24 replies to this topic

[john medley]

I am led to believe TNFer Dale Harvey's Proton finally hit the circuit after several decades away following a significant rebuild -- and look stunning. Any pics, Dale?

[Dale Harvey]

Yes, John there are some photos. But I have forgotten how to post them. Best I can do at the moment is to email them to you.
Dale.

[Paul Hamilton]

Yes, John there are some photos. But I have forgotten how to post them. Best I can do at the moment is to email them to you.
Dale.

Dale, there are others here (including this former owner!!) who would like to see the picis if you can work out how to post them.

[Ray Bell]

Were there ever pics of your Warwick Farm problem with the car, Paul?

And if Dale e.mails them to me I'll post them, but I'm sure he'll work out how to do it himself once again.

[Paul Hamilton]

[quote name='Ray Bell' date='Jun 6 2011, 22:41' post='5080518']
Were there ever pics of your Warwick Farm problem with the car, Paul?


I don't know of any pics, Ray, and there is a 'black hole' in my memory of that day from the time of my arrival at the circuit to my awakening in Liverpool hospiltal!!

[Dale Harvey]

I have emailed them to Ray Bell. I am sure he will handle it.
Dale.

[rms]

TNF may not be the best place for confession but --

I have a double dose of "the guilts", not only did I build the car that attacked Paul but I also had just sold him the crash helmet that flew off his head as the car became inverted !

Erol

[john medley]

Wasnt that a "chin-cup" helmet? Few more ludicrous inventions have existed

[BT 35-8]

Was it not the same '' chin cup '' device that Dr. Bill Marshall had on when he inverted
the Brabham at Amaroo in that Friday practice session many years ago now ?

[Ray Bell]

Paul certainly had a chin cup on his...

It's said that rescuers and flaggies were reluctant to pursue the helmet as they feared a head might be in it.

I'll get those pics up shortly.

[Bloggsworth]

Wasnt that a "chin-cup" helmet? Few more ludicrous inventions have existed

I recall a helmet, the strap of which was attached by a frangible bolt - After the inventors helmet came off at Clearways, half way through an accident, he rapidly dropped the idea. Quite what temporary madness made him think that a self-removing helmet was a good idea escapes me.

[Cirrus]

That was the Griffin helmet. The frangible bolt gained a lot of publicity when Tony Brise's helmet got knocked off by a catch fence pole at the '75 British GP. The helmet's designer, Terry Ogilvie-Hardy had given up racing some years before.

Following the adverse publicity, he offered a free upgrade to a non-frangible version (whilst still being adamant that the frangible option was the better one). I worked for the distributor, Gordon Spice, at around that time and I had a draw full of non-frangible kits to satisfy the huge demand...

Edited by Cirrus, 07 June 2011 - 08:31.

[Ray Bell]

Here are the pics, sorry about the delay:



And a few in the pits:



Going onto the circuit (where did all the paving in the pits come from?



Finally, some detail of the car - and Dale's attention to detail:



And while we're on the subject, I recall when Paul bought the Proton (before I actually got to know him), there was a discussion in the pub across from Warwick Farm. I rarely went there, so this stands out a little bit... John Cummins, on being told Paul had bought the Proton: "That should keep him broke!"

The other party to the conversation (I simply don't remember who it was) replied, "The Turner did a good job of that anyway!"

[Paul Hamilton]

The car looks great, Dale, and the color scheme is exactly as it was when I got it which was how Peter Cohen originally presented it. I only hope that the suspension proves now to be a bit more durable than it was in my day when I had a series of failures culminating in the Warwick Farm incident when the right rear wheel suddenly toed out dramatically on the entrance to Ledger leading to a multiple rollover during which my 'chin cup' style helmet came off. Hopefully you will have used better quality rod ends than we had then and should not face the same problems.

Whatever its problems the Proton was always a good looking piece of kit and its standard of construction was a credit to Errol Richardson. You should not have 'the guilts' about either the car or the helmet, Errol, as we were all then on a very steep learning curve. As to Cummo's comment about it 'keeping me broke' I can only acknowledge the truth of that prediction but must qualify it by saying that so has every other racing car I have owned!!

I wish you well with the car, Dale. It was my first single seater and, although my experiences with it and memories of it are somewhat mixed, it certainly headed me in the right direction. Other than the occasional shopping car ride in support roles I have never had any great desire since then to drive anything but single seaters. I look forward to having a good look at the car again sometime, perhaps at Morgan Park in July.

[Lee Nicolle]

Very pretty car, it is a pity a cheap malaysian econobox is named after it.

[eldougo]

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Paul Hamilton
.....I wish you well with the car, Dale. It was my first single seater and, although my experiences with it and memories of it are somewhat mixed, it certainly headed me in the right direction. Other than the occasional shopping car ride in support roles I have never had any great desire since then to drive anything but single seaters. I look forward to having a good look at the car again sometime, perhaps at Morgan Park in July.

Seeing as you'll be in our street, I hope you can drop in here for a brief visit...

And by the way, Erol might prefer things done his way.

Seeing as the 'Proton' name has been brought up, how did the car get its name?

[Bloggsworth]

Very pretty car, it is a pity a cheap malaysian econobox is named after it.

Sounds like a cue for a court case - If Ford can successfully claim that naming a Ferrari formula one car F100 will seriously damage sales...............

[Paul Hamilton]

Seeing as the 'Proton' name has been brought up, how did the car get its name?

I have forgotten the origins of the name, Ray but Errol or Peter Cohen would be best placed to answer that. The car did originally have a very neat nose badge with a design based on the proton symbol.

Sounds like a cue for a court case - If Ford can successfully claim that naming a Ferrari formula one car F100 will seriously damage sales...............

When the Malaysian Proton was first marketed in Australia there was an effort made to claim prior title to the name by a former banking associate of mine. He registered the name and set out to track down the car which, at that time, I had lost track of. I don't know where that effort ended up but as I recall it was certainly the subject of some correspondence.

[Dale Harvey]

I have never asked Erol or Peter the origins of the name but would be interested to know. Erol did mention at Lakeside that the only thing missing was the badge on the nose. Paul I have used the strongest rod ends available. After talking to you a few years back about the car I was unsure of what I was in for with my first drive. So far it doesn't seem spooky at all!! If you want to take a small drive to the other side of the lake (Marks Point) you are welcome to have a closer look.

[rms]

Dale has done a magnificent job of restoring the "Proton", it was the most photographed car at Lakeside.

A proton is a sub atomic particle present in all atoms, so it figured that being "sub atomic" it would be as fast as lightning, and as protons are a stable particle that it would handle.
Some unkind people suggested that it sounded more like a breakfast cereal.

The optimism of youth !

[Dale Harvey]

Thanks for that Erol.
Dale.

[Paul Hamilton]

I have never asked Erol or Peter the origins of the name but would be interested to know. Erol did mention at Lakeside that the only thing missing was the badge on the nose. Paul I have used the strongest rod ends available. After talking to you a few years back about the car I was unsure of what I was in for with my first drive. So far it doesn't seem spooky at all!! If you want to take a small drive to the other side of the lake (Marks Point) you are welcome to have a closer look.

I had forgotten that you live so close to me, Dale, and I look forward to seeing the car again. I now have your details and will contact you when I get home from my current travels so that we can arrange to get together.

[Dale Harvey]

No problem.

[john medley]

OTT perhaps, but if " Proton" means a speedy and stable small thing, why did David and Maggie Lowe call their little 1970s sports car the Tachyon ( same reasons, i seem to recall)?