9 replies to this topic

[Paul Newby]

OK, lets start off with a couple of apologies here. 1) this isn't a BRM or McLaren chassis number maze (so the purists need not apply ;) ) and 2) I don't have a complete collection of Racing Car News to check individual race reports. However, I know several people here who do, so I should be right.

A fellow Alfisti has just brought a Group C Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV (we're talking 105 or Bertone series here) first logged in Australia on 13/06/75 and competed in the Australian Touring Car Champioship with various drivers until the end of '78 where it essentially became a club car.

My friend has emailed me all the entries from the logbook up till the end of '79 but these are on another computer, but can be supplied if necessary. Here are some snippets:

Tipo 10522 (original right hand drive 2000 GT Veloce)

Chassis # AR2410799 (confrims RHD and a very early one - 1971 predates A/A delivery, likely to be originally an English prepared race car)

Log book issued 13/06/75 to Gil Gordon Alfa Geelong (a Victorian dealer.)

The car did 5 race meetings towards the end of 1975 but not Bathurst

The only Bathurst the car entered was in 1976 with Graham (or Ray?) Harrison and Ron Gillard. It retired on lap 120 after an accident with Porter / Roberts Alfetta GTAm. (The new owner has spoken to Gillard who was a hired gun for this race and helped set the car up for the race, but nothing else.)

In 1977 Dr Peter Kuebler from Adelaide purchased the car and ran some ATCC rounds in 77/79 with a couple of points finishes. Kubler has emailed the new owner some period photos.

My friend Bill has also been in touch with Brian Foley with minimal success. It would appear that the GTV was imported as a race car from England, possibly prepared by Alec Mildren Alfa (certainly not by Gil Gordon.) In Kuebler's time with the car he had the engine rebuilt by Graham Ritter in Canberra.

What Bill and I would like to know is:

Does this car have a known racing history in England, and the circumstances for it being shipped to Australia?

Who prepared the car once it was in Australia and were there any demon tweaks or parts on it ?

Who raced the car in 75 and 76 (bar Bathurst.)

Why did it not start Bathurst in 1975?

Any period photos of it racing in 75/76

Apart from Gulson's car, do any other Group C GTVs (and Alfettas) survive today?

[dretceterini]

Elvira Ruocco at Fiat can provide what is in the files as to build detrails. Here e-mail is:

elvira.ruocco@fiat.com

Unfortunately chassis numbers were not required with many race entyry sheets, so the best way to trace the history of the car is probibly working backwards from today...

[Paul Newby]

Thanks dretceterini.

I have dealt eith Elvira in the past (in the days of faxes) so this was on the agenda as well - an email address is handy though.

I suspect that the "buyer" of the car when new would be the English concessionare at the time and not a dealer or individual.

As far as we know, it was raced predominately in white in period and then later red. Apparently when it was restored a few years ago they found the original "pino verde: (pine green) colour under the rear seat. It remains this colour now.

[Patrick Italiano]

Paul,

Stuart is right to suggest Elvira's possible help, but I'm afraid she can only confirm the date of production, colour, possible options, and then the first owner will be indicated, in the Alfa file, as the importer. This can possibly just confirm that the car had an English history.

And on my side, I'm sorry, Australia is too far away from here to have individual records on such cars.

I hope you'll succeed in finding more, anyway.

[dretceterini]

Patrick is correct; Elvira only has minimal information. Probibly the easiest way to find out the history of any car in today's world is by working backwards...

[Paul Newby]

We have been in contact with Elvira. She was able to tell us that the car was sold to Alfa Romeo Australia on 24 March 1972, the day it was built, and that it was green (AR216) - so it isn't a UK car as originally thought. Now "our" car doesn't have an Australian compliance plate and the earliest I've seen on an Aussie car is 6/72 which I believe is the time the 2000 series was released here. It just so happens that the press demonstrator (used in all the long lead magazine articles) was also pine green - it may be this car! Now we have a registration number to work off, but whether our local authorities will release any information in these privacy crazy times is another matter.

We have tracked down the original "entrant" as listed in the logbook - Gil Gordon formerly of Gil Gordon Alfa in Geelong, Victoria. He now works for a Holden dealer (times change) but he vividly remembers the car and will put us in touch with the original driver Graham Harrison. He also mentioned other notable drivers who have driven the car (including the late Peter Hopwood) and tells us that it was prepared by former Bathurst winner (and former Ford works driver) Fred Gibson. It appears that neither Fred nor his wife Christine ever raced this car. (For those who don't know Christine Gibson is arguable our best ever female driver and finished 4th outright in the 75 Aust Touring Car Championship in a factory supported Alfa GTV.

What happened to the car between 1972 when it arrived in A/A and 1975 when it became a race car is still something we don't know yet. It seems that it was a tired road car, but there are other people to speak to (notably Fred Gibson) so we haven't got the full story just yet!

Now, what happened to all those other Alfas that competed in national touring car races in Australia. This could be a big project!

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Paul Newby
.....For those who don't know Christine Gibson is arguable our best ever female driver and finished 4th outright in the 75 Aust Touring Car Championship in a factory supported Alfa GTV.....

Before the scrutineers caught on to their various erroneous interpretations of the rule book...

[Paul Newby]

Ray,
You will need to explain ....

Paul Bernasconi mentioned a few things like reprofiled inner guards that enabled wider wheel rims. I think there were a lot of other illegal bits, but he wasn't too forthcoming. I believe that "our car" had problems in scrutineering at Bathurst '76 with its front camber set up.

[Ray Bell]

Check the race reports... I'm not sure if it was Surfers or Adelaide where the excrement collided with the rotating breeze producing equipment... but it sure made a mess of the race program.

John French would have these answers, I'm sure...

[eldougo]

People cheating in motor racing Ooooo surely not !!!!!!