34 replies to this topic

[Syia]

I'm new to the Forum and look forward to future discussions. I'm looking for colour photographs of Pat in action, in order to identify his racing livery. I have several black and white photos.

[David McKinney]

I don't have any copyright-free photos I can post, but it's fairly straightforward

1961 in works colours (ie, red), with a narrow black and white chequered noseband appearing at or after Wigram

1962 same, except the narrow noseband was now plain white

[Rocky2]

Welcome to TNF!

Same as David, I'm afraid no copyright-free pictures are available to post here. But below is a link to Alan Stewart's photo collection: http://aussieroadrac...anStewart2.html. Scroll down the page a bit and you'll find Ferrari 246/60 '0007' of Pat Hoare, pictured at the newly opened Sandown International Motor Raceway on 12 March, 1962

[Syia]

I'm new to the Forum and look forward to future discussions. I'm looking for colour photographs of Pat in action, in order to identify his racing livery. I have several black and white photos.

Cheers David & Rocky2, I'll check out the link.

[David McKinney]

I am now informed that the chequered pattern (or single row of alternating black and white squares) was in place right from the start. The photo I checked from the 1961 Ardmore race wasn't clear enough to show them

(Thanks wenoopy)

[cooper997]

For those, who (like me) don't have David Manton's Pat Hoare book, you might just enjoy these wonderful Eric Stevens photos and his summary of the Ferrari arriving in New Zealand -  edging close to 60 years ago. Great stuff!

 

Find all the photos here...

https://www.facebook...3&theater&ifg=1

 

 

 

"The arrival of Pat Hoare’s 2nd Ferrari

Someone (Don Alexander?) Has asked me to repost my photographs in the South Island Motorsports group. For a start I have gone through the photographs of Pat Hoare’s second Ferrari and cleaned up what has been cleanable and numbered them in the hope that will make discussions easier. The original photographs were taken on 35mm film which has suffered severely at the hands of time and mold.

The story of how Pat Hoare had come to buy the Ferrari is too long for me to recount but is told in David Manton’s book “Enzo’s Secret War”. In any case, that Pat Hoare could buy a car was not a foregone conclusion. Ferrari sent him off for test laps on the Modena circuit in one of the obsolete Lancia D50 F1 cars. Probably to everyone’s surprise, Pat ended up (reputedly) lapping within about 2 seconds of Ascari’s lap record for the circuit.

This is the story of how the car was delivered to New Zealand and it’s preparation for its first race in New Zealand.

The Ferrari was scheduled to be shipped to New Zealand in late 1960 in time to be run in the 1961 NZ Grand Prix at Ardmore. In the event the whole program seemed to be running dangerously late. The first delay was getting the car built in the factory. Then , instead of just a few test laps around Modena, the car became embroiled in a full scale tire testing program for Dunlop on the high speed circuit at Monza. It can be seen from the state of the tires when it arrived in Auckland (photograph 2) that the car had obviously seen some serious mileage. Also there were some quite severe scrape marks on the bottom of the gearbox where it had been contacting the banking. Nobody in Auckland knew what speeds had been involved but upon delivery the car was fitted with the highest gearing which gave it a theoretical maximum speed of 198 mph.

The car was driven straight from Monza to the ship. I was later told by Ernie Ransley that the car was filled with fuel and the delivery driver was told he had approximately an hour to deliver the car to the ship which was somewhat more than 120 miles away.

Then, the ship arrived in Auckland later than expected and although Pat had arranged to get the car off as soon as possible there was a great panic when at first the car could not be found. Not only was the Hoare team frantically searching the ship and so too was the local Dunlop rep. Eventually the car was found behind a wall of crates of spirits in the deck liquor-locker.

Then there was the problem of paperwork. At first all that could be found was an ordinary luggage label tied to the steering wheel as in photograph 1. This was addressed to:

Mr P.M. Hoare

440 Papanui Road

CHRISTCHURCH N.Z.

WELLINGTON N.Z.

No other papers could at first be found but an envelope of documents was later found stuffed in a corner. The car had obviously arrived very late.

The day after collecting the car, and after the fitting of new tires, we took it out to a local supermarket car park for its first run in New Zealand. Pat climbed in the car and we all pushed. The car started easily but was running on only 11 cylinders and there was conspicuous blow-back from one carburetor. The immediate diagnosis was a stuck inlet valve.

There was no time to get new valves and guides from the factory but Ernie Ransley was able to locate a suitable valve originally intended for a 250F Maserati and a valve guide blank which, while not made of aluminium bronze, could be machined to suit. Over the next day or so the engine was torn down, the new valve and guide fitted, and all the remaining guides were lightly honed to ensure that there would be no repeat failure.

The rest is history.

I musn’t forget the tires. They were obviously worn and would have to be replaced. They had a slightly different tread pattern from the usual Dunlop R5 and Ernie Ransley had a closer look at them to see what they were. When the Dunlop rep next arrived Ernie asked him “what is a R9?” “Oh, just something the factory was playing around with” was the answer. In fact they were a very early experimental set of Dunlop rain tires, the existence of which was not generally known at that time. There had been no time to get them off the car before it left Monza for the ship. No wonder the Dunlop rep was so anxious to help us find the car on the ship and to get new tires on the car as soon s possible. - Eric Stevens "

 

 

 

Stephen

[bradbury west]

What a wonderful photo archive and narrative, many thanks.
Roger Lund

[Dutchy]

It's a great shame the car is no longer in this form.

I recall Neil Corner racing it - I shall never forget the fabulous exhaust note.

[D-Type]

It's a great shame the car is no longer in this form.

I recall Neil Corner racing it - I shall never forget the fabulous exhaust note.

As this chassis is the one with which Phil Hill won the 1960 Italian GP, the last for a front-engined car, to me it is more appropriate to fit a Dino V6 engine

Edited by D-Type, 28 November 2019 - 16:39.

[Jack-the-Lad]

Were Pat and Ronnie Hoare related? I read Manton’s book but I don’t recall the matter being addressed. The odds of two men in locations about as far apart as it is possible to be, with the same surname, having such similar relationships with a tiny enterprise and its owner in a third country, must be astronomical.

[Tim Murray]

This question has been batted around several times here over the years, and the consensus is that they weren’t related, but nothing has been proved conclusively. Pat Hoare’s special relationship with Ferrari was discussed here:

Pat Hoare and Enzo Ferrari - why the special relationship?

and it seems that Pat Hoare might have done Enzo a service of some sort during WW2. Here are DCN’s thoughts:

Hoare had remarkable pull with The Old Man, the reason for which I have never really fathomed out. The best story I have heard is that Hoare was an officer with the New Zealand forces moving up through the leg of Italy during WW2 and he was able to call off an imminent artillery barrage against what turned out to be the Ferrari home and machine tool works at Maranello just before the trigger was pulled. Allowing for wartime mists and good old fashioned b-------t this could have been based upon some kindness allowed Mr Ferrari during the late-war occupation of Maranello and Modena. Certainly Hoare was fully up to speed upon OMF's pre-war record and if he was indeed with the Kiwi forces in wartime Italy he would have recognised all the names involved.

[Arjan de Roos]

Residing in Holland is the 625:

 

https://www.louwmanm...-zealand-tasman

 

Incorrectly dubbed Tasman.

[Dutchy]

Residing in Holland is the 625:

 

https://www.louwmanm...-zealand-tasman

 

Incorrectly dubbed Tasman.

 

As raced by 'Willie Eckerslike'

[10kDA]

Residing in Holland is the 625:

 

https://www.louwmanm...-zealand-tasman

 

Incorrectly dubbed Tasman.

OT, but after scrolling around the link, I have to say the Louwman Museum has a superb collection.

[MarkBisset]

Stunning stuff Stephen,
Thanks for posting- just marvellous.
I can see why the car was converted back to Dino 246 specification but had I been the lucky owner I would have left it as was!
Mark

[D-Type]

Stunning stuff Stephen,
Thanks for posting- just marvellous.
I can see why the car was converted back to Dino 246 specification but had I been the lucky owner I would have left it as was!
Mark

Remember it also had a spell as a 2-seater coupe.  But fortunately the owner kept all the single seater bits.

[bradbury west]

As raced by 'Willie Eckerslike'

Is that the one raced by Ken Sievewright/rite in the 1960s in the U.K.? I always remember a 625 being advertised by the Healey Motor Co in the mid 1960s and wondered about its provenance.
Roger Lund

[Steve L]

There was an article about the Dino GP car in GT form in a very early issue (I think) of Thoroughbred & Classic Car. 1973/4 if memory serves. I think the then owner called it "Charlotte"!

[Dutchy]

Is that the one raced by Ken Sievewright/rite in the 1960s in the U.K.? I always remember a 625 being advertised by the Healey Motor Co in the mid 1960s and wondered about its provenance.
Roger Lund

 

No its not the same car.

I'm not sure if anyone quite got my reference to 'Willie Eckerslike', which was one of the pseudonyms Nigel Moores raced under.

 

I'm pretty sure Sievewright's first name was Ian. He had his 625 for many years, mainly using it for hillclimbs. It has been discussed on TNF before see https://forums.autos...p/#entry3716610

[bradbury west]

Dutchy, many thanks for the Ian reference. Memory failure here, there was a chap locally called Ken of that ilk. I am sure those of us in know about that sort of thing appreciate the Willie Eckerslike reference, so the cause is not lost.
Roger Lund

[Tim Murray]

Willie has his own thread:

Willie Eckerslyke

[cooper997]

There was an article about the Dino GP car in GT form in a very early issue (I think) of Thoroughbred & Classic Car. 1973/4 if memory serves. I think the then owner called it "Charlotte"!

Finally had a chance to find the T&CC feature Steve L likely refers. It's one of Eoin Young's and is in the January 1974 issue, titled 'Prancing horses ride again' 

 

However the feature deals with 2 of the earlier Ferrari racing cars to reach New Zealand - the 4 1/2 litre and 555 Super Squalo. Each being heavily modified with the Ferris de Joux sports car body and Morris Minor lowlight body when they were in that limbo period with no one wanting 'relatively cheap' uncompetitive old racing cars. Before the process was reversed bodily and in value..

 

Stephen

[Steve L]

Sadly my T&CC collection had to go due to a house move and need to make room for kids! Same goes for most of my Motor Sport collection! Managed to hang on to my Supercar Classics and my (many) books though! I fancy tracking down the Motor Sport CD ROMs (anyone know if they are any good)?

Glad you found the article. I can see the Dino sports car conversion in my mind. Think it looked like a self build 1964 250GTO?!

[wenoopy]

As raced by 'Willie Eckerslike'

 

Eckerslyke - didn't realise for a long time that this was Yorkshirese(?) for "heck as like" meaning "like bloody hell" or similar. Mother-in-law came from Sheffield, but she didn't talk like that!

 

Stu

[RogerFrench]

Eckerslyke - didn't realise for a long time that this was Yorkshirese(?) for "heck as like" meaning "like bloody hell" or similar. Mother-in-law came from Sheffield, but she didn't talk like that!

Stu

Not my understanding at all!
I think it's a rhetorical question, will he heck as like? Meaning not blinking likely!

[wenoopy]

Not my understanding at all!
I think it's a rhetorical question, will he heck as like? Meaning not blinking likely!

 

That was my impression - perhaps I abbreviated things too much. "Like hell I will" or "I will when hell freezes over" etc might have covered it better.  

[Ardmore]

Pat Hoare with his newly converted Ferrari GT. A Euan Sarginson photo from Motorman November 1965.

 

[Jack-the-Lad]

Pat Hoare with his newly converted Ferrari GT. A Euan Sarginson photo from Motorman November 1965.

Was this built on a sports-racing chassis? I ask because of the apparently angled mounting of the engine.

Edited by Jack-the-Lad, 11 December 2019 - 04:43.

[Dutchy]

Was this built on a sports-racing chassis? I ask because of the apparently angled mounting of the engine.

It was built on a 1959/60 GP chassis which is the subject of the thread.

[opplock]

The GT version of the car was featured in an episode of an NZBC childrens' TV programme. I can't remember the name of the programme but at that time there was only one channel. Would probably have been in 66 or 67 as we didn't have a TV until late 65.

[Jack-the-Lad]

It was built on a 1959/60 GP chassis which is the subject of the thread.

Thank you. I completely missed that connection.

[cooper997]

The following strip of information comes from the Oct 86 T&CC magazine's Dino feature by DCN.

 

Stephen

[cooper997]

A find from Mark Bisset via John Manhire

 

Pat Hoare on his way to winning the 11 Feb 1961 Waimate 50.

 

Stephen

[cooper997]

Not the thread's main topic, although it is ex Pat Hoare related.

 

Borrowed from 18/11/71 Autosport

 

 

Stephen

[Ardmore]

It also appeared with this horrible nose.