5 Best Looking Racing Saloons Of The 1960s

[Steve Holmes]

Its nearly the end of the week, lets have some fun. Saloon car racing blossomed in the 1960s, growing from the role of support category to single seaters and sports cars, to becoming a headline act in its own right. We all have our personal favourite racing saloons from this decade, how about posting a Top 5. They don't have to be great cars, or even good. Just as long as you like them, and like the way they look.

Here are mine, in no particular order:

Hillman Imp

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1967/68 Camaro

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1964 Ford Galaxie

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Alfa GTAM

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1969 Mustang

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[Grant Sprague]

If it was a competition , Mustang 1
imps [colour helps?] 2

Alfa.................. 3
Toss up the others Chev? 4
Fords [steel wheels] ?? Mmno 5 Good little game thanks Steve, lol , just about beer oclock hot arvo here in Tauranga

[kiwi285]

Here is my selection for what its worth

Ford Capri in any of its guises
http://i44.tinypic.com/8znts7.jpg

Ford Mustang - again so many to choose from
http://i43.tinypic.com/10ej37k.jpg

Ford Escort - especially the Mk I's and Mk II's
http://i41.tinypic.com/153xj76.jpg

BMW 2002
http://i43.tinypic.com/2u97438.jpg

And the mighty Mini - some really close racing in their day
http://i41.tinypic.com/mt5ov7.jpg

[Robert Bailey]

Jane's Jaguar mark 2.

[Oldfart]

Jane's Jaguar mark 2.

Or the Silcock one in original guise.

[Grant Sprague]

Mike you changed the rules........ was Steve"s race but I wont protest.....the committee will decide yr fate ....lol .....those were the old rules ....new ones coming ....with a bit more compassion & understanding .......then all winners

[Steve Holmes]

Awesome guys, post up your own preferences, that is what the thread is about. The 5 that I posted up are just my own personal choices. I'm really keen to see what cars from the 60s other people choose. Its just something for fun. Next week we'll do another category, such as open wheelers from the 1950s etc.

[Kwaussie]

My first five personal choice for the early sixties are..

Harold Heasley Humber 80
Ernie Sprague Zephyr Mk2
Ray Archibald Jaguar 3.8
Kerry Grant A40 Farina
Robbie Francevic Anglia
These were the first really well modified cars that I can remember seeing race in the early sixties.

[John McKechnie]

Rod Coppins- Mk 2 Zephyr with exhaust through bonnet.
Garth Souness- Morrari.-Le Monstre
Robbie Francivic- Fairlane 2 door-Nascar
Neil Doyle - Anglia Corvette Fastback
Rod Coppins- Cambridge Monaro

Its all in the shape,sound and colour that holds the memory

[Allan]

To go with the best looking is the great sound that some of these made. To me one of the great sounds in motorsport is the wail of a V8 with a flat plane crank, best heard from the (old) Puke pits with the car alone on the back straight. But to me personally one of the greatest motor sounds is that of a P51 Mustang doing a low pass at full noise.
Allan

[928]

To go with the best looking is the great sound that some of these made. To me one of the great sounds in motorsport is the wail of a V8 with a flat plane crank, best heard from the (old) Puke pits with the car alone on the back straight. But to me personally one of the greatest motor sounds is that of a P51 Mustang doing a low pass at full noise.

Allan
not quite as good a sound as a mosquito on song.

[John McKechnie]

P51 Mustang and Mosquito both run Packards. Unless you are talking the blood suckers.

[928]

never seen a P51 blood sucker

[John McKechnie]

?
Anyway , this is about 5 favourite saloons of the 60s

[Spgeti]

Mini Cooper S,
Mk 1 Lotus Cortina,
67/68 Camaro,
64/65 Mustang Notch,
105 Anglia.

That's my choice an not in any order....Cheers, Bruce

[Grant Sprague]

My turn again ..... these were my favs as a kid as they were just different , colourful & fast .. [& from the main land at that time lol ].
1.......Silvesters Chev coupe
2......Pascoes..[Clyde . Warner. Colins ..Mc Phail]] Chopped Black Farina..... Not sure which one had it chopped.....?
3....... Gary & Ernie's Red Anglia ..with fast back on ..along with Neil,s green fast back v/8 anglia
4...... Miller ?? [have I got the right name] Yellow Renault v8...

[mid-year]

My go.........Allan Moffat Kar Kraft Trans Am
Bryan Thompson Camaro
Norm Beechey Nova
Lex Davidson Galaxie XL500-427
Allan Hamilton Porsche 911TR

Pete

[Robert Bailey]

Beechey Chev 409.
Moffats '76 Bathurst 1,000 XB GT.

[Michael Clark]

I guess I would have been 8 or 9 - it's the race before the long one. I think it was still the Wills 6 hr at that point but in the curtain raiser was a Volvo, like The Saint's.

If I had to put money on it, I'd guess Jim Boyd was the driver. Did it ever race any other time of year?

In my mind it was maroon (Milan - what colour was it?) - it looked well out of place I know that. I suppose it is the only Volvo I ever found remotely attractive.

[Jac Mac]

Keeping it in the 60's.
Jim Mullins, Kerry Grant A40's ( local guy stuffed an SP250 donk in one down our way for a road car- absolute sleeper )
Smokey Yunicks Chevelle ( The reputed 15/16 scale Nascar Version :) )
Francevics F/Lane ( or any of those in Nascar versions )
Any OSCA V8 ( When OSCA was first established it was great to see who had fitted which motor to which car next )
PDL Falcon ( As its an XW it could be a 69!, the one car I would love to replicate if I did not have so many other projects, sad thing is finding a donor body has been virtually impossible due to demand from the ' my dad had one of these group':), plus I hate working on rust projects... ) )

[Jac Mac]

What thread are you on Micheal:)
I guess I would have been 8 or 9 - it's the race before the long one. I think it was still the Wills 6 hr at that point but in the curtain raiser was a Volvo, like The Saint's.

If I had to put money on it, I'd guess Jim Boyd was the driver. Did it ever race any other time of year?

In my mind it was maroon (Milan - what colour was it?) - it looked well out of place I know that. I suppose it is the only Volvo I ever found remotely attractive.

[Michael Clark]

Was the Volvo a saloon? I'm pretty sure it was in a saloon race...I know I struggle a little with racing cars with doors but I'm trying to expand my horizons!

[Oldfart]

I have memories that you are right with Jim Boyd in the P1800.
PDL Falcon (agree Jac)
Any good A40, but the Kerry Grant one when it was black with the orange nose band was best
Paul Adams 2002
Silvester Chev
Morrari

[Michael Clark]

I think it would have been the first time I was in the grandstand at Puke when I saw the Minor/Ferrari/Corvette. Relative to other cars, its speed down the backstraight was astonishing - perhaps accentuated because being orange it stood out so much.

The next time I can recall seeing a car so much faster down the Puke straight was the Spencer Black Camaro - in mustard/pale yellow. Perhaps even on debut - perhaps even the same day as the Volvo P1800. It was off the rear of the grid so it was passing much slower cars but talk about impact - wow!

Speaking of A40s - it was wonderful to see the Clyde Collins ever so slightly modified version being exercised at Ruapuna last weekend.

In my view, the yellow Nazer Anglia in 66/67 format, was the best looking of the 105Es

[Milan Fistonic]

I guess I would have been 8 or 9 - it's the race before the long one. I think it was still the Wills 6 hr at that point but in the curtain raiser was a Volvo, like The Saint's.

If I had to put money on it, I'd guess Jim Boyd was the driver. Did it ever race any other time of year?

In my mind it was maroon (Milan - what colour was it?) - it looked well out of place I know that. I suppose it is the only Volvo I ever found remotely attractive.


22549


Jim Boyd raced a Volvo 1800S in the 1966 and 1967 Three Hour Races at The Wills meetings. Ian Green co-drove in '66 (11th) and Brian Rice in '67 (9th).

I don't know if the the same car was used in both outings but I seem to remember seeing a photo of what must have been the '67 car that looked white in colour while the attched photo of the '66 car is clearly a darker shade - probably maroon as you say.

[Michael Clark]

Born 1958 so the 66/67 yrs lines up with my 8 or 9 guess.

It wasn't very fast as I recall - and did it ever get used other than that race?

[ERC]

Wouldn't that Volvo be classed as a GT rather than a saloon? Must be a good engine though, as the early Marcos with that power plant seem to do very well in historic racing in Europe.

[Milan Fistonic]

I would suggest that the Volvo is more of a saloon car than the Daimler SP250s they allowed to run in the 1966 race.

I felt sure that the Volvo had appeared in other events, but a quick look through the Pukekohe programmes from that time hasn't provided any confirmation.

[Peddler]

Nice photos. Not buying the Imp as beautiful but, God, Pukekohe was a lovely place. Loved it as a spectator, a marshall and a competitor. What a fate, strangled by a bridge.
And if this post wandering about here on its own is confusing, I was intending to respond to kiwi285, hence the Puke reference.

[Horizon]

And my Fav's

MK 1 Lotus Cortina (J. Clark)
FIA falcon Sprint (G.Hill, J.Sears)
Iso Griffo (More GT than "taxi" ,but still cool)
and after the 60's...
Air NZ Colone capri (just the wail of that V6)

and I'll add the Crowe/Freeth Toyota Starlet, just because of how dang fast that little car could go.........

Tony G

[Grant Ellwood]

Mustang- Ivan Segedin
Custaxie - Robbie Franicivec
A40 Farina (Sebring nose) - Kerry Grant
Anglia Twin cam - Dave Simpson
E Type - Scott Wiseman

[ElCoyote]

Sidchrome Mustang/Moffat Mustang
Williment Escort T/C
Cologne Capri
PDL MK 1
Hamlin Minisprint

[Ost]

'64 Plymouth Belvedere
Lotus Cortina
Mercury Cyclone Spoiler 2/Ford Torino Talladega
Ford Escort TC
Alfa Romeo GTA


Sadly the Monaro misses out...

[jdlaw75]

I have memories that you are right with Jim Boyd in the P1800.
PDL Falcon (agree Jac)
Any good A40, but the Kerry Grant one when it was black with the orange nose band was best
Paul Adams 2002
Silvester Chev
Morrari

The black one was Kerry's 2nd A40, and it had (so it was believed) more horsepower than a Sebring Sprite.
Before it was modified and painted black, I watched Kerry with it up on a hoist in Palmerston North, stripping off all of the underseal - that was extra weight that he didn't want slowing it down.
My brother helped with the development of the 1st A40 - not sure about the 2nd one though - must ask him sometime!

[Ray Bell]

Without a shadow of a doubt...

https://i.postimg.cc/TwVhBpKr/1218muir-S4-Lakeside.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/ZRtCfr5b/1218muir-S4and-Beechey-Lakeside.jpg

Visually exciting, beautifully prepared, always fast too.

[Paul B]

The Big 1963 Galaxie, John Willment Racing Team, raced by The late great Jack Sears is one of the very rare factory lightweight Holman Moody racers. This big machine with the FE 427 and 4speed with Detroit locker diff is a cool car,
(the car was sold on 9/9/2017 at Bonhams for a record £471,900.00) !! more than NZ$900,000
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24122/lot/217/
There are some great pics of the original car on this site

The light weight cars were also available through Ford dealers. Amazing how well they did given the size of the huge car but brute HP prevailed
I just love these big beasts and those 7 ltr big blocks thundering around the race track is surely another sight to be seen.
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Bonhams Photo

[Roger Dowding]

22549


Jim Boyd raced a Volvo 1800S in the 1966 and 1967 Three Hour Races at The Wills meetings. Ian Green co-drove in '66 (11th) and Brian Rice in '67 (9th).

I don't know if the the same car was used in both outings but I seem to remember seeing a photo of what must have been the '67 car that looked white in colour while the attched photo of the '66 car is clearly a darker shade - probably maroon as you say.

Milan, and others the Jim Boyd P1800 was also run at National Meetings in the Allcomer Saloon races - seen here heading for the grid in May 1966 [ pic posted before ] and also it the paddock area

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