66 replies to this topic

[gtsmunro]

Does anyone know what happened to Norm Beechey's HK Monaro? I have seen pics of it on motorsportarchives.com allegedly rotting away in a paddock in WA, but that was 2002. I'm just wondering if anyone knows if it was the genuine article and was it restored?

[Hank the Deuce]

I missed the Australian Muscle Car narrative on the Beechey Monaro, but was always under the impression that Norm built two of them... can't recall what the take behind the HK was though...

[gtsmunro]

Norm's HK GTS was built as a Aussie made 'Trans Am' to take on the American Tran's Am's that Jane, Moffat and Geoghegan were racing here locally. The problems with the HK under the 1969 rules at the time were the rear wheel wells being too narrow for decent tyres, the tiny brakes and fragile 327 engines. The move to the HT GTS was because CAMS opened up the technical regulations in 1970 which allowed Norm freedoms with the suspension, brakes, weight distribution, body mods, seating and the use of the 350 Chev. What happened to the HK GTS is unclear. It was originally Bright Blue metallic and then painted Shell yellow toward the end of it's racing life with Norm.

[cooper997]

Beechey sold it to Peter Briggs in Perth. So there's half a chance that the WA paddock scenario has some merit. Wouldn't be the first old race to be found rotting in a paddock.

There was a chap in the Mini Club who owned and competed in the ex Brock 1973 ATCC XU1. Complete with V8 in it. That ended up left rotting, before Paul Tate rescued it and had John van Rosmalen do some major body surgery to salvage the original shell.

Same goes for the 'Federation' Moffat Falcon Hardtop. That was sitting in Jim McKeown's wrecking yard in the early 1980's, about 2km from home.

Stephen

[Lee Nicolle]

There was a pic of reputedly Norms HK sitting in a WA paddock in a magazine, possibly Musclecar. From the article on Norms HT it says the HK was hampered by the standard small wheel arches which without the rule changed for 70 would have been exactly the same for the HT. So really notwithstanding body rules the HK could have been as succesfull as the HT. Really a 327 HK motor is really a stronger core than the 350 though the 350 produces a bit more power and torque. And Moffat was using a torqueless little Boss 302!

[Ray Bell]

Doesn't the 350 have bigger bearings (and thus more journal overlap) than the 327?

Something I seem to recall reading when they first came out...

[Lee Nicolle]

Doesn't the 350 have bigger bearings (and thus more journal overlap) than the 327?

Something I seem to recall reading when they first came out...

All late 327s have the same size mains as 350, but .248" more stroke. Small journal was pre 66.

[Terry Walker]

The car is just an empty, incomplete shell now, minus (I believe) most of the floorpan. At least it was when last photographed some years ago. Nothing left but the chassis number and some rust held together by the paint. All you have to do is cut the chassis numbers out, buy a HQ Munro, weld the chassis no into it . . an authentic Beechey car.

[gtsmunro]

Why would you use a HQ chassis Terry??? It was a HK!!!!
The photo suggests the car was being rebuilt (2002). It looked to be a huge job considering the car was missing the left rear quarter panel and nearly everything else. I was wondering had the rebuild gone ahead and where was it up to. Obviously it's sitting in the dust rapidly returning to nature.

[Terry Walker]

Sorry about the typo! Meant HK (I'm not a Holden man).

About two years ago someone on the WA Speedwest forum posted a colour photo of the hulk rotting in a paddock. Just exactly when the pic was taken was unclear, but the discussion which followed indicated that's where it was at that time of the discussion.

It was easily identifiable as the ex-Briggs-ex Beechey car from the faded livery. Exactly what its status is right now is anybody's guess.

[Lee Nicolle]

The car is just an empty, incomplete shell now, minus (I believe) most of the floorpan. At least it was when last photographed some years ago. Nothing left but the chassis number and some rust held together by the paint. All you have to do is cut the chassis numbers out, buy a HQ Munro, weld the chassis no into it . . an authentic Beechey car.

Ssssshh Terry, too many people are doing that already.

[gtsmunro]

Ssssshh Terry, too many people are doing that already.

I've heard some funny dealings with race car authenticity going on in one of the northern states...

[Lee Nicolle]

I've heard some funny dealings with race car authenticity going on in one of the northern states...

Not so much with racecars but wih collectable roadcars. Too many GTs, XU1s and GTSs and etc built around ID plates. I would be very surprised if that wreck has the plates still attached. probably registerd again as a 327 on a base 186S GTS , or less.That isone thing about the variuos registers for stolen or damaged vehicleds these days is that these shonks are getting away with less. But these old cars seldom had anything more than engine no and reg no recorded in those days. All the way up to the advent of VIN Nos.
Quite a few years ago I had someone try to trade a RS2000 which was built from bits, and had the plate from a RS2000 attached.The nos on the plate did not match the chassis no!! No I did not trade it.
There is a lot of similar around, I have seem ID plates advertised on ebay!
My old XU1 [genuine] Sports Sedan was popular until I said I did not have the ID plates anymore. They were going to restore it, like right , all that is left is the outside skin.
So when buying these cars be VERY carefull.

[Terry Walker]

There's an awful lot of Mini Cooper S's that never were.

[Lee Nicolle]

And GTs and GTS 327 and 350 and XU1s and SLRs and lots more, anything remotely collectible.
A lot make no false pretences and are often very good cars but the ones purporting to be what they are not is False pretences.

[eldougo]

This is the owner of the said Monaro after Norm Beechey sold it to Mike Gore and this man Tom Jesperson bought it November 1974.





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Edited by eldougo, 19 January 2011 - 08:30.

[Ray Bell]

No, Doug, that's the later car, the HT...

Peter Briggs took the HK to Perth and it never returned.

[eldougo]

All TAXI look the same to me RAY ...

[Ray Bell]

Well that's all right for you...

Being a wealthy type who can actually afford cab fare!

[gtsmunro]

I find it kind of hard to believe the car would still be rotting in said paddock. With the Beechey name tagged to it's history it's bound to sitting in someones shed by now. I'd imagine it need the same amount of work as the Bob Jane Monaro going by the pic.

[Leo D]

[Terry Walker]

Peter Briggs sold it many, many years ago - late 70s? - and the new owner stripped out the hot engine for (so the story goes, unconfirmed) a racing powerboat, flogged the other stuff elsewhere, and dumped the empty shell out the back, later cutting bits out of the bodywork whenever needed, and that's where its been ever since. Back in the 70s, such a shell wasn't worth looking at. If just stuffed in a shed intact, the car would probably be worth cubic dollars these days -but not then.

This is all hearsay, of course.

Even if some rich optimist bought the ruins tomorrow, and "rebuilt" it, it might be a very nice Munro, but not the Beechey Munro any more. A replica, maybe. Ditto the Stan Starcevich EH, which still exists (although disused for years), but is now a two-door lightweight sports sedan with none of Stan's mods, or paint for that matter, left. Just the chassis number.

Reminds me of the Cameron Millar Maserati 250F racing cars. Years ago a group bought the entire stock of Maserati factory 250F spares, used engines, gearboxes, chassis, suspension parts, everything, and built a bunch of 250Fs. The Cameron Millar cars are in many cases far more original than some of the "real" 250Fs racing these days, but they're replicas all the same.

[Lee Nicolle]

I find it kind of hard to believe the car would still be rotting in said paddock. With the Beechey name tagged to it's history it's bound to sitting in someones shed by now. I'd imagine it need the same amount of work as the Bob Jane Monaro going by the pic.

From the pic I saw the HK is finished, whereas the HQ was a complete car though much modified.

[Haggis 2]

From the pic I saw the HK is finished, whereas the HQ was a complete car though much modified.

It was definitely the rusting hulk seen in pics elsewhere (inc speedwest.net). It was cannibalised for a speedboat and other bits sold off in the 1970's following Peter Briggs' experiencing financial woes and the shell left to rot in a paddock off Trichet Rd in Wanneroo. I used to see it often as we passed on the "back" way to the circuit. From what was left in the more recent pics, I doubt an authentic rebuild could ever be achieved. As for the 327, it did have reliability problems initially but my father, who worked for Terry Lemay Racing (Briggs' and Shell Team chief) at the time, says they cured that fairly quickly with simple and obvious engineering.

One of my enduring memories of the car was the day the flywheel exploded on the long downhill straight at Wanneroo sending bits through the floor and engine bay, shattering one of the 45mm Webers and narrowly missing doing major damage to Peter's legs (and nether regions). At the time Gordon Mitchell was using a Weber borrowed from Briggs on his amazing Mk1 Sprite and Briggs needed it back to replace to broken one. Money was tight for Gordon in those days so Dad arranged for the bits of the smashed one to be welded back together, then machined it back to as new condition and it ran on Gordon's car forever thereafter. In those days nothing was thrown away (except ex-Beechey Monaros! =))
___________________________
Brendon Hagarty

[ken devine]

Peter Briggs had the HT 350 not the HK. There was a reference to it in the motoring section of todays Weekend West by Alex
Forrest.

[ken devine]

Wanneroo 1971.






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[Haggis 2]

Peter Briggs had the HT 350 not the HK. There was a reference to it in the motoring section of todays Weekend West by Alex
Forrest.

Well Alex is wrong then Ken.... Briggs had the first Beechey Monaro.... the HK 327, at least that was the only one he raced at Wanneroo.
________________
Brendon Hagarty

Edited by Haggis 2, 22 January 2011 - 01:31.

[cavvy]

Peter Briggs had the HT 350 not the HK. There was a reference to it in the motoring section of todays Weekend West by Alex
Forrest.

I beg to differ Ken.

Peter Briggs was racing the Monaro in 1970 (debuted March, see Terry Walkers results page)* at the same time Uncle Norm was winning the ATCC in the HT 350**.

*http://www.terrywalkersplace.com/

**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Australian_Touring_Car_Championship

[cavvy]

This is the owner of the said Monaro after Norm Beechey sold it to Mike Gore and this man Tom Jesperson bought it November 1974.





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The HT - the HK went to Peter Briggs & has never graced the circuits since.

[Ray Bell]

Absolutely, I was there when Mike Gore first got the 350...

He bought it complete with the transporter truck when Beechey gave up racing. As noted earlier, it later went to Tom Jesperson. You will probably find race reports where Briggs and Beechey were at the same meeting... or at least concurrent meetings in different states.

[cavvy]

It was definitely the rusting hulk seen in pics elsewhere (inc speedwest.net). It was cannibalised for a speedboat and other bits sold off in the 1970's following Peter Briggs' experiencing financial woes and the shell left to rot in a paddock off Trichet Rd in Wanneroo. I used to see it often as we passed on the "back" way to the circuit. From what was left in the more recent pics, I doubt an authentic rebuild could ever be achieved. As for the 327, it did have reliability problems initially but my father, who worked for Terry Lemay Racing (Briggs' and Shell Team chief) at the time, says they cured that fairly quickly with simple and obvious engineering.

One of my enduring memories of the car was the day the flywheel exploded on the long downhill straight at Wanneroo sending bits through the floor and engine bay, shattering one of the 45mm Webers and narrowly missing doing major damage to Peter's legs (and nether regions). At the time Gordon Mitchell was using a Weber borrowed from Briggs on his amazing Mk1 Sprite and Briggs needed it back to replace to broken one. Money was tight for Gordon in those days so Dad arranged for the bits of the smashed one to be welded back together, then machined it back to as new condition and it ran on Gordon's car forever thereafter. In those days nothing was thrown away (except ex-Beechey Monaros! =))
___________________________
Brendon Hagarty

I remember seeing the car on a trailer on a front lawn in suburban Dianella (Terry Lemays?) after it ceased racing in 1971, probably 1973. Peter Briggs hads a rough trot financially going bankrupt in 1972.
The car was stored up Guildford way.
Brendon your family ties might be able to fill in some of the peices.

In 2003 I met a guy at Bathurst looking at the HT on display who claimed to be rebuilding the HK - new the WA history of the car & claimed to have bought it as a roller. Got his name somewhere.

[cavvy]

Absolutely, I was there when Mike Gore first got the 350...

He bought it complete with the transporter truck when Beechey gave up racing. As noted earlier, it later went to Tom Jesperson. You will probably find race reports where Briggs and Beechey were at the same meeting... or at least concurrent meetings in different states.

Part of the confusion may be the last time Beechey drove the HT was at Wanneroo (I think ... )

[Haggis 2]

I remember seeing the car on a trailer on a front lawn in suburban Dianella (Terry Lemays?) after it ceased racing in 1971, probably 1973. Peter Briggs hads a rough trot financially going bankrupt in 1972.
The car was stored up Guildford way.
Brendon your family ties might be able to fill in some of the peices.

In 2003 I met a guy at Bathurst looking at the HT on display who claimed to be rebuilding the HK - new the WA history of the car & claimed to have bought it as a roller. Got his name somewhere.

I too remember it being at a house in Dianella for a while before being moved to the paddock in Wanneroo. I think it was Pola St. I grew up in that area. I don't think it was Lemay's place, he lived the other side of Woodrow Ave in the lower part of Dianella Heights.
________________
Brendon Hagarty

[Haggis 2]

I remember seeing the car on a trailer on a front lawn in suburban Dianella (Terry Lemays?) after it ceased racing in 1971, probably 1973. Peter Briggs hads a rough trot financially going bankrupt in 1972.
The car was stored up Guildford way.
Brendon your family ties might be able to fill in some of the peices.

In 2003 I met a guy at Bathurst looking at the HT on display who claimed to be rebuilding the HK - new the WA history of the car & claimed to have bought it as a roller. Got his name somewhere.

I fear he may have been conned then.....
__________________
Brendon Hagarty

[ken devine]

Peter Brigggs Monaro Wanneroo 70 or 71 .





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[cooper997]

There's a report in Racing Car News, April 1970 for the March 7th, Wanneroo "Speed Classic" meeting where Briggs made his debut in the ex-Beechey HK 327. The photo shows it to be car #46. In the 5 lapper he swapped ends at BP corner and finished 5th behind Stephenson (Mustang), Sangster (Cooper S), Roberts (Monaro) and Grigsby (Cooper S).

Stephen

[gtsmunro]

I remember seeing the car on a trailer on a front lawn in suburban Dianella (Terry Lemays?) after it ceased racing in 1971, probably 1973. Peter Briggs hads a rough trot financially going bankrupt in 1972.
The car was stored up Guildford way.
Brendon your family ties might be able to fill in some of the peices.

In 2003 I met a guy at Bathurst looking at the HT on display who claimed to be rebuilding the HK - new the WA history of the car & claimed to have bought it as a roller. Got his name somewhere.

It'd be interesting if that is indeed true. Otherwise it's probably where it was dumped.

[Catalina Park]

There was a story in a magazine a few years back about some bloke that claimed to have the HK, he carted it around to a few swap meets trying to sell it for big dollars. It was not the real car. It was not even close.

[David Shaw]

It was originally Bright Blue metallic and then painted Shell yellow toward the end of it's racing life with Norm.

Wasn't it originally Warwick Yellow (a pale yellow, standard HK GTS colour) before it went Electric Blue?

[Leo D]

Wasn't it originally Warwick Yellow (a pale yellow, standard HK GTS colour) before it went Electric Blue?

You're correct David, it was the standard GMH Yellow colour on its first outing at Calder when Norm beat Pete geoghegan. The Electric blue colour came later.

[gtsmunro]

There was a story in a magazine a few years back about some bloke that claimed to have the HK, he carted it around to a few swap meets trying to sell it for big dollars. It was not the real car. It was not even close.

I've got the mag kicking around here somewhere in the boxes unpacked from moving. If it's the same one, they were claiming it was the Bruce McPhee/Barry Mullholland GTS. I think it had a red front clip on it. McPhee himself said it wasn't his.

[Catalina Park]

I've got the mag kicking around here somewhere in the boxes unpacked from moving. If it's the same one, they were claiming it was the Bruce McPhee/Barry Mullholland GTS. I think it had a red front clip on it. McPhee himself said it wasn't his.

Different one, it was a shocker too.

[gtsmunro]

And he wanted a shed load of cash for it too.

I guess the only way we'll ever know now is if someone who knows where the Monaro was or knows who has it confirms it's whereabouts.

The next question is how much of the original car needs to be salvaged to be classed a genuine restoration once finished? There's been quite a few restorations where not much of the original car exisits yet are generally accepted as the genuine article. In some cases the restorer has basically jacked up the tags and slid in a new car underneath. Even the Moffat Mustang had a comprehensive panel change during a rebulid in it's career. And that doesn't include panel damage from bashing around with Bob Jane!!! IIRC Pete Geoghegan's Falcon was a re-shell at some stage too.

[Hank the Deuce]

IIRC Pete Geoghegan's Falcon was a re-shell at some stage too.

I think that was in period, when the Falcon was relocated from Lot 6 Mahoneys Road, to Geoghegan's custody... happened at Bowin?

[Ray Bell]

Didn't it go to Kingsley Hibbard later?

If that's the case, the mauling he gave the firewall I wouldn't doubt that it was reshelled again.

[parkey]

I've got the mag kicking around here somewhere in the boxes unpacked from moving. If it's the same one, they were claiming it was the Bruce McPhee/Barry Mullholland GTS. I think it had a red front clip on it. McPhee himself said it wasn't his.

hello all. i remember about 10 or 12 years ago in unique cars some one had for sale the beechey hk body,very rough condition,needing full restoration for $25,ooo, it had a color photo of the car when it was racing. anyone else remember this? cheers

[gtsmunro]

Geez even in 1999 dollars that's steep for a ex-Beechey carcass!!!!

Ray, my mistake on the re-shelling. The Geoghegans had the car fully rebuilt with new roll cage etc because of the flexability in the chassis and the copius amount of body lightening it had gone through at Mahoney's Rd. According to AMC the car was very close to being reshelled after Hibbards ownership where there was little left of the original car from it's life as a Sports Sedan. Apparently Kingsley had a decent sized hole where the firewall used to be.

Hank, your right. Apparently the car was comprehensively rebuilt at Bowin's. According to the article the car was designated a Bowin model designation 'P7'.

[Hank the Deuce]

According to AMC the car was very close to being reshelled after Hibbards ownership where there was little left of the original car from it's life as a Sports Sedan. Apparently Kingsley had a decent sized hole where the firewall used to be.

Ex-Ford works spanner John Wynne accompanied David Bowden to inspect the Falcon prior to his purchase of it, for his opinion on whether or not it could be salvaged and restored, or if it was too far gone... apparently it was a very close call. When Bowden ran into financial difficulty in the 80's (IIRC, this was amongst the zillion or so articles I've read on their remarkable collection), the Geoghegan XY was the only car he retained of his collection to that point, on the basis it was in a stack of pieces, and that none of the pieces were in any sort of good shape... quite fortuitous, although he subsequently re-purchased some of the cars he had been forced to sell of, including the Phase 4 GTHO Series Production racer originally built (but ultimately shelved) for Moffat for 1972...

[Ray Bell]

The engine was moved back by Kingsley Hibbard... about 15" I would reckon...

So the firewall was chopped and a huge metal box welded in there to cover the engine. Of course, there had to be room for the pipes, the intakes and everything else. It was very big.

[Lee Nicolle]

The engine was moved back by Kingsley Hibbard... about 15" I would reckon...

So the firewall was chopped and a huge metal box welded in there to cover the engine. Of course, there had to be room for the pipes, the intakes and everything else. It was very big.

I would doubt that a box was welded, almost certainly a removeable alloy piece like all mid engine Sports Sedans.Would be nigh on impossible to work on if it was.

That basic car that Ford built and the car that Pete sold to Hibbard really have very little in common. The whole car was rebuilt a couple of times and maybe the bare sell survived. That was well documented in the Muscle Car write up. And several people have told me that Pete spent cubic dollars on the car. And really it was not that sucesfull. A leading car no doubt but all the cars around it had a better history, particuarly Moffatts Mustang which from all accounts largely stayed the same all its life. Though I bet there is not an original external panel on that either except maybe the roof!!
Bowden has rebuilt the car as Pete last raced it, where it was most succesfull. Remember the sister car that Moffat drove was scrapped because it was a flexible pig handling lemon, and it only did about 10 meetings whereas Geoghans did a lot more.
Of all those cars though The Mustang is by far the most original though the restos of all of the cars has been first class.

And on subject if anyone restored the renmants of Norms HK they would be fooling themselves, the pics I saw years ago it was finished. Thommos burnt out VW shell would be easy in comparison. And that is stuffed!!