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Australian GT racing in the 50s/60s


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#1 nicanary

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Posted 14 April 2012 - 14:07

When I was a teenager in the 60s I was laid up in bed for a few weeks, and a neighbour who knew I was interested in such things brought me a pile of old Motoring News papers.

They would have been from the early 60s, and included winter issues that covered the Tasman races down-under.I recall that the correspondent sent back photos of interesting cars he'd seen in the paddocks, and these included a D-type and Maser 300S which had been fitted with hardtops, presumably to qualify for some sort of GT racing.The Jag was I think white - was it one of Bob Jane's?

I should imagine that by that time these cars would have been outclassed in actual sports-car racing.What was going on? Where are they now?

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#2 David McKinney

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Posted 14 April 2012 - 19:54

It never had a roof though!

#3 GMACKIE

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Posted 14 April 2012 - 21:31

It was most likely Leaton Motors' D type, driven by Frank Matich. The 300s was probably Bob Jane's. The 'GT' class was Appendix K.

#4 David McKinney

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Posted 14 April 2012 - 21:42

I think I'm right in also recalling the Ausca, an HWM-Jaguar and at least one Lotus XI with roofs

IIRC the series ran with those cars for only one or two seasons though

#5 GMACKIE

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Posted 14 April 2012 - 22:39

There were a few sports car fitted with 'lids', to conform to Appendix K [often called GT], e.g.Bob Jane's E Type, Brian Foley's Sprite, David McKay's Lola etc.

Other 'GT' cars were 356 Porsche [Greg Cusack, Jack Bono, Graham White], Lotus Elite [Ron Hodgson], Buckle [Brian Lawler], Skoden [Keith Malcolm] etc.

Some sedans that didn't conform to Appendix J, such as Holdens [Bruce McPhee, Ken Linsay, etc.] also raced as Appendix K.

#6 DanTra2858

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Posted 15 April 2012 - 00:21

I well remember at Warick Farm the Heasman FE seeing off a Farrari, the crowd in the stands went wild.

#7 DanTra2858

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Posted 15 April 2012 - 01:08

By going to http://aussieroadrac....com/index.html & doing a page by page search many of the Appendix K cars are shown, didn't the Monza Repco Holden have a hard top at some stange of it's life.

As I remember Appendix K, if the car did not fit into any other class then it was a K car.

#8 nicanary

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Posted 15 April 2012 - 11:26

I remembered by Jaguar reference books - just looked it up and indeed it appears to have been XKD526, driven to victory by Frank Matich to win the 1961 GT Championship.

As you say,"loose regs".

#9 275 GTB-4

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Posted 16 April 2012 - 09:04

Some sedans that didn't conform to Appendix J, such as Holdens [Bruce McPhee, Ken Linsay, etc.] also raced as Appendix K.


Including the Geoghegans Black beauty??

#10 Wirra

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Posted 16 April 2012 - 09:37

Bob Jane Maserati 300S running as a GT car Bathurst October 1961.

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And, here is the D-type... Both look like Forrest's Elbow at Bathurst.
http://www.jagweb.co...f...ORS D 2.JPG

Edited by Wirra, 16 April 2012 - 09:49.


#11 GMACKIE

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Posted 16 April 2012 - 09:52

Including the Geoghegans Black beauty??

Scrutineers were pretty tough on the Appendix J rules, knocking back things such as missing overriders, or floor mats. Geoghegan's Holden had no chance.


#12 Ray Bell

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Posted 18 April 2012 - 12:25

David, it wasn't a series...

It was merely a class for which some organisers created races.

I don't think I ever saw one of these races, so they were out of favour by the end of 1962.

#13 David McKinney

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Posted 18 April 2012 - 15:17

It was therefore, by definition, a series. But not a Series :)

#14 Ray Bell

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Posted 18 April 2012 - 20:46

It's very tempting to remove 'series' from everything...

This way the younger chaps won't come to the conclusion it was a 'Series'. Don't you think?

Did anyone mention the Carter Corvette yet?

#15 GMACKIE

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Posted 18 April 2012 - 21:23

Ray, from memory, Appendix K faded away with Appendix J......end of 1963.

Murray Carter's Corvette was one of many - perhaps dozens of - 'GT' cars.....it was really quite a popular class.

#16 David McKinney

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Posted 18 April 2012 - 21:47

It's very tempting to remove 'series' from everything...

This way the younger chaps won't come to the conclusion it was a 'Series'. Don't you think?

Sounds as if the modern Australian English education system is as bad as England's (or New Zealand's...)


#17 DanTra2858

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Posted 19 April 2012 - 04:18

The SV Lola Sports as a GT car, photo & caption scanned from the Bill Tuckey book,The Book of Australian Motor Racing

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#18 terry mcgrath

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Posted 21 April 2012 - 00:15

The history of D type XKD526 and the hardtop fitted is covered in our first book pub 1985 "The Jaguar XK in Australia" the title being incorrect in that it covers all XK jaguars C and D types etc in Sth East Asia and NZ.
Matich won the Australian GT title in the car at Warwick Farm in june 1961 in its first outing with hardtop in place. Barry Topen crashed it badly at a Sandown meeting in march 62.
Additionally Norman Thearle fitted a hardtop to his 140DHC and raced it between june 61 and feb 63 like this and the car retains its hardtop to this day.
Another 2 cars that had a hardtop fitted that is covered in the book is the Tojerio Jaguar 7GNO in NZ and the ex Davidson HWM alta formula 2 now fitted with a Jaguar motor it had a centaur fibreglass body fitted and it ran like this for the first time in july 62 at Lakeside.
We have rewritten this book which will now be in 3 volumes totaling some 1500 pages and 3500 photos and these books will cover all these jaguars and jaguar specials
details of volume 1 are below
terry

Now available and over half of the limited edition sold

The long awaited for, second edition of the book "the Jaguar XK in
Australia" is in fact 1/3 of a 3 volume trilogy.
This just on 500 page, large size format 335mm x 247mm (13"x 10"), full colour book covers
the histories of some almost 1000 XK120's in Africa, Asia, Australia/NZ and
South America.
It contains almost 1,100 photos of which only 25 appear in the original volume.

Sample Pages at http://www.jtpublications.com.au/book/
Visit: www.jtpublications.com.au for full details

Posted Image[/IMG]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

CONTACT: tmcgrath@bigpond.com

#19 terry mcgrath

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Posted 21 April 2012 - 00:16

The history of D type XKD526 and the hardtop fitted is covered in our first book pub 1985 "The Jaguar XK in Australia" the title being incorrect in that it covers all XK jaguars C and D types etc in Sth East Asia and NZ.
Matich won the Australian GT title in the car at Warwick Farm in june 1961 in its first outing with hardtop in place. Barry Topen crashed it badly at a Sandown meeting in march 62.
Additionally Norman Thearle fitted a hardtop to his 140DHC and raced it between june 61 and feb 63 like this and the car retains its hardtop to this day.
Another 2 cars that had a hardtop fitted that is covered in the book is the Tojerio Jaguar 7GNO in NZ and the ex Davidson HWM alta formula 2 now fitted with a Jaguar motor it had a centaur fibreglass body fitted and it ran like this for the first time in july 62 at Lakeside.
We have rewritten this book which will now be in 3 volumes totaling some 1500 pages and 3500 photos and these books will cover all these jaguars and jaguar specials
details of volume 1 are below
terry

Now available and over half of the limited edition sold

The long awaited for, second edition of the book "the Jaguar XK in
Australia" is in fact 1/3 of a 3 volume trilogy.
This just on 500 page, large size format 335mm x 247mm (13"x 10"), full colour book covers
the histories of some almost 1000 XK120's in Africa, Asia, Australia/NZ and
South America.
It contains almost 1,100 photos of which only 25 appear in the original volume.

Sample Pages at http://www.jtpublications.com.au/book/
Visit: www.jtpublications.com.au for full details

Posted Image

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

CONTACT: tmcgrath@bigpond.com


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#20 275 GTB-4

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Posted 22 April 2012 - 09:14

And, here is the D-type... Both look like Forrest's Elbow at Bathurst.
http://www.jagweb.co...f...ORS D 2.JPG


Looks more like Jane's elbow to me.... :)

#21 john medley

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Posted 22 April 2012 - 10:42

Ouch

Jane is at The Cutting

#22 ron simmonds

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Posted 16 August 2012 - 20:49

Another very nice GT, is the Elfin Aero of George Spanos. The only one ever made. This car is still racing, owned by George, the only owner for all these years, and is driven by Wayne Sayers.

The GTS was running at the Winton Historic meeting, 11th and 12th August, this year.

Still a stunning looking car. Regards Simmo.