Mystery sports car - Longford
#1
Posted 19 July 2011 - 10:13
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#2
Posted 19 July 2011 - 10:53
But I don't know why!
#3
Posted 19 July 2011 - 11:39
I very much doubt it is from Longford 1964. Sports car #2 that year was John Pooley's Pooley Mk II, which this very definitely is not! Same goes for 1965. In 1966 #2 was Matich's Elfin Traco Olds.I received this image from Pat Smith the other week - didn't have a caption and I reckon its probably taken at Longford in 1964. Unfortunately 1964 is one year I don't have a program for so I'm wondering if any TNF'rs have any clues to this car.
John Pooley seemed to race with # 2 in Tas from 1964 through 1967 (in Cooper S), so I reckon this was taken after that, say 1968-69, as Pooley retired about then (later re-appearing in 1970s with Porsche).
I reckon it is later than 1964 - the rear end of the body is vaguely Lotus 23 styled, so whoever built the body clearly had that in mind, but 64 is a bit early for the local copiers. The wheel arch flares are similar to what all the 23s grew in about 1967-68 as tyres became wider, too. So I reckon this is from Symmons Plains in about 1968 or later.....
Just a stab in the dark.... Romac Ford (Bob McFarlane)?
#4
Posted 19 July 2011 - 12:02
#5
Posted 19 July 2011 - 12:07
#6
Posted 19 July 2011 - 12:16
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#7
Posted 19 July 2011 - 21:59
#8
Posted 21 July 2011 - 01:45
#9
Posted 21 July 2011 - 09:08
I think the posts suggesting Pegasus and Manx are missing the point a bit and agree with Lindsay that it is not the Manx.Don't think its the Manx Greg as the nose is quite different for starters. Few differences to the Pegasus but looks very similar to my eye.
Jim Smith only (as far as I am aware) photographed in Tasmania, so the original car was in Tas, though probably not at Longford as the race number does not work for any of 1963-68 meetings.
I think the guy in shorts looking closely at the car is Errol Northrop, prominent Northwest Tasmania enthusiast and NWCC member, who would have been well known to Jim & Pat Smith, so that (if so) tends to confirm it as a Tas photo, and we can rule out the Pegasus (clearly different in many details and it never went to Tas as far as I know) and the Manx, which is very different and was never in Tas in that form, though it did have both prior and later Tasmanian connections (with different bodies).
It is off topic, but the Proctor Manx was built around the chassis of the ex Bob Wright Tasma Climax (probably the same 2 litre FPF engine), and later in its third incarnation, became the Turnham Climax (with a different, 2.5 FPF Climax engine ex Wally Mitchell ex Davison, later GM6). My interest in this? My father built the chassis for Bob Wright.
Rob Saward
#10
Posted 21 July 2011 - 12:14
but Bill Peacock did race at Longford in 1966 driving a white MG special. I wonder if he may have bought the Pegasus down at some other time. The nose/headlight openings look identical to me, as do the rear humps as shown in the Amaroo shot. I know the screen and roll bar are different in the later shots but they could have been modified over time.
#11
Posted 21 July 2011 - 13:08
The only other visible change is to the upper part of the doors... I'm fairly sure it's the Pegasus, but it's possible it's a car built with a body from the same mold as the Pegasus.
Could the pic be much later than 1964?
#12
Posted 21 July 2011 - 22:52
#13
Posted 22 July 2011 - 00:23
I received this image from Pat Smith the other week - didn't have a caption and I reckon its probably taken at Longford in 1964. Unfortunately 1964 is one year I don't have a program for so I'm wondering if any TNF'rs have any clues to this car.
For what it's worth the car to me appears to be unpainted, the colour is a grey gelcoat that is commenly used during construction of panels. So this would indicate how new the car was when pictures were taken.
#14
Posted 22 July 2011 - 00:58
#15
Posted 22 July 2011 - 02:56
Easy to understand increasing the height of the full-width bar, but then to go back to a single-seat bar at a time when full width bars were mandated doesn't make sense.
#16
Posted 22 July 2011 - 04:07
As far as the roll bar goes, it's a bit of a quandary, really...
Easy to understand increasing the height of the full-width bar, but then to go back to a single-seat bar at a time when full width bars were mandated doesn't make sense.
Ray which ever way you look at the roll bars on this car they do not look safe, but they were there just to satisy the rules, I remember a photo of Moss in a Lotus 19 at an American race with 3 pieces of Conduit pipe welded together to satisfy the rules, thank God we have advanced.
#17
Posted 22 July 2011 - 05:16
http://cgi.ebay.com/...1-/380347687050
#18
Posted 25 July 2011 - 20:07
It does not list Tasmania as a place it has raced at, and the round rollbar is different to the car in question.
I'm not sure if this helps answer the question about the mystery car.
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Edited by timbo, 25 July 2011 - 20:53.
#19
Posted 25 July 2011 - 22:00
About 1972 the CAMS regulated that sports cars had to have full cockpit opening width roll bars, with specified minimums in tube size and gauge, mountings etc.
But if you go back through the rules, you find all sorts of things. At one stage, IIRC, the rollover protection had to be not lower than an inch or so below the top of the driver's helmet.
One reason for my comment about this was that the 1980s pic depicted the car with a single bar many years after full width bars were required, yet the earlier pics showed a full width bar.