The Mike Feisst Collection - Part 3

[Steve Holmes]

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This is the third instalment of period racing photos taken by The Roaring Season member Mike Feisst. The first two parts have proven hugely popular. Part 3 again contains photos from both Australia and New Zealand, including several of the early years of the NZ Formula Atlantic/Pacific era. Also included are a number from the NZ round of the World Rally Championship, plus the fascinating sprinkling of Tasman cars, F5000, and Saloons we've come to expect from Mike.

Again, feel free to identify and caption the photos.

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[Shano]

Gobsmackingly wonderful.

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[Steve Holmes]

This is the last batch for Part 3. Part 4 is coming soon.

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[Chris Kitzen]

Fantastic :)

[nigel watts]

Brilliant

[nzboss]

Great Stuff!!

Cheers,
Rodney

[Steve Holmes]

Aren't those early Atlantic/Pacific cars great looking machines!

[Steve Holmes]

Can someone tell me about car #14 in Post 12? Its a fantastic looking car, and I love the green screen.

[pallmall]

Can someone tell me about car #14 in Post 12? Its a fantastic looking car, and I love the green screen.

Graeme Lawrence McLaren M4A, possibly as it first arrived in NZ. Green screens were a McLaren thing.


Once again, fantastic photographs. What a treat.

[GD66]

I think that M4A arrived in "a version" of McLaren orange with green screen, but the paint job depicted there is the traditional Air New Zealand colour scheme, which adorned a number of cars and motorcycles raced by kiwis in Indonesia and Malaysia in the late 60s and early 70s. If I recall, Graeme raced one in Europe for a season, then built that car up in the UK before returning to NZ.

As has been pointed out elsewhere in the forum, the car is on show at the Claudelands showground at the same show as the breadvan Anglia in post #10.

Car #41 in post #8 is also one of the lovely little M4As, that one was pedalled by Jim Palmer, and was many kiwi spectators' introduction to the aural delights of the howling Ford Cosworth FVA powerplant...

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks for the info guys, I could just about make out the Air NZ signage on the front. What a fantastic little car. Does anyone know where it is now?

Maybe Mike needs to chime in here and tell us if these indoor car show shots were all taken at the same time, as the Pat Hoare Ferrari appears to be at the same show.

[Rod Grimwood]

Is this the Anglia that Cyril Hyde had a big shunt in on top of the hill at Puke, if so I can remember the bang very well. (Dam another story), I am not sure as I think Cyrils car was lite blue maybe.

[David McKinney]

I echo all the sentiments above

I still find it amazing that I can't see myself in the background of any of them. You must have deliberately waited till I was out of shot:D

[RogerH]

Is this the Anglia that Cyril Hyde had a big shunt in on top of the hill at Puke, if so I can remember the bang very well. (Dam another story), I am not sure as I think Cyrils car was lite blue maybe.

I was in the hill stand when Cyril had his prang coming over the hill - from memory he went into the bank and bounced back into the middle of the track - it was a blue Anglia. When he got out of the car I thought he looked too old to be driving a race car - he was probably in his 40s - but I was only about 12 at the time so most drivers looked old!!

[kiwi285]

Hi Steve, That is Graeme Lawrences McLaren M4 at an exhibition at the Claudelands Centre in Hamilton. I think it was soon after he brought the car back from Europe.

Yes all of those photos were taken at the same time in the same building.

David, I didn't deliberately wait until you were out of shot, only until I could see the cars well enough. I know what you mean though, as I have looked at some of the other shots to see if I might have been in them.

Sorry that the photos are so mixed up but I removed them from the other slides in each box and then sent them away to be scanned and that how they ended up.

In post #4 (the Gemco sports car) is that Mary Carney's Mini in the back ground (white with red stripes aling the sides).

Cheers Mike

[kiwi285]

At the Amon Festival I was talking to Alan Boyle about the Viva and I mentioned that I had a photo of his Mini in the 'Cambridge' colours (fabulous colour scheme - still looks great). He asked if I had any of his purple Mini and I had to admit that I couldn't even remember such a colour scheme.

Looking through the photos in this post I see a purple Mini (Car # 28) and now wonder if it might be Alan's. Post # 1 photo # 1 the PDL Mustang. In the back ground is a purple Mini. Post # 6, third photo, the Formula Pacific is beside the purple Mini again.

Can anyone help me here ?

[Steve Holmes]

Mike, when did he race the Mini? That shot with the PDL Mustang would have been early 1973, as it was only in this colour scheme for a short amount of time after Fahey had parted company with PDL.

[GD66]

I'm snookered. The mini in the BayPark pits with the Rapt Tuning sticker was driven by a blonde bloke from Mt Maunganui, can't say I can spot a purple min in the background. The mini in post #6 beside the pacific is definitely not Alan Boyle. I think his mini was purple in 1967, before his Coke sponsorship.
The only purple mini I can spot is in the Puke startline shot, post #8, pic 5. The 51 car on row 3 was driven by Ron Brown. That may be Alan Boyle on the outside of the front row, you've also got #96 Rodger Anderson on pole, #103 Graham Watson on row 2, and #69 the Harrington Imp. And a Riley Elf #61 !
Yes, that's Mary Donald/Carney's mini, #101 with Radio Hauraki 1480 written down the red side stripe.

The Cambridge mini #86 was driven by Barry Phillips : I don't recall Boyle driving in Cambridge colours. But then I don't recall Jim Boyd driving a single-seater in Cambridge colours, either : clearly, he did. Is that the Thomason Brabham ?

[Steve Holmes]

I don't recall Boyle racing in Cambridge colours either. Cambridge only appeared for 2 seasons, the '70 season and the '71 season. Do you know when he had Cambridge backing Mike?

[kiwi285]

I got that one round my neck - it was Barry Phillips of course.

[David McKinney]

...I don't recall Jim Boyd driving a single-seater in Cambridge colours, either: clearly, he did. Is that the Thomason Brabham?
No, Vince Anderson's
A couple of years earlier Boyd had raced Syd Jensen's older model (the car later raced by Bryan Faloon)

[GD66]

Yep, I remember that one, ordinary metallic blue paint job and rusty brake discs. But in Faloon's hands, very quick ! I understand Vince Anderson has kept his one, it was always rather nice.

[RogerH]

Yep, I remember that one, ordinary metallic blue paint job and rusty brake discs. But in Faloon's hands, very quick ! I understand Vince Anderson has kept his one, it was always rather nice.

I think Vince's has gone to Australia earlier this year.

[David McKinney]

Yep, I remember that one, ordinary metallic blue paint job and rusty brake discs
But red when Boyd raced it :)

[bob homewood]

I was in the hill stand when Cyril had his prang coming over the hill - from memory he went into the bank and bounced back into the middle of the track - it was a blue Anglia. When he got out of the car I thought he looked too old to be driving a race car - he was probably in his 40s - but I was only about 12 at the time so most drivers looked old!!

Poor old Cyril unfortunately demolished more than one of them,pity he was a neat old guy and a gentleman,from memory he was over 70 at that time ,he was reputed to have raced in the UK before the war,he was a customer at the tuning business where I was working in the early seventies ,I used to keep a eye on his car at the events at that time where we both competing,if I ever helped him out on the week end he would always repay my kindness as he called it with some little gift.He also had a Vauxhall VX4/90 that he used to use for the odd sprint etc

[Rod Grimwood]

I got to know Cyril after that accident, as i helped load his car up after accident and he got intouch with me later and thanked me or help and I kept in touch with him as he got over it. He lived in a beautiful old style country type place in Greenlane and in later times went to Bay Park and other meetings with him in the Vauxhall I remember because it had twin carbs and went pretty well. He was a gentleman and as you say Bob not young then. I think I was in late teens when he hit the bank.

[Craig Metcalf]

is it Graeme Lawrence's Brabham BT29?

[bob homewood]

I got to know Cyril after that accident, as i helped load his car up after accident and he got intouch with me later and thanked me or help and I kept in touch with him as he got over it. He lived in a beautiful old style country type place in Greenlane and in later times went to Bay Park and other meetings with him in the Vauxhall I remember because it had twin carbs and went pretty well. He was a gentleman and as you say Bob not young then. I think I was in late teens when he hit the bank.

Yes probably worth reflecting on the VX4/90 for a moment ,Frank Hamlin raced one as well for a short time ,I did some engine work on one years ago,the Alloy head wasn't too bad for that period of time and from memory the Inlet ports were of a half decent shape for modifying ,pity the rest of the car was so heavy

[GD66]

is it Graeme Lawrence's Brabham BT29?



Hi Craig, I believe the car pictured to be Graeme Lawrence's McLaren M4A. His lovely little blue #14 Brabham I think was a BT18, and was sold upon Graeme's departure to the Wide World of Racing in Europe to John Nicholson, later to become renowned world-wide as an ace preparer of Cosworth race engines, working under the Nicholson McLaren Engines letterhead. Never knew what happened to the car, but it was a beauty.


Edit : Hmmm, I do seem to recall Graeme had a later model Brabham as well that he raced almost exclusively in what was then known as the Far East, and in Air NZ livery....good memory, Craig !

[beowulf]

Yes probably worth reflecting on the VX4/90 for a moment ,Frank Hamlin raced one as well for a short time ,I did some engine work on one years ago,the Alloy head wasn't too bad for that period of time and from memory the Inlet ports were of a half decent shape for modifying ,pity the rest of the car was so heavy
I remember Frank at Levin in the vx4/90, power in a straight line was OK, but the body roll in the corners was horrific, even by the standards of the time.
.

[Craig Metcalf]

oops I got it wrong. Did Graeeme Lawrence have an M4A McLaren around 1968? If yes then I think that is this car.

[Craig Metcalf]

Hi there- thought about it overnight & realised that this car is the M4A. Your memory obviously much better than mine. Whatever became of John Nicholson?

[Steve Holmes]

Is this the Air NZ car at the indoor show Craig?

[Craig Metcalf]

yeah

[David McKinney]

Lawrence bought the BT29 when the rules for the Asian series were changed, which meant he couldn't run the Ferrari there. He also raced it in a few NZ races, as did Kenny Smith on one occasion

The M4A actually first raced in NZ in McLaren orange, before he got the Air NZ sponsorship

[GD66]

The M4A actually first raced in NZ in McLaren orange, before he got the Air NZ sponsorship



I reckon so. (Post #22) But the longer ago it was, the less certain one becomes...

[David McKinney]

Not a colour photo, or a very good one (after all, it was me on the other side of the camera) but this is the car at what I believe was it's first NZ appearance, Pukekohe November 1968

[Murray Maunder]

Not sure whether anyone answered the question about the M4A's whereabouts today but I'm pretty sure it is alive and had a freshen up or some work done by that guru of old McLarens, Duncan Fox. I have a shot of it alongside the McLaren Trust's M8A. I will try to find out from Duncan who owns it now.

Great series of photos - huge thanks to Mike Feisst!

[David McKinney]

I'm pretty sure Peter Herbert has the ex-Lawrence M4A

Lindsay O'Donnell has another, with no NZ history

The ex-Palmer car has been in Australia since 1968

[rogered]

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kinda related, i see this car for sale. body work differs so i assume its proberbly not the chassis shown but quoted as an ex rosberg tasman car

http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/chevron/1310667231/1310667231ss.htm

(excuse my poor computer skills)

[David McKinney]

The light blue Opert B34 Rosberg raced in the 1977 Stuyvesant series is still in NZ
I don't know what happened to the red Opert B39 he raced in 1978. This could be it, I suppose

[coldrive]

The pic of the PDL Mustang in green at baypark would have been taken at the 1973 Easter meet, which was the first time I visited Baypark. I believe this was Graham Baker's first appearance in the car. Peter Hanna and Graham Pierce did something different for this meeting and invited the OSCA series to join the BNSW Championship saloons, which is why you see Kevin Haigs Mustang partly in shot. And they also brought Bruce Carey from Australia in the Grace Bros Capri. I don't have results but still got a tatty programme. Baker won both BNSW 0-6000cc races, both OSCA races and also drove the PDL Titan FF to two wins as well, unbeaten on the day. Things must have run pretty slickly in those days as there are 17 races on the programme and racing didn't start till noon on Easter Sunday.

[kiwi285]

Hi Coldrive,

If you have a look at the photos under the Racing Capri's thread there is a photo there of the Carey Capri at that meeting.

[SPman]

Poor old Cyril unfortunately demolished more than one of them,pity he was a neat old guy and a gentleman,from memory he was over 70 at that time ,he was reputed to have raced in the UK before the war,he was a customer at the tuning business where I was working in the early seventies ,I used to keep a eye on his car at the events at that time where we both competing,if I ever helped him out on the week end he would always repay my kindness as he called it with some little gift.He also had a Vauxhall VX4/90 that he used to use for the odd sprint etc
I can recall him racing it at Puke at Club meetings - we were amazed at this old guy punting his nice tidy Vauxhall around the track....but, we 16 year olds reckoned he was having fun, so, why not.........

[kiwi285]

I'm pretty sure Peter Herbert has the ex-Lawrence M4A

Lindsay O'Donnell has another, with no NZ history

The ex-Palmer car has been in Australia since 1968

Hi David,

Do you know who owns the car in Australia as I have never seen any mention of the car and it appears never to have made any historic meetings that I am aware of. That is a pity as it has a lot of NZ history.

[928]

John Nicholson sold Nicholson Mclaren engines and has retired. Henow lives somewhere on the Manukau harbour I understand.

[BMCBOY]

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[David McKinney]

Hi David,

Do you know who owns the car in Australia as I have never seen any mention of the car and it appears never to have made any historic meetings that I am aware of. That is a pity as it has a lot of NZ history.

I believe it went back to the UK about 20 years ago, but I haven't heard of it since