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Hengkie Iriawan Elfin 600C


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#1 ellrosso

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Posted 24 May 2010 - 21:20

I have had a photo request from the guy who is restoring the Iriawan Elfin 600c FVA which raced in the 1970 Singapore GP. He needs to get the livery right so colour would be great. Bit of a long shot but you never know your luck in a big city........
Regards, ellrosso

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#2 jcurran

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Posted 25 May 2010 - 13:50

I have had a photo request from the guy who is restoring the Iriawan Elfin 600c FVA which raced in the 1970 Singapore GP. He needs to get the livery right so colour would be great. Bit of a long shot but you never know your luck in a big city........
Regards, ellrosso


G'day Ellrosso,

I assume that would be chassis 6910. Very interesting that this car is being restored, as it has been out of sight and its whereabouts unknown for a very long time. It would be an interesting story as to where and when it was unearthed. Can you shed some light?

#3 Tim Murray

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Posted 25 May 2010 - 16:56

There's a lot of discussion about the Iriawan 600C in the Singapore GP thread. The first post from the person who thinks they may now own it is here:

http://forums.autosp...w...t&p=4358770

#4 jcurran

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Posted 26 May 2010 - 05:23

There's a lot of discussion about the Iriawan 600C in the Singapore GP thread. The first post from the person who thinks they may now own it is here:

http://forums.autosp...w...t&p=4358770


Thanks for that Tim,

Interesting looking car. I hope the owner has a clear line of history and ownership, or it will be hard to justify its the original car, I sure hope it is it though! that said, I know of at least one 600 copy that was built many years ago, that the owner at the time was looking for "missing" car with which to represent his car as. Unfortunately these things do happen at times.



#5 ellrosso

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Posted 26 May 2010 - 06:01

He does seem to have the relative info about the car and its history, which Barry Catford has verified for me. Interesting aside, Barry suggested it was designated the 660C
which I had never heard of before. If the owner is OK with sharing the info about the car I will post it.
Regards, ellrosso

#6 Paul Hamilton

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Posted 26 May 2010 - 23:06

He does seem to have the relative info about the car and its history, which Barry Catford has verified for me. Interesting aside, Barry suggested it was designated the 660C
which I had never heard of before. If the owner is OK with sharing the info about the car I will post it.
Regards, ellrosso


This is the first reference I have ever seen to the 660C designation. The car is recorded as a 600C in the original Garrie Cooper exercise book which lists all cars built and period magazine reports also called it a 600C. It will be interesting to see what is recorded on the chassis plate if it still has one but, when I spoke to the owner last week, he did not yet have posession of the car and had not been able to take the body off and go looking for the plate.

The only photos I have of 6910 are black and white and not of great quality but the car would appear to have been in the same style livery as Hengkie's other cars which were painted a dark blue with a wide central red stripe bordered on each side by narrower yellow stripes. The stripes extended around the radiator air intake in front. There is a colour photo of the Iriawan Elin 300 in these colours on page 186 of Eli Solomon's book, Snakes and Devils. When owned by Joey Bundalian the 600C appears to have been a lighter colour although, again, the only photos I have seen are black and white.

#7 ellrosso

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Posted 27 May 2010 - 02:45

Very handy info re the colour scheme Paul. The owner said he had spoken to you recently. I think getting a period color shot of it may be in the "rare as hens teeth" variety.
He has already tried a couple of Singapore News bureau's without success. I dug out the Autosportsman race report last night which had pics of Frank Matich and Graham Lawrence at Sandown! Not much budget there obviously....... I've got a mate checking the RCN report for me (just the one 1970 issue I'm missing) but I think the Macau book image on Page 117 may be the only shot of it. This is the third enquiry I've had for shots from 70's Macau - very hard to come by.



#8 Ray Bell

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Posted 27 May 2010 - 13:29

Here's the pic Paul had from Puke:

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#9 ellrosso

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Posted 27 May 2010 - 22:58

As in Pukekohe Ray? Do you have any more details on that shot re date, photo credit etc?

#10 Ray Bell

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Posted 27 May 2010 - 23:24

I posted that for Paul (Hamilton)...

I believe it's from late '69, no idea where he got it.

#11 David McKinney

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Posted 28 May 2010 - 05:53

Pukekohe meeting was 21/9/69, the first-ever NZ Gold Star F5000 race

#12 Paul Hamilton

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Posted 28 May 2010 - 06:08

I posted that for Paul (Hamilton)...

I believe it's from late '69, no idea where he got it.



Thanks for posting the photo Ray. Its been in my file for some time now and I don't recall where I got it but it is noted as taken at Pukekohe in September 1969. That would have been the car's first event.

The only other pictures of this car I have ever seen are the one on page 117 of 'Colour and Noise' showing it at Macau in 1971 driven by Joey Bundalian, and a pretty indistinct body off shot which was published in Australian Auto Sports, November 1969, to illustrate an article about 6910 which has quite a few inaccuracies in it.

#13 Ray Bell

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Posted 28 May 2010 - 08:34

No problem, Paul...

And that's quite an irony, David, that it ran especially in the first important F5000 race in NZ.

#14 ellrosso

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Posted 28 May 2010 - 08:50

Thanks to all of you for all this information - I will pass that Pukekohe date on to Terry Marshall and see if he has anything from that meeting - hopefully that shot Ray posted will be one from his library. The livery sounds like it was quite a good looking car in its day - will be good to see it restored. Actually Paul, was there ever one of these 600C's
obtained from long time storage in Tasmania? I had a mate connected with the old car scene down there who said there was a 600C sitting in a garage in a Hobart suburb - this would have been 3 odd years ago. As there were only 4 built I'd say it was probably a 600B - could have been totally false too - are all the 600's accounted for now? We did have a few down there during the 70's.
Regards, ellrosso

#15 David McKinney

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Posted 28 May 2010 - 10:43

that's quite an irony, David, that it ran especially in the first important F5000 race in NZ.


It wasn't the first important NZ F5000 race, Ray - that had been at Bay Park in December 1968. I chose my words carefully :)
The Pukekohe entry (not all raced) comprised three genuine F5000 cars, four 2.5s, three FVAs and five 1600 twincams


And ellrosso - if you're contacting TM, the car also raced at Bay Park on 4/10/69


#16 Paul Hamilton

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Posted 28 May 2010 - 12:26

Actually Paul, was there ever one of these 600C's obtained from long time storage in Tasmania? I had a mate connected with the old car scene down there who said there was a 600C sitting in a garage in a Hobart suburb - this would have been 3 odd years ago. As there were only 4 built I'd say it was probably a 600B - could have been totally false too - are all the 600's accounted for now? We did have a few down there during the 70's.
Regards, ellrosso


I can't speak for the Formula Fords but, now that it seems we have traced 6910, I believe that we can say that all the F1/F2/F3 600's have been accounted for with current owners listed in Brian Lear's Elfin register. Of the 27 cars built (+17 600Fs) only 7016 no longer exists. That was the Waggott engined car in which Glyn Scott was killed at Lakeside in 1970. A 600 with a TC4V would be quite a weapon and there was an attempt to reconstruct/recreate it some years ago but, although the proposal did comply with the historic regulations of that time, CAMS declined to approve issue of a C of D because of resistance from the Scott family. Despite some pretty serious efforts to trace it 6910 has been missing for many years which is why its recent re-emergence has attracted so much attention. Lets hope that its identity can be confirmed and that it does not turn out to be simply a tarted up Formula Ford but the signs are good so far.

There were three 600Cs built - 6908 with Repco V8 for Garrie/Steve Holland/Mal Ramsay, 6910 and 6911 which was the John McCormack car originally built with a 2.5 Climax engine and later a Repco. 6911 was one of several 600s to have spent time in Tassie during the 70's but it came back north many years ago and has been owned by the Dymond family (Penrite Oil Co.) in Melbourne since 1995. They have a project to rebuild it in its Repco V8 form but I don't know how far that has progressed. 6908 has been owned by Ian Ross in Sydney since 1998 and has been superbly restored complete with Repco V8.

As far as I am aware it is many years since any of these cars were resident in Tasmania so, if there was a genuine sighting of a 600 in a Hobart garage in recent times, it was more than likely a Formula Ford.


#17 Ray Bell

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Posted 31 May 2010 - 09:43

Paul, I just read somewhere that the Scott car was a 600C, is that possible?

Here's a picture of your car in Iriawan's ownership, in fact at his first start at the Batu-Tiga circuit in KL. Geoff Smedley has more to say, I'll leave it to him.

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#18 Paul Hamilton

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Posted 31 May 2010 - 12:13

Paul, I just read somewhere that the Scott car was a 600C, is that possible?

Here's a picture of your car in Iriawan's ownership, in fact at his first start at the Batu-Tiga circuit in KL. Geoff Smedley has more to say, I'll leave it to him.

Posted Image



Ray, the Glyn Scott car (7016) is listed in Garrie's exercise book chassis record as a 600B. It had a very short life and I have never seen a photo of it. Following Glyn's death in it the remains were disposed of by Leo Geoghegan on Coral's behalf.

I assume the photo of Hengkie in 6801 (not the 600C!!) was taken at the Malaysian GP 1968 which he won. I would love a copy if you could send it to me and I look forward to hearing what Geoff has to say about it.

#19 David McKinney

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Posted 31 May 2010 - 13:45

Must be the Malaysian GP
At the other Batu Tiga race that year the car had been driven by Garrie Cooper :)

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#20 Paul Hamilton

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Posted 19 May 2011 - 08:17


John Tanner now has the Elfin 600 he recently acquired in the Phillipines back here in Sydney and I was ab;e to have a good look at it earlier this week. Although it has no chassis plate there is no doubt in my mind that it is the ex Iriawan 600C s/n 6910. The bodywork is very non Elfin and totally useless but the rest of the car is remarkably complete and original although in VERY poor condition. The oil tank is missing but the rest of the car is all there including Elfin wheels, suspension with the 600C style fabricated front uprights, distinctive large fuel tanks, a unique to this car instrument panel, brakes, radiator and oil cooler etc., FT200 transmission and a Hart 416B twin cam engine as it would have used later in its competition life when driven by Joey Bundalian. John has details of the full chain of ownership back to the Bundalian family (Joey is said to have been murdered some time in the 1980's)

Although there is a LOT of work to be done its a great basis for a restoration project and John is keen to return the car to its original Hengkie Iriawan specification and colours with a Cosworth FVA engine.

#21 SJ Lambert

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Posted 19 May 2011 - 09:15

Sounds good!!!

#22 SJ Lambert

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Posted 27 February 2012 - 11:42

Paul, I don't suppose John has invited Fulvio Mattiolo to have a look at the car? Fulvio would be ideally situated to comment on the frame, in particular the manner in which it's welded together. Confirmation of it's core componentry from the fellas that created it would be a gold star endorsement for John - He'd then be able to not spare the horses in the quest to get an FVA back into it!! It would be a marvelous thing to see it returned to it's former glory!





I presume it never raced in Australia?

Edited by SJ Lambert, 17 July 2012 - 13:54.


#23 Ray Bell

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Posted 28 February 2012 - 05:07

Originally posted by SJ Lambert
.....I presume it never raced in Australia?


Well... let's look at that...

The date of that Pukekohe meeting was September 26, 1969. The week prior to that there was an ordinary style of race meeting at Oran Park, he would much preferred to have his new car on the boat and heading for New Zealand at that stage, I would think.

Going back one week further, there was a Gold Star meeting at Sandown where he and the car were not mentioned at all in RCN, I guess it's fair to say it wasn't there. But on September 7 (another week further back...) there was a meeting at Warwick Farm.

This was the Motor Show Trophy meeting, not a Gold Star event but one to which Geoff would have been keen to see a good roll-up. Frank Matich and Denis Marwood in F5000s, for instance, the Mildren team, Leo Geoghegan, Niel Allen, Brian Page and a bunch of quick 1.5s led by Roly Levis, while Col Green's 2.5 Brabham was also present.]

In the prelude to the whole thing, Peter Wherrett wrote:

The grid for the [Motor] Show Trophy was as impressive as any we have had in Australia for some time - even without Hengke Iriawan, the Malaysian Champion, who had entered his new Elfin 600 FVA but was not ready in time.....


So I would suggest that the car was still in Adelaide having its finishing touches put on it. I would further suggest that it wasn't finished for the following weekend at Sandown either, as I have no doubt Hengke would have run there had it been. If anyone has an entry list for that meeting it would be interesting to see if he's on it. But he could undoubtedly have run anyway, even if he hadn't entered by the closing date.

With a further two weeks until his debut in the car at Pukekohe, I would suggest he was at Mallala testing it around the 16th, 17th or 18th of September, then shipping it to New Zealand in time for the opening Gold Star race there.

#24 Paul Hamilton

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Posted 28 February 2012 - 07:43

Well... let's look at that...

So I would suggest that the car was still in Adelaide having its finishing touches put on it. I would further suggest that it wasn't finished for the following weekend at Sandown either, as I have no doubt Hengke would have run there had it been. If anyone has an entry list for that meeting it would be interesting to see if he's on it. But he could undoubtedly have run anyway, even if he hadn't entered by the closing date.

With a further two weeks until his debut in the car at Pukekohe, I would suggest he was at Mallala testing it around the 16th, 17th or 18th of September, then shipping it to New Zealand in time for the opening Gold Star race there.



I don't think there is any doubt that the Pukekohe meeting in September was the car's first event. It went on to run at Bay Park in October and Macau in November 1969 but would never have run in Australia other than any testing which Garrie may have been able to undertake at Mallala prior to shipment to NZ. Assuming the usual Elfin last minute finish there probably was not much time for that either!! I have seen photos of the car as it appeared at Pukekohe and it looked magnificent in Henky's normal dark blue colour scheme but was still without the wings or the yellow and red striping and Shell signage it acquired very early in its life. I believe that Hengky was looked after by Doug and Graham Lawrence during his NZ tour and I guess they may well have been involved in the early preparation of the car.

James, I have not spoken to John Tanner for some time and I don't know who else he may have shown the car to but, in my view, there can simply be no doubt at all about its identity There are several unique features still evident which can be confirmed from period photos but, although pretty complete, the car has been very sadly neglected and will need a massive restoration job.

#25 hiteknz

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Posted 29 February 2012 - 05:44

I don't think there is any doubt that the Pukekohe meeting in September was the car's first event. It went on to run at Bay Park in October and Macau in November 1969 but would never have run in Australia other than any testing which Garrie may have been able to undertake at Mallala prior to shipment to NZ. Assuming the usual Elfin last minute finish there probably was not much time for that either!! I have seen photos of the car as it appeared at Pukekohe and it looked magnificent in Henky's normal dark blue colour scheme but was still without the wings or the yellow and red striping and Shell signage it acquired very early in its life. I believe that Hengky was looked after by Doug and Graham Lawrence during his NZ tour and I guess they may well have been involved in the early preparation of the car.

There are photos in the McLaren Trust Jack Inwood photo collection of Iriawan and the car at both those meetings in NZ

#26 David McKinney

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Posted 29 February 2012 - 07:16

I believe that Hengky was looked after by Doug and Graham Lawrence during his NZ tour and I guess they may well have been involved in the early preparation of the car.

I'm sure that's right, and equally sure that the Pukekohe race was its first
I might even be able to find a source for the Lawrence involvement



#27 David McKinney

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Posted 29 February 2012 - 14:08

From the November 1969 Motorman report of the 21/09/69 Pukekohe meeting:
“...a brand new Elfin 600C for Indonesian Henky (sic) Iriawan, who collected the car from the Adelaide factory and flew it to New Zealand. The 600C is the first Elfin of this type to be powered by an FVA engine”

And from Graeme Lawrence’s column in the same issue:
“We enjoyed looking after Heny (sic) Iriawan in Hamilton”


#28 Geoff Smedley

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Posted 04 March 2012 - 09:05

Ray, the Glyn Scott car (7016) is listed in Garrie's exercise book chassis record as a 600B. It had a very short life and I have never seen a photo of it. Following Glyn's death in it the remains were disposed of by Leo Geoghegan on Coral's behalf.

I assume the photo of Hengkie in 6801 (not the 600C!!) was taken at the Malaysian GP 1968 which he won. I would love a copy if you could send it to me and I look forward to hearing what Geoff has to say about it.


The story as I remember began at the 1968 Singapore Grand Prix held on the old Thompson Road circuit, That year Alan Grice was down to drive the ex. Mildren 2.5 Brabham recently purchased by Newton Enterprise Racing for the occasion while Garrie Cooper was also appearing in his latest build, the Elfin 600. P.H. Wong the owner of Newton Racing had put his hopes on winning the S.G.P. that year but after the Brabham failed to proceed due to gearbox failure after building up a substantial lead through Gricy's remarkable first drive in a big banger, all came to an end leaving the door open for Garrie to take a comfortable win in the little Elfin. That same evening at the after race function I was informed by the boss (P.H. Wong) that he had purchased the 600 from Garrie not allowing it to fall into the hands of someone capable of challenging the teams latest purchase the Brabham Climax and so the Elfin was hidden away out of sight in our workshop until such time as the right buyer came along. I had met Henkie on a couple of occasions on his regular visits from Indonesia to Singapore but I was a bit stunned to find out he was the new owner of 600 as with Henkie's tiny form it was hard to imagine him being able to manage the car at all and I could well see the reason for his selection of ownership. When Henkie first lowered his body into the car he practically dissappeared from sight and it was my job to make the car drivable for its new owner.
A new special seat was fashioned, wooden blocks on the brake and clutch pedals and various other mods undertaken, but bless him Henkie became a top driver as he was a friend and his death in a bally go-cart was a great loss to a lot of people

#29 Ray Bell

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Posted 05 March 2012 - 12:03

Great addition to the story, Geoff...

Your recollections are always a treat to read.

#30 SJ Lambert

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 13:54

Here's a couple of colour shots of the car, presumably when it was brand spankers.

Hengkie sure does look diminutive in the car!!!!!

Ian Hobbs has kindly supplied the first two and the third I've moved across from the McLaren M4A thread, redneb's shot.

I called in on John Webb whilst in Adelaide last weekend, he says that he'd be quite happy to cast his eye over the re-surfaced 600C #6910!!


Cheers

James

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Pukekohe (1969?)






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Edit - added the fourth shot having lifted it from an Australian Auto Sports magazine. Wouldn't be surprised to discover that this one was taken at the Conmurra Ave Factory entrance way, though I'm not sure. Anyone recognize the fellow attending the car?

Edited by SJ Lambert, 17 July 2012 - 21:15.


#31 SJ Lambert

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Posted 11 February 2013 - 13:26

Still reckon this was one fantastic looking car when new. Would love to see it returned to factory specs!!!

I've not seen many photos of Tony Alcock, but I'm wondering whether it's him attending upon the car.

Edited by SJ Lambert, 11 February 2013 - 23:56.


#32 SJ Lambert

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Posted 22 November 2018 - 01:57

I was very pleased to make Hengky’s son, Stanley’s acquaintance on FB a couple of days ago - I shall encourage him to join us here too!

#33 SJ Lambert

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Posted 22 November 2018 - 03:03

Stanley’s happy to have this photo of Hengky appear here.

5-A14-AFC7-2-ABC-4-D36-9345-09-BBB416-A4

#34 Lee Nicolle

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Posted 22 November 2018 - 04:32

Has there ever been a car that was raced in so many forms with success. From 1.3 small Ford engines or Toyota to 2.5 V8s. Or for hillclimbing a 4.7 Repco!