Bought one for $12,500 in Mount Albert, Auckland in 1973 - a mate told me a year later it was now worth $15,000 - inflation wow !!
Printable View
I see that Stirling Moss recently turned 90.
https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator...ears-old-today
I am grateful for the few minutes I spent talking to him at the Laguna Seca Historics in August 2011.
He was most interested in my 1962 Ardmore Grand Prix programme and kindly signed it in several places with his easily recognized signature and we laughed at the water stained pages from that very wet race Jan. 6th. 1962.
I think my programme may be worth a bit more than the 2/6d I paid for it that day.
Attachment 63826
Attachment 63827
Attachment 63828
My attempt at keeping a lap chart in the rain got 2 autographs from Stirling. I know I won't get that opportunity again.
Attachment 63829
The 1962 NZ Grand Prix field which included a young Lorenzo Bandini who was not related to the Bandini family that built Etceterini cars.(The 1962 water stain is on the right side of the page.)
Attachment 63830
They came from all over the world to race for this amount !
(Ken H.)
I recall an interesting short chat I had with Stirling Moss. He made the significant comment that he considered that for him motor racing as such ended with the introduction of sticky tyres. I agree with his opinion.
From the era when the drivers were fat and the tyres were skinny.
José Froilan Gonzalez. 1953 French GP at Rheims.
Attachment 63834
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1BRzrmR40I
(Ken H )
The 1962 NZ Grand Prix programme regarding motorcycle racing and advertising plus the Honda invasion was on the horizon.
John Hempleman rode the first Honda I had seen. A Honda racing 250 c.c. # 64.
Attachment 63839
Attachment 63840
The Honda story through 1961.
Attachment 63841
Some of the choices we had in 1961/62.
It looks like the deposit was about 1/3 of the full price.
( And that, ladies and gentlemen, is in pounds, shillings and pence. )
Attachment 63842
(Ken H)
Yes, I also agree and that is what makes the Goodwood events so exciting to watch. I have to put that on my "bucket list" to go there when a "Revival" is taking place. I only went to Goodwood in 1973 when Trojan were testing and the place was virtually abandoned.
(Ken H)
Ken H,
That 1962 Ardmore programme - great you still have worth keeping it and drying it out. [ Have ' borrowed ' the images from it. Thanks
1962 at Ardmore is also part of the Ruddspeed 3000 Austin Healey story I am working on, that car became the AH 4000 and eventually the Austin 4 litre six was taken out to 4200cc approx..
At least enlarging it to 4.2-litres would have taken away some of the massive weight of that truck engine...
The front shocks would have been happy about it.
Yes, a 3000 head weighed 112lbs...
Have I ever related the change it made to Ross Bond's 3000 when they fitted the alloy head?
Ken Webb dynoed it and it was down a few horsepower over their existing iron head. Bond wanted to reject it, he wanted the horsepower.
"Just try it," Ken told him.
At Warwick Farm it was two seconds a lap quicker.
Ray Bell,
" Have I ever related the change it made to Ross Bond's 3000 when they fitted the alloy head? "
A story for the Austin Healey thread, in there, but don't tell Ken H .. am working on the Ruddspeed 3000 to Austin 4000 / 4200 story as you know, and more information on Ruddspeeds has emerged .." Watch that Space "
I found this very interesting, especially with the scenes of the original Donington Park and the Germans racing right up to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.
A true blast from the past !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCP_GJ8JBOE
( Ken H)
Great footage Ken, that is an informative narration of early racing and truly impressive power and speed developed in the German powered pre- WW2 cars. Well worth a watch.
The Ford versus Ferrari at LeMans in 1966 movie comes out here this week and it will be interesting to see how it is received.
https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...e-race-scenes/
I liked this documentary from a few years ago which I recommend.
Attachment 63933
This clip gives an idea of what it was like around the track in 1966 although a lot of it shows spectators shaving and waking up !
I wonder what is like to go to the 24 hours of Le Mans as a spectator where not a lot of the track can be seen ?
Can anyone describe their own experience there ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rrVOVuwPV0
(Ken H )
As an apprentice in 1966 I started out at 5 pound and three pence for the week so I guess I would have had to save for a long time to buy a watch like this that cost almost 55 pounds in 1962.
( Almost 3 months of income !)
Plus being a 1959 model it is already 3 years old.I wonder how long the unconditional guarantee lasted ?
(The one I have now cost less than 1 hour of my income and is a heck of a lot easier to use !)
Attachment 63988
Ad from 1962 NZGP programme.
(KH up early due to knee pain..)
I went to Le Mans in 1981...
I somehow cadged a press pass (I was writing for Racing Car News at the time) and could go anywhere. It was the year Alan Hamilton entered Brock and Bond in a Porsche 924 (?) and it didn't make the race, so they had drivers' passes and could go anywhere. At one point I joined them down the Mulsanne Straight, which wasn't a spectator area.
We were placed not far before the braking area, so where the cars go their quickest, with cars coming into sight through the kink in the straight and out of sight over the crest of the braking area. You would be watching a car, say a 935, come into sight, follow it through and see it start braking, then you'd go to turn back to see the next car and it would be one of the quick ones and it would be right there in front of you.
I did get pics of a few cars there, including the WMs, which were the quickest things on the straight.
While I was there with these blokes I chatted with John Harvey (who'd also been dragged along) about how these forests would have been a part of the arena for WW2.
In the night I walked around to Arnage and it was very hard to believe that the cars were in control as you had no perception of the attitude of the car, you could only see the lights.
Other recollections included being tossed out of the restaurant when I didn't know to say 'Sil vous plait' ordering breakfast, eating lots of 'Frittes', seeing the spare engines in the WM tent and realising that the blocks were standard Peugeot 604 while the heads and turbos were very different, walking behind the main stand and seeing an old bronze plaque...
"Robert Benoist, winner (with Jean Wimille) in 1937, ~ ~ fought with the resistance ~ ~ garotted by the Germans in September 1944"
That must have been an unforgettable experience being at Le Mans with that group, Ray.
If you find the photos from that event it would be great to see them.
Thanks for sharing.
Ken
(I now know that being garroted is an awful way to die !)
There is a documentary on Netfix called "The 24 hour war" about the 1960s battle between Ferrari and Ford at Le Mans.
Yes, Ken, quite unforgettable...
Harves was a great one to be talking to in a situation like that. A bit of a deep thinker at times, and always articulate.
It followed up from seeing Alan Jones completely demoralise Nelson Piquet at Monaco, then run low on fuel and the 'soldier on' or 'never give up' of Gilles Villeneuve earned him the win.
The WM at speed:
https://i.postimg.cc/RhVKX4Rs/Wmlemans.jpg
Rondeau on Mulsanne:
https://i.postimg.cc/X79BdZ4j/rondmulsn.jpg
A group of cars on Mulsanne:
https://i.postimg.cc/2jbZjctB/groupmulsn.jpg
Safety car in the chicane:
https://i.postimg.cc/wxCs15K4/LMsafetycar.jpg
WM in the chicane:
https://i.postimg.cc/1zd3LPs7/WMchicane.jpg
Ray,
That was a sad Le Mans and a few people would never get to ever go home again after that event.
It seems Thierry Boutsen was extremely lucky to survive his WM accident.
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/14/s...mans-race.html
The WM Peugeot P81 was a good looking car.
Attachment 64065
Again thanks for sharing. All those trees along the straight must have been rather daunting before the barriers were installed !
I had just arrived in the US in 1972 and the papers were reporting the death of Jo Bonnier amongst those trees during the 1972
Le Mans event.
( Ken H) P.S. Looking at your photo and the programme is it Peugeot Esso or Esso Peugeot ?
Bringing this thread full circle as it started with Ken H posting about the races of Ahuriri Napier.
Ken had posted the programme cover and some photos from the " Hawkes Bay Photo News ".
from a different source I got the article as published - 5 pages as had the Ross Jensen Graham Pierce AH 100 S featured, in the photos,two other AH 100's in the entry lists, too..
AH 100 [Four] and an AH 100 Six..
Entry Lists for the Ahuriri meeting 22 November 1958 from Milan, as posted on the Austin Healey thread.
Thanks Ken H - for the link back - had seen the thread, a while ago, adding the Norm Agnew photos form 1961 !.
see the note about the Hyslop D Type - same thing happened at Levin - two drivers for the car in the different races.
Attachment 64757
Attachment 64758
I did not know that Australia had built a Cobra before Ford and Shelby.
The "Buchanan Cobra" as reviewed in a 1959 "Sportscar Graphic" magazine.
Attachment 65390
Attachment 65391
It may not have been a big success but it was still a good looking vehicle for that time.
Check this site.
https://bringatrailer.com/2016/09/13...uchanan-cobra/
(Ken H)
Ken H, My man - interesting about that Cobra - and on American SCG too - Is that the same Issue as "The - Healey 3000 Test " - need to clean my glasses, I think ..
One minute later - Yes it is
Cheers
Roger
That's really interesting Ken, I did not know about the Aussie Cobra either, what a great ferret job you did there!
Cheers
Thanks Paul.
It is fun for me to do this knowing I have Team TRS on my side.
Attachment 65399
Steve Holmes, KH and Paul B at Taupo, Jan. 19th. 2020.
(From a Mike (kiwi285) photo.)
(Ken H)
Jellywrestler -
Re " " were there bikes included in that event Roger please? "
Events at Ahuriri Napier ' Entry Lists for the Ahuriri meeting 22 November 1958 from Milan, '.
I am unsure, Milan may know !! - Norm Agnew had photos only, however, will check around.
Others may know - some of the details came from " Hawkes Bay Photo News " A paper that Ken H found.
The HB Photos News is available online, as are other regional Photo News from that time 1950's - 1970's
Here a link to the HB Photo News for January 1959 which covered the racing - no evidence of Motor Cycles.
" https://knowledgebank.org.nz/text/ha...-january-1959/ "
Jellywrestler
I have programmes for four meetings at Ahuriri and there are no motorcycle races at any of those events.
Sigh !
" Those were the days my friends I thought would never end. "
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg399uWhl6A
One way and a fun way to spend a locked down Sunday.
Ken H
" One way and a fun way to spend a locked down Sunday. "
Same in NZ Ken H, believe that California is one State taking this very seriously, unlike the East Coast, New York, and the White House.
NZ had its first loss yesterday, a 70 year old with other respiratory Health issues - in Greymouth.
Matamata, near your home place has a cluster of 8 cases.
Meanwhile have found an Austin Healey video form National Geographic - will try to upload the the Austin Healey thread.
Keep on posting and keep safe.
Cheers from NZ.
Roger
May this new year be a complete improvement over the last one.
Here is a "Blast from the Past" from the mid sixties showing all aspects of US motoring and motorsports from slot-cars to Bonneville. (Plus Sean Connery )
Enjoy and stay safe and well everyone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vUmHEeuIKM&t=2646s
(Ken H )
After seeing Craig Breedlove racing across the Bonneville Salt Flats to an almost disastrous ending, I wanted give an update on this very brave man who is still alive today and must still have the Bonneville blood in his system at 83 years young.
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...raig-breedlove
https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr...-in-rio-vista/
(Ken H)
I may be a bit late but I found this TVNZ site to have some wonderful footage from the past.
The in-car rally shots for instance are a real "blast" plus the other documentaries lead to hours of entertainment.
https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/sur...zed-sport-1974
Attachment 70114
(Ken H )
Hi Ken,
Great posts as usual, Hope you all are well
Cheers