Brilliant... Brilliant... Brilliant
Congratulations to all involved.
Posted 10 December 2019 - 04:02
Advertisement
Posted 10 December 2019 - 06:24
Loved it..... thanks for posting it Peter. Wouldn't be many of our era who haven't got a soft spot for Alfie. Top driver, top bloke. I first saw him in Tony Osborne's McLaren M4A at Symmons in 1969 and for the last time in the dreadful Maserati Bi-turbo at Bathurst
in 1998 (GTP race). I saw him driving their old truck away from the track with Marino in the passenger seat, Maser on the back......absolute dog of a car but I bet they were loving every minute of it.
Posted 10 December 2019 - 11:03
Posted 10 December 2019 - 16:43
Posted 10 December 2019 - 19:09
Well worth watching. Thanks for the link Wirra.
Posted 11 December 2019 - 01:17
Posted 11 December 2019 - 02:23
Edited by Ray Bell, 11 December 2019 - 02:25.
Posted 11 December 2019 - 02:41
McKechnie for Bob Evans UK 1974 - Brian McGuire (but see also HU40): UK 1975 (rebuilt on "new (secondhand) tub" prior to August Thruxton) - Alfredo Costanzo (Aus) from October 1976; Australian Internationals 1977; Australian Internationals 1978 - Charles Talbot from July 1978; Australian Internationals 1979; Australian Internationals 1980. Wrecked in an accident at Symmons Plain March 1980. Rebuilt on new tub and raced as HU36a until 1981. Peter Molloy and Pat Burke acquired HU36a in 1982 to trade it for Jim Snelling's ex-Warwick Brown HU27. Once the car was in the US, Snelling built it up with a Can-Am body bought from John Morton and raced in SCCA events in 1982 and 1983. In May 1983, Snelling had a major accident at Riverside, putting him out of action for three months. The Lola was dismantled for spares with some going to Merle Brennan and others to Les White. When he emerged from hospital, Snelling was told the tub had been scrapped. However, some parts of the tub may have been reusable and the chassis plate also survived. The fate of the tub is known but will not be disclosed at this point.
Current owner: Wrecked 1983
Posted 11 December 2019 - 04:35
Posted 11 December 2019 - 04:55
Very enjoyable little film. A little thing I will all ways remember from the early days, Aflie was staying at the same motel as us for a Warwick Farm meeting and I watched as he took a battery and a charger into his room for the night, and at the time I new very little about the things required to run an openwheeler, so I was puzzled. Sad to hear he has lost his wife. She came across as a lovely lady.
Dale.
Posted 11 December 2019 - 08:23
She did come across well Dale. I was a bit surprised they didn't mention the Osborne McLaren stint as that would have been a major opportunity for Alf at that time. They showed the image of it crashed at the Warwick Farm '69 Tasman round but that was it.
I've posted a few pics for the non-Aussie TNFr's to give some perspective of Alf's career (if they haven't watched the film yet). I thought John Bowe was a good choice to speak about his driving. I always thought JB and Alfie were very close rivals - very competitive, similar aggression and similar skill levels - even though there were a few years between them.
Posted 11 December 2019 - 10:12
Well worth watching ,what a wonderful long term friendship with Alan Hamilton.
Has he retired in the last year or so from racing the Hamilton cars in Historic's ?
He did deserve an AGP win such a pity he got taken out in the T430 in Perth and then for the gearbox to let go in '83?
I met him a few times ,to me what came across in the film was as I found him ,a gentleman with humour.
When working for Il Globo newspaper selling add space (2002) I knew of course who he was and said "are you Alfie Costanzo World Champion" he replied "thats a me" we then spent time and i listening to him talk about the racing . After I had told him I knew Minogue very well ,he replied with keen interest " How is Bobby'
Posted 11 December 2019 - 10:19
Posted 11 December 2019 - 11:02
He was a kind of ambassador for Il Globo, wasn't he?
Went out and visited the advertisers and they were able to use his name in their paper.
I think he was still doing that as late as eight or so years ago.
Going back a few years Ray,but from memory when he visited my office in Richmond ,it was to sell space. i could be wrong .
Wonder if he still has the full size cut out of the T430 that was in the car yard in North Fitzroy?
Posted 11 December 2019 - 11:14
Posted 11 December 2019 - 11:53
That was why I mentioned it the way I did, Tim...
'Said to be' fills the bill. The details were already spelled out.
Posted 11 December 2019 - 22:36
Clearly a lot of (family) passion went into the making of this fantastic film about Alfie and his rise through Aussie motor racing.
The benchmark has been set high by the production crew behind Weightless Films. Hopefully they can find some time and budget to tell more driver stories in similar style.
Congratulations to all concerned and thanks to Peter (Wirra) for letting us know.
Stephen.
Posted 12 December 2019 - 00:12
...Has he retired in the last year or so from racing the Hamilton cars in Historic's ?...
Edited by Wirra, 12 December 2019 - 04:22.
Advertisement
Posted 12 December 2019 - 04:24
I doubt anyone dislikes Alfie. A very good driver, especially in open wheelers.
And did ok in tintops as well.
Am I right in thinking that Alfs drive at PI was supposed to be in a later car from Hamiltons stable that broke so he ended up in the M10.
Cars even 5 years newer were a LOT faster.
From the bit I saw he still went fairly quick in comparison to the other older cars.
Posted 14 December 2019 - 23:47
Posted 15 December 2019 - 01:12
Having finally watched this it was excellent. I did not really learn anything as I knew most of this via the media and on this site.
But all put together nice. And proof a good driver will do far better in top equipment. Even the Tiga Volvo and a Sierra!
And his wife and daughters are gorgeous.
RIP to his wife.