Photos: 2018 Levels 50th And Skope Classic

[Steve Holmes]

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These photos were sent to me by Warwick Clayton, whose historic images have appeared regularly throughout this website. Warwick attending the 50th anniversary Levels Raceway event recently, as well as the Spoke Classic at Ruapuna. These are a selection of images Warwick took of some of the more historic cars, and the odd historic driver.

[Steve Holmes]

PDL Mustangs I and II.

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Steve Holmes]

Replica of the Clyde Collins MkIII Cortina.

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[Steve Holmes]

Don Grindley Buick powered RX7.

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[Steve Holmes]

Kevin Pateman Telstar NZ Touring Car.

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[Steve Holmes]

I believe this is a genuine SCCA Trans-Am race car. Its not an original BRE (Brock Racing Enterprises) Datsun, but a privateer Trans-Am Datsun now painted up in the famous BRE colours.

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[Steve Holmes]

Jim Mullins A40. I assume its a replica?

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[Steve Holmes]

Wayne Murdoch ShellSport Avenger.

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[Steve Holmes]

Frank Bryan/Red Dawson Mustang.

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[Steve Holmes]

Paul Fahey's Alan Mann Racing Escort.

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[Steve Holmes]

Reg Cook ShellSport Datsun Sunny.

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[Steve Holmes]

Stone Brothers/Roy Harrington Escort.

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Terry S]

Wonderful photos Steve, and all the more enjoyable because descriptions included.

I get really annoyed at two other serial posters who can’t be bothered doing it because they claim “too hard”

[ERC]

The information often has to be researched Terry, but you are just as capable of doing that as anyone else. No one else has ever complained about a lack of information except you.

Since the settings on the site were changed, every single pic has be first of all copied and shrunk to no more than 185kb and no more than 850 pixels wide. Even using a resizing programme that shrinks to 850 wide, they may be over 185kb so you often have to shrink it again using another programme. That also takes time, over and above any cropping or adjustments that may be required.

As for scanning from old negatives or slides, you obviously have absolutely no idea just how long that takes and even though I may have taken a photograph 30 years ago, it can be an hour or so trying to track down the information just so that I can file it.

Pics now have to be loaded individually and even then, have been known to disappear and have to be loaded again, all of which takes time. Why do you think prolific snappers are still loading a month or two after the event?

I have posted on my own thread several times, asking for someone to identify a specific car, even when taken recently and had zero response, so please, stop your whingeing and do what the rest of us do and enjoy the photographs. If you have a query, post it or do some research of your own.

[khyndart in CA]

Ray,
That is an excellent description of what it takes to put in photos on TRS. We are very grateful for what you and Nigel enter.
I put in some information on the Williams F1 6 wheeler project and was almost completed and the phone rang and I came back and found all the photos had gone to attachments and so I had to load it all again as I knew Terry S would be on my case for a lack of descriptions !
Hey, at least Terry keeps us on our toes ! I just wish he would enter some of his own photos and realize what is involved.
I almost lost my day job putting the latest Taupo thread together plus the lack of a good lunch etc.
So Terry, go easy on us as we donate a lot of our time at no charge to you.
p.s. You are always welcome to put in your own descriptions as you obviously know your stuff.

(Ken Hyndman. p.s. Thanks Steve for this thread. Great photos. )

[nigel watts]

Wonderful photos Steve, and all the more enjoyable because descriptions included.

I get really annoyed at two other serial posters who can’t be bothered doing it because they claim “too hard”

Terry, I spend hours and hours firstly attending the meetings at my expense and taking the photos.

i then spent hours and hours processing those photos.

If I then had to add descriptions to all those images just to keep you from getting annoyed, I'd probably put the whole thing in the too hard basket and walk away.

So the nub of the matter is that I do spend a lot of time putting these images on TRS for everyone to look at and I enjoy doing that.

Sorry mate, but if you get annoyed at my lack of descriptions - TOUGH.

[Steve Holmes]

Paul Fahey, reunited with his 1971 NZ Saloon Car Championship winning Escort.

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Steve Holmes]

Fahey in the Escort again, about to do demonstration laps. I believe the PDL Mustang was being driven here by Leo Leonard.

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Steve Holmes]

I don't know anything about this car, other than that its a Scarab. Is it real? Does it have US history? I believe it was sourced from the US.

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[Steve Holmes]

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[John McKechnie]

Steve. yes , its a real Scarab running 327, and this is just how it ran back in the 70s
It has run with HSSIA for the past 2 years, real car, real history.
Michael Johnston runs this, also he has Noddy Murdochs 2 door Avenger Shellsport number 48 - seen above.

[Steve Holmes]

Steve. yes , its a real Scarab running 327, and this is just how it ran back in the 70s
It has run with HSSIA for the past 2 years, real car, real history.
Michael Johnston runs this, also he has Noddy Murdochs 2 door Avenger Shellsport number 48 - seen above.

Thanks John, where did it race in the 70s?

[Roger Dowding]

I don't know anything about this car, other than that its a Scarab. Is it real? Does it have US history? I believe it was sourced from the US.

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Steve, yes there were a few built based on Datsun [ Nissan ] 240 Z's with an American V8, the Scarab name was previously used by by Lance Reventlow for his Sports Cars in the early 1960's - guess no copyright issues as " Scarab " is a type of Beetle

Steve,check out this link;

" http://datsunforum.com/the-scarab-legend-the-original-hybrid-datsun-z/ "

[Steve Holmes]

Steve, yes there were a few built based on Datsun [ Nissan ] 240 Z's with an American V8, the Scarab name was previously used by by Lance Reventlow for his Sports Cars in the early 1960's - guess no copyright issues as " Scarab " is a type of Beetle

Thanks Roger, I knew a little about the Scarabs, just didn't know about the history of this car.

[Steve Holmes]

Not quite sure what these were for. Perhaps PDL II?

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[Steve Holmes]

The second of the two Oldsmobile V8 powered Starlets built by Trevor Crowe. This version is probably better known for its next owner, Rodger Freeth, who changed the bodywork and fitted it with a TWR Rover V8.

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[Roger Dowding]

Thanks Roger, I knew a little about the Scarabs, just didn't know about the history of this car.

Cheers Steve, and the only photo's I could find are of the car in NZ

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Presume some details on the entrant owner in the programme, looks like a great car ..

and the photos are there !!

[Oldfart]

My confuser says those are "invalid attachments" Roger.

[ERC]

I think you'll find it is the TRS website with the hiccups Rhys. Several times, images are posted - then disappear. Very, very frustrating - especially when you don't find out until the following day.

[Roger Dowding]

Oldfart Re ;
My confuser says those are "invalid attachments" Roger.

and ERC :
I think you'll find it is the TRS website with the hiccups Rhys. Several times, images are posted - then disappear. Very, very frustrating - especially when you don't find out until the following day.

Yes the pics were there yesterday but now gone.

trying again the - Scarab Chevvy

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[Steve Holmes]

I think you'll find it is the TRS website with the hiccups Rhys. Several times, images are posted - then disappear. Very, very frustrating - especially when you don't find out until the following day.

Yes, very frustrating.

[Steve Holmes]

No NZ history as far as I know, but this little Fiero Trans-Am racer is still very interesting. Many of these old tube-frame Trans-Am machines that made their way down-under in period have since returned to the US, as their values have risen substantially.

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[Kwaussie]

I think there is a good story with the #15 TVR in post #40. Very high top speed on the front straight at Teretonga was reported in the local paper.
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/101507988/canadian-race-driver-returns-to-teretonga-for-classic-speedfest&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwie_oio6bHZAhVIvbwKHR2KCKUQFggFMAA&client=internal-uds-cse&cx=006730714154542492986:oh6vl0ybuqy&usg=AOvVaw2nl6oNnGlwClCSL11GSvIh

[ERC]

Snapped in 2005 in the rain at Teretonga and in the dry at Hampton Downs 2010.

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It is only fair to say that this race TVR, which is a great car, and a couple of others in the Sports/GT races (scratch only), were part of the reasons several of us pulled out of the Hampton Down's Festivals after a couple of years.

When you are getting lapped after about 4 or 5 laps, wet or dry, by a race car capable of 265kph+, the speed differential between those faster guys and those with slower, road spec cars, did not make for enjoyable racing for drivers, especially in the wet at Pukekohe (the original Festivals had one weekend at HD and one at Pukekohe).

Scratch racing when there is such a huge variation in performance within a grid feels very much like a track day - but at a far greater cost.

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Pity the weather was dreadful at Teretonga, as I was very impressed with the organisation and the fields and would have enjoyed spending more time there. Travelling with my wife and a friend, it wasn't fair on them to stay longer than we did, as I don't think it stopped raining the whole time we were there, but I'd love to do Teretonga again.

[Steve Holmes]

I don't know if this is the real Red Dawson Willys, or the replica that was built recently.

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Steve Holmes]

I never get tired of looking at this car.

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[Paul B]

Agree Steve,
The 635csi is such a nicely proportioned car, as was the earlier model. I remember watching the these on the Wellington waterfront race. What a sound they made, ringing it out down Customhouse Quay.
I also remember the Ford Sierra Cosworth Turbo (Dick Johnson drove one) they were impressively quick, and light, I seem to recall they were approx' 500hp+ and were cleaning up everything at the time, but had reliability problems, sadly, a lot of DNFs.
Cheers
P

[Spgeti]

This is the Willy’s that was bought by Harry Oppwood from a deceased estate in Christchurch a couple of years ago. This is the real car and has been sympatheticly put back together.

[Steve Holmes]

This is the Willy’s that was bought by Harry Oppwood from a deceased estate in Christchurch a couple of years ago. This is the real car and has been sympatheticly put back together.

Thanks Bruce.

[Steve Holmes]

Agree Steve,
The 635csi is such a nicely proportioned car, as was the earlier model. I remember watching the these on the Wellington waterfront race. What a sound they made, ringing it out down Customhouse Quay.
I also remember the Ford Sierra Cosworth Turbo (Dick Johnson drove one) they were impressively quick, and light, I seem to recall they were approx' 500hp+ and were cleaning up everything at the time, but had reliability problems, sadly, a lot of DNFs.
Cheers
P

The 635 was a highly successful car in Group A trim, particularly in Europe where Group A was introduced much earlier than Australia and New Zealand.

It was less successful in Australian Group C trim, as per the car above, but according to many sources, that was because CAMS tried hard to hobble it. I don't know how true that is, but regardless, in Group C trim with those big wheels and flares, it looks amazing.

[Steve Holmes]

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[Roger Dowding]

I don't know if this is the real Red Dawson Willys, or the replica that was built recently.

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Looking at the background, the Stanton Corvette in its current as restored bodywork, same as one of it's early versions, once it became a real sports car ~~ !!

[Steve Holmes]

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