24 replies to this topic

[SJ Lambert]

Round 5 was in my neck of the woods today at Bryant Park in the Haunted Hills

 

[SJ Lambert]

[SJ Lambert]

 

 

New Elfin  Newsletter Aficionado, Mike Barker getting set for the off!

Edited by SJ Lambert, 02 April 2017 - 09:24.

[DanTra2858]

Do you know what type of motor was powering the Milano?

[SJ Lambert]

Steven Hill had it entered as a 1958 Zephyr sport - so Zephyr powered?

 

It was Vic Anderson's from new in 1958 by the look of the boot sign.

 

[SJ Lambert]

 

That's Steve in the white race suit

Edited by SJ Lambert, 02 April 2017 - 09:34.

[SJ Lambert]

 

And Mike's away!

[SJ Lambert]

 

Warming the tyres

[SJ Lambert]

Before releasing the Frog!

 

[SJ Lambert]

[Dick Willis]

The Milano Zephyr complete with Skoda swing axle rear end, formerly raced in NSW Historics in the 1980s etc.

[DanTra2858]

The Milano Zypher was built in Wollongong by Ian Fenton during the 1960,s, it ran manily at Huntley Hill Climb until purchased by another member of the Club by the name of Dick Brown who I swapped the SM Special for the Milano.

As I was working at Geoghegans at the time I placed it on the Sports car lot to be sold so I could buy an Engagement ring.

It sold pretty quickley, who to I do not know but memory reminds me that the owner also had a very early pre war alloy body Vauxhall.

The next that I knew of the car was it being raced by Stuart Schofield in Historic Racing.

The chassie was made from Holden tailshafts that were purchased from Corrimal wrecking yard, front suspension was Skoda as was the rear end, motor Ford Zypher, gearbox MG with a Triumph overdrive unit adapted to the rear of the gearbox.

I found the car was not very nice to drive in fact near dangerous with the Brakes having some idear of trying to slow the car definatly not stopping it, no disc brakes just Skoda Drums.

Good to see that the old girl is still around after all these years looking good & in safe hands.

Edited by DanTra2858, 02 April 2017 - 19:10.

[john medley]

DanTra2858, I agree that the Milano Zephyr looks good, and appeared to be a fractious animal. I found it perhaps early 1970s in a hedge in Carlingford (Sydney), from where Stuart Schofield bought it. Agree it appeared to use Holden tailshafts for its chassis. My most enduring memory is that, off a handicap start at Historic Winton, at first corner  Malcolm Shaw drove over Monoskate's rear wheel, the Milano taking to the air to firstly hit my helmet on the way through then to bounce vertically on Monoskate's left front. the fibreglass body shattering just in front of the driver. Spectacular!

[Lee Nicolle]

There is another Milano Zephyr here in SA. Supercharged. It was crashed quite heavily at Collingrove a few years back. I have a pic on here somewhere. I believe it is now repaired an in use again.

 

Holden [or any] tailshafts would not be very strong as the material used is quite thin wall and designed to be strong in a torsional manner.

I have used them for exhaust pipes!. You cannot bend it though it just tears.

Edited by Lee Nicolle, 02 April 2017 - 23:22.

[Alan Cox]

I have seen Milano GTs racing in the UK but not seen a spyder before. I believe that only a small number were built (30?) but how many were spyders?

[Dick Willis]

Only one of the GTs was converted to a Spyder but there were several hundred open Milano bodies made which, apart from the top, were quite different from the GTs.

[Ian G]

Early one for sale......

 

 http://www.uniquecar...?ref=RecentItem

[bradbury west]

I am just surprised that there were Skodas in Australia in the 1950s, and were obviously commonplace in the breakers' yards. I have a shot of a drawing of the Skoda rear suspension for Autosport at the Motor Show in 1956, which looked a neat idea, very akin to the front drive on the Derby Maserati with the long yokes. But swing axles remain swing axles, I suppose.
I cannot recall clearly when we had Skodas regularly for sale here in those days. I recall the Octavia and rare Felicia coming here in my youth.
I am not being critical of Australia, just an unusual car a long way from home in those days of Empire. Perhaps the Skoda reputation for practicality and durability on poor roads made them attractive. Wouldn't they not have been taxed heavily as non UK cars?
Roger Lund

[D-Type]

Skodas (and a few Tatras) were in evidence in Kenya in the early fifties so the Czechs were into exporting back then.  But I don't recall any new ones in the late fifties or sixties.

[bradbury west]

Thanks, Duncan

RL

[GMACKIE]

I am just surprised that there were Skodas in Australia in the 1950s, and were obviously commonplace in the breakers' yards. I have a shot of a drawing of the Skoda rear suspension for Autosport at the Motor Show in 1956, which looked a neat idea, very akin to the front drive on the Derby Maserati with the long yokes. But swing axles remain swing axles, I suppose.
I cannot recall clearly when we had Skodas regularly for sale here in those days. I recall the Octavia and rare Felicia coming here in my youth.
I am not being critical of Australia, just an unusual car a long way from home in those days of Empire. Perhaps the Skoda reputation for practicality and durability on poor roads made them attractive. Wouldn't they not have been taxed heavily as non UK cars?
Roger Lund

Skodas were not that common here, but not rare either. The tax or import duty would have been the same as UK cars, I think.

 

Keith Malcolm's 'Skoden' [GT race car] had a Holden engine and Skoda rear-end.

 

And what's wrong with swing-axles, Roger ?

[Ray Bell]

I recall Skodas from at least the very early fifties...

Quite likely they started selling here in the late forties. I recall that in the late fifties their advertising was based on price, but I note that in the 1956 Motor Manual they are priced at £1095, about £50 higher than the Holdens and on a par with Peugeot.

They were certainly selling for less than £1000 by 1960 with the Felicia and/or Octavia models.

If you google 'Skoda 1951' you will see the body shape I first recall seeing, but it seems to have run through to 1954 or so.

As for import duty, all Commonwealth countries had and advantage there over non-Commonwealth countries. That's why Ford, GM and Chrysler have factories and assembly plants across the river from Detroit in Ontario.

[Lee Nicolle]

Yes, the reason why most of our US model cars were imported from Canada, normally CKD. The specs were generally different to the US models. A bit more generic and more limited in styling as well. Even now I feel this is still the case in a limited way, our 90s F trucks came from Canada.

In the 50s our Aussie models varied a lot from the US versions. My 71 Galaxie LTD built here CKD while then very current was a bit more generic than the US models with the basic steering wheel and plainer dash. Still right hand change with an abortion of levers and bell cranks. Yet they could have used the same system as an Aussie Falcon with a left hand change  with a simple crank under the trans pan.

 

As for Skodas, yes I do remember them, still a very few around with collectors, odd Euro car that would never have sold very well as they were quite expensive. And I suspect very hard to get parts for even when current. 

And I am unaware of anyone selling 50s Skoda parts unlike for instance Studebaker parts.

Edited by Lee Nicolle, 04 April 2017 - 23:10.

[Ray Bell]

Some more expensive American models came from the US, though...

Probably because they weren't made in Canada, they were imported from the US there too. As for the models and equipment, the Phoenix is a perfect example.

The '63 model in the US could be had with a six or a range of V8s from 318 to 426 Hemi. According to the literature the standard transmission was a 3-speed with no synchro on first, options were the Torqueflite automatic and an all-synchro 4-speed. Air conditioning, power steering, bigger drum brakes, a host of other things were available as well as 2-door, pillarless 4-door, convertible and station wagon were available. All of this in four different models in the same body... 330 (basic), 440 (a little less basic, this was the model we got), Polara and the up-market Polara 500.

Even the Phoenix name had been dropped there in 1962 but we retained it until 1972.

So here the Phoenix was a 'luxury' model, while in the US it was just one level up from the bottom. As far as I know the only options were a heater and power steering. Because it was a 'luxury' model it used the US-built engine, which would attract a higher duty rate than the 313 engine made at Windsor and used in trucks and Chrysler Royals which were sold for a lot less money.

Nevertheless, the body CKD package came from Canada.

[DanTra2858]

Haven't we moved a long way from the Hill Climb, it would be nice if the History of the Milano Zypher was updated to make it correct.