30 replies to this topic

[TerryS]

The Reg Papps & Sons Lola T300 F5000 was driven by Bob Muir in the 1972 Tasman Series.

It was the best prepared and most beautiful race car I have ever seen. Many others appear to share this view.

I would love to post a photo of it but don' t understand the convoluted instructions for that.

The team seemed to appear out of nowhere to the top Australian raving category and then disappeared just as quickly.

I have never seen anything written about them at the time or since. They seem a real mystery.

Does anyone know anything about this team?

[lyntonh]

Best looking car on the circuit at the 1972 Farm Tasman race.

I only ever took photos in B & W, but whenever I see colour shots....I drool!!

[Lee Nicolle]

Best looking car on the circuit at the 1972 Farm Tasman race.

I only ever took photos in B & W, but whenever I see colour shots....I drool!!

I suspect that car may have come from the US in that livery. AAR [All American Racers] on the wing, fancy numbers that the scrutineers probably hated!

But a nice looking car getting all dirty in the rain.

[GreenMachine]

The Reg Papps & Sons Lola T300 F5000 was driven by Bob Muir in the 1972 Tasman Series.

It was the best prepared and most beautiful race car I have ever seen. Many others appear to share this view.

In that photo, are the front wings at the same angle on both sides? It looks like the one closest to the camera is set at a greater angle.

[Lee Nicolle]

In that photo, are the front wings at the same angle on both sides? It looks like the one closest to the camera is set at a greater angle.

Probably the camera angle. Though I can see what you mean.

[Ray Bell]

From memory, the 'AAR' was for 'Anglo Australian Racers'...

The 'Team' was Bob, Judy and Reg.

[Wirra]

I thought that car was purchased initially by Niel Allen for a comeback but he crashed in private practice (Surfers Paradise?) and retired again. The remains became the Muir car.

[lyntonh]

That's right. Rebuilt on a new tub. Eventually ended up at Pat Burke Racing and was the car that Warwick Brown rode into the ditch at Surfers.

Edited by lyntonh, 05 May 2016 - 12:31.

[Tim Murray]

That agrees with the info on the chassis on the Lola T300 page on the ORC site:
 

Lola T300
HU4

Invoice undated (sold to 'Allen', colour 'Green'). To Neil Allen but crashed badly when the brakes failed while testing at Surfers Paradise in late December 1971, leaving Allen with a broken ankle and burns on his back. The Lola was rebuilt on a new monocoque and sold to Bob Muir (Burwood, Australia), who raced it in the Australian Tasman races in February 1972, then in two Gold Star races, and then took it to the US for four races. It returned to Australia and was acquired by Pat Burke Racing for Warwick Brown to race in the 1973 Tasman series, but crashed in practice at Surfers Paradise and was written off.
Some parts to Reg Cook and part of the package sold to David Manton late 1989, and then to Frank Lyons (Felsted, Essex) September 2001.

[Ray Bell]

Yes, the car had come from Niel Allen, so it was unlikely it came via the US...

It had a sad career.

Edited by Ray Bell, 05 May 2016 - 23:17.

[Wirra]

By the standards of the day the paint scheme was regarded as garish but for some reason it seemed to work and rather than offend it delighted. I suspect that was in part due to the high quality of the paint and immaculate presentation.

 

I've played with the colours on this old faded slide to focus on trying to recover something of the royal (navy) blue with the yellow trim.

 

 

 

I believe the story goes that when Niel Allen was lying trapped in the overturned car and being soaked in petrol (with no service vehicles at the track and his crew on the other side of the circuit waiting for him to come around) he became a born-again Christian. I think I might have as well, just to cover as many options as I could.

Edited by Wirra, 06 May 2016 - 00:39.

[seldo]

Papps' preparation was just amazing and his cars were almost so immaculate that it almost seemed a shame to use them. However he had a smart mouth and one day said the wrong thing to the wrong guy at a pub over Homebush way and the guy followed him into the toilets and gave him a hiding which hospitalised him for quite some time and from which he never really fully recovered.

[ellrosso]

I thought the Muir Lola T300 was the most impressive looking car at this 1972 Calder meeting. My photo was taken on Perutz film in the old man's Hanimette rangefinder, whereas Neil's was on his old man's pukka SLR on Kodachrome and the colour is probably as good as the day it was shot. We had about six almost identical pit shots to each other on this raceday - quite bizarre...

[lyntonh]

The peasants among us who were saddled with ferrania, agfa, ektachrome and all those other slide films, because of the cost,

now look back with envy at these gloriously permanent dyes, shining out so true to colour in the kodachromes, all these years later.

[ellrosso]

Yes dead right Lynton, you certainly got what you paid for with Kodachrome! Incredible how well it has lasted by comparison with the others.

[Lee Nicolle]

The greenie blue in Lindsays pic actually looks ok, until you see the Hammond pic. Then you see real colors,,, and Lyntons envy.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by seldo
Papps' preparation was just amazing and his cars were almost so immaculate that it almost seemed a shame to use them. However he had a smart mouth and one day said the wrong thing to the wrong guy at a pub over Homebush way and the guy followed him into the toilets and gave him a hiding which hospitalised him for quite some time and from which he never really fully recovered.

David, as you would know Reg better than I do...

Terry's question relates to 'the team', ie. Reg Papps & Sons, which implies that it is a business. Do you know anything about that side of things?




.

Edited by Ray Bell, 20 August 2016 - 15:28.

[seldo]

As far as I recall, Reg Papps Snr ran a servo, and whilst I knew Reg Jnr, I don't recall another son/brother. I thought the cars' preparation was mainly the effort of Reg Jnr with maybe some help from Reg Snr, but other than that guess, can't really cast much light. But the cars were really just magnificent to look at. I recall one day Reg showed us his F2? car which was partly prepared/restored, and he said he had stripped the car back to the bare chassis and started again after blasting, priming painting etc. But it seemed all too pretty to use.

[Ray Bell]

Thanks, David...

The Lotus started life as a 20 as I recall, became (at least more or less...) a 31. It's covered in Marc Schagen's Lotus book.

[brucemoxon]

Bob Muir was visiting my Dad (John) in Royal North Shore Hospital when he encountered Niel Allen in the corridors. 'Do you want to buy a racing car Bob?' 'Yeah why not?'

 

I agree the T300 was a spectacularly presented car. Reg and Bob are still mates - they're often together at historic meetings in Sydney, sometimes with Ken Goodwin.

 

 

 

 

 

Bruce Moxon

[Ray Bell]

The encounter was as Niel was being wheeled in after being flown from Surfers...

Bob's version is that he put two and two together and simply made an offer for the car.

[TerryS]

As far as I recall, Reg Papps Snr ran a servo, and whilst I knew Reg Jnr, I don't recall another son/brother. I thought the cars' preparation was mainly the effort of Reg Jnr with maybe some help from Reg Snr, but other than that guess, can't really cast much light. But the cars were really just magnificent to look at. I recall one day Reg showed us his F2? car which was partly prepared/restored, and he said he had stripped the car back to the bare chassis and started again after blasting, priming painting etc. But it seemed all too pretty to use.

In the photo of the car in post #3 you can see the "REG PAPPS & SONS" sign on the side of the car just in front of the BP emblem.

Note the SONS has an S on the end.

[seldo]

In the photo of the car in post #3 you can see the "REG PAPPS & SONS" sign on the side of the car just in front of the BP emblem.

Note the SONS has an S on the end.

Like I said - I only knew one of the sons....

[Jacer]

around 1990 I was at Bob Britton's borrowing the Rennmax mk2 moulds. They were stored in 'that' big shed out the back.  It was dark as he scaled the pile of race car bits to endevour to find the said moulds. One of the things that came tumbling out was the top body section of this car. Amazed I asked if it was off the the Muir T300 and Bob said " yeah I was going to use it on something I was working on but never did". I often wondered what else was in that pile.

 

[Ray Bell]

I think one or two 'genuine' Historic cars have been built around bits from that pile...

The T300 body was probably in some embryonic form going to be used on the BN6/7 cars.

[Jacer]

it had the same #4 as in Wirra's picture on it.

 

[Jacer]

and Lynton's as wells, sorry. meaning it was an early version?

[Kenzclass]

Following on from David's post #18, some of you on this thread will have seen my post on the The Roaring Season regarding Reg Papps & Sons.

Suitably paraphrased, it reads:

 

"at the following link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Hardie-Ferodo_500, it shows they entered a VH Charger (car No 45) in the 1971 Bathurst 500, which Bob Beasley qualified in 10th. It finished in 10th overall (only one lap down), so must have run consistently all day. No co-driver listed- looks like Bob played a lone hand that day.

I checked the '70 and '72 events, and it didn't show them as entrants/runners in either.
If Bob B is still "going around", might be a good contact to follow up on the "mysterious" Papps clan."

 

Following up on this, I found two photos of the car on Autopics, the better one (No 71725) being at http://autopics.com.au/71750-beasley-muir-valiant-charger-bathurst-1971; this shows a yellow 'Reg Papps and Sons' roundel above the rear wheel arch. A BP shield is also visible above it, consistent with earlier comments in this thread.

Interestingly, another major sponsor appears to be the very successful Sydney car dealer (and prominent racehorse owner/punter) Wal Truscott (d. 2014), a former pro wrestler who worked his way up to a pretty handy position in life.

[TerryS]

From searching Ryerson Index I found a "Reginald George Papps Snr." Died in Sydney in March 2000 aged 88. He was late of Mascot.
His father was Alexander.

Could this be our Reg Papps?

[seldo]

that might be Reg Snr, but Reg Jnr, who was the active part of the partnership, would now be....perhaps late 70s, maybe 80 something...

[TerryS]

Finally I have the answer to something puzzling me for years, who were "Reg Papps and Sons" and how were they involved with the Lola T300

http://www.theroarin...ula-5000/page20

Refer post #394

Thanks Ray