Australian enthusiasts of a certain age will recall Bob Atkin as David McKay’s partner in Scuderia Veloce, the Sydney based race team and prestige car dealership established by McKay as he evolved from racing driver to entrant/entrepreneur/motor trader, in addition to racing/automotive journalism off to the side.
SVs soon became the team to watch, and Atkin had a front row seat. He took his camera with him to race meetings recording the activities of the team, and other competitors in living colour.
In recent times, his son, Greg Atkin has been uploading his dad’s photographs onto Bob Williamson’s Old Australian Motor Racing Photographs Facebook page. I’ll periodically upload ‘Bob Atkin Collection’ pieces rather than lose these amazing colour time capsules in the bowels of FB, many thanks to Greg for sharing them.
This 1968 photograph at Warwick Farm says everything about the fizz SVs created amongst Australian enthusiasts.
The line up is the Ferrari 250LM bought new by McKay first raced for him by Spencer Martin during some of the 1965 Australian Tasman Cup rounds, the ex-Jack Brabham ’67 Tasman mount – Brabham BT23A Repco, and ex-works Ferrari 350 Can Am machine raced throughout 1967 as a P4 enduro coupe before being converted – along with another of its siblings – for Can-Am use in the latter months of 1967 driven by Chris Amon and Jonathon Williams.
I’ve written about these cars before, so lets not double-up, see here; Pete Geoghegan: Ferrari 250LM ‘6321’: Bathurst Easter 1968… | primotipo… here; Bathurst 1969 and Jack’s Tasman Brabham Repcos… | primotipo… and here; Ferrari P4/Can-Am 350 ‘0858’… | primotipo…
Bob was obviously a Leo Geoghegan fan, the earliest of his shots is of Leo doing a lap of honour in an official’s Austin Healey at Mount Druitt, Sydney, perhaps on the day be beat Frank Gardner’s Jaguar C-Type in a handicap race aboard his very quick Holden 48-215, the car is shown below in the Mount Panorama paddock in 1958.
Greg Cusack (at far left above) a successful car dealer himself was one of SV’s longest supported drivers.
These two fabulous shots were taken at Mallala circa 1964. It is the delivery session of Greg’s brand new Elfin Mallala Ford twin-cam by Garrie Cooper (in the natty red sox) and the Elfin boys into the care of the Cusacks. That Rice Trailer will shortly be off on the trip home to Canberra.
By the time I raced at Mallala that pit-counter was long gone, so too the aircraft hangar to the right in the shot below.
Credits…
Greg Atkin for sharing the Bob Atkin’s photographs, Ron Reid Collection, Alan Edward Giltrap
Tailpiece…
Bob Atkin and David McKay at Warwick Farm, probably not long after the Ferrari 350 Can Am arrived in late 1967. To comply with Australian rules, the car was fitted with headlights – such P4 fitments not required under Group 7/Can-Am rules – and a spare wheel, which SV fitted to the rear of the car aft of the transaxle. It ain’t there when this shot was taken.
“That D-Series Ford truck could take two cars, the Brabham on top and P4 (350 Can Am) underneath, the truck came from Greg Cusack’s Ford dealership in Canberra,” wrote Dominic David.
Finito…
primotipo... 