14 replies to this topic

[Dick Mawson]

I HAVE JUST READ RICHARDS INTERVIEW WITH BASIL VAN ROOYEN ONE OF THE BEST DRIVERS IN SA IN THE 60 AND 70ties I HAVE RACED FOR 20 YEARS AND IN 73 BOUGHT THE CHEV FIRENZA FROM CHEV DEALER TEAM THIS CAR WON EVERY RACE IT ENTERED RIGHT UP UNTIL 80ties WITH ME AT THE WHEEL IN 73 I WAS ED HUBBARDS PARTNER IN A FIRM CALLED AUTO AUCTIONS UNTIL HE WAS ARRESTED FOR FRAUD HE WAS DEPORTED FROM RHODESIA 2 YEARS LATER. MY CAR AS FAR AS I KNOW IS THE ONLY ONE LEFT AND IS IN AMERICA REGARDS DICK MAWSON

[Gregor Marshall]

Hey Dick, great post and I look forward to hearing more from you and from other people contributing.
I have the (mis) fortune of knowing this subject from both angles, Basil VR racing the Can-Am racer and being a well known GM guy and racing a car with my Dad and my Dad's best school-friend importing the only road-going Can-Am into the UK and I know the current owner.
I also knew Ed Hubbard and his ins and outs with Reliant, Middlebrige and the Bentley deal and that he owned one of the famous Chevy Can-Am racers that has disappeared, so would be nice to hear what you know, as I'm led to believe that Chevy Can-Ams in SA racing are a very emmotive subject.

[Dick Mawson]

I HAVE JUST READ RICHARDS INTERVIEW WITH BASIL VAN ROOYEN ONE OF THE BEST DRIVERS IN SA IN THE 60 AND 70ties I HAVE RACED FOR 20 YEARS AND IN 73 BOUGHT THE CHEV FIRENZA FROM CHEV DEALER TEAM THIS CAR WON EVERY RACE IT ENTERED RIGHT UP UNTIL 80ties WITH ME AT THE WHEEL IN 73 I WAS ED HUBBARDS PARTNER IN A FIRM CALLED AUTO AUCTIONS UNTIL HE WAS ARRESTED FOR FRAUD HE WAS DEPORTED FROM RHODESIA 2 YEARS LATER. MY CAR AS FAR AS I KNOW IS THE ONLY ONE LEFT AND IS IN AMERICA REGARDS DICK MAWSON

THE CAR THAT ED RACED HERE WAS MINE AND HE TOOK IT TO DAYTONA AND THE CAR IS SOMEWHERE THERE IN ITS DAY THE CAN AM WAS THE FASTEST SALOON CAR IN THE WORLD AND IT WAS MY PLEASURE TO RACE HER FOR EIGHT YEARS I MARRIED IN 73 AND WNEN WE MOOVED FROM RHODESIA TO SA IN THE EIGHTIES I SOLD HER TO BUY MY PEN A HOUSE AS THERE WAS NO RACE TRACK IN DURBAN AND WE NEEDED TO SETTLE IN TO A NEW COUNTRY FOUR YEARS AGO I BROUGHT MY FAMILY BACK TO UK WHERE WE LIVE NOW DICK MAWSON

[RA Historian]

Please stop SHOUTING!!!

[JacnGille]

Punctuation would be nice too.

[Hieronymus]

Dick

How many Little Chevs were made? Locally there is also one in the hands of Fred Philips. Basil claims that his Little Chev produced 440hp with Chev V8 powerplant...



PS. It is OK, for old racing drivers to shout...noise induced hearing loss due to their trade.

[Gregor Marshall]

Not sure if this is the best place to post these but they are V8 Firenzas!!



http://cgi.ebay.co.u...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Looking forward to hearing some more about the Can-Ams - whereabouts are you based Dick?

[Killarney]

Not sure if this is the best place to post these but they are V8 Firenzas!!



http://cgi.ebay.co.u...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Looking forward to hearing some more about the Can-Ams - whereabouts are you based Dick?

Many Chev Firenza V8's are replicas, like the Fred Phillips one. Anton Rollino, who also races at Killarney is the genuine thing. Most, if not all, "Canams" racing on South African tracks are replicas, including the one sold recently by Peter Lindenberg to a Dutch driver. Only about 220 were ever made.

[Straff99]

I've just sent this to Gregor before I worked out how to make a general post.

Duh!

I'm building a replica Can Am rally car for the British Historic Championship. It should be finished within the next couple of months or so and I've had help from Basil van Rooyen, Jan Hettema and Gerry Johnstone. Working out the original specification in detail took a little doing but it's well on it's way to being completed.

Jan tells me the original rally cars were geared to do 130mph.

Oh dear...

[Dick Mawson]

Not sure if this is the best place to post these but they are V8 Firenzas!!



http://cgi.ebay.co.u...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Looking forward to hearing some more about the Can-Ams - whereabouts are you based Dick?

Reply from DICK MAWSON I am based at Hayling Island about ten miles from Goodwood And you may email me at mawson44@hotmail.com if there is anything i can help with .

Edited by Dick Mawson, 21 September 2009 - 17:09.

[Dick Mawson]

Hey Dick, great post and I look forward to hearing more from you and from other people contributing.
I have the (mis) fortune of knowing this subject from both angles, Basil VR racing the Can-Am racer and being a well known GM guy and racing a car with my Dad and my Dad's best school-friend importing the only road-going Can-Am into the UK and I know the current owner.
I also knew Ed Hubbard and his ins and outs with Reliant, Middlebrige and the Bentley deal and that he owned one of the famous Chevy Can-Am racers that has disappeared, so would be nice to hear what you know, as I'm led to believe that Chevy Can-Ams in SA racing are a very emmotive subject.

I live in UK now and would be happy to communicate with you

[CanAm 17]

Many Chev Firenza V8's are replicas, like the Fred Phillips one. Anton Rollino, who also races at Killarney is the genuine thing. Most, if not all, "Canams" racing on South African tracks are replicas, including the one sold recently by Peter Lindenberg to a Dutch driver. Only about 220 were ever made.

Morning All. I am a new member of this Forum, but trust I can impart some info on the Firenza Can Am. Originally 100 road cars were built in order to satisfy homologation requirements and thus be allowed to race against the then all conquering Ford Capri 302 Perana's of Basil Green. GM South Africa did not have any suitable power plants to comply with the 5 liter limit set at the time, so Basil Van Rooyen got them to contact GM USA and brought into SA 100 Chev DZ 302 engines (as prepped for the Trans Am series in the US which had pretty much died by 1973) In addition they brought in sufficient Muncie 4 speed boxes for these. These engines and boxes were then transplanted into the Chev Firenza SL 2.5 2 door models, brakes were uprated, along with suspension and use was made of the Chev Nomad LS diferential. The original road cars were geared to run in excess of 60mph in first gear.
Of the original 100 302's, we reckon there may be around 25 left, the rest having being written off or butchered to the extent that they are worthless. We bought our first one in 1989 and it was used as a standard road car until around 1999 when I started campaigning it in standard road trim in our local Fine Car / Marque Car Series. Since then the car has evolved into a full Classic Racer and I campaign it as such in our Classic / Historic Touring Car Series. Fred Philip's Can Am (as driven by Sarel VD Merwe from time to time) was also an original 302 road car (also owned by my father) but it has undergone some fairly serious surgery and is currently not eligible in the Classic Series. Fred is looking at taking the car back to original status and it will be welcomed back at that time. Of the other other Can Am's running competitively in SA, none are original cars, mine being the only one running the original DZ 302 engine and Muncie 4 speed. The car makes around 425 HP with the original 4 bolt main steel crank, Carillo rods, Ross pistons, original cast iron Camel Heads, Holley 750cfm double pumper and solid lifters off a relatively mild race cam and regularly runs at the head of the field. They're short wheel base and challenging to drive, but you'd have to travel far to have more fun in a car.
If I can figure out how to post images to this forum, I will put up a few of the car
Trust this info is helpful

[Dick Mawson]

Dick

How many Little Chevs were made? Locally there is also one in the hands of Fred Philips. Basil claims that his Little Chev produced 440hp with Chev V8 powerplant...



PS. It is OK, for old racing drivers to shout...noise induced hearing loss due to their trade.

There were 100 made for hamologation. Three of these were built specially for racing, many others especially the 2.5 have been modified to V8, these normally have the Borg Warner T5 Box

[cheapracer]

Basil sent me this pic from a couple of weeks ago of the only V8 Firenza in the UK.

Terry (the owner), Basil Van Rooyen and some unknown bloke named Gordan Murray.

[CanAm 17]

Anton Rollino in the only genuine Chev Firenza Can Am currently on track in South Africa. Pic taken at Killarney in Cape Town