Just scanned this one the other day. KB probably not having much fun battling understeer at the Rothmans round, Feb 1978. Johnny Walker looks far more composed in the Lola T332.
Edited by ellrosso, 18 September 2018 - 05:25.
The strange tale of the F5000 Brabham BT43
Started by
MCS
, Oct 12 2004 20:00
220 replies to this topic
#201
ellrosso
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Posted 18 September 2018 - 05:24
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#202
MarkBisset
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Posted 18 September 2018 - 08:59
Jeepers- a very un-Bartlett type pose- turn in bitch or some such being muttered into that Bell Star!. DNF and 6th with WB the winner in his Lola T333/332C I see
#203
oldjonesfan
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- 81 posts
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Posted 03 November 2018 - 16:50
OK contacted the ABC and they responded straight away asking for more details and will get back to me with a Quote for a Researcher to have a look for the actual telecast (they have the year before's AGP and Hang Ten 400 at Sandown listed as available in the on-line Archive) and any 1980 Motorsport Introductions.
Well they didn't get back to me with a Quote but they did get back advising that the 1979 Sandown Telecast doesn't exist anymore.
So unless someone recorded it on their VCR (and transferred it to DVD after all these years) or recorded the beginning of one of the 1980 Telecasts (and also transferred it to DVD) it looks like that footage is lost forever.
#204
Ray Bell
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Posted 03 November 2018 - 21:05
I guess my brother would have that...
Maybe I should ask? But I don't know how good his filing is.
Maybe I should ask? But I don't know how good his filing is.
#205
Doug Nye
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Posted 03 November 2018 - 22:42
What a wonderful thread this has proved to be...
DCN
#206
retriever
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Posted 04 November 2018 - 12:38
What a wonderful thread this has proved to be...
DCN
It is not just a wonderful thread but also a wonderful forum. I just wish that more would contribute to it.
#207
Pat Clarke
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Posted 08 November 2018 - 00:56
This is from a post on the "Innovative, banned and unique racing cars" group on Facebook.
It refers to this thread, but includes some interesting news to solve the mystery. The post was from a Todd Connaughton replying to David Ivers who had directed him to this discussion.
David Ivers I had a look once before and couldn't find it, thanks here is the whole story. It's worth the read... I can resolve the mystery of what happened to the BT43. I've only just realised what I had, as a result of finding a pair of radiators in my loft this afternoon, that I've had for 30 odd years, and trying to decide what to do with them after a bit of internet browsing.
In 1980 (I think it was), I was working in the import department of Overseas Containers Ltd (OCL), at Barking in Essex. I overheard a conversation on the desk that dealt with shipments from Australia and New Zealand, about an abandoned "old racing car" lying at Orsett Containerbase, that had been sent back to the UK for repair. As it had not been collected by the importer, despite several attempts to get him to collect it, and had been around for some months racking up huge storage charges, it was going to be disposed of, as ownership had passed to OCL under the terms of the contract. I mentioned it to the Import Manager, who said that, yes it was being disposed of, probably for scrap, but if I was interested, I had better go and look at it quickly.
I had visions of perhaps some pre or post war "old racing car", so was surprised and not too impressed by what I found. It was in a rather battered crate, with significant damage to offside front, and definitely not complete. It looked like there could be some useful bits, so I went back to the office and asked how much had been offered as scrap. I was told £25, and that if I wanted it, I would have to make a "substantially increased offer". I offered £30, and was told it was mine. I was told that it had to be shifted by the end of the following week, or I'd start incurring storage charges. As OCL owned Orsett Containerbase, the manager could simply write off the storage charges already run up, which were thousands of dollars. There was no issue with Customs, as I was told the car had been built in the UK, so no import duty to pay as it was returned British goods.
A pal and I went to collect it, in his Transit van, and we humped the tub into the back, plus the engine, and anything else we could find, and took it to a lock-up I was using, for closer inspection. Bearing in mind I new nothing about racing cars at the time, (still don't know anything really), we really did not know what it was. I had been told it might be a Lola, but there was nothing to indicate manufacturer. The tub was black, and on the end plates of the rear wing was a logo that we found was the Australian TV Channel Nine logo, plus a drivers name which I seem to recall may well have been Kevin Bartlett. At this point it was pretty clear that there was a lot of car that was missing. Memory here is not so good, but it was definitely missing the transaxle and brake calipers, plus the fuel pump and some other bits and bobs. I can't recall if the drive shafts were there, but I suspect not. I am not sure if the car had been shipped that way, or if there had been a bit of parts "evaporation" at the hands of the dockers at the container depot, which was quite likely.
I had plans on using the engine in a road going van, but with no transaxle and no money to buy one, it was a non-starter. The engine also looked like it had had a problem internally, with one con rod either broken or missing, but the crank, block pistons and heads seemed all good. Anyway, at the time, this car just seemed to have no value, having seemingly been dumped by the owner, so it got broken for spares. The chevy engine went to a guy who was into american cars, wheels went to another guy, suspension uprights to a chap wanting to build a hill climb car, and so on. I kept all of the rose joints, some of which were surprisingly slack, and used them on various projects over the years. I also kept the radiators, which looked like they might be handy one day. The basic tub was no use, so it just got weighed in for scrap. All I have left are the pair of radiators, which are still in very good condition, but surprisingly heavy, being steel framed. They weigh over 5kg each! They still bear the makers tags marked "Made in Australia, NEWCELL, radiators and cores, NPN 879". They do not look particularly like the ones attached to the car in the photo above, on the day it got bent, seeming somewhat smaller. Perhaps they are the ones that were replaced for the last race.
I think this can at last end this story. I'm sorry Kevin Bartlett lost out over this, but at the time it was just another abandoned bit of cargo. Had I known it was a Brabham, and potentially historically significant, then I might have tried to find a suitable home for it, but hindsight is a frustrating thing. Meantime, the radiators are no good to me, and will be appearing on a well known internet auction site in the not too distant future.
Please - no hate mail. I was young and ignorant.
Pat
It refers to this thread, but includes some interesting news to solve the mystery. The post was from a Todd Connaughton replying to David Ivers who had directed him to this discussion.
David Ivers I had a look once before and couldn't find it, thanks here is the whole story. It's worth the read... I can resolve the mystery of what happened to the BT43. I've only just realised what I had, as a result of finding a pair of radiators in my loft this afternoon, that I've had for 30 odd years, and trying to decide what to do with them after a bit of internet browsing.
In 1980 (I think it was), I was working in the import department of Overseas Containers Ltd (OCL), at Barking in Essex. I overheard a conversation on the desk that dealt with shipments from Australia and New Zealand, about an abandoned "old racing car" lying at Orsett Containerbase, that had been sent back to the UK for repair. As it had not been collected by the importer, despite several attempts to get him to collect it, and had been around for some months racking up huge storage charges, it was going to be disposed of, as ownership had passed to OCL under the terms of the contract. I mentioned it to the Import Manager, who said that, yes it was being disposed of, probably for scrap, but if I was interested, I had better go and look at it quickly.
I had visions of perhaps some pre or post war "old racing car", so was surprised and not too impressed by what I found. It was in a rather battered crate, with significant damage to offside front, and definitely not complete. It looked like there could be some useful bits, so I went back to the office and asked how much had been offered as scrap. I was told £25, and that if I wanted it, I would have to make a "substantially increased offer". I offered £30, and was told it was mine. I was told that it had to be shifted by the end of the following week, or I'd start incurring storage charges. As OCL owned Orsett Containerbase, the manager could simply write off the storage charges already run up, which were thousands of dollars. There was no issue with Customs, as I was told the car had been built in the UK, so no import duty to pay as it was returned British goods.
A pal and I went to collect it, in his Transit van, and we humped the tub into the back, plus the engine, and anything else we could find, and took it to a lock-up I was using, for closer inspection. Bearing in mind I new nothing about racing cars at the time, (still don't know anything really), we really did not know what it was. I had been told it might be a Lola, but there was nothing to indicate manufacturer. The tub was black, and on the end plates of the rear wing was a logo that we found was the Australian TV Channel Nine logo, plus a drivers name which I seem to recall may well have been Kevin Bartlett. At this point it was pretty clear that there was a lot of car that was missing. Memory here is not so good, but it was definitely missing the transaxle and brake calipers, plus the fuel pump and some other bits and bobs. I can't recall if the drive shafts were there, but I suspect not. I am not sure if the car had been shipped that way, or if there had been a bit of parts "evaporation" at the hands of the dockers at the container depot, which was quite likely.
I had plans on using the engine in a road going van, but with no transaxle and no money to buy one, it was a non-starter. The engine also looked like it had had a problem internally, with one con rod either broken or missing, but the crank, block pistons and heads seemed all good. Anyway, at the time, this car just seemed to have no value, having seemingly been dumped by the owner, so it got broken for spares. The chevy engine went to a guy who was into american cars, wheels went to another guy, suspension uprights to a chap wanting to build a hill climb car, and so on. I kept all of the rose joints, some of which were surprisingly slack, and used them on various projects over the years. I also kept the radiators, which looked like they might be handy one day. The basic tub was no use, so it just got weighed in for scrap. All I have left are the pair of radiators, which are still in very good condition, but surprisingly heavy, being steel framed. They weigh over 5kg each! They still bear the makers tags marked "Made in Australia, NEWCELL, radiators and cores, NPN 879". They do not look particularly like the ones attached to the car in the photo above, on the day it got bent, seeming somewhat smaller. Perhaps they are the ones that were replaced for the last race.
I think this can at last end this story. I'm sorry Kevin Bartlett lost out over this, but at the time it was just another abandoned bit of cargo. Had I known it was a Brabham, and potentially historically significant, then I might have tried to find a suitable home for it, but hindsight is a frustrating thing. Meantime, the radiators are no good to me, and will be appearing on a well known internet auction site in the not too distant future.
Please - no hate mail. I was young and ignorant.
Pat
#208
BobPaton
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- 16 posts
- Joined: October 13
New Member
Posted 08 November 2018 - 01:33
Oh dear, what an ingnominious end to the one and only BT43! No blame on Todd of course. 
Edited by BobPaton, 08 November 2018 - 01:33.
#209
Ray Bell
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Posted 08 November 2018 - 01:49
That account is related in Post No 40 on Page 1 of this thread...
It's posted by 'sandy400e', who has only posted half a dozen times on the forum to date.
It's posted by 'sandy400e', who has only posted half a dozen times on the forum to date.
#210
ellrosso
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- 1,623 posts
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Posted 08 December 2018 - 05:06
Has to be one of the ugliest airboxes ever put on a racing car.......
#211
MarkBisset
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- 901 posts
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Posted 08 December 2018 - 05:27
Yes...
But what a shot all the same Lindsay! Such a distinctive profile - it's a pity it wasn't raced more intensively when first built but such a crowd-pleaser here when KB drove it- in part because it wasn't a Lola !
But what a shot all the same Lindsay! Such a distinctive profile - it's a pity it wasn't raced more intensively when first built but such a crowd-pleaser here when KB drove it- in part because it wasn't a Lola !
Edited by MarkBisset, 08 December 2018 - 05:28.
#212
Peter Morley
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- 2,263 posts
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Posted 12 December 2018 - 15:49
Just scanned this one the other day. KB probably not having much fun battling understeer at the Rothmans round, Feb 1978. Johnny Walker looks far more composed in the Lola T332.
It doesn't look like that nose would develop much downforce which could explain the extreme understeer?
#213
JtP2
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- 452 posts
- Joined: December 13
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Posted 12 December 2018 - 16:32
Looking at the photo , has the reverse ackerman been over done and did it ever work in the first place? Although much loved by Colin Chapman at one time.
#214
ellrosso
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Posted 19 January 2019 - 01:49
Just found this one from Oran Park Feb/79.
Edited by ellrosso, 19 January 2019 - 01:49.
#215
oldjonesfan
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- 81 posts
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Posted 05 February 2020 - 11:21
I guess my brother would have that...
Maybe I should ask? But I don't know how good his filing is.
Well if he's got the time to search for it it would be much appreciated as I certainly can't find hide nor hair (or however the saying goes!) of it anywhere.
#216
Ray Bell
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Posted 05 February 2020 - 21:07
Hide nor hair... skin or the hairs on the skin, I'd imagine...
Never thought of that before.
1979 Sandown Gold Star meeting you want, right? I'll send him a text. If his phone's working.
#217
Dale Harvey
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- 418 posts
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Posted 06 February 2020 - 20:31
Hide nor hair, is how I remember it.
Dale.
#218
Ray Bell
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Posted 10 February 2020 - 01:51
Originally posted by oldjonesfan
Well if he's got the time to search for it it would be much appreciated as I certainly can't find hide nor hair (or however the saying goes!) of it anywhere.
This was definitely a "Duh!" moment for me...
My brother didn't get his first video recorder until 1982!
However, he thinks that Nigel Macara might have it. Nigel did live around Auburn somewhere, but Brian thinks he moved to the Central Coast.
The other person I recall having a video recorder in those earlier times was Vee racer Alan Birmingham. Some of the Vee blokes here might know about him, but he was much older than me and you might realise what that means.
#219
oldjonesfan
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- 81 posts
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Posted 23 March 2020 - 02:17
Thanks for all the efforts Ray but I think this maybe one race that we'll never see again.
Then again maybe it may take as long to find the video as it did to solve the mystery of what happened to the BT43!
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#220
MCS
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Posted 28 February 2024 - 19:57
Whilst looking for something else just now, I came across this:
https://www.ebay.co....:Bk9SR4rqx5S-Yw
Wonders never cease.
#221
E1pix
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Posted 01 March 2024 - 03:56
Obviously for a different car, the Brbham BT43. ;-)
