View Full Version : My Time At Trojan Works, London. By Ken Hyndman
khyndart in CA
10-06-2014, 08:22 AM
I started this recently and then thought who in NZ would be interested in what I did in London 42 years ago.
Oh well "what the heck" if it is boring move on but I wanted to share this while I could still remember this "stuff".
I arrived in London in Sept. 1972 and then watched all my NZ friends move on to travel around the Continent. I stayed as I wanted to try to get into a motor racing team so I went north at the first weekend to a Formula Two meet at Oulton Park, near Chester. I went very early by train expecting it to be crowded at the track. It turned out the crowd was sparse compared to NZ events. Especially as the field consisted of; Niki Lauda, Ronnie Peterson, James Hunt, John Surtees, Graham Hill, Tim Schenken and Jody Scheckter etc,etc.
I wandered about the paddock area chatting to different people and teams etc. The only team that showed any interest in me that day was the Team McLaren. Their M 21 F 2 car was beautifully prepared and easily led the race until retiring with a failed clutch. I saw it a few weeks later later in the Trojan workshop.
I was excited that I had an opportunity to visit Team McLaren headquarters the following Monday.
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Jody Scheckter's Impact McLaren M 21 pulled out a good lead before retiring on lap 16.
(Tried to copy image from "Autosport" magazine)
(Ken Hyndman )
Grant Sprague
10-06-2014, 05:39 PM
Ken, this is not boring at all I relate to this , its every boys dream to go to the source of UK motor racing , I also was inspired to join a team to be a mechanic , I visited March in Bucks where my big brother worked this was winter of 76 & then off to McLaren at Colnbrook, just meeting the head men was a biggy for me , being winter they said" we are putting staff off at this time" .. .BUT please come back ?????? . Money was running out fast & needed a job so off to NZ house found a job with Aston Martin [Ian Mason]...around bays water , Holland park................ the people there all ended up like family & found it hard to leave , the owner Ian Mason' raced a DB4 GTin historics .... When Ernie came over on one of his trips he explained to Ian about bump steer etc as the DB4 was on the hoist, Ian thought Ernie was so cool........ Any way Ken I managed to visit lots of F1 GP,s.......remember them easily I never got up close & personal like you Gary & others I ended up travelling doing my own thing, Gary mentioned it was work work work being involved at that level...Thanks Ken you took me back to UK for a quick visit........... Grant
jamie
10-06-2014, 08:27 PM
Please keep up story I never did the big O E so like hearing from the ones that did.
Jamie
Grant Sprague
10-06-2014, 09:01 PM
Jamie ................ it was a blast , it took 3 trips back to UK to get it out of the system........I personally bought & sold cars & campers in the weekends moving around various parts of London , ended up with two mk 2 lotus cortinas, they were rough but I knew the value of the engines back home , I took the donks out & sent them home this helped fund my 2nd trip .......I tell you a wee story Jamie ..... before I left to go to UK the first time I thought I was so bullet proof after doing GTX & Super cars..... I jumped on a ship & away I went with a good mate ........ as it was cheaper than flying ....I bought a MGB from the wreckers [not much $$] I headed down to Brands .. saw the Capris , running Andy Rouse etc looked closely at them & thought shit I can do this so went back to my Bed sitter & wrote to Ford.........[ performance ] in London .............. wanting to get involved but not mechanic lol ,, I was cheeky very cheeky I did get a reply not sure the out come as about 20 yrs old at the time .. but was not in my favour.. BUT hey if you can keep pushing the right buttons you never know , this reminds me of Gary at Monaco a coulple of mechanics were given a treat to actually drive a F 1 car I am not sure the exact story but I can get more details, Garys turn [might have been down pit lane ??] any way Gary got in the car [March] & stalled it when he let the clutch out , that was him out of the car lol, so he might have got 2 inches for his efforts...................... Jamie hope this gave you a grin I can tell you plenty lol . BUT better get back to cleaning a few cars, Kind Regards as always guys ........... Grant
Kevin Hirst
10-06-2014, 10:18 PM
Please keep up story I never did the big O E so like hearing from the ones that did.
Jamie
Yes please, MORE<MORE.
khyndart in CA
10-06-2014, 10:27 PM
Grant, your humour and stories are great. Please keep them coming in.
Jamie & Kevin, thanks for the encouragement. That helps me keep adding to this.
(Ken Hyndman )
khyndart in CA
10-06-2014, 11:01 PM
Sept 18. 1972.
I took the bus from Earls Court out to the London Airport area and finally ended up at Colnbrook and started looking for McLaren Racing thinking that after all its success it would be a large place (like it is today ). But it was just a plain structure as the photo shows.
The woman at the desk was friendly but upset that the 1972 Can Am race at Donneybrooke in Minnesota had just finished and Francois Cevert in a private McLaren M8F had beaten all the big boys including Hulme and Revson. Anyway I was introduced to Don Beresford, the shop manager and he showed me around including the construction of the first M23. I managed to ask some dopey
questions about side radiators versus the front intake. I think he was about to show me out when I pulled out some racing art work that I had done which seemed to get his attention. He said you must be keen if you have come this far and the only race experience I had was hanging around with Spinner Black's crew in Morrinsville ! So he called Bill Meace at Trojan Works to see if he had any openings. Don kindly loaned me a Hewland Transmission workshop manual and told me to read it before I went to the interview at Trojan in Croydon in two days. I appreciated that as I had not touched a Hewland gearbox before that.
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(not the type of building I expected when I got off the bus. The transporter was not there when I arrived )
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(they showed me the marks where Bruce did "wheelies" in this basic workshop that produced the best
race cars in the world .. this was like my Mecca !)
(Photos thanks to George Begg Collection"Bruce McLaren-Racing Car Constructor")
(Ken Hyndman )
Grant Sprague
10-07-2014, 12:08 AM
Yep Ken , thank you ... it was like a home away from home ...... I remember the train or tube from London out towards Slough direction. Ken, it was a cold late afternoon ... those photos would have been taken about 48 months before I arrived but big brother would have been at March about then ......in a way I was happy working in London regardless MORE FUN ..... Kevin your remarks MORE MORE reminds me of the english bar maids......lol.....:cool::p.
John McKechnie
10-07-2014, 05:34 AM
"He said you must be keen if you have come this far and the only race experience I had was hanging around with Spinner Black's crew in Morrinsville !"
This is brilliant Ken, only a Kiwi could get away with this.
Obviously the news of the successes of Spinners Camaro and Monaro was well known to Don giving you credibility.
gokiwi
10-07-2014, 07:39 AM
Brilliant stuff, Kiwi's have always punched above their weight in the international motor sports arena but to my thinking the 60's & 70's were probably the "golden time". (Its a curse to be so young , comparatively speaking - I'm 51). I would love to have been around the UK & Europe during that time period.
khyndart in CA
10-07-2014, 04:03 PM
Croydon, London. Sept. 1972.
I took the train to Croydon and went to the Trojan Works headquarters at Kingsley House for my interview with Bill Meace. I had studied the Hewland manual and felt prepared. Bill came out and showed me all the different Trojan enterprises from the vintage restoration to the motor bikes for the Suzuki of Great Britain division, the Hewland gearbox division and finally onto the Trojan Racing workshop a short distance away on Beddington Farm road. I was completely enthralled with it all and Bill took me to lunch and was remembering Bruce McLaren and the day he learnt Bruce had died and what it all meant to the Trojan Company. So after lunch and not being asked any Hewland questions, I finally asked if I had a job and he said I did because when I spoke it reminded him of Bruce !
(So that is how I came to work at Trojan and I was the only Kiwi working there) I was to start there in 10 days on October 1st.
(During those 10 days I met Judy, my dear wife to be, who was travelling alone and was from California.
Grant, I used a different tactic from your barmaid approach and used to hang around the American Express office in Trafalgar Square and met American girls who ; could not understand English guys, Australians were too loud, South Africans were too quiet and Kiwi guys were just right ! )
Kevin Hirst
10-07-2014, 07:47 PM
Yep Ken , thank you ... it was like a home away from home ...... I remember the train or tube from London out towards Slough direction. Ken, it was a cold late afternoon ... those photos would have been taken about 48 months before I arrived but big brother would have been at March about then ......in a way I was happy working in London regardless MORE FUN ..... Kevin your remarks MORE MORE reminds me of the english bar maids......lol.....:cool::p.
Wanna tell us about the english barmaids Grant? or is this the wrong place.
Grant Sprague
10-07-2014, 07:49 PM
Ha Ha Ken ....... Hey love the story.... re Trojan & meeting etc .......... getting back to FUN....... Yep Aussies were out , Poms [no disrespect here] were slow & boring.. this is why WE were in demand more ways than one ..I recall my last day in Timaru about to catch a flight to Auck & get the ship , Dad came up to me & said , "Grant here is my JPS lotus jacket, it will keep you warm, [remember those jackets , Black & pin strip gold] ..... that jacket did me a few favours lol, it also was used as an over blanket in the cold uk winters , it finally fell to bits....BUT got caught out re the other .......... ======I moved out to Middlesesex a village called Isleworth ....... half hour from McLarens ...... any way I found my local during the move called the Milford Arms.. I walked in & spotted the drop dead sooo pretty bar maid...... the next day I was taking her out into the country for a picnic, the following yearr or two I married her ............ BIG MISTAKE........she was about 18 or 19 & she had just got out of a marriage.........so an other great lesson in life no kids to her thank GOD so we should not always buy the prettiest race car or judge a book by the cover.. I had better go & pik up a fuel pump for a holden .. before Steve tells me off for getting off track . Talk soon Grant ......... PS Kevin I think I had better stop here ......... there were MORE I would love to tell you but my inner self is saying thats enough ..on this PC perhaps at HD over a beer in New Year??
Allan
10-07-2014, 08:12 PM
I really do envy you guys who went to the UK and various race teams for your OEs. On my OE the machinery I got to play with was a PRC25 radio set and an M16 rifle. And the fellows on the other side weren't that friendly.
khyndart in CA
10-07-2014, 08:21 PM
I really do envy you guys who went to the UK and various race teams for your OEs. On my OE the machinery I got to play with was a PRC25 radio set and an M16 rifle. And the fellows on the other side weren't that friendly.
Allan,
Where was that ?
Grant Ellwood
10-07-2014, 08:59 PM
Croydon, London. Sept.
(During those 10 days I met Judy, my dear wife to be, who was travelling alone and was from California.
Grant, I used a different tactic from your barmaid approach and used to hang around the American Express office in Trafalgar Square and met American girls who ; could not understand English guys, Australians were too loud, South Africans were too quiet and Kiwi guys were just right ! )
Forget the Amex girls and the barmaids, I used to hang around the Virgin HQ in Oxford Street....
Allan
10-07-2014, 09:01 PM
It was neither. Just a small altercation in South East Asia that we got invited to join.
khyndart in CA
10-07-2014, 09:33 PM
A sincere thanks Allan.
For protecting our freedom which allowed us to roam freely around the globe.
(Ken Hyndman )
bry3500
10-07-2014, 09:38 PM
+1
A sincere thanks Allan.
For protecting our freedom which allowed us to roam freely around the globe.
(Ken Hyndman )
Shano
10-07-2014, 09:38 PM
Brilliant stuff, Kiwi's have always punched above their weight in the international motor sports arena but to my thinking the 60's & 70's were probably the "golden time". (Its a curse to be so young , comparatively speaking - I'm 51). I would love to have been around the UK & Europe during that time period.
Sorry Ken for this brief thread hijack but I think right now is the equal of the "Trio at the Top" golden days in many ways.
We have a bunch of drivers competing at the highest level - Scott Dixon, Brendon Hartley, Mitch Evans, Scott McLaughlin, Craig Baird, Jonny Reid, Hayden Paddon. How's that for punching above your weight?
And I'll bet there are a lot of Kiwis in support roles as well. I think we should all recognise this as a great time in NZ motor racing history and celebrate it like we celebrate the Trio at the Top days.
Spgeti
10-07-2014, 09:49 PM
Don't forget Richie Stanaway and Earl Bamber as well. May they all have success.
khyndart in CA
10-07-2014, 10:05 PM
Shano & Spgeti,
That is a great point and I am proud you have put it on my thread.
I feel it needs a thread all on its own.
I was just writing about a "dopey kid from Kiwitahi" who arrived in England and started knocking on doors.
I do not think that would work today !
(Ken Hyndman )
Steve Holmes
10-07-2014, 11:27 PM
Absolutely brilliant Ken! I'm really enjoying this. Keep the pics and stories coming.
khyndart in CA
10-08-2014, 04:15 AM
The Trojan Company owned by Peter Agg since 1960 took over Elva Cars in 1962. Bruce McLaren worked with Elva to develop his McLaren-Elva Mk 1A for the 1965 season.
This was the beginning of a partnership that lasted until 1972.
I have listed all the cars that were McLarens built by Trojan. Without that partnership there would have been very few McLarens from that era.
It is a joy to see them at many of todays historic car races.
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(Note the M6GT. More on that later )
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(listings as per Charlie Agg. 2011) )
(Ken Hyndman )
khyndart in CA
10-08-2014, 07:32 AM
October 1972.
I went to the Trojan Racing workshop on my first day working there. The M21 F2 race car that Jody Scheckter had driven at Oulton Park a few weeks prior, was in the midst of being dismantled so as to form the basis of a new F5000 car. The main body/ tub was a McLaren M22 and the the suspension / steering was from the M 21.
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M 21 tub on left, M22 tub on the right. ( Scheckter cockpit cover in foreground
(Ken Hyndman photo )
Grant Sprague
10-08-2014, 07:35 AM
Ken I would LOVE to add one more thing hope you don't mind , I was talking to my eldest girl to night about the big OE ... India Rose Ann Sprague , is my big baby[ oldest] 14 yrs old , she is a really beautiful young lady ..any way we got talking about London etc....I mentioned about people I meet at Aston Martin........ I mentioned to her I was sent to Knighstbridge behind Harrods [BIG SHOP].. beside Hyde Park ... to a rather flash place .....as the DB5 was not starting [common fault , Austin mini electric pumps].... I arrived & this guy came out , I got talking , he said :oh a kiwi boy" yep I said .............he mentioned...". my name is Tony [Anthony] Snowdon" I did not realise he was [or is] .. married to Princess Margaret at that time .. THE QUEENS SISTER} lol I thought OK sooooooooo ... then he offered a glass of wine after I gave the pumps a tap click click click & away it started]...an English mid day tipple thing over there... then .. he mentioned [true story] please come back any time for a wine [NOT BEER].......I later found out our royal photographer liked young men lol ............. I never went back .......... Ok now back to Johnny, Craig, the two Scotts , Mitch , Brendon ,even Brett............ Craig Coleman etc etc I know a few of them personally ... some raced by the seat of their pants , & got recognised...[driver to Europe etc] some had big backings..some did not .... regardless they never had the ......comparison to The Three.... of .... the full package ........ driving is driving .........
khyndart in CA
10-08-2014, 04:03 PM
Oct. 1972. Trojan Racing workshop.
The Trojan F5000 (T101X) car was first drawn up by a likeable young designer, Paul Rawlinson. He had also been a mechanic and he was easy to talk to and I was sorry when he left Trojan. Paul had the design that was a M21 ahead of the engine and a M22 F5000 behind. The T101X had concave surface nose section like a Porsche 917/10 Can Am car for added down-force. It had a full width nose with NASA type ducts for cooling the front brakes. This was to be powered by an Alan Smith tuned 5.0 litre Chevrolet engine. I thought it looked pretty neat and you can see it being put together in my photo.
( note in the background is the inverted M10B tub for Warwick Brown as I was told but that does not seem to match the records of the car .. I need help on that one, please )
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(Ken Hyndman photo )
khyndart in CA
10-09-2014, 03:26 AM
Jan. 1973.
This is how the first Trojan F 5000 car # T 101/ 1, looked when advertised before Ron Tauranac arrived in the design department. (Driven by Keith Holland )
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_________________________________________________________________________________
Dec. 2011
This is the same car # T 101/ 1 as advertised. ( That would have been a nice investment at the time )
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(Ken Hyndman)
khyndart in CA
10-09-2014, 03:45 PM
I know that is Warwick Brown's M 10B tub in the background and I took this photo October 1972 but to read the history of M 10B 400-19 gets very confusing as noted by this Oldracingcars.com entry.
"McLaren M10B 400-19
Spare chassis supplied to Neil Allen. According to Trojan records, it was numbered 400-19 and delivered 28 Jul 1970. The car does not appear to have had a chassis number and is believed to have shared the number '400-02'. Built up as complete car by Allen and Peter Malloy and, after Allen's retirement, advertised 31 Mar to 7 May 1971 - Allan Hamilton: Australian Gold Star 1971 - Pat Burke Racing for Warwick Brown Tasman 1972. Also March, April, May, Aug, Oct, Nov, Dec 1972 (Brown gets T300 Jan 1973); Trojan Racing for Bob Muir Tasman 1973; Team Target for Warwick Brown (Aus) Gold Star from Oct 1973. Suspension and other parts used for Bryan Thomson 's VW Sports Sedan which debuted at Calder in January 1974. The M10B tub was later rebuilt into a complete car and went via Peter Bick, Paul Trevethan and George Parlby to Llynden Riethmuller.
Note that the Formula 1 Register books record 400-19 as being the replacement M10B used by Keith Holland 1971-72 (from R3 Brands onwards, replacing car crashed at R1 Mallory). See 400-06(B) above.
After Riethmuller's death in July 2010, both this car and 400-02 were acquired from Riethmuller's family by Alan Hamilton in May 2011. However, one of the cars, presumably 400-19, was described as "an unpainted tub with a enough bits to complete the car less a transmission".
Alan Hamilton (Australia) 2013 "
khyndart in CA
10-09-2014, 07:42 PM
I have found these sources have good information on the F 5000 cars produced by Trojan.
http://www.oldracingcars.com/trojan/t101/
plus this excellent book of that era.( " Formula 5000 in Europe" By Wolfgang Klopfe )
Especially the chapter by Paul Rawlinson. (In Google you can read a lot of this on-line )
The front cover has a great picture of Keith Holland in the Trojan T 101 / 1
Enjoy.
(Ken Hyndman )
Ken,
old racing cars.com was an great site ruined by people copying the photos i understand. anyone could send information it to be added and was openly encouraged to do so to correct errors and improve the details. I know of a few errors regarding some of the F1 and F5000 cars so I tend to regard it as an information site to get people started on the right track. i understand that the owner of the site has just about given up in despair I bet you wished you had bought Keith hollands car for 5 grand i know i wish i had bought T70 lola in bits less engine for UKP 750 that i saw advertised. ah dreams, wonderful things
khyndart in CA
10-09-2014, 10:10 PM
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Thanks for that info on the ORC site. It did get me started on the right track.
As for wishing I had money at the time, around Trojan there were all sorts of tubs, panels, wheels, engines etc. in different areas when I left in 1973. But at 38 pound a week it was tough to even buy tires for my Morris Minor !.
I used to help a guy after work to try and get the sand out of the engine and car so he could get it to run. He was an oil engineer and had brought this car back from Saudi Arabia. I did not get it running for him before I left. Did not think it was anything special until I read about it later. It was a 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica which today is valued at about 3 Million Dollars !
( I did not get on that engineer's Christmas list !)
(Ken Hyndman )
Bryan
10-09-2014, 10:20 PM
I bet you wished you had bought Keith hollands car for 5 grand i know i wish i had bought T70 lola in bits less engine for UKP 750 that i saw advertised. ah dreams, wonderful thingsUKP 750 would have been about half the price of a new Capri 1600 in '72, say $25-30k in today's money, so 5 grand then equiv $70-90k today?
khyndart in CA
10-09-2014, 10:50 PM
At 38 pounds a week I could have saved enough to buy the Trojan after three years and paying no taxes, but I would not have eaten or slept except in the car, I would still need an engine for it and still no tires on the Morrie !
(Ken Hyndman )
khyndart in CA
10-10-2014, 02:58 AM
March 1973. Trojan Racing.
Introduction of the T 101 / 4 for Bob Evans to drive for the Alan McKechnie (Not related to our John !) Team.
Note the difference in the radiator area compared to the original T 101. This was due to the input of Ron Tauranac who had now joined the Trojan design team.
Bob Evans was a good driver and would go on to drive for Team Lotus in Formula One.
( this was another of my photos signed by Stirling Moss !)
(This also shows my Morris Minor (983 ELD) with the worn tires ! )
(A few well known people rode in this Morrie between the race shop and our headquarters including Patrick Head )
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( Ken Hyndman )
khyndart in CA
10-10-2014, 03:30 AM
David Purley drove this Trojan a few years later at the Brighton Speed Trials.
He was a good man known for his efforts trying to rescue Roger Williamson at Zandvoort in 1973.
This short video gives an idea of how life was as a F 5000 team prepares for races in England in 1975.
(Again note the work conditions !)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FQ_wBHfEzg
(Ken Hyndman )
Ken,
your shot above of Purley if we go from left to right do we have Mike Earle, Mike Wilds, just over Purleys left shoulder, and David
just a guess
khyndart in CA
10-10-2014, 07:45 AM
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Did you get to play whole You Tube video and note the work and weather conditions ?
Yes, that is Mike Earle on the left. I can't remember what Mike Wilds looked like. Sorry.
(Ken )
Ken,
yes I have seen the video before. New all three that I mentioned
Grant Sprague
10-11-2014, 01:12 AM
Ken is that your morris minor in the back ground ?? beaut piks thanks mate ...re the weekly wages & the price of Trojan= law of relativity
Grant Sprague
10-11-2014, 02:05 AM
Ken is that your morris minor in the back ground ?? beaut piks thanks mate ...re the weekly wages & the price of Trojan= law of relativity
khyndart in CA
10-11-2014, 07:53 AM
Yes Grant, that is my 4 door Morris Minor. Bought it for 80 quid and sold it a year later for 90 Pound. I should have been a salesman for you ! As our gearbox department was about half a mile from the race shop the Morrie was like a shuttle and people would pile in to go to lunch at the cafeteria. There was always interesting people in there along with lots of stories. I enjoyed the older craftsmen who lived there in Croydon during the war and their stories of German V-1 bomber strikes and a lot of bombs were dropped on Croydon so the Luftwaffe could make it back to Germany plus Biggen Hill airfield was nearby. Many drivers such as Denis Hulme, Jody Scheckter,Barry Sheene etc would also come in and sit at the tables. I remember A Scotch driver, Gerry Birrell lunching with us on a
Tuesday and on the Saturday he was killed in a Formula 2 race in Rouen, France.
I was surprised at how few of the Trojan staff went to race meetings as building a race car was just a job !
I enjoyed going to as many meetings as I could. Being with Hewland gearboxes, I could get in and hang out with winning teams !
( Ken Hyndman )
khyndart in CA
10-13-2014, 08:47 AM
By mid 1973 the Trojan T 101 was proving to be quite a successful race car in Formula 5000 in both the Rothman Series in Europe and the L&M Continental Series in the United States.
( I do not know if any made it out to NZ )
It was well suited to handle the aggressive driving styles of drivers such as Keith Holland and Jody Scheckter.
The Trojan designer, Ron Tauranac, had now been joined by a young man just starting out, Patrick Head.
( I have provided some 1973 information clippings from my album )
Trojan T 101 specs.
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1973 race results up to August,
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Scheckter driving Trojan T 101 / 3 in the United States.
No mistaking that it was JODY at the wheel !
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(Ken Hyndman )
khyndart in CA
10-14-2014, 06:31 AM
July 1973. Silverstone. British Grand Prix.
You may remember my first thread started here as I delivered transmission parts to Sid Taylor for Scheckter's Trojan F 5000 that was in the States.
In the first photo, not shown before, who can name some of the people here other than Denis Hulme.
( Peter Bruin, a mechanic that Hulme trusted, Greeta Hulme, time keeping,Francois Cevert, Derek Gardner..Tyrrell designer, Ken Tyrrell, team owner. Joe Bugner, boxer. Just visible is the back of Jackie Stewart
(note how crowded the pit lane was ! )
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( Ken Hyndman photo )
__________________________________________________________________________________
In this photo from the 1974 Motor Racing Year book.
Note how the spectators feet were just above Scheckter's head as he scraped along the wall and also note spectators hanging out over the railing in the top photo.
Just imagine the disaster if the fuel tanks had exploded or wheels or debris gone into the crowd !
Thank all those involved for making the track safer before another 1955 Le Mans type accident had taken place.
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(Ken Hyndman )
Michael Clark
10-14-2014, 07:43 AM
I'm enjoying this...
Re the Trojan T101 - none were ever raced here in period. In reality their shelf life was extraordinarily short but nevertheless successful.
By the time the 74 Tasman rolled around, the T101 had been usurped by the Lola T330 and the development of the Chevron B24. Has a Trojan raced here as a 5000 in Historics? I'm uncertain about that but I do recall one was being advertised a couple of years ago - perhaps from the northern part of the South Island??
Howard Wood
10-14-2014, 08:28 AM
A young Peter Bruin in the orange shirt/ blue cap.
khyndart in CA
10-15-2014, 07:30 AM
August 6th 1973. Silverstone.
This was the Rothmans F5000 race that never took place due to rain.
In practice Keith Holland in the Trojan T 101, qualified in 2nd place and we were looking forward to a good race.
Steve Thompson won pole position driving a Chevron B 24, then Holland and third on the grid was Peter Gethin also in a Chevron B24.
Fifth on the grid was Kiwi, David Oxton driving a Begg FM5. I was hoping this small team would do well here.
Alas it rained too hard right after the start and the race was abandoned.
After my previous comments about the lack of safety at Silverstone, here I am a month later, hanging over the railing as the race started !
Steve Thompson on the left, Keith Holland in the centre and Gethin on the right. Oxton is well positioned right behind Holland's T101. # 25
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David Oxton in the Begg FM 5 coming back to the pit area followed by his mechanic, Joe Wright and ?
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A disappointed Keith Holland, in his Trojan T 101,being pushed to shelter as the rains came down.
He felt he had a good car that day.
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( Ken Hyndman photos )
khyndart in CA
10-16-2014, 08:09 AM
1973 Trojan production. The first time without McLaren on the emblem.
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( Ken Hyndman )
Murray Maunder
10-16-2014, 09:14 AM
Obviously Greeta Hulme on stopwatches in foreground but who's the guy next to her on timing???
khyndart in CA
10-16-2014, 07:53 PM
My friend Patrick.
"Head then went to work for Ron Tauranac, who had sold the Brabham F1 team to Bernie Ecclestone and was building Trojan Formula 5000 cars. Head designed these and even the Trojan F1 car, which was run in six GPs in 1974, with Tim Schenken driving. Dispirited, Head gave up racing. He spent 1975 and 1976 building his own boat but then Frank Williams convinced him to return to the sport, offering him the job of chief engineer of Frank Williams (Racing Cars) Ltd. A few weeks later the team was bought by Walter Wolf, who appointed Harvey Postlethwaite as chief designer. Head stayed on for that year but, at the end of 1977, he and Williams left the team and established Williams Grand Prix Engineering. Williams took 70% of the company and Head 30%."
When I read this article in GrandPrix.com it brought back my memories of meeting up with Patrick in June 1973. We met at the aforementioned cafeteria at Trojan. He was alone and I needed someone to discuss the recent mayhem at the 1973 Indy 500. I liked his friendly attitude toward me and we decided we needed to live closer to work and started to check out accommodations (and pubs ) around Croydon but as neither of us had any money (then) our plans altered. I think he ended up living at home and I moved into a house in the Crystal Palace area with 6 Kiwis and Aussies which kept the rent down but not much else ! I would often go around to the race shop after hours and "hang out " with Patrick as he worked at putting the next Trojan design together. Little did I realize that he would go onto to being one of the best race car designers ever. When I left at the end of 1973 he was planning to go off to design and build boats !
I stopped in to see him in 1996 in the midst of one of Team Williams best F 1 seasons. He was still the same as I remembered him. He showed my son and I around the facility. Sean was more interested in getting to the Tower of London and also seeing where Jack the Ripper operated. Looking at race cars was much more exciting for me than it was for him back then !
26422
1996. Visiting with an old mate.
26424
(Ken Hyndman photos )
You can read more about Patrick at this site.
http://www.williamsf1.com/Team/AboutUs/Our-People/Patrick-Head/
Grant Sprague
10-17-2014, 09:06 AM
Ken that was a very cool read....Thank you .....soon I would like to tell you about a connection about Frank Williams & Roly Levis...but before I do I will do a bit of research to get the story right ,,,,,,,, also a wee bit about Roly ,,,,,, on the odd trips [him & I] did to manfield etc when we re built a mustang that became a front runner [pre 65] some times just us two talking very in depth about life etc .....[ thanks to him & Tim Prentice]..........
Wasn't Roly's BT23C ex-Frank Williams ?
khyndart in CA
10-17-2014, 02:27 PM
Baypark, December 1968.
Roly Levis talking with Leo Geoghegan.
Standing in front of Roly's Team Lexington Brabham BT 23 C / 7
This car was first owned by Frank Williams for Piers Courage to drive.
26423
(Ken Hyndman photo )
SPman
10-20-2014, 12:39 AM
And a lovely little car it was, too.
khyndart in CA
10-21-2014, 07:56 AM
Oct 1973.Brands Hatch.
This shows why I am not a racing photographer, but it does show Brands Hatch at Druids corner as autumn approaches.
Keith Holland in the Trojan T 101 hurtles into the corner followed closely by Ian Ashley in his Lola 330 and Steve Thompson in his Chevron B 24.
This was the final European F5000 race for 1973. It was a wonderful season for F 5000 racing and the Trojan was very competitive. But due to the approaching oil crisis and rising expenses I do not think F 5000 was ever as good as this again in England.
26446
Keith Holland in Trojan T101 /1 at the same corner on a practice day.
26447
( Ken Hyndman photos )
khyndart in CA
10-22-2014, 03:58 PM
Oct. 7th 1973. Snetterton race track. England.
I once again had the tough job of taking Hewland components to a race team. As I knew Graham Donaldson, who was originally from Rotorua, and was a mechanic for the VDS team from Belgium, I went to their area.
It was a somber day as the news came through that Francois Cevert had died at the practice for the US F1 race at Watkins Glen and many of teams here knew Francois well.
I took this photo and just recently noted it has the complete 1973 VDS team in it.
Count Rudi Van der Straten (VDS) is on the left, then driver, Chris Craft, mechanic Graham Donaldson, just appearing at the rear is driver, Teddy Pilette and carrying the tool is the Count's son Herve,who was the team manager and mechanic also.
All the attention is on Craft's Chevron B24, which did not have a good day and dropped out of the race due to a drop in oil pressure.
This team was a good bunch and Graham rates the Count as one of the best owners he ever worked for.
26449
( Ken Hyndman photo )
khyndart in CA
10-23-2014, 03:58 AM
June 1973 at Trojan Racing. ( Hyndman & Donaldson outside the workshop )
I know this has been on another thread but this shows the last time VDS Racing was at Trojan after using Trojan vehicles over several years. About to load up the mighty powerful but very unreliable M8F Turbo. Teddy Pilette was a brave driver who said that when driving this car "On a fast corner it always felt like the back is going to overtake the front, while at the end of the straight the brakes have to stop almost a ton travelling at 170 mph " ..A brave driver indeed while trying to control 1300 BHP !
Teddy Pilette went on to be the Rothmans European F5000 driving a Chevron B24.
I was pleased to hear that he and Graham Donaldson are still in contact with each other even to this day.
26454
(Ken Hyndman photo taken by Bill Meace )
26455
Teddy Pilette at speed
(VDS file photo)
(Ken Hyndman )
John McKechnie
10-23-2014, 04:53 AM
Motorman, Jan-1974- Eoin S. Young writes-
Ron Tauranac has been nursing a "secret" formula 1 design ever since he left the Brabham organisation after it had been taken over by Bernie Ecclestone. Ron had told me from time to time that this design, a culmination of his best ideas, was waiting for the right opportunity to be transformed into a car.The right moment came with an offer from Trojan to design them a F5000 car and this has just been completed for testing at Goodwood by Keith Holland. Fuel problems slowed times on the first day out with the new T102, but Tauranac is obviously looking on this car in 5-litre form as a rolling testbed for a Tauranac F1 car, and apparently his deal with Trojan includes a reciprocal arrangement on hardware.
So this means that Ron could really come up with a 3-litre car using most of the bits made for the F5000 Trojan.
He says he is pressing along with the project and hoping that a sponsor will come along to back him before it is ready to race.The Trojan features the familiar lobster claws radiators from the BT34, but these are faired in with the nose more than they first appeared on the Brabham.
Interesting to see that Ron didnt follow the trend to radiators either side of the cockpit...but then wasnt it Tauranac who said way back in the days when Brabhams were staunchly space-framers,that the fastest thing about the monocoque Lotus was Jimmy Clark
khyndart in CA
10-23-2014, 05:03 AM
John,
That is good input and you beat me to it !. I am still going to write some stuff and have photos regarding the Trojan T102.
Again I do not want to bore people with repetition.
( Ken Hyndman )
Marty
10-23-2014, 06:02 AM
"Again I do not want to bore people with repetition."
Ken, please keep it up, I'm enjoying this thread.
Marty
Grant Sprague
10-23-2014, 06:29 AM
Oct 1973.Brands Hatch.
This shows why I am not a racing photographer, but it does show Brands Hatch at Druids corner as autumn approaches.
Keith Holland in the Trojan T 101 hurtles into the corner followed closely by Ian Ashley in his Lola 330 and Steve Thompson in his Chevron B 24.
This was the final European F5000 race for 1973. It was a wonderful season for F 5000 racing and the Trojan was very competitive. But due to the approaching oil crisis and rising expenses I do not think F 5000 was ever as good as this again in England.
26446
Keith Holland in Trojan T101 /1 at the same corner on a practice day.
26447
( Ken Hyndman photos )Ken I LOVE yr piks this part of Brands was very special , for a young Kiwi on big O E we can see the top of pik is it Paddock or Clear Ways this was where we [Dad & I] stood in sweltering summer of 76 where James & Lauda had the coming to gether ........ as for Druids this is a corner I spent a few years watching from .... just great stuff Ken ... Thank you..keep them rolling big Brother from Tauranga
khyndart in CA
10-23-2014, 06:45 AM
Snetterton, England. Oct 7th 1973. Paddock area.
The Rothmans European Championship F 5000 race is about to begin. Teddy Pilette in car # 33. VDS Chevron B24 under the watchful eye of Herve Van der Straten.
Clive Santo in car # 3. Lola 330. Ian Ashley in car # 6. Lola 330.
In the corner is Bob Evans in car # 11. This was Trojan T101 / 4.
Bob had qualified fifth and not done as well this season as he had hoped, but this was to be his day.
26456
(Ken Hyndman photo )
khyndart in CA
10-23-2014, 03:52 PM
Oct 7th 1973. Snetterton paddock scene.
About to assemble on the grid. In front is car # 32. A Chevron B24 driven by Peter Gethin.
Car # 44 is the brown Hexagon Highgate Trojan T 101 / 5 driven on this day by Damien Magee and at other events by John Watson.
The yellow Lola T330 is driven by Tom Belso. The red #7 car I believe was a modified M10B known as a Kitchmac and driven by Richard Knight. If you look closely on the left is car # 22 with Graham McRae in his Iberia Airline GM1 as they work frantically to replace the engine in time to start the race as Graham had qualified on the front row. He made the start but retired after 9 laps with oil cooler problems.
26457
(Ken Hyndman photo )
Shano
10-23-2014, 09:52 PM
"Again I do not want to bore people with repetition."
Ken, please keep it up, I'm enjoying this thread.
Marty
Me too, great stuff (and a unique, personal perspective, which makes it even more valuable. Just what this website is about, IMHO.
khyndart in CA
10-23-2014, 10:15 PM
Thanks Shano, Marty and Grant etc.. I appreciate the encouragement. The old shoe box of photographs is getting close to empty though !
Cheers, Ken H.
khyndart in CA
10-23-2014, 10:37 PM
Snetterton. Oct 7th 1973.
Trojan Wins !
Bob Evans drove a very good race after passing Teddy Pilette and went on to win. This was the last important race won by a Trojan F5000 car. I was glad I made it to the event and again I would hang around with the "big boys" and celebrate before heading south back to London. It was good day at the races. Now it was back to getting the next Trojan ready, the T102
26459
Getting ready to load up the Bob Evans Trojan T101 after winning at Snetterton.
Note the official score tower. Shows # 11 (Evans) # 33 (Pilette )
( Ken Hyndman photo )
Terry S
10-23-2014, 11:20 PM
Oct 7th 1973. Snetterton paddock scene.
About to assemble on the grid. In front is car # 32. A Chevron B24 driven by Peter Gethin.
Car # 44 is the brown Hexagon Highgate Trojan T 101 / 5 driven on this day by Damien Magee and at other events by John Watson.
The yellow Lola T330 is driven by Tom Belso. The red #7 car I believe was a modified M10B known as a Kitchmac and driven by Richard Knight. If you look closely on the left is car # 22 with Graham McRae in his Iberia Airline GM1 as they work frantically to replace the engine in time to start the race as Graham had qualified on the front row. He made the start but retired after 9 laps with oil cooler problems.
26457
(Ken Hyndman photo )
Ken, wonderful photos of the F5000's, still I believe one of the best classes ever.
You note a Richard knight in car #7, Could that have been the Richard Knight who won the very first Australian Formula Ford Driver to Europe Championship?
In the photo to the right of the Hexagon transporter, is that an MGB towing a Mini?
khyndart in CA
10-24-2014, 04:49 AM
Terry,
Yes that is the same Richard Knight.
As for the MGB. I think the trailer is not hitched and the MGB is backed up in front of it. (I am not certain on that though !)
(You have good eyes mate !)
The red car in front of McRae's is Brian Robinson in a McLaren M19C/ 2 that a year earlier was being driven by Peter Revson in Formula One.
Ken H
BMCBOY
10-24-2014, 07:38 AM
I have really enjoyed the fascinating account of your working experiences in the UK over those years. You were inspired to take those photos also. So many people didn't realize how important photos become in time, as they "tell a thousand words" about an era that at the time seemed so ordinary, but over the years prove to be unique.
Brilliant stuff Ken - I look forward to more gems from the shoebox!!
During the seventies I worked with Ray Grant's brother in Auckland.
Ray (Kojak) would call in whenever he was back in Auckland to see Gary at our office for a cuppa and a chat. It didn't seem strange at the time to have James Hunt's mechanic (with shoulder length hair) sitting in our Drawing Office chatting about life in a F1 team.
Look forward to more tales in future - brilliant stuff. Cheers Ross
John McKechnie
10-24-2014, 06:07 PM
Agree with Ross and others, excellent stuff- the memories and the colour pictures.
Eoin Young in his columns was literally the only way I heard about the F5000 scene.
Also thanks to Youngs World I know that in 1973 Peter Revson had a good season-won 2 grand prix, Miss World -Marji Wallace - was his girlfriend, and he was the heir to Revlon fortunes
khyndart in CA
10-25-2014, 03:17 AM
Yes John, Peter Revson had his best year in 1973. Apparently, even though he was an heir to the Revlon empire, he was a good guy to work with /for. He seemed to work well when teamed up with Denny Hulme.
This photo captured perhaps his finest moment after winning the 1973 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
26462
26540
(Closer image of Revson,Peterson and Hulme)
( Ken Hyndman photos )
26539
Artist Michael Turner skills produced this card showing
the exciting finish to the 1973 British Grand Prix.Revson beating Ronnie Peterson and Denis Hulme.
James Hunt came in 4th less than 3 seconds behind the winner !
Brian Robinson drove Revson's McLaren M19C/2 from the 1972 Formula One season in the 1973 F 5000 season now with a Chevy V-8 instead of the Cosworth DFV. It was a fairly consistent finisher in 1973.
This photo shows Robinson in the M19C being chased into Druids corner at Brands Hatch by Keith Holland in the Trojan T 101.
26463
In 2004 on display at Long Beach Grand Prix Arena.
Peter Revson's 1972 McLaren M19C/2 after what looks like a magnificent restoration.
26464
(Ken Hyndman photos )
khyndart in CA
10-25-2014, 07:19 AM
October 1973. Trojan Racing workshop.
After the success of the Trojan T101 car and having the great design team of Ron Tauranac and Patrick Head many thought the next Trojan F5000 race car, the T102 would be an instant winner. Ron had started with a clean sheet and his trade mark design of putting split radiators ahead of the front wheels soon became evident. Tauranac explained that the front radiators have got the coolest air in and the best flow out, plus the added weight up front kept the front down in place of spoilers. Between the radiator pods was a fully adjustable central wing.
These photos show it quite well and it also shows the similarity to the Tauranac designed "lobster claw"Brabham BT34 Formula One car of the 1971 season.
26525
Hyndman at work on the T102. Photo taken by Patrick Head.
26524
(Ken Hyndman photos )
26467
(Brabham BT 34. 1971.Graham Hill winning at Brands Hatch.)
Wikipedia photo
khyndart in CA
10-27-2014, 11:42 PM
October 1973. Trojan Racing workshop.
Mick ... who was Keith Holland's mechanic, assembling the front on the new T 102. Ron Tauranac's years of Formula One experience was used into designing this F 5000 car to ease the mechanic's tasks as much as possible. The linkages etc were designed to accept the Alan Smith Chevy 5 litre V8 with carburetters but it could easily be adapted to fuel injection. The oil coolers were mounted low to allow clean air to flow over the rear spoiler. 13 x 11 in wheels at the front and 13 x 15 or 17 in wheels at the rear. A Hewland DG 300 5-speed gearbox. As the T 101 car had done well, Tauranac was confident the T 102 would do even better especially under braking and short circuit handling. The next season was eagerly awaited.
The original plan was to build 6 of these cars, all for sale at 7 thousand pounds each plus VAT as a rolling chassis less engine.
I thought it was a pretty good looking car and did not realize at the time that it would be the only Trojan F5000 T 102 that was going to be built ! (These are rare photos indeed ! )
26475
(Ken Hyndman photo)
The scene inside the Trojan Racing shop at the height of production on the McLaren-Trojan M8 FPs in 1971. The T 102 was assembled in the middle front area close to the offices of Ron & Patrick.
26476
(Trojan file photo )
khyndart in CA
10-27-2014, 11:59 PM
The talented automotive illustrator,Tony Mathews dropped in to gather information and then produced one of his masterpieces of the Trojan T 102 that was published in the Motoring News in late 1973.
26478
khyndart in CA
10-28-2014, 12:34 AM
1973. Trojan Works. Croydon. London.
I noted somewhere that someone wondered why Barry Sheene was mentioned on this post. Peter Agg the owner of Trojan also owned the Suzuki of Great Britain franchise and so the motor cycle racing team worked from the Trojan premises. I found this picture on the Barry Sheene web site and it was so typical of Barry back then. (Not taken at Trojan ) He would show us in the parking lot of how he could do all sorts of "wheelies" and always had a cigarette in his mouth! He was fun to be around and especially when we all went to a London party !!!.
26480
khyndart in CA
10-29-2014, 12:06 AM
November 9th 1973. Goodwood race circuit.
The Trojan T102 was ready for its first test. I had been to Southhampton and then dropped by this circuit that had so many memories from the past. I had lost an uncle that had clipped the hills near here on a foggy day during World War Two and crashed his "hedge hopping"Mosquito bomber close to a nearby village.
Of course we were all shattered when we heard the news that Bruce McLaren had died here in 1970.
The course caretaker took me around the track in his brightly coloured Land Rover that had been the first vehicle to reach Bruce's crash site. He pointed out where Stirling Moss had crashed in 1962 and then came around to Lavant Straight and the skid marks from Bruce's M8D were still clearly visible. As noted by others that if it had crashed 10 yards further on it would have completely missed the flag marshal's stand !
26482
(1970 photo. Unknown source)
Bruce McLaren did much of his testing over the years at the Goodwood track. (in the background is the red and yellow Land Rover.)
26483
(Photo thanks to George Begg & Bruce McLaren Trust)
khyndart in CA
10-29-2014, 12:19 AM
Nov 9th. 1973. Goodwood.
When we first arrived we had to wait while the March Formula One team was testing their March 731 car and it was great to watch J.P. Jarier powering his way around the old chicane area. As you can see it was before the days of wind tunnels and so masking tape was used in various ways. This shows March's Robin Herd talking to Jarier and also that is Patrick Head taking a look at the rear area of the car as the Trojan team was about to expand into the world of Formula One for the 1974 season and was always interested in what the other teams were doing.
(Can you imagine walking up to another team's car today and peering in and checking it out without being thrown out !)
26509
(Ken Hyndman photo )
khyndart in CA
10-29-2014, 12:46 AM
Nov 9th 1973. Goodwood.
Then it was time for the Trojan T 102 to get out onto the track for the first time. This shows Keith Holland entering Goodwood past that Land Rover and a concerned looking Patrick Head and Mick .... The car ran OK and did show promise before having fuel pump problems.
As we drove back to London later all the news was about the up coming Arab Oil Embargo as a result of the war in the Middle East. This was about to have a big effect on all motor racing and changes were coming.
I was soon on my way to California and note that Trojan never won again after I left !
26510
(Ken Hyndman photo)
khyndart in CA
10-29-2014, 12:48 AM
Well folks that is the end of my photos from the shoe box.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
( Ken Hyndman )
Grant Sprague
10-29-2014, 07:29 AM
Loved it all Ken ................. Thank you
gokiwi
10-29-2014, 07:46 AM
Thankyou very much Ken, I might be from the "wong" era but I sure as hell appreciate these story's and pictures !! - Long may it continue.
Murray Maunder
10-30-2014, 10:51 PM
Breathtaking "fly on the wall" record of a great piece of motor racing history, thankyou Ken. Much appreciated.
bry3500
10-31-2014, 04:58 AM
Thoroughly enjoyed your photos and descriptions. You were a part of history being made, thanks for taking the time to share it with us Ken.
Kevin Hirst
10-31-2014, 07:13 AM
Thoroughly enjoyed your photos and descriptions. You were a part of history being made, thanks for taking the time to share it with us Ken.
Thank you Ken, to see the stuff that never comes out in every day life out here is great, compelling reading, MORE.
khyndart in CA
11-04-2014, 10:03 PM
1973. Silverstone.
I came across this photo of Keith Holland approaching a hare during a practice run at Silverstone in his Trojan T 101.
26544
The next photo is of the poor little fella who did not make it.
26545
(Photos from Motor Racing 1974 Edition)
Animals and birds are of great concern to drivers especially at tracks that are in forested areas and during practice days when there are few people around to scare them off.
Scott Dixon's manager, Stefan Johansson had a very close call when a deer ran out onto the track at Austria's Osterreichring track in 1987 while he was driving a McLaren MP4/3. He stated that if it had come in 10 inches further it would have taken his head off ! His car was wrecked and he cracked a rib but it could have been a lot worse. Ayrton Senna was upset as some of the deer remains ended up in his car as he came by seconds later !
26546
26547
(Photos from NBC Sports )
khyndart in CA
11-05-2014, 11:13 PM
October 1973. Brands Hatch.
We thought the combination of Clay Regazzoni driving this Jerry Eisert prepared Lola T330 at the final 1973 European F 5000 race would be a formidable challenge to our Trojans. So Bob Redford (from Trojan) and I wandered over to check it out and to see if it had any tricks in the suspension etc. Again nobody was around to throw us out. As it turned out, Clay did not have a good weekend as he qualified 15th and finished in 12th position. Jerry Eisert had also built the Eisert Special that Al Unser sr drove in the 1965 Indy 500 and later came out to NZ and driven by Dennis Marwood for the Rorison Team. Regazzoni went on to Ferrari in 1974 and later to Williams and then had a bad accident at Long Beach in 1980 that left him partially paralyzed until his death in 2006.
This Lola T 330 looked pretty sharp compared to our Trojan T 101s.
26552
( My buddy Bob Redford checking out Regazzoni's Lola T 330. Note the duct tape that was used before the days of wind tunnel testing ! )
Ken Hyndman photo.
Kevin Hirst
11-06-2014, 12:13 AM
1973. Silverstone.
I came across this photo of Keith Holland approaching a hare during a practice run at Silverstone in his Trojan T 101.
26544
The next photo is of the little fella who did not make it.
26545
(Photos from Motor Racing 1974 Edition)
Animals and birds are of great concern to drivers especially at tracks that are in forested areas and during practice days when there are few people around to scare them off.
Scott Dixon's manager Stefan Johansson had a very close call when a deer ran out onto the track at Austria's Zeltweg track in 1987 while he was driving a McLaren MP4/3. He stated that if it had come in 10 inches further it would have taken his head off ! His car was wrecked and he cracked a rib but it could have been a lot worse. Ayrton Senna was upset as some of the deer remains ended up in his car as he came by seconds later !
26546
26547
(Photos from NBC Sports )
What a mess. noticing the fosters sign, it seems every racetrack in the world had them, any body know the history of this sponsor ship ? &what happened to it.
Oldfart
11-06-2014, 02:05 AM
And it wasn't even a big deer. Imagine the outcome if it had been , not worth thinking about!
khyndart in CA
11-06-2014, 05:10 AM
What a mess. noticing the fosters sign, it seems every racetrack in the world had them, any body know the history of this sponsor ship ? &what happened to it.
Kevin,I found this bit of information on Fosters;
"The brand sponsored F1 events regularly from 1986 to 2006. During this period it was the title sponsor for the Australian GP (1986–1993 and 2002–2006), the British GP (1990–1993 and 2000–2006) and the San Marino GP (2003–2006). It also was the prime sponsor and trackside sponsor of many other Grand Prix during this time. The brand was also used in a sponsorship deal with the A1 Team Australia from 2005 to 2007. The brand is currently used in a major sponsorship deal with the ASP World Tour.
In Australia until the end of the 1970s, Foster's Lager was a reasonably popular bottled and canned beer with a somewhat premium image. Then in the early 1980s there were major changes in the Australian brewing industry, including the merger of Castlemaine (Brisbane), Swan (Perth) and Toohey's (Sydney) into a national brewing group, as a result of acquisitions by Perth entrepreneur Alan Bond.
Despite some initial success, bolstered by heavy advertising, the brand did not prove popular and was eventually withdrawn from sale. Arguably, at the end of this failed exercise Foster's Lager was no longer viewed by consumers as a "premium" brand, and has not been promoted in Australia recently."
(Quotes from Wikipedia )
It was widely viewed as horse piss in Australia and very rarely drunk, but it took off in the UK, piggybacking on the success of the Adventures of Barry McKenzie movie in which it got a fair hammering by the participants. In the middle 1980s, around the time they started shovelling money at F1, Fosters had another push at the Australian market and approached hundreds of pubs offering free installation of temprites, lines and taps, and cheap kegs, so they had a bit of a resurgence, and actually served ice-cold on a hot day it wasn't too bad, but when the noise died down that was pretty much all she wrote within Australia, although it continued to be marketed with some success in the UK.
Grant Ellwood
11-06-2014, 10:48 AM
Fosters is still available here on the US east coast, comes in giant size cans at my local supermarket. The Outback Steakhouse chain also has it on tap, served in ice-cold mugs it hits the spot for me. Apparently made in Canada for the North American market.
seaqnmac27
11-06-2014, 09:38 PM
It was widely viewed as horse piss in Australia and very rarely drunk, but it took off in the UK, piggybacking on the success of the Adventures of Barry McKenzie movie in which it got a fair hammering by the participants. In the middle 1980s, around the time they started shovelling money at F1, Fosters had another push at the Australian market and approached hundreds of pubs offering free installation of temprites, lines and taps, and cheap kegs, so they had a bit of a resurgence, and actually served ice-cold on a hot day it wasn't too bad, but when the noise died down that was pretty much all she wrote within Australia, although it continued to be marketed with some success in the UK.
still is
Frosty5
11-06-2014, 11:48 PM
It was widely viewed as horse piss in Australia and very rarely drunk, but it took off in the UK, piggybacking on the success of the Adventures of Barry McKenzie movie in which it got a fair hammering by the participants. In the middle 1980s, around the time they started shovelling money at F1, Fosters had another push at the Australian market and approached hundreds of pubs offering free installation of temprites, lines and taps, and cheap kegs, so they had a bit of a resurgence, and actually served ice-cold on a hot day it wasn't too bad, but when the noise died down that was pretty much all she wrote within Australia, although it continued to be marketed with some success in the UK.
Fosters was part of Carlton United Breweries which was part of the Elders Resources Group out of OZ. They purchased NZFP back in the late 80's. John Elliott was the head honcho and his stated aim was to "Fosterise the World". It didn't work out that way as I believe he had a holiday courtesy of Her Majesty!
khyndart in CA
11-07-2014, 08:52 AM
I did not know before now that Foster's had built their own race car !
26558
(As seen on teamamericaf1.com)
gokiwi
11-07-2014, 12:54 PM
Isnt that Bernie's "19th" car ??
I did not know before now that Foster's had built their own race car !
26558
(As seen on teamamericaf1.com)
Grant Sprague
11-07-2014, 06:07 PM
Ha ha good one guys, fosters is just one of many beers I can not stand.....natural hop rocker max beer is for me lol:p
khyndart in CA
11-07-2014, 06:23 PM
Ok Grant, I want you to build one of these "natural hop rocker max beer " race cars on the hill at Pukekohe for me !
I look forward to the photo mate!
Kevin Hirst
11-07-2014, 11:43 PM
Ok Grant, I want you to build one of these "natural hop rocker max beer " race cars on the hill at Pukekohe for me !
I look forward to the photo mate!
Grant, you will never find enough cans, change to speights or lion red, plenty of those around,
Grant Ellwood
11-07-2014, 11:47 PM
Grant, Ken, just to clarify my earlier post, I like the Fosters on tap here, doesn't taste anything like the canned stuff. Probably substituted by one of the boutique American lagers and sold as Fosters. I keep cans of Oz Fosters in the fridge here to give to my local friends so I can demonstrate how poor the Oz beer is compared to our superb Kiwi varieties.
Grant Sprague
11-08-2014, 12:47 AM
Ha ha Guys ... wellllllllll there were times on the hill stand at Puke the lads [us] drank DB double brown [red ]cans , 4% but the new boutique beers max etc are beauty, as for the usa boutique beer I tried a few different ones in orange county la that was as good as any thing , but as for lion red geeeeeeeeee Kev come on , if I was in a desert dying of thirst I think perhaps i would ??, hey speights original very good, When i arrived at my new digs in Middlesex [London] I noticed the fosters on tap [cold beer lol] I never had one in 5.5 yrs I was there , as it gave me bad memories when I drank it in Bondi [very sick I got lol] it tasted like s.....t.. not that I have tasted that lol
Grant Sprague
11-08-2014, 12:52 AM
Hay Grant E might need a couple pairs overalls.................any thing in the wind ?????? hope you all good over there & thanks for pics etc ...weather pretty stunning here mate at present
khyndart in CA
11-08-2014, 08:54 AM
Grant,
Speaking of Pukekohe. Who is in this picture with your brother Gary ? About October 1969. I need all the details again please.
Thanks.
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(Ken Hyndman photo )
khyndart in CA
11-08-2014, 09:20 AM
Bay Park. Oct. 1969.
Grant,
Is this Gary going out onto the track at Bay Park ? I think it has Mount Cook Airlines advertising. Not the best photo but it captured the moment.
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(Ken Hyndman photo )
Grant Sprague
11-08-2014, 07:13 PM
Ken ... top photo is Leo with Gary not sure what circuit it is .. the 2n d one is Gary driving down front straight bay park..... odd though he normally had 63 as race number not 5 ...first time I have seen this strange as it is I used 5 on a few of my cars.....5 being an auspicious number ... now would use 333 if I get time etc to have some more fun ...not because of young Scott M....I learnt a little about numbers we leave that there lol :cool:
Circuit in the top pic is Bay Park as well, looking back towards the tunnel under the track entering turn 1, behind the Desoto. Tall light towers are at the Te Maunga shunting yard.
Milan Fistonic
11-09-2014, 04:04 AM
Ken ... top photo is Leo with Gary not sure what circuit it is .. the 2n d one is Gary driving down front straight bay park..... odd though he normally had 63 as race number not 5 ...first time I have seen this strange as it is I used 5 on a few of my cars.....5 being an auspicious number ... now would use 333 if I get time etc to have some more fun ...not because of young Scott M....I learnt a little about numbers we leave that there lol :cool:
For the November 1969 Bay Park meeting the Escort had number 52. Jack Nazer was usually number 63 at that time.
Grant Sprague
11-09-2014, 05:02 AM
Ive been wrong before yep you are correct was thinking of the Anglia number Thank you Milan Fistonic well done ..
khyndart in CA
11-09-2014, 08:23 AM
The back of my photo says October 1969 but heck I could have had that film in for months. Sorry I am not any help on the date or event.
Just know it was Bay Park and it was great to have the track there, close to home and the beach at that time. Wonderful memories.
And those guys were great for testing ! Drop into the office in 11th Ave, fork over a massive $5, pick up the key and you were away ! A quick chat with the caretaker Colin Whiteman as you loaded up, home in 20 mins.
Not like now....
khyndart in CA
11-09-2014, 08:39 AM
October 1965. Back to Pukekohe.
I found this old programme that brought memories of a long day on the hill at Pukekohe. My cousin drove me up especially to see the Fleetwood Motors Mustang being driven by Ivan Segedin and Dennis Simmons. Dennis was a friend of my sister and attended her wedding a year later in 1966 and I remember hanging around Dennis at the reception asking all sorts of questions about the Mustang and how to modify Anglias etc..He was a humble man but very gifted at his engineering skills.
Note some of the great names in this 3 hour Challenge Race. Even Frank Matich joined in.
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Grant Sprague
11-09-2014, 08:53 AM
GD66 they were days before I arrived in Tga... Pete was up stairs in an office on right hand side between 11th & 10th ave heading north , when I arrived Pete gave me s,,,,t lol because I was the younger one to arrive after Gary he tried to get into my head but he could not ...but we soon became to understand each other I didn't give in to his pranks but loved his humour ..as for testing he would say just go over see rabbit [Nevil] at BP & u will be good to go.we never abused this .. Rabbit is still around he pops into work often .........I would buy Pete a beer at the CT club on a Thursday or Friday night I introduced him to max ale when he became ill as it was a natural beer [true story] we meet Terry McCashin the max man ..... at that club before he got the beer flowing at the Rose & Fern that is an other story......lol
Grant Sprague
11-09-2014, 08:57 AM
Ken , do you have the 1967 entry list ???? who partnered Ernie in the red mk 3 Zodi ...... ten pm here mate got work tomorrow bye for now
Kevin Hirst
11-09-2014, 07:28 PM
October 1965. Back to Pukekohe.
I found this old programme that brought memories of a long day on the hill at Pukekohe. My cousin drove me up especially to see the Fleetwood Motors Mustang being driven by Ivan Segedin and Dennis Simmons. Dennis was a friend of my sister and attended her wedding a year later in 1966 and I remember hanging around Dennis at the reception asking all sorts of questions about the Mustang and how to modify Anglias etc..He was a humble man but very gifted at his engineering skills.
Note some of the great names in this 3 hour Challenge Race. Even Frank Matich joined in.
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Roger Smith [18] had only just finished restoring his daimler about a month before he died about fifteen years ago, real hard case ,nice guy, just retired to B.O.I.
khyndart in CA
11-09-2014, 11:27 PM
October 1965. Pukekohe. Wills Six-Hour race.
Grant, I do not have a 1967 entry list but here it is for 1965 where your dad drove a Jaguar with Ray Archibald.
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khyndart in CA
11-10-2014, 12:02 AM
October 1965. Pukekohe.
In between the Challenge Race and the Six Hour race we were entertained by the amazing skills of Paddy Hopkirk and Timo Makinen in what they could do in Mini Coopers. Wow !
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Thanks to You Tube, here is a brief video of them in action at Pukekohe.( I did try a couple of these moves myself without any success which made me appreciate these two even more as they made it look so easy !)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AQCFoWSXEU
Ross Hollings
11-10-2014, 12:11 AM
Was there that day,they wet the track down in front of the pits,very impressive bit of Mini Spinning.
Frosty5
11-10-2014, 04:59 AM
Was there that day,they wet the track down in front of the pits,very impressive bit of Mini Spinning.
As well as the back straight without any water on the track!!
Grant Sprague
11-10-2014, 05:23 AM
October 1965. Pukekohe. Wills Six-Hour race.
Grant, I do not have a 1967 entry list but here it is for 1965 where your dad drove a Jaguar with Ray Archibald.
26570Thank you Ken .. even Gary was not sure what about the red zodi mk 3 do you know who he shared that drive with .. I have no copies at all ..just old photos soon to be put up ... Thanks Mate
Milan Fistonic
11-10-2014, 07:09 AM
Ken , do you have the 1967 entry list ???? who partnered Ernie in the red mk 3 Zodi ...... ten pm here mate got work tomorrow bye for now
The programme has Geoff Sprague partnering Ernie but a photo in Motorman of the winners after the race shows Ernie and Gary. It was a Mk 4 Zodiac number 10 that they drove
Grant Sprague
11-10-2014, 07:17 AM
The programme has Geoff Sprague partnering Ernie but a photo in Motorman of the winners after the race shows Ernie and Gary. It was a Mk 4 Zodiac number 10 that they drovethank you Milan Fistonic.... yep they got the name wrong that would have been the red mk 4 zodi for sure there was also a blue one a yellow one also trying to find out more re the red mk 3 zodi history I know for sure Ernie did a lot of production races in it & later sold that car to his friend Peter Wilson
khyndart in CA
11-10-2014, 07:42 AM
[QUOTE=Grant Sprague;43797]Ken , do you have the 1967 entry list ???? who partnered Ernie in the red mk 3 Zodi ......
Grant, I found this piece that Steve Holmes had written for the Allan Cameron Collection - Part 2 10-22-2013.
" Sprague also teamed up with his son Gary to win the last Wills 6 Hour race in 1967 driving a Ford Zodiac."
( I hope that is of help to you....Ken Hyndman )
Grant Sprague
11-10-2014, 05:33 PM
Thanks Ken .... still the red mk 3 is a around some where ......Yes that is the Red mk 4 Ernie & Gary drove later sold to Timaru publican Bill Greg
khyndart in CA
11-11-2014, 12:18 AM
October 1965. Pukekohe.
Still the highlight for me that day was watching the Fleetwood Mustang, at least for the first two hours before the rear brakes wore out.
Just to know what was involved in bringing a large engine US car into NZ at that time makes it amazing this car even got to race as much of the car had to be as standard. The NZ Classic Car magazine from January 2005 has some interesting information. For instance ; " unbelievably dictatorial constrictions imposed by the government of the day. This farcical situation required the car to be re-exported out of the country again at time of sale as the bond could only be recovered at the wharf of another country. "
Also some of the modifications carried out by Dennis Simmons are amusing. "Dennis also lowered the front of the car in an attempt to make it handle, and then raised the wheel arches on inch to disguise this modification (as lowering was banned).
Interior-wise, the cabin looked totally stock, with original bucket seats, no roll bars, a standard factory dash with strip speedometer and factory steering wheel. Every second seat spring was removed, brackets were binned, and sound deadening removed to lighten the car, but keep the ‘stock’ upholstery which was called for the current rules ! "
It looked great that day and was my introduction to "American Muscle" cars that I will admire the rest of my days.
( Ken Hyndman )
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(Terry Marshall photo )
khyndart in CA
11-11-2014, 08:50 PM
October 9th. 1965. Pukekohe.
Out of the programme I found this page which has some interesting figures about the cars from that era.
They may seem cheap today but I was about to start my apprenticeship in Morrinsville that paid the huge sum of 5 pound and 10 pence a week and I got that amount because I had just scraped through on my School Certificate (51 % for English !)
( Ken Hyndman )
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BMCBOY
11-11-2014, 09:56 PM
Start of the Gold Leaf Challenge 1965
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(Jack Inwood Photo) Bill Dunster driving Pukekohe Sweeper
This Austin-Healey is still owned by myself - I purchased it in 1973
khyndart in CA
11-12-2014, 06:04 AM
Ross,
That is a beautiful car you have. I enjoy helping Healey customers here at Moss Motors as they are in a class of their own.
Do you know if the number was changed for this race as it is listed as # 21 in the programme ?
Compared to the Daimler the Mustang looks like they forgot to empty the boot before the race started !
Perhaps it needed some Grant Sprague type suspension tweeks !
(Ken Hyndman )
Spgeti
11-12-2014, 06:26 AM
Well Ross....41 years of ownership of a beautiful car....congratulations. Cheers, Bruce
Kevin Hirst
11-12-2014, 07:20 PM
Ross,
That is a beautiful car you have. I enjoy helping Healey customers here at Moss Motors as they are in a class of their own.
Do you know if the number was changed for this race as it is listed as # 21 in the programme ?
Compared to the Daimler the Mustang looks like they forgot to empty the boot before the race started !
Perhaps it needed some Grant Sprague type suspension tweeks !
(Ken Hyndman )
Maybe musting power compared to daimler power, if this is at the start of the race, mustang has got a fair jump on the others.
BMCBOY
11-12-2014, 08:30 PM
[QUOTE=khyndart in CA;43842]Ross,
Do you know if the number was changed for this race as it is listed as # 21 in the programme ?
I'm sure the second photo is of another race meeting as it has no bumpers fitted. Bill raced the car quite often that season, but had a big off on Cabbage Tree corner at Levin when the spokes collapsed in the right front wheel. The effects of which I had finally repaired properly when I rebuilt it between 1974 and 1978. Bill said to me he wasn't too happy with the handling after it had been repaired initially and it was easy to see why once I stripped it down as the geometry was well out. Drives OK now for a 1959 car!!
jamie
11-20-2014, 02:28 AM
Hi Ken.
Spent time looking over the M 20 at Manfeild in the weekend what a grate car sounds Wonderful and goes better.
A bit after your time I think but is a fabulous piece of work.
Jamie A
BMCBOY
11-20-2014, 09:55 AM
Hi Ken.
Spent time looking over the M 20 at Manfeild in the weekend what a grate car sounds Wonderful and goes better.
A bit after your time I think but is a fabulous piece of work.
Jamie A
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khyndart in CA
11-20-2014, 09:25 PM
On August 22 1992 at Laguna Seca I met up with Denis Hulme as he was signing autographs with George Follmer.
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I think he enjoyed the 1971 Can Am season a lot. He signed my photo of the VDS M8 turbo and said that he was glad he did not have to drive that vehicle !
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He also signed the specification page for the "Cars in Profile" book on the M8.
Sadly Denis was to die just 6 weeks later at Bathurst. (He had mentioned to others here at Laguna that he was feeling tired from all the travel etc. But he was doing what he enjoyed most.)
In later years I had others, who had driven or worked with Bruce McLaren and Denis Hulme sign the page and here is a copy.
Signed by ; Hulme, Brian Redman, Dan Gurney, Vic Elford and Howden Ganley.
26626
( Ken Hyndman photos )
(p.s. Ross, thanks again for your great, clear photos. I notice that Laguna Seca is spelt differently in NZ !)
Grant Ellwood
11-20-2014, 10:35 PM
Ken, guess the sign-writers software doesn't have spell-check, that's a funny version of Laguna Seca.
khyndart in CA
11-20-2014, 11:52 PM
My favorite photo of Denis Hulme.
In the McLaren M8 F at speed during the 1971 Can-Am race at Elkhart Lake. August 29. 1971.
Hulme set fastest lap but retired on lap 17 with a broken crankshaft !
Such a great looking car even after 43 years !
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( photo taken by his friend, Pete Lyons. See more of Pete's wonderful photos of that era at www.petelyons.com )
Grant Sprague
11-21-2014, 07:00 AM
Cool piks Ken .... very cool ..............did you find that other shoe box ..................lol keep cool
khyndart in CA
11-21-2014, 08:44 AM
Grant, I do have to admit that I do have some "stuff" out in the garage. My dear Judy did intend to tidy it up one day but when she opened a cupboard to rearrange things she was almost killed by the pile of "Road & Tracks" and "Motorsport" etc magazines and books that spilled out. She has never dared to to go back ! The garage is mine ! So I may still find something yet to post.
I had forgotten about this last lot until I saw the Mortimer 1971 McLaren..That is a fine restoration of a Trojan vehicle.
I also like this photo of Denny at work coming into Turn Nine at Laguna Seca in 1971. ( note the tire marks on the front area...do not get in the way of " The Bear " !)
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photo thanks to "Cars in Profile" McLaren M8 ( F. David Stone )
Grant Sprague
11-21-2014, 05:39 PM
Yes this is a great shot, looks like he has a hand full by his arms & posture... I would not have noticed the tyre marks unless you had not mentioned , that would have been a big hit who ever it was ??/ as for Mortimer I use to race against him in escort sports also he & his son race in the open BMW series here , Warrick has lost none of his driving ability what so ever..... Now ken thank you for finding particulars on Ernie & Bro will 6 hours the car I was meaning was a red mk 3 zodi not the mk 4 .... so would be a year or two before this my mistake re the years.... he might have never raced it at Puke not sure..... keep them coming big brother Ken .. Thank you
khyndart in CA
11-21-2014, 08:38 PM
Grant,
I enjoyed this video of your Dad in Mk 3.
https://showyou.com/v/y-PvqcEQsR21Q/ernie-sprague-and-his-mkiii-zephyr
Oldfart
11-21-2014, 09:47 PM
Grant, there is mention in the 1965 Shell book of NZ Racing that Ernie and Harold Heasley ran a Zodiac in the DB National 5 hour at Teretonga to finish second, picture shows a Mark 3. No mention at the Wills at all. Next year it was the Jag
Grant Sprague
11-21-2014, 10:55 PM
Thanks Ken & Old fart...re the mk 3 Zodi , must have only raced it at Teretonga...I know it was raced at Ruapuna in production races ,, Mmmmm perhaps not in NI.....much appreciated my friends
khyndart in CA
11-21-2014, 11:27 PM
Grant, You have probably seen all this before but have you been to this site ? (it is an outdated site but it may be of help to you )
http://www.oocities.org/zephyr_mark4/racing.html
Cheers mate. Ken
Grant Sprague
11-22-2014, 06:11 AM
Ha ha ha he he .......Thanks Ken re the TV thing ....I remember this TV 3 interview they came down to check out Dad .. they were lucky to get that interview as Dad was not forth coming with media at all ........ a year or two later [on a visit] I had mentioned to Dad about going off [spinning] he said well a bit of grease on the circuit ..lol I said " NO WAY you got it wrong" I said well we sat there laughing until I cried with laughter true story WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES ...
khyndart in CA
11-22-2014, 08:02 AM
[QUOTE=Grant Sprague;43948]Yes this is a great shot, looks like he has a hand full by his arms & posture... I would not have noticed the tyre marks unless you had not mentioned , that would have been a big hit who ever it was ??/
Yes Denny was working hard in this race but only managed to come in 3rd behind his team mate Peter Revson and Jackie Stewart in a Lola T 260.
This car M8F #1 is now owned by Chris McAllister and well driven and immaculately prepared as shown in these photos.(It looks much better without the tire marks up the front left corner !)
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(Ken Hyndman photos at Laguna Seca. August 2011
khyndart in CA
11-23-2014, 09:48 AM
In June 2011 there was a meet at Infineon Raceway (Formerly Sears Point ) north of San Francisco and it was a tribute to Bruce McLaren and his cars. I got there early and was surprised at the lack of spectators. I wandered around and took some photos of the CanAm cars.
The first is the 1967 M6A-1 car that Bruce McLaren drove to win the 1967 Can Am series. Car number 4. The next photos are of the M-20mfrom the 1972 series where it had to compete against the Turbo Porsches.Car number 5.
The last car is a 1971 M8PF number 8. When I started at Trojan in 1972 they were just completing the last M8PF and it was a light blue. Chassis # 72-09. When I checked into this beautifully restored M8PF I found it was formerly # 72-09. It was neat to see how it looked again after 40 years !
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This photo shows the stunning development of McLaren Can Am cars over just 5 years. 1967 to 1972
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(Ken Hyndman photos. 2011..Infineon )
Horizon
11-23-2014, 08:34 PM
Great Pics and stories Ken....Thanks
The M8FP has ben restored this year by Tony Nicholson of Robin Automotive(ex pat kiwi), back too the the Commander motorhomes entry.
This was the same Meeting Roger Williamson raced his M8E for the first time. The Green car in the back ground (M8PF picture) is a M8C (70-04) which broke a front hub while leading the Can-am race at Sears point.
khyndart in CA
11-24-2014, 08:19 AM
The M8FP has ben restored this year by Tony Nicholson of Robin Automotive(ex pat kiwi), back too the the Commander motorhomes entry.
This was the same Meeting Roger Williams raced his M8E for the first time. The Green car in the back ground (M8PF picture) is a M8C (70-04) which broke a front hub while leading the Can-am race at Sears point.[/QUOTE]
Yes Tony does a wonderful job with restoring and preparing race cars and his knowledge of all McLarens is amazing.
June 4. 2011. Roger Williams waits as his M8E-F is prepared in the garage at Infineon Raceway.
( In the background is # 57. 1970 Boss 302 Mustang driven by Forrest Straight )
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Roger Williams in # 51 leading Chris McAllister in # 5 (ex Denny Hulme M8F ) and Scott Hughes in another 1971 McLaren M8F into corner # 2 at Infineon during practice.
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(Ken Hyndman photos )
Oldfart
11-24-2014, 05:12 PM
Great pics of my favourite cars. Wide open spaces and not a flaggie in sight.
Horizon
11-25-2014, 02:18 AM
Ken...Sent you a PM
khyndart in CA
03-03-2018, 08:25 AM
COYS AUCTIONS
Lot 150 - 1973 Trojan T101 F5000
I see that some of my photos have been taken from this thread without my name or TRS. How dare they !
Actually I don't mind, I just hope the car goes to a good home.
I just have to remember I could have brought this car in 1974 for about 3500 pounds when I was earning 36 pound a week !
Instead I ran off to California and got married instead and my wife is priceless. So I won my race !
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(Ken Hyndman photo )
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(Ken Hyndman photo )
Check this Coys Auction site.
http://www.coys.co.uk/cars/1973-trojan-t101-f5000
Ken Hyndman.
khyndart in CA
03-04-2018, 08:59 AM
I came across this 1969 Trojan brochure that brought back some memories.
Peter Agg was a good man to work for and he helped to keep Bruce McLaren going during the early years.
Enjoy the read.
51849
http://www.myf5000.com/teams_trojan_mclaren_racing.html
(Ken Hyndman.)
khyndart in CA
03-05-2018, 07:34 AM
This is one of the reasons I liked Mr. Agg and this is what helped pay my way to California in Dec. 1973 although I don't think that is what he intended for me when he handed these bonuses out !
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(Ken H)
khyndart in CA
03-06-2018, 01:04 AM
March, 2012.
"Peter Agg; 51885
The Grand Prix entrant whose Trojan company manufactured McLaren sports cars and single-seaters under licence, has died aged 82.
Peter Agg moved from the family wine business into importing scooters during the 1950s, leading to reviving the moribund pre-war Trojan marque to build bubblecars. In 1962 he bought the Elva sports car company which two years later contracted to assemble M1s for McLaren. Over the next few years Elva and Trojan built some 200 cars for the Woking race team, including F5000 and CanAm chassis, but as McLaren expanded its own facilities, Trojan briefly became a race manufacturer in its own right.
Ron Tauranac designed F5000 and F1 cars, helping Jody Scheckter to the 1973 US F5000 title, while in 1974 Tim Schenken contested eight Grands Prix in the Trojan T103, an early DFV 'kit car'. Recognizable by his handlebar moustache, Agg also assembled a fine collection of vintage cars. "
http://www.classicandsportscar.com/news/obituaries/in-memory-of-peter-agg-one-of-the-greats (The "Guvnor")
(Ken H)
khyndart in CA
03-06-2018, 01:18 AM
The Trojan Company had a long history before it got into motor racing with Elva and McLaren.
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A 1925 Trojan truck with solid tyres and a seat starter.
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This site gives a good history of the Trojan vehicle products. Croydon, England. 1914 to 1965.
https://myntransportblog.com/2014/10/29/buses-cars-trucks-and-vans-trojan-croydon-england-1914-1965/
(Ken H)..I came to work here, off to the left of this photo.
khyndart in CA
03-06-2018, 10:36 PM
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One of my last jobs for Trojan was in December 1973.
In 1973 when Trojan purchased Effingham Park, Copthorne in Kent, I would go down with “Taffy Griffiths (Trojan maintenance man) in the Suzuki of Great Britain van to clean up the grounds and buildings so the vintage car division could move in. I took some of these photos on October 30th 1973 that show the van in the drive, horses waiting to be fed, Rolls Royces waiting to be restored and the main building. All I mainly remember is it being old and cold !
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(Ken Hyndman photos )
khyndart in CA
03-06-2018, 10:48 PM
Peter Agg had this property for about 20 years before selling it to a hotel chain. He displayed his car collection and also had a restaurant there.
51965
Where the horses were is now a fine golf course and the place looks a little different to when we first arrived !
Note the chimneys are now gone as there must be better ways to heat that place as it was bitterly cold there in 1973 plus the beginning of the Arab Oil Embargo. I was glad to get away to sunshine !
The Effingham Park Hotel as it looks today.
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https://www.millenniumhotels.com/en/gatwick/copthorne-hotel-effingham-gatwick/
(Ken Hyndman. )
khyndart in CA
03-06-2018, 11:49 PM
I also had a job after work where I would go around to a customer's home near Croydon and he would feed me dinner with the family then we would go out to his garage and would attempt to work on his 1956 Ferrari 410 SA V-12.
It was full of sand after being in Saudi Arabia and there was no information or GOOGLE back then so I pulled things apart and planned to reassemble in 1974. It was just an old dirty car and we were all frustrated and then I left it all to come to California !
So I got fed and worked from 7 pm until 11 pm and earned five pound a night and thought I was doing well.
I often wonder what happened to that car but I am too scared to contact that owner as some of pieces may still be scattered in that shed !
That car is probably worth about US $ 4 million dollars today if it did get restored.
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A 1956 Ferrari 410 SA V-12 engine. (Without the sand !)
(Ken H)
khyndart in CA
03-07-2018, 05:54 AM
The result of many hours was this 1928 Bentley 3 litre 4 seater being restored to start the Peter Agg collection in 1973.
Lisc # UC6468.
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(Ken Hyndman photos in 1973)
Plus check out more recent photos of this car at this site.
www.vintagebentleys.org/carpages/uc6468.php#null
And there you have it folks. That is all my personal inputs on the Trojan Works.
Learn more about the Trojan makes at their interesting Trojan Museum site.
" http://www.trojanmuseumtrust.org/''
(Ken H )
Grant Sprague
03-09-2018, 03:29 AM
Thank you Ken , how cool is all this VERY...Thank you for sharing this .
Paul B
03-09-2018, 06:58 AM
Ken, You have been so fortunate to have been involved in Motorsport and the motor industry, throughout multiple countries and through one of the most interesting times. While you reflect on what you have achieved you should feel very proud to have made all of this happen in your life.
Great reading!
Cheers.
khyndart in CA
03-15-2018, 08:58 PM
Paul,
Doing some Trojan Racing research reminded me of how much the small group at Trojan Racing achieved during the 1973 F 5000 season. They built five Trojan T 101s and four of them won F5000 races either in Europe or in North America. That was quite an achievement up against the might of Lola and Chevron etc. and Paul it had nothing to do with me but yes I am pleased I was there at the time.
As I mentioned before, a Trojan F 5000 never won another race after I left !
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I would enjoy seeing a Trojan T 101 restored and racing in F 5000 again.
(I think there is one out there somewhere, can someone verify that please. )
Ken Hyndman.
Bruce302
03-20-2018, 06:03 AM
Fabulous stuff Ken, Thank you, I'm loving it and can't wait to see more.
Bruce.
khyndart in CA
04-02-2018, 07:12 PM
Hey, I just found this where my name is mentioned and photos used, all thanks to TRS.
https://primotipo.com/2018/03/26/jodys-mclaren-m21-and-trojan-t101/
Ken H
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