Robin Pare, Pete Geoghegan in Ford Mustangs, Bruno Carosi Jag Mk2, Frank Gardner Alfa GTA and Robin Bessant Lotus Cortina on the downhill plunge towards The Viaduct, Longford Improved Production Touring Car race 1967 (oldracephotos.com)
Pete Geoghegan did so many times too! The Sydneysider is here doing his stuff aboard the first of his two Ford Mustangs at Longford during the Tasman round in February 1967…
The Brothers Geoghegan, Leo and Ian or ‘Pete’ were stars of Australian Motor Racing from the late-fifties into the mid-seventies, Leo in single-seaters and Pete in ‘taxis’, touring cars of all pursuations. When he was a youth Pete was quick in a brief career in single seaters and a Lotus 23 Ford but he became a ‘big unit’ so his girth meant he was best suited to cars with a roof.
Geoghegan , Gardner and Carosi off the front row, no sign of Pare – perhaps not the same race grid as above (oldracephotos.com)
A supreme natural, Geoghegan made a car sing with flair and feel blessed to some from above. Every car he drove. His band-width extended from GT’s to Sports Cars, Production Tourers and very highly modified Sports Sedans- sedans of considerable power and performance.
His CV included some of the most iconic cars raced in Australia over the decades above including a Lotus 7 , 22, 23, the Scuderia Veloce Ferrari 250LM, Holden ‘Humpy’, Jaguar 3.4, Morris 850, the two Mustangs, Cortinas- both GT and Lotus variants, Falcon GT’s, Falcon GTHO’s, Valiant Charger E49, highly modified Porsche 911’s, his iconic, Ford factory built and later Bowin Cars modified Ford Falcon GTHO ‘Super Falcon’ and the superb John Sheppard built Holden Monaro GTS350 Sports Sedan.
That car was as conceptually clever, beautifully built and presented sedan racer as any ever constructed in Oz. Lets not forget his late career drives in Laurie O’Neill’s Porsche 935, a notoriously tricky device to master. Much earlier on he drove O’Neills Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, every bit as exotic as the 935.
(T Watts)Big Pete finesses the Mustang into The Viaduct (oldracephotos.com)
Geoghegan, five times Australian Touring Car Champion 1965-69 was an immensely popular racer with the fans, his bulk, manner and ‘stutter’ part of his appeal. He was not without his issues mind you. Touring Car racing is a religion in Australia, our sedan racing has been the equal of the best in the world for decades and arguably for the last 20 years our V8 Supercar category has been consistently one of the Top 5 sedan racing contests on the planet.
A touch of the opposites on the exit to Newry (oldracephotos.com)
So, the pantheon of talented touring car aces is large, and membership of the Top 10 a subject of much informed pub chatter, tough. Most knowledgeable touring car observers would have Geoghegan in their Top 10, if not Top 5, along with the likes of Norm Beechey, Peter Brock, Allan Moffat, Dick Johnson, Jim Richards (a Kiwi but we take him as our own) Mark Skaife, Glenn Seton, Craig Lowndes, Garth Tander, Jamie Whincup and others.
(oldracephotos.com)
Etcetera…
(unattributed)
Geoghegan, Gardner and Robin Pare.
(unattributed)
Pete booting the ‘Stang out of Mountford in typical style.
(unattributed)
Geoghegan and Pare.
(unattributed)
Photo Credits…
Oldracephotos.com- Harrison and David Keep, Tim Watts
Tailpiece: Came, Saw, Conquered and then returned to Sydney…
Mildren ‘LHD’ GTA, Kevin Bartlett, Lakeside, Queensland 1966 (J Stanley)
Kevin Bartlett explores and exploits the laws of physics in the Alec Mildren Racing Alfa Romeo GTA , Lakeside, Queensland, Australia circa 1966…
Some years later American F5000 driver, Sam Posey while competing in the Tasman Series and observing KB’s Lola at close quarters described Bartlett as the ‘master of opposite lock’. It was an aspect of his driving which worked for him and we spectators throughout his career regardless of the cars he drove – sedans, sports cars or single seaters.
Team Mildren Warwick Farm 1966, not 1967 I think…big professional team 60’s Style! Cars are Mildren LHD GTA, TZ2 and the Brabham BT2/6 Ford raced by Bartlett at that stage. WF Tasman Meeting 13 February 1966 (Allegerita)
Alec Mildren Racing and Kevin Bartlett…
AMR was one of Australia’s first professional teams, the basis of the team was formed around a nucleus of talented people who fettled Alec Mildren’s cars during his own single seater campaigns. He won the Australian Gold Star Championship and Australian Grand Prix in a Cooper T51 Maserati in 1960.
Shortly thereafter Mildren retired from driving to concentrate on his business interests which primarily involved the retail car trade. He was the first Alfa Romeo dealer/distributor in New South Wales and his race team employed great drivers including Frank Gardner, Kevin Bartlett and Max Stewart.
Mildren’s passion was single-seaters but the team also raced Alfas, notably two GTAs, a TZ2 and later 105 Series coupes of various capacities in Series Production events as those grew in stature in the late 1960s.
Alec Mildren Racing and the laid back nature of the Tasman series circa 1967. Bartlett is sitting on the wheel of his Brabham BT11A Climax 2.5 Tasman car. The Alfa is the prototype TZ2 referred to in the shot above. The smiley chap at right rear is young Fred Gibson, then racing a Lotus Elan 26R. Warwick Farm, New South Wales (P Windsor)
Kevin Bartlett started racing in his mother’s Morris Minor and very quickly the young mechanic made a name for himself as a fast driver with strong mechnical knowledge and sympathy. By 1965 he was driving an Elfin Imp FJ owned by the McGuire family and an Austin Healey Sprite and TVR for others. He recalls that ‘Alec and Glenn Abbey (Mildren’s engineer/mechanic) were always on the lookout for talent, Ralph Sach and Charles Smith who drove for them at the time were getting older and I performed well against them in cars with much less capacity. They also took into account that I could drive different types of cars and do as well as I could’.
‘ I got to race the Alfas’ and then the little Brabham BT2/6 which was powered by a pushrod Ford engine, and in mid-1965 the Mildren Maserati, which was the first really powerful car I drove, racing it at Lowood and then winning the 1965 Victorian Sportscar Championship in it at Sandown’.
The Mildren Maserati was built by Bob Britton of Rennmax Engineering, essentially a Lotus 19 clone, it used some of the running gear from Alec Mildren’s 1960 Gold Star Championship winning Cooper T51 Maserati, particularly the gearbox and 2.9-litre 250S Maser engine.
KB made his presence felt in that ’65 Victorian championship race beating Bib Stillwell’s Cooper Monaco Buick V8 and Spencer Martin’s Scuderia Veloce Ferrari 250LM amongst others. He had well and truly arrived…
Bartlett in ‘LHD’ entering the Viaduct at Longford leading Allan Moffat’s Lotus Cortina in March 1966 (E French)
Mildren GTAs…
There were two, first a LHD and later a RHD car, Bartlett drove both in their competitive heyday and both ended up racing in Western Australia.
Bartlett at it again…Leger Corner , Warwick Farm 1966 ‘RHD’ Mildren GTA (autopics)The Autodelta factory, Milan circa 1967, car is a GTA Stradale – road spec GTA (Pinterest)
Autodelta…
The original step-front Alfa Giulia Sprint GT was penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone and has to be one of the most beautifully balanced, delicate designs of the 1960s.
Autodelta was the factory Alfa racing subsidiary formed by famed ex-Ferrari engineer, Carlo Chiti, and Ludovico Chizzola in 1963 after the closure of ATS, the Grand Prix team formed by ex-Ferrari staff after a purge by the Commendatore in 1961. In 1964 Alfa acquired Autodelta and moved it to Milan, near its HQ.
The Giulia sedan was race developed and did well in Australia winning the Sandown 6 Hour in 1964, but it was too heavy against the Lotus Cortinas so development started on the Giulia Sprint GT coupe in 1964.
This ‘GTA’ was built to compete in sedan racing globally, in Group 2 under FIA rules, which boomed in the 60s. On 18 February 1965 the first Giulia Sprint GTA was unveiled at the Autosalon in Amsterdam, it was followed by the GTA Junior 1300 in 1968 and later the 1750/2000 GTAm.
Interior of Australian owned GTA Stradale (M Bisset)
GTA 1600 Tipo 105.32 specifications…
The car featured lightweight bodies utilising Peraluman 25, a light alloy comprising aluminium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc. The superstructure remained steel, including the sill panels. The roof, bonnet, boot lid, rear inner support panel and spare wheel well, dash, parcel shelf support panels and rear seat support were all made from P25. The lightening continued with minimal sound deadening, Perspex side and rear windows on Corsa (race) cars. The GTA lost 205kg compared to the Giulia Sprint GT, for a total weight of 820kg.
Alfa had to build 1000 cars to qualify for the FIA’s Group 2 Touring Car regulations, the Stradale (road) version helped, being built on Alfa’s normal, Arese production line. Race prepared cars were taken after completion at Arese, to Autodelta, the exact specifications of each car was built customer order.
The car’s engine was a twin-plug, highly tuned version of Alfa’s famous DOHC engine. The head was ported and polished, higher compression pistons, high lift cams and lightened flywheel were fitted. All reciprocating parts were balanced, increasing power to in excess of 175bhp. An oil cooler and deeper sump aided reliability.
The engine/bay of the ‘RHD Mildren GTA’ as restored, Philip Island 2013 (Flickr)
A limited slip diff and sliding-block rear axle locating system was fitted. The standard five-speed gearbox had a greater range of ratio choices, similarly the diff ratio was to choice from homologated alternatives. The front suspension was modified with adjustable top arms to allow negative camber to driver’s choice.
The cars were immediately and immensely successful winning the first round of the European Touring Car Challenge in March 1966. Andrea de Adamich won the Division 2 Drivers Title and Alfa the European Manufacturers title. In the US, Jochen Rindt won the SCCA Trans American Sedan Championship race at Sebring, many championships followed throughout the world. The GTAm won Alfa’s last championship for the 105, the ETCC Manufacturers Championship in 1971, the cars were competitive for a long time with ongoing development.
Arnaldo Tonti, Autodela mechanic attributed the success of the car in Octane magazine to ‘… a perfect balance between a very good chassis, with a very low centre of gravity, and a very strong, powerful and reliable engine. The Autodelta sliding block for the rear suspension was a work of art lowering the car and making it quicker and more stable through the corners and giving its characteristic raised front wheel. The engines were capable of 6800/7000rpm…’
Bruce Wells’ shot of Kevin Bartlett at Warwick Farm in 1966, in LHD Mildren GTA
In Australia Mildren’s LHD car landed in mid-1965…
The car was raced in the Sandown 6 Hour race in November 1965 by Alfa factory driver Roberto Businello and Ralph Sach. Businello tested the car at Balacco before it was shipped to Australia, it was a trick-GTA, very light having the aluminium floor relatively few had.
It led at Sandown until lap 99, with victory going to Bartlett and Gardner in the Mildren Giulia Super Ti which was also victorious the year before.
Businello in the GTA, Sandown 6 Hour 1965 (cooper997collection)
Gardner and Bartlett then raced it in supporting events during the 1966 Tasman Series, Gardner winning outright at Warwick Farm and Sandown with Bartlett first in class at Longford.
‘It was a pleasant car to drive, KB recalled recently. We ran the car at Bathurst, had a win there against Bob Janes’ Mustang on that power circuit. I preferred the LHD car (to the RHD car) as it had the right-hand change which was what I was most familiar with given the sports-car and single-seaters I was racing. There was not much difference in the performance of the two cars, although the LHD was a semi-works spec car. We could knock off the big cars at Warwick Farm but it was much harder at Sandown and the like’.
‘The under 1600cc closest competitors to the GTA were the Mini Coopers who were giving away capacity to us, they were great handling and very quick with the right guys such as Brian Foley and Peter Manton at the wheel. The LHD was sold as it was getting a little long in the tooth in terms of miles, Alec sold it to a guy named Stephenson in WA.’
Kevin Bartlett coming off Long Bridge, Longford in early 1966 (E French)
Used mainly in State level events the car also contested the one-race Australian Touring Car Championship in 1966. Held at the Easter Bathurst meeting, Bartlett did well to finish third to the big V8s of Pete Geoghegan and Norm Beechey aboard Ford Mustang and Chevy Nova respectively. Run over 20 laps – 75 miles – of Mount Panorama, what the GTA lacked in top speed up and down the mountain was largely made up across the top and under brakes.
KB was victorious at Warwick Farm in May and that month also won the Queensland Production Touring Car Championship at Surfers Paradise. He took a race win at Lowood, Queensland in June before the car was sold to Frank Cecchele, a Perth Alfa dealer and raced for him by Gordon Stephenson. It was rolled at Caversham in 1967.
Wonderful, evocative Caversham shot in 1968. Stephenson in the ‘LHD Mildren GTA’, gridding up with Kitz Kohout and Jeff Dunkerton in Porsche 911S and Mini Cooper S respectively, the rest of the field are moving forward and out of shot. This was the last year for Caversham before it was closed for racing (P Boxsell)
‘LHD’ competed regularly in WA state events and the annual 6 Hour race held at Caversham ; ’67 DNF Stephenson, ’68 DNF Stephenson, and at Wanneroo Park ’69 DNF Stephenson/ Cooper, ’70 seventh Ricciardello/Zampatti, ’71 DNF and finally in 1972 fourth outright and first in the 1600 class for Ricciardello/Cooper.
The car was all but destroyed at Mt Brown Hillclimb, from the remains, Ricciardello built a V8 engined sports sedan, initially Ford 302, and later Chev 350 powered. Cooper bought the ‘RHD’ Mildren Alfa, which he later owned in partnership with Ricciardello. Current ownership is unknown.
‘LHD’ in 1966 at Mount Brown hillclimb out of York where it was in later years all but written off, this was the end of the car in its original form (Allegerita)LHD at Caversham in 1967 when raced by Gordon Stephenson (Allegerita)Brian Foley’s Cooper S chasing Frank Gardner’s new ‘RHD’ Mildren GTA at Warwick Farm in early 1967. Foley acquired the car six years later. This shot a wonderful example of oversteer and understeer respectively! (B Wells)RHD in the Surfers Paradise 12 Hours in 1967. DNF, KB driving with Doug Chivas, KB has passed the Munyard/Crawford/Calvert Holden 48-215!, at rear the winning Scuderia Veloce Ferrari 250LM of Bill Brown/Greg Cusack approaches (R Bell)
The Mildren RHD GTA, chassis # 752 561…
The LHD chassis number is lost in the mists of time, but RHD was built in July 1965 and first raced by Gardner at Warwick Farm in December 1966. He then raced the car in numerous ’67 Tasman supporting events, winning at Warwick Farm and Longford. Bartlett then took the car over and had wins at Bathurst and Surfers Paradise.
Bartlett again contested the ATCC, this time a one race event held at Lakeside, another power circuit in 1967. Pete Geoghegan’s Mustang won again, this time second and third places were secured by the Cooper S’ of Brian Foley and Peter Manton.
The car was sold to John French in Queensland in 1968 who raced the car and continued to develop it until it was bought by Brian Foley in 1972.
Bartlett fourth in the 1967 ATCC held at Lakeside, Pete Geoghegan was victorious in the one race event (Graham Howard History of the ATCC)Racing Car News ad for the sale of the RHD GTA, March 1968 edition. The Brabham Intercontinental is a Brabham BT11A Climax, the prices are right! (Racing Car News)The Mildren RHD GTA was further developed by John French in terms of wheel/tyres, roll bar and engine (unattributed)
Foley had raced an Alfa GTAm in 1971 in the ATCC and in 1972 as a sports sedan.He converted the car from LHD to RHD and fitted with an Alfa Tipo 33 2.5 litre V8 into the engine bay which had previously housed the 2-litre, twin-plug DOHC, Lucas injected four cylinder engine fitted by the factory.
The T33 V8 was left-over from Mildren’s Brabham and Mildren ‘Yellow Submarine’ single seater program raced by Gardner and Bartlett. I will write about the GTAm separately. The GTAm was a pork-chop compared with the GTA, as it lacked the earlier cars aluminium panels, it was around 200kg heavier.
Foley, a Sydney Alfa dealer reasoned that a more competitive 1973 mount would be a lightened and modified GTA, so off to Bowin Designs in Brookvale, Sydney the car went for major surgery by John Joyce to its suspension, structure, brakes, engine mounting etc. When completed, the car was powered by a 16-valve 2-litre Alfa engine developing 225bhp and weighed 636kg.
GTA Lwt at Oran Park circa 1973 with Foley watching the action at far right (unattributed)Brian Foley in the RHD Mildren GTA – now further developed and lightened by Bowin Designs – and raced as a Sports Sedan in 1973. It’s very easy to confuse this car with Foley’s GTAm which raced in the same livery, and was converted from LHD to RHD when the Tipo 33 2.5 V8 was fitted. The eight injection trumpets protruding through a hole in the bonnet is an easy way to pick the two cars apart (autopics)
The car was fast but V8s were coming into the category in increasing numbers, so after a prang at Oran Park in late 1973 the car was sold to Peter Brown in Canberra. Foley essentially retired from racing after a fine career.
Brown, an Alfa racer from way back, fitted a Mazda Rotary engine then sold it to Neville Cooper in Western Australia, where all exotic Alfas seem to end up! The ‘LHD’ Mildren GTA having been damaged too much in race accidents to continue. A Ford V8 was fitted, then the car was sold to Peter Gillon who raced it for two years before being acquired by Ricciardello and Cooper in partnership.
It was raced very successfully including a win by Cooper in the 1979 Wanneroo 300km race, the car was always competitive in WA Sports Sedan competition during this period.
Ultimately the much raced GTA was acquired by a Sydney enthusiast who had owned GTAs before and was aware of the car’s provenance, a long restoration followed, the car is now a regular entry in historic events across Australia.
For the Sake of Completeness…
It appears there were two other GTAs which raced in Australia in period. The ‘MW Motors GTA’ was raced by Syd Fisher and Frank Porter for MW who were the Victorian Alfa distributor and Melbourne dealer. Sold to Mario Marasco, he raced the car as a Sports Sedan and wrote it off at Hume Weir, it is presumed lost.
The ‘Gulson RHD GTA’ chassis #75247 was restored from a fire-wreck in Western Australia, Vin Sharp, long time Alfisti and owner of the ex-Foley GTAm last had contact with the owner in Scotland about ten years ago.
The MW Motors GTA in the Longford paddock 1968, Alan Hamilton raced it that weekend. It reappeared, restored in 2019 after a ‘barn find’ (P Drury)Frank Porter driving the MW Motors GTA at Sandown, Melbourne for a successful challenge on a 12 hour national record attempt in 1968 (Allegerita)Copy of the first page of the long homologation papers for the GTA (Allegerita)
Etcetera…
Autodelta factory 1965, GTAs and a Giulia Super Ti on the line. Completed cars were delivered from Alfa’s Arese production line and then modified to customer order (Pinterest)Alfa’s test track at Balacco, circa 1966. TZ2s and GTAs, drivers unknown (Pinterest)
Etcetera ‘LHD’…
Roberto Businello in Pit Straight Sandown in November 1965. The car led the Sandown 6 Hour for 2.5 hours, retiring at 99 laps (Allegerita)The start at Longford 1966. Pete Geoghegan Mustang, Bartlett in ‘LHD’ and Allan Moffat in the Lotus Cortina (E French)‘LHD’ at Caversham, WA 1967 (Allegerita)
Etcetera ‘RHD’…
Kevin Bartlett in ‘RHD’, Warwick Farm 1966 (Roderick MacKenzie)‘RHD’ in Mildren ownership, the old Sandown Paddock circa 1967 (Flickr)John French at Lakeside early in his ownership in 1968 (unattributed)John French in ‘RHD’, Lakeside 1970 sandwiched by two Torana GTR XU1s, Dick Johnson in his formative Holden days on the nearside (Alfa Bulletin Board)Brian Foley in ‘RHD’, Oran Park 1973. This is post the Bowin modifications, car has later single headlight 1.6 Junior front clip rather than early Stepfront. Very easy to confuse the car with the ex-Foley GTAm which by this stage was in Perth (Dale Harvey)‘RHD’ in Neville Cooper’s hands, WA (Wells/Neville Cooper)
Special thanks to Kevin Bartlett
For his recollections of the two cars
Sources and Photo Credits…
The Nostalgia Forum, Alfa Bulletin Board, John Stanley, autopics, Bruce Wells Collection, The Roaring Season, Howard/Wilson ‘History of The ATCC’, peterwindsor.com, Paul Boxsell, Roderick MacKenzie, Neville Cooper Collection, Yen Yoshikawa cutaway, Dale Harvey, Ellis French, Ray Bell, ‘Allegerita’ by Tony Adriaensens, Vin Sharp, Perry Drury
primotipo... 