Frank Gardners SCA Freight Camaro Restored

[Steve Holmes]

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Exciting to see the newly completed restoration of the '67 Camaro Frank Gardner raced in the early '70s. The car was originally raced by Bobby Brown in the Trans-Am in 1967, then it made its way to England where Malcolm Wayne ran it in the British Saloon Car Championship in 1968, followed by Mike Kearon in '69, and Bill Shaw Racing in 1970, with Roy Pierpoint driving.

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Gardner was racing an ex-Bud Moore '69 Trans-Am Mustang in the 1970 BSCC but this car was severely damaged during loading at a dock in Australia, and Gardner joined Adrian Chambers' SCA Freight team part-way through the 1971 BSCC season, taking over the car from John Hine and Roy Pierpoint who drove it in the early rounds. Gardner won two BSCC races with the car before a new 2nd-gen Camaro arrived in 1972. He also won with it at Hockenheim.

At the end of 1972 the Camaro was shipped to New Zealand where Gardner raced it against the top Aussie and NZ cars including Allan Moffats Mustang, Pete Geoghegans Super Falcon and Joe Chamberlains Trans-Am Camaro who were all shipped in to race at Bay Park and Pukekohe.

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Then the Camaro was sent to Australia in early 1973 where Gardner raced it at Warwick Farm and Sandown. Bob Jane bought the car and on-sold it to John Pollard who raced it in Sports Sedans. It then went to Bernie Watt, and eventually Rowan Harman. Rowan sold it back to the UK a few years ago and its been undergoing restoration back to its 1971 SCA guise. Hopefully I've got that right? Rowan is a member on here so can provide more info than me. Definitely a much travelled car with a fascinating history which has gone to a good home.

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[Steve Holmes]

This is how it looks now! Stunning.

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[seaqnmac27]

Frank Gardner and Allan Moffat Pukekohe Jan 73
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[Kiwiboss]

Gee'sss, look at the crowd in that picture!!

Dale M

[aussiemonza]

Hi Steve,

Your history is correct. The Camaro went back to NZ later in 1973. The story I have heard is that Bob Jane leased the car to Paul Fahey who needed a car to continue in the NZ Championships, Fahey no longer running the PDL Mustang. Does anyone have any further info on this? The Camaro had engine drama's in NZ, cracked cylinder head is the current info, then sent back to Bob Jane Racing.

I first tried to by the car from Bob Jane in early 1974, had the Sponsors cheque in hand on the agreed date when Bob jacked the price from 12K to 15K. The car then sat around for a further 2 years before going to John Pollard. It took me 30 years to finally get it!

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks for the info Rowan, thats brilliant. My understanding was that Fahey never actually raced the car and that it never left Aus. He contacted Bob about buying or leasing it when he and PDL Racing parted company in early 1974, as he was still doing pretty well in the NZ Championship, but for some reason that I can't recall right now, it didn't happen. I thought he'd said the car was found to have some sort of issue before it was sent from Aus, so the whole deal fell apart. Can anyone shed more light on this?

[Paul LeSueur]

Where is the car now, my dad was one of Franks mechanics so would be interested to have a look
Paul

[Steve Holmes]

Paul, Rowan Harman (Auzzie Monza) will be able to help you out. He owned the Camaro for many years, and sold it to its current owner. he is on here pretty regularly.

[thunder427]

...when the Gardner Camaro was 'locked' away in the back of the Bob jane Tyre Warehouse it was equipped with the Small ,early rear boot spoiler,which would have meet the homilgation spec at that time,when it got the Australian 'Sports Sedan' up spec it was fitted with a 1969 spec., boot spoiler, as it is now !!!...Classic Industries/ California/USA has orig 67/68 spec 'repo' stock.......:pSorry!!!...the Camaro looks spectacular in its old 'Warpaint',congrates on the 're-birth' !!!!.....regards thunder427/MJ:cool:

[Steve Holmes]

Gee, is that right? I always assumed the 67/68 Camaro's had the same rear spoiler as 69. Just goes to show, you learn something new every day!

[BJRH]

Here's a photo of the Race Shop building in Grey Street that had the Frank Gardner Camaro stored in for a number of years before the Camaro was sold to John Pollard.

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[Steve Holmes]

Wow, that is awesome! Who would have thought this old building could have so much history. Looks partially derelict? I love learning about these old buildings, and the histories they have. So was this building a part of Southern Motors, or was it completely separate?

[aussiemonza]

Where is the car now, my dad was one of Franks mechanics so would be interested to have a look
Paul

Hi Paul,

The Camaro is back in the UK, please PM me and I will put you in touch.

CCR

[CharlesB]

Hi

Response to postings re British Touring Cars late '60's/70’s.

I would make the following response in date order in an effort to provide some clarity as, in the past, certain "historic" cars have assumed a different identity.

1968: Malcolm Gartlan ran the ex Allen Mann/Frank Gardner Falcon Sprint with David Hobbs driving at nearly all of the BTCC rounds.

1969: Malcolm Gartlan did not run a car at all during that season having sold the Sprint to Dennis Leech. I do not believe David Hobbs ever drove the Du Plessis Camaro.

1970: Bill Shaw ran the second of his Camaro's with Roy Pierpoint driving. That car was scratch built during the winter of '69/'70 and is an entirely separate and different car to the first generation SCA freight car. The car was sold at the end of the 1970 season to Martin Thomas who subsequently sold it to its present owner, John Shoesmith.

Having personally been involved with the construction and maintenance of at least two of these vehicles from the outset including the actual original purchase of one of them, there is photographic and written evidence to support these facts.

Hope this information is useful.

CharlesB

[Steve Holmes]

Thank you for posting this, this is really great info. Re the Martin Thomas Camaro bought by John Shoesmith, is this the blue car that now competes in the Heritage GT series? It looks completely different to the way it looked when raced by Martin Thomas and no longer has the large flares etc.

Frank de Jongs excellent touring car racing website has Malcolm Gartlan Racing entered in several early BSCC events in 1969 with a Falcon Sprint, and Brian Muir driving. Could Leech possibly have purchased this car mid-season? Malcolm Gartlan Racing appears to have entered the car in the first four rounds, then there are no more appearances, but Leech first appears from round 5 onwards.

[Steve Holmes]

Good to see the Gardner Camaro out racing again, at this historic event. Eric Broutin, of French Speed Connection, who is in the white and black '67 Camaro pictured here just in front of the white and blue Alfa, is seen chasing the Gardner Camaro. It was Eric who posted these cool pics.

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[Steve Holmes]

I see its come up for sale: https://www.dhrofgo.com/for-sale/1967-chevrolet-camaro-z28-ex-frank-gardner-trans-am-bscc-etcc/

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[Ray Bell]

Is this the car which got the trick gearbox built for Jane's 7-litre Camaro?

Fabricated steel gearbox case, larger gear spacing, custom-made gears with dog engagement, heavily blasted to look like a casting and painted with aluminium paint.

[Steve Holmes]

Is this the car which got the trick gearbox built for Jane's 7-litre Camaro?

Fabricated steel gearbox case, larger gear spacing, custom-made gears with dog engagement, heavily blasted to look like a casting and painted with aluminium paint.

Ray, I don't know about the gearbox, but the ZL1 alloy block 427 Bob Jane used in his Camaro in 1971 ended up in the second generation SCA Freight Camaro Frank Gardner raced in 1972/73 etc (pictured below). I did read somewhere the 1967 Camaro pictured above was traded on the engine as part of the deal but I could be mistaken.

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[Ray Bell]

That would be the car which got the gearbox then...

Jane used it himself through 1971 IIRC.

[Spgeti]

I see its come up for sale: https://www.dhrofgo.com/for-sale/1967-chevrolet-camaro-z28-ex-frank-gardner-trans-am-bscc-etcc/

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The attached photos of this car are just superb. The detail is really there for those of us into that sort of thing.
Shame I have not got the money and one can’t live in a car....

[Steve Holmes]

The attached photos of this car are just superb. The detail is really there for those of us into that sort of thing.
Shame I have not got the money and one can’t live in a car....

I agree Bruce. The car was never really changed from how Gardner raced it in 1971, even though it ended up in Australia being campaigned in the Sports Sedan ranks. It only raced briefly as a Sports Sedan and then quietly put away. So although its been restored, there was very little to actually change, so its now presented as a really honest car, and something of a timewarp.

[Steve Holmes]

That would be the car which got the gearbox then...

Jane used it himself through 1971 IIRC.

That sounds right then Ray. Gardner did the deal with Bob Jane in early 1973 after he'd raced the Camaro in New Zealand and then in Australia. He'd already been racing his new second generation Camaro throughout 1972, but fitted with a small block Chevy 350. The big block 427 motor/box was fitted to the new car for 1973.

[khyndart in CA]

It was fun to watch this Camaro in action, especially when these two Australians, Brian "Yogi"Muir and Frank Gardner were racing at the same time. (Luckily there was no live on-board "mike" in 1973 !)
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( Ken H )

[Steve Holmes]

Great clippings Ken. These two had some furious battles in the BSCC, beginning in 1970 when Gardner raced an ex-Bud Moore Trans-Am Mustang and Muir had an ex-Penske Racing Camaro.

[Spgeti]

Superb shots of the 2nd Gen Camaro. What rules did this race in Steve. Why I ask is that the bonnet is modified with a rear facing scoop.

[khyndart in CA]

Bruce,
This was the 1973 RAC British Saloon Car Championship. Touring Cars class A-D.
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Is this any help ? It certainly had a wide range of engine sizes and the big complaint of the day was the speed differences and you can see why !

You can read a bit about it here;
http://www.btcc.net/history/in-depth/1958-1990/

(Ken H)

[Steve Holmes]

Superb shots of the 2nd Gen Camaro. What rules did this race in Steve. Why I ask is that the bonnet is modified with a rear facing scoop.

Bruce, it was actually raced under Group 2 regulations, although these were obviously getting further and further offtrack throughout the 1970s. This is why its important to use the FIA date classifications when building a racing group around Appendix K regs.

[khyndart in CA]

While messing around today I found the original slide I took at Silverstone July 1973 at the British GP Meet.
It gives an idea of how Becketts Corner looked back then as the Saloon Car race started.
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(K Hyndman photo..)

This is a modern day clip of the same corner.(The grandstand is about where the red and yellow
Land Rover is in the top photo ..but a lot further back from the track !)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCIUhN61jEw

(We had more fun in 1973!)

Ken H

[Steve Holmes]

While messing around today I found the original slide I took at Silverstone July 1973 at the British GP Meet.
It gives an idea of how Becketts Corner looked back then as the Saloon Car race started.
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(K Hyndman photo..)

This is a modern day clip of the same corner.(The grandstand is about where the red and yellow
Land Rover is in the top photo ..but a lot further back from the track !)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCIUhN61jEw

(We had more fun in 1973!)

Ken H

Wow! Superb photo Ken. In the end Frank Gardner in the Camaro took the win, from David Howe in an AMC Javelin who finished just ahead of Jonathan Buncombe in an Escort. Muir in the BMW was out early with engine failure, while Dennis Leech pictured in the Mustang drifted back to 14th due to various issues.

Not sure if you recalled Ken there was a big shunt early in this race?

[khyndart in CA]

Steve,
The day was spoiled by the accident in that race.
Dave Mathews was in the Broadspeed Capri which had a slow start and is in about 7th position behind the white Escort. If you look closely you will see it is a LHD Capri and that is a factor that helped saved Dave's life.
You can read more at this site written many years later.


https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/pippa-middletons-father-law-cheated-10523107



(Ken H)