Austin Seven racing in Australia from 1928

A decision has been made to start a new topic devoted to the racing Austin Seven. Based upon the supply from Tony Johns collection and so they can be kept in one location. 

Tony wrote...

"As a starter I would use the attached photo and for the first time give it’s true source acknowledgement. Charlie Watt, Brighton (Victoria, Australia).

In the early 1960’s I met Charlie who had a lathe in his garage and helped with some machining on my Austin. He worked for COR and this is one of his photos. He was very pleased to pass them on to a young enthusiast. Several of the photos have since been published under others names. It would be make me feel better if Charlie finally received some acknowledgement. 

Charlie was also responsible for the COR score board, he damaged his hand with its construction and still had issues in 1960.

His son Bruce built a special, named after his girlfriend and later raced a Valiant or Falcon on gas in a Sandown Endurance race. Note - not the Bruce Watt of Benalla Auto Club fame)"

Of course both these photos relate to the earliest of Phillip Island AGP history.

Stephen

I thought COR was gone by 1960...

BP came in with the 'Super' fuel when all the companies introduced it in about 1955, so it was BP Super and COR, but COR faded away and ultimately 'standard' petrol was BP as well.

The Falcon which ran LPG at Sandown was one of those painted as the Goss Specials, I'm fairly sure, and I tried to find something in RCN to clarify and couldn't. I'm sure it was a two-driver entry and I think maybe Ray Allford (sp?) was the other driver.

Great stuff Stephen,

look forward to seeing more of Tony’s Collection.

Is the Waite shot out back of the Isle of Wight or similar in Cowes?
The scoreboard is fantastic, I wonder what became of it?
Mark

I thought COR was gone by 1960...

 

BP came in with the 'Super' fuel when all the companies introduced it in about 1955, so it was BP Super and COR, but COR faded away and ultimately 'standard' petrol was BP as well.

 

 

Yep,our local BP had a COR Kerosine Pump well into the 1960's but eventually that was replaced by a Coralite branded one.

BP(AP) always was the main technical investor in COR with the Govt. providing the funds and resources needed for Aust. to have its own Oil Co. after the drama's associated with WW1. 

My mother worked for COR in the city  in the early 50s,, up until my birth I think.

Once upon a time petrol brands had allegiance. Now most fuel is sold by 'independents' and supermarket chains with very little brand allegiance.

Yep,our local BP had a COR Kerosine Pump well into the 1960's but eventually that was replaced by a Coralite branded one.

BP(AP) always was the main technical investor in COR with the Govt. providing the funds and resources needed for Aust. to have its own Oil Co. after the drama's associated with WW1. 

These days a what pump? Kero, what is that!!

Buy it in 20 litre drums from Bunnings and quite expensive.

When I worked in an electrical store early 70s we used to sell heaps of kero heaters. And a few oil heaters as well as 2 bar radiators. All largely gone these days.

Yes, there was often a Coralite bowser in the BP stations...

Also Shell's equivalent. People would roll up with their four gallon drums and fill up so they could feed their kero heaters. Or stoves. And it as cheaper than petrol, but then, so as diesel.

A bit OT, but there is still an operational Kero bowser at the BP servo in Tecoma, Vic.   Maybe the Dandenongs are the final stronghold of Kero heaters.....

A bit OT, but there is still an operational Kero bowser at the BP servo in Tecoma, Vic.   Maybe the Dandenongs are the final stronghold of Kero heaters.....

Cold and damp there this time of the year.

Kero though is like oil bottles on the driveway,,, and someone to check it! A thing of the past.  Once upon a time most sites had kero. One I knew just had a 44 with a metered pump and would pump it into your tins. Many homes had a kero stand to put the drum on. A friends was a Chevy block.

During one of the fuel strikes early 70s we ran vehicles out of the electrical store I worked at on Power Kero and ended up on home heat kero. FB Holden ute and a Chrysler Royal Wayfarer wagon. Neither  liked starting cold but once warm ran fine. On both. 

Though the Chrysler with  big exhaust spit coming up around the steering column just about gassed you.

And I am sure an Austin 7 would run fine on kero. With under 6-1 and a cylnder port  you can port with an electric drill they would run on anything.

Hindsight maybe but chasing horsepower is fraught with danger  on those engines and the paperclip pretending to be a crankshaft will break.

A former A7 Club of SA president has broken many. All aftermarket stuff from England now and fairly reliable. And quick for the capacity as well. 

Originally posted by Lee Nicolle
.....and a Chrysler Royal Wayfarer wagon.....

When I worked in an electrical store early 70s we used to sell heaps of kero heaters. And a few oil heaters as well as 2 bar radiators. All largely gone these days.

Also don't forget the fridges,they were still around in the 1960's.Dad built a W/ender at Wamberal,near Terrigal NSW,in the late 1950's and we had a Kero Fridge and Heater before Electricity was connected in the early 1960's.

I always wondered if BP was paying homage to COR with Coralite,COR light oil or similar.

This may help explain the era of Charlie Watt and COR in the opening post. The COR tanker arriving by ferry for the 1928 AGP.

Photo attribution Charlie Watt/Tony Johns Collection

Tony wrote...

" Before I start scanning Austins I thought you might like to include a few more Charlie Watt photos to give the atmosphere of Phillip Island in 1928.

I see the discussion centres around the change of name from COR to BP. What Ray needs to understand is that Charlie Watt was well into retirement when I first met him in 1960.  But the injury to his hand in 1928 remained with him for the rest of his life.

The COR Tanker on the ferry from Stony Point arriving at Cowes. 5000 gallons of sump oil to be used to avoid dust on the circuit during the race."

This photo (and a couple of others I might add)  can be taken as a teaser to an article Mark Bisset is hoping to add to primotipo soon. With many more Charlie Watt photos never published before.

Stephen

I guess you mean a Chrysler Plainsman, Lee.

No, it had Wayfarer on it. The same as early Valiant wagons.

It was around 60-62. V8 Poly, pushbutton tranny and for Australia then semi luxury trim.

Only about 10 years old then and probably worth very little.

The business owner had been [and was again later] a car dealer and  it was I  feel old stock.

Initially all the deliveries were done in the FB ute. Then they really lashed out with a couple of XT Panel vans.The Chrysler belonged to the other store. In reality a spare vehicle as generally all the deliveries was done from the main store by me. And the service bloke

This may help explain the era of Charlie Watt and COR in the opening post. The COR tanker arriving by ferry for the 1928 AGP.

 

Photo attribution Charlie Watt/Tony Johns Collection

 

 

Tony wrote...

" Before I start scanning Austins I thought you might like to include a few more Charlie Watt photos to give the atmosphere of Phillip Island in 1928.

I see the discussion centres around the change of name from COR to BP. What Ray needs to understand is that Charlie Watt was well into retirement when I first met him in 1960.  But the injury to his hand in 1928 remained with him for the rest of his life.

 

The COR Tanker on the ferry from Stony Point arriving at Cowes. 5000 gallons of sump oil to be used to avoid dust on the circuit during the race."

 

This photo (and a couple of others I might add)  can be taken as a teaser to an article Mark Bisset is hoping to add to primotipo soon. With many more Charlie Watt photos never published before.

 

Stephen

Oh shock horror. Putting oil into the enviroment. And the pristine Island.

These days about the same as the Exxon Valdez.

As for the 'ferry'? Even then I would have expected at least a proper roll on roll off ramp, not straight onto the beach.

How did they get the racecars and even more tow vehicles onto the island?

I 'll try to circle back and put the Derek Jolly Austin Seven photos placed on other TNF threads over the last couple of weeks. Meanwhile here's another South Australian member of early Austin Seven racing.

Tony wrote...

"Back to Austin 7 photos, all three are Ron Uffindel.

Two B&W, Metro Studios, Hedley Cullen and the notes are.

Lobethal, 1939, 1st place SA Junior Grand Prix.

1938 Labour Day, Sporting Car Club Hillclimb 12-10-1938 Glen Osmond.

Ron competed in 1938 AGP Bathurst, driving from Adelaide and back via Melbourne after the race.

There is a good article on him in the Sporting Car Club of South Australia book. “With Casual Efficiency” (we'll add that soon)"

The colour photo is when the Rainsford family owned the Uffindel Seven and on display at Chateau Moteur.

Thanks again for Tony's effort.

Stephen

The pic carrying No 42 is the Lobethal shot...

That looks very much like it was taken on the exit to Kayannie Corner. If so, he'd be winding both those main bearings up tight trying to get a quick run down over the culvert and up the ensuing hill.

A bit more from Tony relating to post 15.

Stephen

I thought COR was gone by 1960...

 

BP came in with the 'Super' fuel when all the companies introduced it in about 1955, so it was BP Super and COR, but COR faded away and ultimately 'standard' petrol was BP as well.

 

The Falcon which ran LPG at Sandown was one of those painted as the Goss Specials, I'm fairly sure, and I tried to find something in RCN to clarify and couldn't. I'm sure it was a two-driver entry and I think maybe Ray Allford (sp?) was the other 

Two cars Bruce Watt in the LPG car and Allford in the petrol car.

And David Shaw thinks the LPG car didn't run...

CAMS canned it before the race, he's fairly sure.

Great article Stephen, hasn’t Ron got a wonderful turn of phrase?

I read, and then wrote myself in an article about Derek Jolly, that Derek’s A7 secrets were Ron’s A7 secrets inclusive of the de-siamised cylinder head ideas which Colin Chapman then exploited in the UK.

Does Tony agree with that view or did Derek have a few tricks of his own origination?
 

m

And David Shaw thinks the LPG car didn't run...

 

CAMS canned it before the race, he's fairly sure.

Did demo laps about 20 seconds of the pace and as David said didn't run.

Ex Keogh car or the Rod Stevens mule?

And David Shaw thinks the LPG car didn't run...

 

CAMS canned it before the race, he's fairly sure.

That is correct. It probably would not have qualified anyway as it was SLOW!

Great article Stephen, hasn’t Ron got a wonderful turn of phrase?

 

I read, and then wrote myself in an article about Derek Jolly, that Derek’s A7 secrets were Ron’s A7 secrets inclusive of the de-siamised cylinder head ideas which Colin Chapman then exploited in the UK.

 

Does Tony agree with that view or did Derek have a few tricks of his own origination?
 

m

Mark, yes it's a great piece originally published back in 1963. So not a huge number of years after Ron sold the car. What the SCCSA book does do is make me wish I had a copy. I dare say Tony stocked it at his Motoring Book Shop, but there was always too much 'lolly' for my pocket money budget to get everything.

As for the question you raise I'll have to await either, Tony's or another Austin Seven enthusiast to chime and respond.

Stephen 

A bit of recent history relating to the Uffindell Austin Seven offered at the October 2017 Mossgreen auction at Motorclassica. A bit of conflicting information in the blurb. I suspect 54 years ownership for Ral Rainsford is correct, not 64 and getting to the bottom of the Uffindell/Uffindel spelling will help. Period race programmes have it as double l.

Tony wrote...

"The Eric Rainsford family have three sons, Ral (Ralston) managed the Chateau Moteur car dealership, and were agents in South Australia for Porsche, Ferrari, Mercedes Benz and from memory Citroen?.

Dean was and I think is still involved in Rallying and Gary owns Rainsford Collectable Cars. Going back to my time at Hamiltons I would talk to Ral about the Austin and he was the vendor at the MotorClassica MossGreen auction October 2017.

At the 356 Porsche Rally at Como last October I met a South Australian who now own the Uffindell Austin, his reason for buying was that it was too important piece of SA history to leave the state or country which was the fate of the Jolly Austin.

It is the original car not a replica. Perhaps some of the body panels have been replaced?"

Of course not long after this auction Mossgreen specatularly went bust.

Stephen

Originally posted by cooper997
Mark, yes it's a great piece originally published back in 1963. So not a huge number of years after Ron sold the car. What the SCCSA book does do is make me wish I had a copy. I dare say Tony stocked it at his Motoring Book Shop, but there was always too much 'lolly' for my pocket money budget to get everything.
 
As for the question you raise I'll have to await either, Tony's or another Austin Seven enthusiast to chime and respond.

Great article Stephen, hasn’t Ron got a wonderful turn of phrase?

I read, and then wrote myself in an article about Derek Jolly, that Derek’s A7 secrets were Ron’s A7 secrets inclusive of the de-siamised cylinder head ideas which Colin Chapman then exploited in the UK.

Does Tony agree with that view or did Derek have a few tricks of his own origination?

m

On Saturday Tony sent through these 2 photos and some information relating to his involvement with the Waite 1928 AGP winning engine. It was the first time in more than 25 years of knowing Tony that this snippet was unlocked (well to me anyway).

Tony wrote...

"First photo, Sydney 1970’s when I acquired the engine from the Col Arthur Waite 1928 Phillip Island Austin. Unfortunately the spare Blown crankcase in the foreground was not part of the deal.

Note the four bolts on the side face of the crankcase are there to mount the Cozette supercharger.

Sydney Austin 7 enthusiast Col Masterton is holding the very early rare cast inlet manifold. This differed from later Ulster inlet manifolds as it was designed for the long studs that were used at the time.

Note the special 9C numbers that were cast into all the non standard competition parts.

Second photo shows the special inlet manifold and the Cozette carburettor and supercharger fitted to my Ulster.

The crankcase is now used in the Waite Replica built by Graeme Steinfort. This car also has the four speed gearbox from the original car."

So I asked for some more details (will follow in another post)

Stephen

So after a little pestering this came from Tony on Sunday...

Tony wrote...

" My long time Meteor bodied Austin 7 friend from Sydney, Col Masterson told me about the supercharged crankcase. He approached the owner in the hope that I may be able to buy it for my unblown Ulster that I had purchased in pieces and shipped home in 1974. It was not for sale but the owner also owned a 1930’s Nippy sports Austin that was missing its crankcase and if I could find one he would do a swap. It was all stops out to locate a suitable crankcase from my UK contacts so that I could complete the deal. 

When the crankcase arrived from England and on my next racing weekend to Sydney, can't remember Amaroo or Oran Park I arranged with Colin to complete the swap. That Saturday morning  under a house not sure where in Sydney I saw the Ulster crankcase for the first time. Imagine my surprise and the look on my face and trying to stay calm when I realised it was a complete engine including the cast alloy inlet manifold and the timing chest at the front of the crankcase. Even the steel gear that drives the supercharger was a special Works part that had one less tooth than the standard part in order to increase the supercharger revs. Not just a crankcase that was to be the swap. Racing the Austin in Sydney that weekend became less important. I already had achieved the win of a lifetime.

It was back in Melbourne and sharing photos with my UK Austin 7 friends that I was to appreciate the history of the engine. I have no idea of what or where the other supercharged crankcase went.

It would be best to note that in exchange for legal advise Graeme became the owner of the eight stud Waite crankcase.

The photo below is the 10 supercharged motor purchased in the UK from John Hinchliffe again in the 1970’s. There is another story to be told about how many Ulster Sports came to Melbourne in the 1970’s.  The two #6 Cozette superchargers were not suitable for an Austin 7 and again ended up with Graeme Steinfort to be used in the Lombard Vauxhall project. When Graeme purchased this kit from Gavin Sandford Morgan it was part of the trade in deal between Gavin and Neville Webb for the Lister Jaguar.

Keen observers will note the 1.5” pressure fed crankshaft and the alloy castings bottom left to transfer the oil along the crankshaft. Special long valve springs and the Pilgrim pump that mounts on the rear of the supercharger to oil the blower. It is linked to the throttle so that the oil flow increases when the throttle is opened."

So with the Lombard and Lister Jaguar mentioned no wonder sorting car history gets complicated.

Stephen

Easter 1966 Mallala - an interesting field for the Vintage and PVT scratch race.

Tony wrote...

"Front row Pole, Doug Jarvis, ex Davison P3 Alfa #5, Ron Brownrigg Riley #11, Peter Brady ex Bira MG K3 #9.

Second Row, Bill Potts or son Douglas TA MG, Tony Johns Austin 7 #98.

This is what it was like at the start of Vintage and Historic racing in the sixties. No roll bars and short sleeved shirts and we are still here today"

Stephen

Tony sent this through yesterday and it comes from the Boxing Day 1957 Phillip Island programme. That means it was taken at the Oct 57 PI meeting.

The Don Dunoon Austin Seven should be chasing the Sabina Motors/Reg Nutt Cisitalia into Lane's MG Corner.

Stephen

Not quite your typical Austin Seven engine conversion. This is one of three photos Tony sent through of this conversion he acquired one Easter in the early 70's from South Australian Doug Trengrove. However he enlisted the wisdom of John Medley in recent days for a lead on where it may have originated from originally. Bill Conoulty (in NSW) was the response.

A quick word search of his name through an (incomplete) Bathurst file has him listed in an Austin Comet s/c at the October 1946 meeting. Then in the March 1948 meeting there's a listing for A Emerson in the Conoulty 500.  So exactly where the cylinder head slots in to any of this would be good to help solve.

Tony wrote...

" As I previously mentioned I purchased it from Doug Trengrove. To confirm the exact year I will have to do some more searching. For a start it was when I owned my Blue Monaro. 253 GTS Trimatic ex GMH engineer A7 member Geoff Taylor, That year Ian McLennan ( VHRR treasurer and ex Graeme Steinfort office manager) had a black Lancia Ford special that I think he may have sold to John Blanden. Because of its weight I towed it to Adelaide and he towed my Austin behind his 504 Peugeot. On the Saturday coming down the Adelaide Hills road my brakes boiled, another story and we ended up in Doug Trengrove’s workshop making them work again.
Realising that I was not going to do anything with the unfinished head I sold it to another A7 Club member, Ken Logan. It is now on display in the Austin 7 Clubrooms."

Stephen

Stephen,

There is some information here that may help to direct your researches.

https://austinsevenf...ce/Conoulty.htm

Regards,

Stuart

Thank you Stuart. Now a matter of establishing which 1955 issue Wheels magazine ran the feature on Bill.

Stephen

That would be Doug Trengove...

Only one 'r' in the name.

Thank you Stuart. Now a matter of establishing which 1955 issue Wheels magazine ran the feature on Bill.

 

Stephen

That should be straightforward, Stephen. If you click on the last link on the page I directed you to the answer will be before you, complete with a transcript of the article.

If only it could always be that easy!

All the best,

Stuart

Stuart, thank you. I should have opened my eyes!

Rather than trying to add the article here, this is another way it can be viewed online in original format. The Wheels archive - refer December 1955 issue page 20-21 then continued on p68

https://bauer-archiv...&pub=WHL&dp=WHL

Ray, I have to admit Doug's surname spelling would at any time have caught me out. Tony mentions that on page 234-235 of the SCCSA With Casual Efficiency book they have it as Trengrove too.

Stephen

His former daughter in law, Tania Langsford used to post on here...

A lot of people get it wrong, you are by no means unique.

Here's Max Foster in the ex Derek Jolly Austin Seven (that he had procured from Graeme Steinfort) in his last couple of appearances at Historic Winton before the car was sold to the UK.

1983

1984

Don Reid's Jolly Austin cutaway produced for the VSCC Racer's and Rascals book

Tony wrote...

"Both photos and the cutaway drawing taken from Racers and Rascals, the history of the Vintage Sports Car Club of Victoria, published in 2002.

Max now remembers Don coming to his house when he lived in Blackburn to draw the Austin. It was the only occasion when they met. Don Reid supplied several drawings for the book and was a friend of the author, Geoff Burford."

Stephen

Just to bring them all together, this is a re-post of the 2 Derek Jolly Austin Seven photos posted in the 'Early Lotus Sales outlets in Australia' thread a month ago..

These come from Tony Johns collection and show Derek Jolly's Austin Seven that helped forge the connection with Colin and Lotus..

Tony wrote...

"The first photo taken at the 5th Templestowe Hill Climb (Austin with bodywork) on March 9, 1953. The results and report in the March AMS record Derek with a time of 70.6 seconds in second place to Otto Stone driving Stan Jones Q type MG 67.41 a new class record.

The other photo shows it later form when the earlier body was removed and it was then a sprint chassis and to save weight the radiator was mounted above the gearbox. Also two piece alloy head and hydraulic brakes are now fitted. I ended up owning the very close ratio gearbox from the Jolly Austin and it is still in my first racing car which is now owned by Peter Mathews. When Peter Hollinger built our special four speeds in a three speed gearbox for the 1981 Raid cars we used the same ratios. All very interesting stuff to me but I doubt to anyone else.

Max Foster was the last Australian owner of the Jolly Austin before it was sold to the UK."

Stephen

Another re-posting to bring them together. This time the David White photos originally posted in the https://forums.autos...rt-two/page-44  thread

Tony wrote...

"Two more Jolly A7 photos, this time they are both from David White using his school boy camera.

The first photo, Rob Roy June 1953 shows Derek seated in the pits with Otto Stone, this time in the Q type MG behind.

The other photo, Templestowe May 1955 is significant because it shows the same radiator has now been moved the correct spot in front of the motor and the hoop frame is in place in preparation for skinning the bodywork."

Stephen

Surely the story of the Ken McKinney raid on the one-time-only hillclimb at Frankston is on this forum somewhere?

I'll see if I can find it. A very good story.

Thanks Stephen,

Must cycle back to my Jolly/Decca/Lotus piece and drop more 7 stuff in.

Just following Ray’s Frankston tangent I was musing with Bob King yesterday and Tony Johns today about ‘Mornington Peninsula Motorsport’ venues- Frankston can be added to the list.

We have Balcombe Army Camp, Cape Schanck Hillclimb, Dromana hill, Arthur’s Seat hill, Safety Beach sprints on a 2 and a bit mile rectangular dirt course (which would have gone thru some of Rob Bailey’s weekender I suspect) plus where else I wonder- sorry for the tangent but in part it’s Tony’s fault!- that’s my story anyway!
 

Mark

And what of the 1933 (?) event in which Ken McKinney ran his very stripped Austin 7?

"The developers of the industrial estate asked the car club to run a hillclimb there to publicise their estate," he told me. And so he entered to win the 750cc class. But on learning that the supercharged Austin 7 (Clarrie May?) was entered he was despondent... but agreed to let his mechanic (Cyril Dickason? Jack McCutcheon? Truly, I'd have to look up the names of the players, it might have even been Dickason in the supercharged A7) lightweight the car.

It finished up as a chassis and running gear, with an alloy seat out of a Tiger Moth as all that stood between the world and Ken as he drove it.

They forgot, however, to pick up the magneto that Joseph Lucas had agreed to lend them for the weekend, and while the supercharged car was faster (only just!) in the first two runs, Ken felt he had its measure in the third...

"I got a good start, I think I must have ran it right out in first gear, it was really flying, then just a hundred yards from the finish line it went brrrrrrrr...!!"

The points had stuck open!

Anyway, the point is that this was a one-off hillclimb at Frankston. I don't know who the outright contenders were, nor do I think the 94-yo McKinney would.

Is that the event on 20th August in John's list? Probably... who can get at the papers for that Monday?

That would be the one, Tim...

This would be the Austin 7 at that event:

Also previously posted somewhere, but probably since disappeared.

Of interest...

I'm sure it was Cyril Dickason who was Ken's mechanic. Ken had an automotive business and Cyril was charged with doing a lot of the physical work. "But if you wanted to make money, you had to keep an eye on him," Ken told me as he explained that Cyril was one to go to extreme lengths to get everything right. "Not the kind of man to have around if you wanted to make money."

So that's how it came to be that he was given his head with this car for the Frankston hillclimb.

Ray, you've now got Tony having a look if he has anything on Frankston Hillclimb.

He has studied your post 44 photo and has these observations.

Stephen

As part of Phil and Tony's Vintage Bentley's in Australia book research there was some overlap of car makes. These are a couple that actually predate the 1928 AGP.

Tony wrote...

"Anyhow today I remembered when Phil and I went down to Flinders to scan the Tom Barr Smith photo albums I copied these two Austin photos. This is the earliest photo  that I have seen of an Austin 7 in competition in Australia and I am sure it has never been shared before.

Mark's been busy bringing together a whole lot of source material for his latest primotipo feature.

Lots of Austin Seven and other related content

https://primotipo.co...phillip-island/

Stephen

Thanks Stephen,

I certainly know more about Austin 7s now than I did a fortnight ago!
 

Our learned colleague, Raymond Bell Esq wrote the 1928 chapter (and others) of the History of the AGP book, it was very amusing to sit in the same study as Ray did 30 or so years ago and go thru Bob King’s many photos and see the difficult editorial choices Ray had to make.

Whilst I ‘went berserk’ with photos believe it or not I did not use all of Bob’s or Tony’s!
 

Blanden’s 1981 ‘History of the AGP 1928-1935’ is great too- I’d forgotten just how good it is.

mark

Greagh's car appears to be a 1925 Standard Sports, a UK-catalogued model. Interesting that it does not appear to be an Australian-bodied car.

Edited by mikeC, 29 May 2020 - 08:47.