Eldred Norman - Eclipse Zephyr

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A few years ago at the Australian Grand Prix there was an amazing little car called the Eclipse Zephyr built by a fellow called Eldred Norman. For those who know nothing about the man or his 'specials ', here are some links.


ausauto News Article

Zephyr Special a breath of fresh air for lateral thinkers

After WW2 motor sport enthusiasts looked to Europe where the latest Alfa Romeo, Cooper or Alta could be had for little more than a few shekels. Most were not so fortunate and today we look back at the '50s and '60s as the glorious period of motor sport when many Australian specials were built in backyard sheds or garages. Most were conventional with road-car derived chassis, front mounted engine, 4-speed box and rear end. There were however a few enthusiasts like South Australian Eldred Norman who built highly innovative cars such as the Zephyr Special. Today we would view Eldred as a lateral thinker but during the '50s he was more an eccentric larrikin. His first competition car was a war surplus special with Dodge weapon carrier chassis and ex-aircraft bodywork. Power came from two line astern Ford side-valve V8s with twin-row sprockets in place of the flywheel of the front engine and mounted to the rear engine's crankshaft, coupled by a four-row chain. Being road registered, Eldred was frequently seen driving the Adelaide hills with number plates tied with string around his neck. After unsuccessful attempts at the Australian Grand Prix of 1950 and 1951 he bought a Maserati 6C which started a lifelong contempt for small capacity engines with multiple camshafts. Next came a Triumph TR2 that he drove, towing a trailer with two 44-gallon drums of methanol, to Southport Queensland where he came fourth in the 1954 AGP. For the following year's AGP he built his own car but found himself up against some tough competition in the likes of Reg Hunt's Maserati A6GCM and Doug Whiteford's Lago Talbot. Jack Brabham won the race in a rear-engined Cooper Bobtail but Eldred finished a credible eighth in a vehicle so unconventional that it became known as that "diabolical device". Eldred soon lost interest in racing and sold 'the device' to Keith Rilstone, who developed it further. Norman moved on to designing telescopes and sadly died in 1971. What's so Special? When it came to using a component for dual purposes Lotus's Colin Chapman was the acknowledged expert and credited with perfecting using an engine as part of the chassis. But Chapman wasn't first. Eldred Norman did just that with the Zephyr Special. With its body attached, the Zephyr Special doesn't look special at all, apart from the skywards pointing exhaust pipes. But with the top of the two-part body removed the ingenuity of Eldred's design becomes clear. The Zephyr engine is cantered 45 to the right with modified FJ Holden front suspension bolted to its timing cover. Don't look for a chassis because there isn't one, just a 6" torque tube bolted directly to the engine extending back to the clutch and gearbox. The body, fuel tank and seat are bolted to brackets welded to the tube and the 3-speed ZF transaxle is from a Tempo Matador truck with directly attached fabricated rear suspension. Is it quick? Yes, you could say that. The gear ratios have changed over time but with the engine turning out 280 to 300bhp the Zephyr Special is good for 90mph in first, 130mph in second and on a long straight just under 160mph in top. A short wheelbase makes it slightly twitchy and you have to keep your wits about you on sweeping curves or the front will want to swap places with the rear. The Standard Vanguard drum brakes are at best interesting. The Zephyr Special is now owned by Graeme and Robyn Snape of NSW, both stalwarts of historic racing.




More on the Eldred Norman Zephyr Special and on Eldred Norman
This is the car in 1955 and the photograph was taken at Port Wakefield. It was then called the Eclipse Zephyr. Eclipse came from the Adelaide Ford dealer, Eclipse Motors. Eldred had an engineering workshop and was a motor dealer from 1938. The previous name for the car was a bit of a mouthfull - the Norholfordor - because it was built from Holden, Ford and Tempo Matador parts. Before you ask, a Tempo Matador was a VW powered truck.This second photo is of Keith Rilstone competing at Caversham in WA in 1961.
Finally here is the car in its present form, a famous Australian special.
A little about Eldred De Bracton Norman. Rejected for military service in WW2 because of asthma, he began to make garden tools and to manufacture charcoal-burning gas producers to power vehicles. In 1946 he started buying ex-army vehicles left behind by the Americans, selling them in Adelaide. While in New Guinea gathering up these vehicles, he started building the 'Double Bunger' racing car, powered by 2 Ford V8 engines. Between 1948 and 1951 he drove the car successfully in hillclimbs and races in 3 states. While leading in the 1951 Australian Grand Prix, the car broke down. He then bought a 1936 Maserati type 6CM, for which he made a new engine. Stories abound of how he outpaced police as he tested cars on the road from his workshop to his Hope Valley home. In 1954 he drove a Triumph sports car to Queensland towing a trailer of racing fuel. Winning a support race on the morning of the Australian Grand Prix in the Triumph gained him an entry into the AGP itself, in which he came fourth. During construction of the SCC's hillclimb at Collingrove, he used a sub-machine-gun to blast holes for explosive charges. For the 1955 AGP he assembled a new car in 10 weeks. The Zephyr Special used propriatary parts and used the engine as a stressed chassis-member. In 1956 he abandoned racing to concentrate on inventing. Among his prototypes was a car towbar and a photographic device to capture burglars. He is most famous for designing and manufacturing a supercharger which dramatically improved the performance of Holden engines. Driving an old utility, he took potential customers on public roads and gave them terrifying demonstrations of its power. In 1969 he published his book 'Supercharge!' He died in 1971 in Noosa. His wife was Nancy Cato, the journalist, art critic, poet and novelist. Her most famous book was "All The Rivers Run" which was adapted to a television mini-series starring Sigrid Thornton. Much of this information was gleaned from an obituary written by the late John Blanden.