Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

[Steve Holmes]

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I am really pleased to announce the addition of the superb Graham Ruckert Collection of historic Australian motor racing photos to The Roaring Season. Graham is a Queensland born and bred racing enthusiast, who photographed events at his local tracks from the late 1960s, through the mid-1970s. You may recognise some of his work, he has had photos published in various Australian publications, including Racing Car News and Auto Action.

Graham takes up the story: "My coverage of events is a bit patchy, as over the years your situation changes and you move on to other things, so the bulk of it covers racing, hillclimbs and rallies from 1969 to 1976; then a big gap until I got the urge again around 1998 through to 2005 (mainly historic events). In the early days I sold a lot of photos as I was the only photographer up here covering rallies; circuit racing was not as lucrative however (and there was more opposition). In the later days the only income I received was from the various publications I wrote for".

What I love about Graham's images, other than the fact they're visually stunning, is that he covers many of the small-time amateur racers, and not just the nationally famous super stars. So you'll see some fantastic racing machines in this collection, huge variety, and some real oddities; essentially, an amazing mix of professional and grass-roots.

Enjoy the ride.

[Steve Holmes]

Be sure to visit Graham's Facebook page, to view more of his images: https://www.facebook.com/GrahamRuckertPhotography?fref=ts

[Steve Holmes]

Where to start? How about with the Centaur Waggott, formerly raced by John French to the Australian GT Championship. Here is the car in much later guise, pictured in 1971, driven by Bevan Batham.

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[Steve Holmes]

A battle of the giants. Allan Moffat and Bob Jane fight over the lead of Round 6 of the 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship. Moffat won this battle, but Jane won the war.

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[Steve Holmes]

Something a bit different! This is Lloyd Robertson's Holden Precision Driving Team getting in some practice at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds in 1972. I wonder what became of these HQ Monaro coupes? Note the light damage to the nose of the purple one.

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[Steve Holmes]

Leo Geoghegan in the Charger battles two of the local heroes, in John French in the Bryan Byrt GT-HO Phase III, and Dick Johnson in the Zupps Torana.

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[Steve Holmes]

What a superb little car! This is Kerry Horgan in his MkI Sprite.

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[Steve Holmes]

Curiousness! Jeff Amos in his high-wing Mini in 1969. That wing looks quite precarious! I wonder if it provided any benefits? I wonder if it fell off? Its essentially held on with two thin poles. But certainly quite creative.

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[Steve Holmes]

Pete Geoghegan battles his Super Falcon unsuccessfully in practice for the ATCC Lakeside race in 1971. He elected to drive his Mustang in the race, finishing 2nd to Allan Moffat, while John French was drafted in to race the Super Falcon. He brought the difficult machine home in 5th.

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[Oldfart]

Post #3, it must be effective, look how far it has pushed the roof down :cool:

[Steve Holmes]

Humpy Holdens were still a popular and cheap way to go motor racing, well into the 1970s. This is Barry Havill in his much-modified example, swinging the tail out at Lakeside in 1973.

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[Steve Holmes]

Post #3, it must be effective, look how far it has pushed the roof down :cool:

Ha ha ha, yes, good point!

[Steve Holmes]

Frank Matich in his A50 at Surfers Paradise in 1972. Note the additional lower rear wing. I wonder what sort of effect this had? In a way, its a sort of diffuser.

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[Steve Holmes]

Super rare photo here of Allan Moffat driving his Allan Mann Escort. Moffat hardly ever raced this car, preferring to concentrate on the Mustang for the all important ATCC events, while the Escort was usually just brought out for the odd Sports Sedan race. This photo is from 1971.

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[Steve Holmes]

I love this shot! Graham Hodges gives it heaps in his Anglia at Lakeside 1971.

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[Steve Holmes]

Is anyone able to ID these two GT-HO drivers?

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[Steve Holmes]

Another interesting special, John Campbell in the Centaur Clubman MkIII. Note the headlight in the top of the front mudguards.

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[Steve Holmes]

Superb shot this one, Brian Foley gets the inside wheel waaaaayyyy up in the air in the Alfa at Lakeside in 1971.

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[mid-year]

The no 24 car is the Grecian Gold Roy Griffiths GT-HO Ph 1 and I am guessing the HO behind is a Brambles Red car but not one of the factory race cars,don,t who the driver is-Ellis and Stephen come in please! The Pacer is possibly the Tony Paul car. Tony had a road re-surfacing business called Queensland Roads and Pavements (QRP) and Roy was one of his employees. The HO was Roys daily driver and weekend racer and he ran the car in the 1969 HF500.

Regards Pete.

[Steve Holmes]

Great effort Pete, many thanks.

[Steve Holmes]

Ron Dickson in his immaculate EH Holden, circa 1972. Is this the car that ended up going to New Zealand? There was a very nice black EH that ended up with one of the Dymand brothers, for OSCA racing.

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[Steve Holmes]

Leo Geoghegan in the Grace Bros Porsche in 1972, hangs the inside wheel out to cool off. Beautiful shot!

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[Steve Holmes]

John French wrestles with Pete Geoghegan's Super Falcon at the Lakeside round of the 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship. Pete opted to race his Mustang GTA in this event, after practising both cars, and went on to finish 2nd to Allan Moffat. French battled the Super Falcon to a 5th place finish.

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[Steve Holmes]

Titanic Honda N600 battle at Surfers Paradise.

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[Steve Holmes]

Warwick Brown in the handsome McLaren M10B at Surfers Paradise in the 1972 Glynn Scott Memorial Trophy.

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[Steve Holmes]

Norm Beechey and Brian Foley at Lakeside. This is the 1971 season, Beechey's Monaro proudly displays the #1 from his 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship success. But 1971 would not be a good year. Beechey managed just a single ATCC win (at Calder) in a season dominated by Bob Jane and Allan Moffat. Other than Beechey's single win, every other race was won by either Jane or Moffat.

Note the massive brake cooling ducts on the front of the Monaro. No doubt these also serve to provide some front downforce, as non-factory spoilers weren't allowed.

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[Steve Holmes]

Another spectacular shot of Dick Johnson in one of his XU1 Torana's. This was typical Johnson pose, open face helmet, and head out the side window.

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[Steve Holmes]

An interesting shot here of the Centaur GT, originally raced by John French in the early 1960s. This is the car more than a decade on, in 1973, and wearing fairly typical '70s attire!

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[Steve Holmes]

This is Leo Geoghegan, smoking it (literally!) through Lakeside's Eastern Loop in his E38 Charger. John Humphrey chases in the Cooper S.

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[Steve Holmes]

I really like this shot of the two popular Queensland racers going at it at Lakeside. John French in the famous purple Bryan Byrt Phase III GTHO fends off the young charger Dick Johnson in his Torana XU1. French was really at his racing career high point at this stage, and would gradually wind down his activities throughout the next few years. But he was also very keen to help the young Johnson establish himself, and was instrumental in getting him a couple of good rides which furthered his career. The pair eventually teamed up together at Bathurst, culminating in their famous win in 1981 in Dick's XD Falcon.

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[Steve Holmes]

I never tire of posting photos of the Pete Geoghegan Super Falcon. It seems there is not a single boring photo of this car in existence!

This superb shot was taken at the 1971 ATCC round at Lakeside. Geoghegan took both the Falcon and his elderly Mustang GTA to this race, but after practising both, opted for the Mustang, which brought him home in 2nd behind Allan Moffat, but ahead of Bob Jane. Meanwhile, the Super Falcon was handed over to John French, who wrestled with it throughout, sliding the tail and cocking the inside wheel. It was a truly spectacular display. After all his hard work, French finished 5th, one lap down on the winner.

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[Steve Holmes]

Bob Jane in his glorious Shelby factory 1968 Mustang Trans-Am racer, competing at Lakeside. The Mustang was supplied to Bob with one of the infamous tunnel-port motors, which produced so many issues for the Shelby team in 1968. Shelby team manager Lew Spencer was later quoted as saying most Trans-Am races in 1968 were six engine races; the two cars would each blow a motor in practice, qualifying, and the race! But it was fast!

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[Steve Holmes]

This is John Goss in his famous blue GTHO Phase III, at Surfers Paradise in 1972. Goss and the GTHO were competing in the South Pacific Touring Car series, this being Round 2, which the big Ford won.

Note the angle of the rear boot spoiler. Did these spoilers actually provide any downforce in these big heavy cars?

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[GeebeeNZ]

Oldfart could relate to post 24. We owned a couple of those little Hondas between us many years ago. Sold one as a runner and cut the other one in half in the hope I could turn it into a trailer. Sold it in bits

[Oldfart]

Trying to forget that! Mine got shortened by a drunk driver outside the flat in Belmont (Auck). Punted it down the road about 70 metres and the tail lights finished up at the B pillar. His insurance paid within 12 hours!

[Steve Holmes]

Wow, a shortened Honda N600, with a person still inside it! Now theres a scary thought!

[Oldfart]

Wow, a shortened Honda N600, with a person still inside it! Now theres a scary thought!

Thankfully it was not with anybody inside. My brevity has created this. It was parked outside the flat when he snotted it from behind, and also parked his car in the power pole. Thankfully they were not badly hurt, the wife/girlfriend took the blame as she had not been drinking, but emerged from the car on the "not drivers' side" We took them inside, removed all the mirrors so she did not see her face, cleaned them up some and waited for the ambulance. It was not till the ambulance arrived and the towies too, that I remembered the Honda had been there and had to go searching down the road to find it. Sorry for the OT ramble.

[Steve Holmes]

Wow!!!

[Steve Holmes]

One of the beautiful Alec Midren Racing Alfa's. We have an Alfa expert on here and I vaguely recall them saying this right hand drive Alfa came after the lhd version the team had.

This car was often driven, with much gusto, by Kevin Bartlett.

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[Steve Holmes]

More Italian eye-candy. Gorgeous little Lancia Fulvia HF 1600. This example was owned by Graeme Ward.

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[Steve Holmes]

Couple of great shots here of Norm Beechey in his HT Monaro during the 1971 season, when he competed as reigning ATCC champion.

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[Steve Holmes]

Pete Geoghegan charging hard in the Mustang GTA at the Lakeside round of the 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship.

Despite the old Mustang being well into its 5th season of racing, it was still going strong. Although not able to compete for outright pace with the Allan Moffat Mustang and Bob Jane Camaro, Geoghegan was super consistent. Although he didn't win a race in 1971, he also never finished outside the top three, and he scored points at every round.

Come the championship deciding race at Oran Park at the end of the season, he was right in the championship hunt, 2nd on points. Here at Lakeside, for the penultimate round, he finished 2nd to Moffat, and heading into Oran Park, had 32 points, to Jane's 34, and Moffat's 31. What a fighter!


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[Greg Ghost]

Yes that's the car Steve Dymand bought of Ron Dickson ended up in OSCA trim

[superroo69]

The no 24 car is the Grecian Gold Roy Griffiths GT-HO Ph 1 and I am guessing the HO behind is a Brambles Red car but not one of the factory race cars,don,t who the driver is-Ellis and Stephen come in please! The Pacer is possibly the Tony Paul car. Tony had a road re-surfacing business called Queensland Roads and Pavements (QRP) and Roy was one of his employees. The HO was Roys daily driver and weekend racer and he ran the car in the 1969 HF500.

Regards Pete.

Pete... I think you will find car 22 is John Harris... with both cars entered in "The Lakeside 1500" event for Production Touring Cars, on 29th November, 1970. As for the Valiant Pacer behind, its a bit hard to tell without a number, but could also be either of the Geoghegan brothers, who each had an Austral Motors Pacer, or Alan Whitchurch, driving for P.J. Motors... and based on the sign on the back of the car, I think it is likely to be the latter. :-)

[Steve Holmes]

Yes that's the car Steve Dymand bought of Ron Dickson ended up in OSCA trim

Thanks Greg.

[Steve Holmes]

John French, in the Bryan Byrt XA Falcon GT hardtop, one of the half-dozen or so RPO83 cars that ran in Group C in 1973. This car was quite distinctive, for its lime green and purple colour scheme. It was later converted into a Sports Sedan, and was the first car Dick Johnson drove for Bryan Byrt.

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[Steve Holmes]

Norm Beecheys awesome Chevy Nova, in its 1968 guise. The Nova was part of the Tridents/Neptune Racing Team, who usually changed their colour scheme each year. This car first appeared in 1966 (at the Australian Touring Car Championship held at Bathurst no less) painted navy blue with this white stripes. For 1967 it was black with red and yellow stripes, before this colour was applied for 1968. The car is now restored to its 1967 guise, which is probably its most memorable.

Someone may wish to correct me here, but I believe this car only ever raced with 4-wheel drum brakes. Beechey had the option to switch to discs on the front later in its career, but stuck with the drums.

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[Steve Holmes]

How about this! Dick Johnson, giving it heaps and cocking a wheel in his EH Holden. Brilliant photo!

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[Steve Holmes]

Kevin Bartlett, and his awesome Lola T300 at Surfers Paradise in 1972. Standing next to big-rev-Kev appears to be John Harvey. Check out the purple outfit! Damn, the '70s were wild!

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[Steve Holmes]

Bob Jane's awesome 7 litre ZL/1 Camaro, powering towards an eventual third place finish at Lakeside, 1971. Jane sat in second position for much of the race, chasing leader Allan Moffat in his Mustang, before wheel bearing failure slowed the Camaro late on, allowing Pete Geoghegan up to second in his Mustang.

Moffat won the battle that day, but ultimately, Jane won the war, emerging as 1971 ATCC champion.

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Steve Holmes]

John French in the famous purple Bryan Byrt Ford GTHO Phase III.

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[Steve Holmes]

Another shot of the Bryan Byrt Phase III. This must be either late 1972, or possibly very early 1973, as the car is wearing aftermarket wheels. Note also the nice metallic gold paint added over sections of the purple. I think it really looks sharp.

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[Ellis]

Steve
It already had the Gold highlites in 5 slot pre Globe days....
I think it would have been nice if it was restored to this configuration
and be remembered as how it first run in 71 as Barnes /Skelton (pic is Sandown pre Bathurst)
French had a works HO3 in 71 and drove this one in 72

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/1420561320_e9f74cd2c1_zps7bdca802.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/falcongtho/media/1420561320_e9f74cd2c1_zps7bdca802.jpg.html)

[Steve Holmes]

Well thats certainly interesting Ellis. The car raced at Bathurst 1972 with just the purple paint without the gold highlights, and the photo in post #52 above from Lakeside appears to have been taken not long after Bathurst, as the car still wears its Hardie Ferodo sticks. So it would seem the gold highlights appeared earlier in 1972, and later in 1972. Seems unlikely, but do you think they could have been stickers?

[prn31]

Superb shot this one, Brian Foley gets the inside wheel waaaaayyyy up in the air in the Alfa at Lakeside in 1971.

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This genuine 1750 GTAm has been restored by Vin Sharp in Melbourne, back to the original 1971 Chesterfield spec (as seen here) with the Autodelta 2.0 narrow angle twin cam complete with Spica slide throttle fuel injection. Briam Foley was reunited with the car in Melbourne late last year.

[prn31]

One of the beautiful Alec Midren Racing Alfa's. We have an Alfa expert on here and I vaguely recall them saying this right hand drive Alfa came after the lhd version the team had.

This car was often driven, with much gusto, by Kevin Bartlett.

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Yes, this is the second of Alec Mildren's GTAs and the first RHD one that Kevin Bartlett took to 4th in the 1967 ATCC at Lakeside. This must be at least 1968 given that there is a Datsun 1600 in the pits.

This GTA later passed to John French who repainted it red with sponsorship from Clive Nolan Motors (John's father-in-law) and then Brian Foley who turned it into a sports sedan in Chesterfield colours. He crashed it badly in 1973 at Oran park breaking a leg and then the GTA headed west where it was originally restored in Chesterfield colours before returning to New South Wales where the current owner carried out an expensive restoration back to its original Alec Mildren Racing white livery as seen here. John French was reunited with the GTA at Lakeside in 2011.

[prn31]

More Italian eye-candy. Gorgeous little Lancia Fulvia HF 1600. This example was owned by Graeme Ward.

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I think you will find that this was actually a Fulvia 1.3 HF. Grahame Ward raced this car in early 1968 with some success before he was involved in an accident with Bo Seton in a Falcon GT at the 1968 Easter Bathurst meeting. Unfortunately the little Fulvia was written off. There was talk of the car being reshelled but this never happened.

Grahame Ward, who still operates a Lancia sevice business in Surfers Paradise, apparently still has the original 1.3 HF engine....

[Ellis]

Well thats certainly interesting Ellis. The car raced at Bathurst 1972 with just the purple paint without the gold highlights, and the photo in post #52 above from Lakeside appears to have been taken not long after Bathurst, as the car still wears its Hardie Ferodo sticks. So it would seem the gold highlights appeared earlier in 1972, and later in 1972. Seems unlikely, but do you think they could have been stickers?

The Skelton / Barnes pic is Sandown in 71 pre Bathurst (#54)
I believe they had a spare car originally entered for Geoghegans in 71 Bathurst (allocated 56E) but didnt race
(Its not in the race program but is on the preliminary entry sheets.)
The spare was originally another colour (Red) but repainted Wild Violet.
The better known car was a delete options Wild Violet car.

[Steve Holmes]

Yes, this is the second of Alec Mildren's GTAs and the first RHD one that Kevin Bartlett took to 4th in the 1967 ATCC at Lakeside. This must be at least 1968 given that there is a Datsun 1600 in the pits.

This GTA later passed to John French who repainted it red with sponsorship from Clive Nolan Motors (John's father-in-law) and then Brian Foley who turned it into a sports sedan in Chesterfield colours. He crashed it badly in 1973 at Oran park breaking a leg and then the GTA headed west where it was originally restored in Chesterfield colours before returning to New South Wales where the current owner carried out an expensive restoration back to its original Alec Mildren Racing white livery as seen here. John French was reunited with the GTA at Lakeside in 2011.

Thanks Paul. So this is the car Foley fitted the V8 to?

[Steve Holmes]

The Skelton / Barnes pic is Sandown in 71 pre Bathurst (#54)
I believe they had a spare car originally entered for Geoghegans in 71 Bathurst (allocated 56E) but didnt race
(Its not in the race program but is on the preliminary entry sheets.)
The spare was originally another colour (Red) but repainted Wild Violet.
The better known car was a delete options Wild Violet car.

Ahh, OK, I didn't know they had two of them. Which is the one the Bowdens now own?

[prn31]

Thanks Paul. So this is the car Foley fitted the V8 to?

No Steve. The other Alfa - the 1750 GTAm in Chesterfield colours that Foley was three wheeling around Lakeside is the car that Brian transplanted the Tasman V8 into. Foley raced both the GTAm V8 and GTA sports sedan in Chesterfield colours at the same time, which is why they are often confused for each other.

After Foley sold the GTAm to the wild west, the Tasman V8 was replaced by a more common V8 (a Rover). The Tasman V8 was eventually reunited with one of the Mildren single seaters (the Brabham BT23D I think). When Vin Sharp bought the GTAm shell, the the original engine was part of the deal but hadn't been in the car since 1972!

Paul

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Paul, great info, keep it coming. I assumed it was the white car which became the V8 Sports Sedan, as both this car and the V8 are rhd, whereas the car he ran in the 1971 ATCC was lhd. Would he have converted it to rhd when the V8 was fitted due to clearance issues?

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[prn31]

Thanks Paul, great info, keep it coming. I assumed it was the white car which became the V8 Sports Sedan, as both this car and the V8 are rhd, whereas the car he ran in the 1971 ATCC was lhd. Would he have converted it to rhd when the V8 was fitted due to clearance issues?

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Hi Steve,

I hadn't realised that Foley had converted the GTAm from LHD to RHD when he put the V8 in, but he must have.

I've attached a photo of the restored GTAm at its unveiling by owner Vin Sharp and Brian Foley, and you can see it is now LHD....

[Spgeti]

Wow, what a beautiful resto. Do you know where Foley got the GTAm from Paul ?

[prn31]

Wow, what a beautiful resto. Do you know where Foley got the GTAm from Paul ?

My understanding is that Foley bought it directly from the Autodelta factory in 1971. I suspect that Foley was expecting a GTAm in race ready condition, but I think it was pretty tired when it landed in Australia. I beleive it was supposed to have been a works car, but Autodelta records were pretty much non-existant even back then and I understand the car's European history remains a mystery.

[Ellis]

Ahh, OK, I didn't know they had two of them. Which is the one the Bowdens now own?

It went to a Melb owner maybe 2 or 3 years ago who had it restored...again...its the 72 car I think.
They have the 71 John French works car that went to Beechey. It is restored to 71 guise.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Ellis.

[Steve Holmes]

Hi Steve,

I hadn't realised that Foley had converted the GTAm from LHD to RHD when he put the V8 in, but he must have.

I've attached a photo of the restored GTAm at its unveiling by owner Vin Sharp and Brian Foley, and you can see it is now LHD....

Wow, that looks amazing! Thanks Paul. Is that one of the Colin Bond Ignis Fridges Group A cars next to it?

[prn31]

Wow, that looks amazing! Thanks Paul. Is that one of the Colin Bond Ignis Fridges Group A cars next to it?

Yep, that is the rebodied and RHD "ex-Luigi Racing" GTV6 that Colin Bond campaigned in 1986. It is the only Alfa Romeo Australia "works" GTV6 race cars that survives.

I think the other yellow GTV6 on the other side of that photo would be the ex-Greg Carr ARC winning rally car.

[Steve Holmes]

Wow, the only survivor? How many GTV6s did Bondy race? I know he ran a two-car team in 1985 with Alan Jones driving the second car. Did either of these cars carry across to 1986?

[Spgeti]

My understanding is that Foley bought it directly from the Autodelta factory in 1971. I suspect that Foley was expecting a GTAm in race ready condition, but I think it was pretty tired when it landed in Australia. I beleive it was supposed to have been a works car, but Autodelta records were pretty much non-existant even back then and I understand the car's European history remains a mystery.

Thanks Paul. I always wondered re its history. These thing were raced to death in Europe and I believe only 30 plus were constructed by Autodelta. A very valuable and desirable Alfa. The GTV 6s do you have any pcs of that as well.

[prn31]

Wow, the only survivor? How many GTV6s did Bondy race? I know he ran a two-car team in 1985 with Alan Jones driving the second car. Did either of these cars carry across to 1986?

There were three Alfa Romeo Australia GTV6s and Colin Bond raced all of them…

The first was the in-house built RHD GTV6 that started out in Network Alfa colours that Bond debuted in 1984, when Group A was allowed at Bathurst that year. This car was repainted “Ignis” yellow and used for the 85 ATCC, then raced by Allan Grice and Greg Hansford in white “Toy Shop” Colours before sold to Warwick Rooklyn and raced at Bathurst 86 in blue “Pye” colours with Lucio Cesario. Then it was sold to John Cotter and later Andrew Leithhead (both Alfa Club Presidents). Leithhead turned it into a sports sedan and he wrote it off at Amaroo Park circa 1992.

The LHD “Luigi Racing” was bought in for Alan Jones for the 85 ATCC. When he went to Europe it reverted to Bond who used it at Bathurst with Hansford to finish 8th outright. The car was written off at the Surfers Paradise enduro round later that year.

The remains of the Luigi car were transplanted into a new GTV6 shell sans chassis number and the original “Luigi” CAMS logbook was retained – essentially it assumed that car’s history. This is the car Melbourne Alfa specialist Hugh Harrison has owned for a long time.

As an aside the Ray Gulson “Dulux” Group C/A GTV6 survives in Melbourne in the hands of Scott Farquaharson.

And before anyone asks, Bond’s Group A 75 Turbo was turned into a sports sedan by another local Alfa club member Ian McDonald. It was raced on occasion by John Cotter but was written off by McDonald at Oran Park in the early 1990s.

Paul

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Paul, great info. I'd almost forgotten about the Alfa 75. Bond ran it through 1987, before switching to a Ford RS500.

[Steve Holmes]

More from the Precision Driving Team.

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[Steve Holmes]

This is Pete Geoghegan getting both inside wheels up off the deck in his Mustang GTA.

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[Steve Holmes]

Jim McKeown cocks an inside wheel in the 911 Sports Sedan. Does anyone know where McKeown got this car from? And what happened to it?

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