lotus 11 Le Mans, Austin Healey (Sebring) Sprite, Porsche 1600 Super, AC Cobra and perhaps most famously the Porsche 908 he placed second in the 1970 Sebring 12 Hour race, one of the Blue Riband endurance events then as now.
Revvie and McQueen being interviewed by Chris Economaki at the end of Sebring 1970. Revson looks fresh enough to do another race! Revson on the cusp of greatness at the time. (Dave Friedman)
Sebring 12 Hour ’70…
In those days Grand Prix Drivers also competed in the World Endurance Championship, McQueens co-driver Peter Revson, a Lola Can Am racer in 1970 ,and later a Grand Prix winner with Mclaren drove the greater number of laps but McQueen who raced in a plaster cast as a consequence of a broken ankle in a motorbike accident several weeks before was no slouch in a field which included Mario Andretti, Jacky Ickx ,Pedro Rodriguez, Jo Siffert and many more. The race was won by Andretti, Ignazio Giunti and Nino Vaccarella in a works Ferrari 512S.
McQueens own company ,Solar Productions, made ‘Le Mans’ , ‘his cars owned cv’ therefore includes the cars used in making the film ; Ferrari 512S, Porsche 917, LolaT70, Ford GT40, Chevron B16 and so on…some of the best sports cars of all time.
XKSS…
The Jaguar XKSS is the roadgoing variant of Jaguars ‘50s endurance winner the XK’D’ Type which won Le Mans 3 years on the trot , 1955-57. McQueens car is chassis number # 713, construction of the cars ending with the awful fire which all but destroyed Jags’ Browns Lane, Coventry factory in February 1957. 16 were built and later that year 2 more D Types were converted to full XKSS specs, but retaining their XKD chassis plates.
The division between the seats of the ‘D’ were cut away, headrest removed, and a windscreen fitted. The spartan interior was trimmed, a ‘pack rack’ mounted on the boot, hood and sidescreens fabricated.
Most of the cars went to the ‘States and all retained their D Type mechanical specifications making them amongst the fastest road cars of their day…3.4 litre DOHC straight 6, 3 X 45 DCO3 Webers , 4 speed box, independent front suspension, live rear axle, Dunlop disk brakes, circa 250 BHP and good for between 124 and 166 miles per hour dependent upon the final drive ratio specified.
The automotive tastes and talent of the ‘King of Cool’ were great, McQueen died of cancer, aged 50 on November 7 1980
Australian Sportscar Championship, the ‘Endeavour Cup’, Phillip Island 1975…
One of the stranger public relations exercises in 1975 was Alfa Romeo Australia’s entry of a Motor-Show Circuit-Queen in the Australian Sports Car Championship.
The one race Endeavour Cup – 30 laps 143km – held at Phillip Island on 30 November attracted a strong field of 40 or so of Group A or Can-Am type open sportscars, Production Sports and Clubman cars.
Elfin’s Garrie Cooper built a new car to contest sportscar racing in 1974, his MS7 was powered by one of his F5000 Repco-Holden engines, and was designed using all of the experience Ansett Team Elfin had gained in running 5-litre single-seater cars since 1971. The Elfin would offer the Alfa’s major competition.
Tipo 33/3 ‘75080-005’ Coupe…
The superb looking Alfa Tipo 33/3 had been on the show circuit for some years, including an appearance at the Melbourne Motor Show in early 1975.
Alfa’s Tipo 33 in various forms was Autodelta’s entry in the World Sports Car Championship or Championship of Makes for over ten years with Alfa winning the championship in 1975 and 1977 using flat-12, circa 500-530bhp 33TT12 and 33SC12 machines.
‘Our’ Tipo 33/3 Coupe was built in 1969. The accepted history is that the car was updated by Autodelta in 1971 and is possibly chassis #75080-005.
The consensus is that the car is the machine raced by Nino Vaccarella at Hockenheim in July 1969. He popped the swoopy-coupe on pole at the Solituderennen and finished third behind Hans Hermann in David Piper’s Lola T70 Mk3B Chev, and Gerhard Koch in a Porsche 908/02. A month later in Sicily, he won the Coppa Citta di Enna against modest opposition. The rest is a bit uncertain, but at some point, perhaps 1971, a 4-litre DOHC, four-valve, circa 510bhp V8 replaced the 3-litre circa 400bhp four-valve unit originally fitted when raced by the Sicilian.
The 4-litre unit was developed for Can-Am series use. Chassis T33/3 75080-023 was raced by the Otto Zipper team with both 3 and 4-litre motors fitted. It was driven by Scooter Patrick without much success in the famous Group 7 series in 1970 and 1971. The results are hardly surprising given the 7-litre papaya coloured monsters (McLaren M8D/F Chev et al) running up front.
Zipper’s “4-litre car, a T33/3 was often referred to as a T33/4” according to Collins and McDonough. In the same way that T33/2s which raced with 2.5-litre V8s did not become T33/2.5s when so fitted, so too, our subject car when fitted with its 4-litre V8 did not become a T33/4.
Both the Zipper and subject car, are Tipo 33/3s. These are type, or model numbers, not engine capacities. To differentiate both cars (Zipper and the subject car) from T33/3s fitted with the usual 3-litre V8, the correct description is Tipo 33/3 4-litre. If evidence can be produced of Autodelta or Alfa Romeo using the T33/4 model designation in period, I will stand corrected.
In addition to the engine change, the T33/3 4-litre’s curvaceous original nose (see photos) was replaced by one to later 1971 specifications, which is as it raced in Australia. No photographs have come to light of the car competing in this later form elsewhere in the world.
The Alfa is a marked contrast visually with Cooper’s Elfin which was aerodynamically influenced by the all-conquering 1972-73 Can-Am Porsche 917/10-30.
By 1972 the Alfa T33/3 4-litre was being used as a promotional tool by Alfa Romeo globally in car shows, some poor quality photographs online show it in Beijing that year in the form shown below.
The Race…
The exotic Alfa Romeo created a lot of interest at Phillip Island but it wasn’t race prepared, and was fitted with unsuitable gear ratios. It smoked its way around the ‘Island for three days, Fred Gibson did a great job bringing the gorgeous, misfiring car home in third place.
Fred was in Alfa Romeo’s touring car squad at the time running 105 Series 2000 GTVs, but his pedigree included a potent Brabham BT16 Climax Tasman 2.5 single seater and a 5 litre-Elfin 400/R&T Chev sports car. His considerable engineering prowess and mechanical sympathy brought her home and gave we spectators the chance to see the fabulous car race in Australia for its one and only appearance. A lesser driver would not have been able to stroke the thing home.
Garrie Cooper ran away with the event, his sprint car was far quicker than the heavy endurance racer, unprepared as it was. Henry Michell was second in the Elfin 360 Repco 2.5 in which he won the Australian Sports Car Championship in 1974 (a four race series). Fourth was Paul Gibson in a Rennmax Repco 2.5 and fifth, Stuart Kostera in an ex-Frank Matich, Matich SR3A.
The shrill note of the 2.5-litre Repco Tasman V8s and muscular note of the Alfa, also running a single plane crankshaft was in marked contrast to the basso-profundo bellow of the Chev and Repco Holden production based V8s; that long straight and open nature of Phillip Island was, and still is an aural and visual feast.
I was there for the weekend which also featured the final round of the Australian Formula 2 Championship. Geoff Brabham won that race and title in a Birrana 274 Hart-Ford, then headed off to Europe to pursue F3 and subsequent fame and fortune.
The ordinary black and white paddock shots were the best I could manage with my little Olympus Trip 35 but show the car’s lines well. Call it Alfa’s 917 or 512S in looks without quite the success rate!
Retirement…
The Tipo 33/3 was sold to Melbourne Alfista Ern Stock for a nominal sum, and the cost of outstanding Customs duties, it was just an old racing car after all!
Stock was more of an old-car-guy than a racer. The car appeared at an Alfa Romeo Owners Club day at Winton driven by Col Goldie once. It also did a few laps of a Canberra Motel carpark at an Alfesta – the annual Easter gathering of the Australian Alfa Romeo clubs – one morning in the early 1980s. The poor old Canberra pollies had not heard such excitement since the Petrov Affair!
Eventually the car was Hoovered up by an American dealer as cars of its ilk became global Automotive Monets.
Only Alfa would have done the nutty thing they did, but god bless ’em for doing so, the car was worth travelling a long way to see and hear. It only ran in Australia, just once!
The scrappy photos above and below show the car being driven in anger. While perhaps not as pretty as in its original 1969 guise the machine has a muscular beauty all of its own – quite Ferrari 512S like.
It does make you wonder how it could have fared had it raced at 4-litres in 1970 or 1971 in endurance events. I’m not suggesting it would have knocked off the Ferrari or dominant Porsche 917 mind you, but in 1971 the T33/3 3-litre prototypes were quicker and more reliable than hitherto, taking wins at Brands Hatch, Targa and Watkins Glen thereby giving Alfa Romeo/Autodelta a very well deserved second placing behind Porsche, in the International Championship of Makes; a 4-litre Coupe in the mix is an interesting mighta-been?
Fred Gibson, Phillip Island 1975
(M Bisset)
Butt shot at Phillip Island 1975. With the addition of fresh rubber and attention to coolant, lubricants and brake fluid, a safety check and a wheel alignment it was off-we-go-with-what-we-have, superb opportunism by Alfa Australia really.
With a fresh engine and suitable ratios the car would have been competitive, but would not have knocked off Cooper’s Elfin. Melbourne Alfista and historian, Vin Sharp, recalls that Ern Stock bought a second engine with the car. Presumably the spares’ health was unknown otherwise the team could have swapped engines overnight at the Island to address the weekend long misfire.
(M Bisset)
Bullshit…
conceptcarz.com wrote in an article about the ‘1970 Tipo 33/4 Tasman Coupe’, and that the T33 was ‘Driven by Pescarolo and De Adamich in three liter form in Europe, it was later run with a 4 liter V8 in Europe’s InterSeries (in blue livery) driven by Teodoro Zeccoli. Later sent to Australia, at the request of Sig Tadini of Alfa-Romeo, Australia, the car was campaigned in the Tasman Cup, since it was already fitted with the larger V-8. It was driven by Graham Lawrence. It was brought to the United States in 1988’ our star writer/researcher wrote. Richard Cranium is his name I suspect.
I can be accused of slavishly following, what has on occasion turned out to be the utter crap written by others, but this nonsense is a total crock-of-shit.
The T33/3 Coupe was never, ever, referred to as a ‘1970 Tipo 33/4 Tasman Coupe’ in period – in any period, not at least until it became a beauty princess in the USA.
The 1970 Tasman Series was a championship of seven races in New Zealand and Australia that January/February for Tasman 2.5 (and under) and Formula 5000 single-seater racing cars. Not 3-litre or 4-litre or sportscars of any sort. The 1970 Tasman was won by Graeme (not Graham) Lawrence, a Kiwi, in an ex-Chris Amon Ferrari Dino 246T, a little, itty-bitty, red, cigar shaped cutey-car which bares little similarity to a big, red, butch 1969 Alfa Romeo T33/3 Coupe or a ‘1970 Alfa Romeo T33/4 Tasman Coupe’, whatever that is.
Lets raise a glass to utter Disney-esque, fanciful bullshit…
Etcetera…
Another shot of Col Goldie?, Amaroo Park ‘Tribute to Alfa Romeo’ meeting in the eighties.
The car when owned by Ern Stock during an Alfesta in Canberra, 1982.
Dick Willis and Colin Bond (left) with the Tipo 33/3 4-litre during the launch of the Alfa 33 road car at Dick’s Coffs Harbour Alfa Romeo/Datsun dealership in 1984.
Bondy was racing Alfa’s amongst other things by that stage, and was present as an ‘Alfa Ambassadore’ as Dick put it.
Smile kid. ‘Walter Anker’ and our star car date and place unknown.
Photo and other Credits…
Autopix, Alfa Bulletin Board, Vin Sharp, Autodelta, Mark Bisset, Conceptcarz.com, ‘World Sports Racing Prototypes’- wsrp.cz, racingsportscars.com, Claudy Schmitz, Dick Willis, Tim Bartsch, ‘Alfa Romeo Tipo 33:The development & racing history’ Peter Collins & Ed McDonough, Auto Action December 4, 1975
primotipo... 