Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. August 18-21, 2016

This car has a special meaning to me. I had arrived in London in Sept. 1972 and went to McLaren's at Colnbrook seeking any job and they kindly sent me down to Croydon to interview at Trojan Works. As I was having lunch there I looked out and a transporter was leaving with a blue Trojan McLaren M8FP loaded on. They informed me that was the last Can Am car to be built at Trojan which came as a shock to me because I was in awe of these cars. They said do not worry we would have plenty of work with the Formula 5000 cars.
I never knew what happened to that blue M8FP until the other day at Laguna Seca and there it was still looking great after almost 44 years. I thought of the Trojan workers as I looked at all the rivets that those craftsmen had put into this magnificent machine now ably driven by Rick Knoop. Chassis # 9-72. ( Which meant September 1972 the same month I met my wife in London. Fond memories indeed. Both the car and the good lady still look great !)
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Attachment 37330
( The heaps of grunt department. 8.3 litre McLaren Chevrolet engine ! )

(Ken Hyndman photos )

Rick was telling me that he has just celebrated 40 years driving McLarens' His father Fred had another McLaren before this one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by khyndart in CA

This car has a special meaning to me. I had arrived in London in Sept. 1972 and went to McLaren's at Colnbrook seeking any job and they kindly sent me down to Croydon to interview at Trojan Works. As I was having lunch there I looked out and a transporter was leaving with a blue Trojan McLaren M8FP loaded on. They informed me that was the last Can Am car to be built at Trojan which came as a shock to me because I was in awe of these cars. They said do not worry we would have plenty of work with the Formula 5000 cars.
I never knew what happened to that blue M8FP until the other day at Laguna Seca and there it was still looking great after almost 44 years. I thought of the Trojan workers as I looked at all the rivets that those craftsmen had put into this magnificent machine now ably driven by Rick Knoop. Chassis # 9-72. ( Which meant September 1972 the same month I met my wife in London. Fond memories indeed. Both the car and the good lady still look great !)



( The heaps of grunt department. 8.3 litre McLaren Chevrolet engine ! )

(Ken Hyndman photos )

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This is me and Ken at the Monterey Historics, Laguna Seca. It took a couple of tries meeting up as neither knew what the other looked like.
Bruce.

http://i66.tinypic.com/24bnh2x.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bruce302

This is me and Ken at the Monterey Historics, Laguna Seca. It took a couple of tries meeting up as neither knew what the other looked like.
Bruce.

http://i66.tinypic.com/24bnh2x.jpg

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Good stuff guys, great to get the pics too Ken ..

This is Mike Follmer with the Shadow can Am car his father drove, it is insanely quick and beautifully restored and prepared.
http://i65.tinypic.com/2gv526h.jpg

A Ferrari BB and 935 (?) Porsche and Mustang waiting on the pre grid, the sound was glorious.

http://i66.tinypic.com/350t54i.jpg

There are so many great looking cars that don't race but are part of the paddock scenery. like this neat little hot rod with a 409 (or could be a 348)

http://i65.tinypic.com/n2lb1y.jpg

This is the 303 ci Pontiac Tempest built by Herb Adams and his team of Pontiac engineers for the T/A series and has a bunch of trick parts on it. It punched well above it's weight when it ran in the day.

http://i68.tinypic.com/wcbn7q.jpg

This is Chad Raynal's beautifully prepared '69 Trans Am Camaro. Every inch of this car is impeccable, including the underside.

http://i64.tinypic.com/2en86tg.jpg

Hall Scott,

http://i64.tinypic.com/zjz8yu.jpg

Bentley,

http://i67.tinypic.com/10fywsl.jpg

The stunningly beautiful Porsche 917-30.

http://i67.tinypic.com/dctwfn.jpg

and the 917-30 engine,

http://i67.tinypic.com/282kqu.jpg

Alloy bodied Triumph sports car

http://i64.tinypic.com/2mqssnp.jpg

McLaren of course

http://i66.tinypic.com/5yye6t.jpg

This cute little Nash Rambler

http://i64.tinypic.com/a08oj5.jpg

and it's hood ornament

http://i68.tinypic.com/t6clzr.jpg

Fantastic photos Bruce.

Cheers
BruceD

My friend, John Adams took some photos at the well known Corkscrew Corner at Laguna Seca and he sent them to me to share on TRS.
Thanks John.
Attachment 37344
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(Ken Hyndman photo editor of J.Adams photos )
More to follow soon if requested.

(Ken Hyndman photo editor of J.Adams photos )
More to follow soon if requested.

This is the new Ford GT, in tribute to the McLaren Amon Le Mans winning car, which incidentally as at Laguna Seca but I didn't get a photo of it. (next time) The guy was just revving it but it didn't sound that great to my old ears.

http://i63.tinypic.com/s414j4.jpg

This is Mike Eddy's Falcon, it's always worth seeing again. Mike looks after Vic Edelbrock's cars and is very talented.
Of course this and all Edelbrock's cars are immaculate. It is a 289 and goes extremely well.

http://i63.tinypic.com/9s84dt.jpg

These are some of the cars prepared and supported by Chad Raynal's crew, The Penske Javelin, the Porsche RSR, the Sam Posey Dodge Challenger, his own '69 Camaro, the '82 Duracell Camaro, the Shelby team Cobra (out of shot) a street '69 Z/28 (display only) and a stretched (10" extra) Mini Moke as a pit car (behind the maroon street Camaro)

http://i64.tinypic.com/27xjvrb.jpg

OK Roger, this set is for you.
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Ken H and J .Adams photos

When I was in my youth (a long time ago ) I had a poster on my bedroom ceiling of John Surtees coming up the hill to Druids at Brands Hatch in 1965 in a Lola T70. I have to admit I thought it was a better looking sports car at the time compared to what Bruce McLaren was driving. Anyway at Laguna Seca the Lola T70 still looks wonderful coming through the Corkscrew Corner.
I am not sure who the driver of car # 47 is as it was not in the official programme.
Attachment 37357

Byron DeFoor in # 8 Lola 1965 T70 coming through the corner.
Attachment 37358

And departing.
Attachment 37359



Ken Hyndman & J.Adams photos

Ken H, thanks ..

The featured marque at Laguna Seca this year was BMW as it is 100 years since the company started aero plane engines in 1916 before branching out into bikes and cars.
One of the cars brought from the Munich Museum to Laguna Seca for the occasion was a BMW 328 Roadster that had competed in the 1940 Mille Miglia and finished 6th.
As one gentleman there said they must have thought that World War Two would soon be over and the racing would go on. Instead it was the other way round !
This BMW 328 was looking just as it did back then and to me had beautiful styling and I was impressed with the seats with grab handles in the days before seat belts !
These are my photos of BMW 328 Roadster # 71.
Attachment 37366
Competing in the 1940 Italian Mille Miglia. (BMW Archives)
Attachment 37367
My opinion of a beautiful design.
Attachment 37368
From any angle.
Attachment 37369
Check out the seat design before seat belts !

(Ken Hyndman photos )

I had not done my homework on this car as I noted that the Frank Matich 1967 SR3 was entered in the Can Am races at Laguna so I went around looking for a car that looked like this.
Attachment 37374
So it came as a surprise to find the car now looks like this. At least the number is the same !
Attachment 37373
(Hyndman smudge shot)
Attachment 37372

There must be quite a story to this restoration.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by khyndart in CA

The featured marque at Laguna Seca this year was BMW as it is 100 years since the company started aero plane engines in 1916 before branching out into bikes and cars.
One of the cars brought from the Munich Museum to Laguna Seca for the occasion was a BMW 328 Roadster that had competed in the 1940 Mille Miglia and finished 6th.
As one gentleman there said they must have thought that World War Two would soon be over and the racing would go on. Instead it was the other way round !
This BMW 328 was looking just as it did back then and to me had beautiful styling and I was impressed with the seats with grab handles in the days before seat belts !
These are my photos of BMW 328 Roadster # 71.
Attachment 37366
Competing in the 1940 Italian Mille Miglia. (BMW Archives)
Attachment 37367
My opinion of a beautiful design.
Attachment 37368
From any angle.
Attachment 37369
Check out the seat design before seat belts !

(Ken Hyndman photos )

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And SS officer and future Porsche team boss, Huschke von Hanstein won, The race was in April, while the phony war was still in full swing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by khyndart in CA

I had not done my homework on this car as I noted that the Frank Matich 1967 SR3 was entered in the Can Am races at Laguna so I went around looking for a car that looked like this.
Attachment 37374
So it came as a surprise to find the car now looks like this. At least the number is the same !
Attachment 37373
(Hyndman smudge shot)
Attachment 37372

There must be quite a story to this restoration.

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Does anyone know the owner/history of this car?

It looks butt ugly beside the Matich in the first photo. And I would hardly call it a "restoration".

There were only a few built so I am very intrigued what this one is.

Could it be the McCombie Chokito car, or the one sold to American Webster and driven by Tony Settember?

Terry,
The programme stated it was Matich SR3 chassis 3/3 if that is of help.
I was too kind in not using the "butt ugly" wording and I should have used the word of transformation instead of restoration !
Ken H

Terry,
I found this article on Stuart Kostera which may explain it. It certainly looks similar to the Elfin MS 7 sports car.
" Stuart found the big V8 sports very much to his taste and, after a year’s absence, reappeared with the ex-Don O’Sullivan Matich SR3. He steadily developed this car over the next three years, with his eyes on the Sports Car Championship. He was second in 1972, third in 1973, second again in 1974, and finally won outright in 1975, by which time the Matich bore little resemblance to its original form. It sported an ugly but very effective body which had enormous down force."

Attachment 37376

The era of the big sports cars: TOP LEFT, the Matich SR3; TOP RIGHT, the mighty Elfin MS-7 5-litre. BOTTOM ROW; racing the Elfin MS7 in Victoria. (Stuart Kostera Collection)


(Ken H.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by khyndart in CA

Terry,
The programme stated it was Matich SR3 chassis 3/3 if that is of help.
I was too kind in not using the "butt ugly" wording and I should have used the word of transformation instead of restoration !
Ken H

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Thanks Ken. Where did you take the first photo of the SR3 in correct guise?

How does that bastardised version get to run in historical racing? Should it not be run in original format?

Terry,
At this site you can see that the car is much as it is today.
http://autopics.com.au/75412-s-koste...-peter-d-abbs/
It became a Matich SR3A about 1972 (Is the A mean altered ? )
Not sure who did the alterations and if Frank Matich was involved or consulted etc.
The "terrywalkersplace.com" site on Stuart Kostera has good information.
Perhaps because it was in the 1968-1974 Can Am class at Laguna Seca and it was altered / transformed in 1972 it was able to enter the Historic race.
They are particular there and even had Roger Williams repaint his McLaren M8E to the colours as it raced in the seventies.
BTW. The photo I used as an early example was from youtube.com.
I hope I did not make this too confusing.
Cheers,
Ken H

An interesting discussion re the Matich. A similar discussion appeared following Monterey on the Can-Am Facebook page.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by khyndart in CA

Terry,
At this site you can see that the car is much as it is today.
http://autopics.com.au/75412-s-koste...-peter-d-abbs/
It became a Matich SR3A about 1972 (Is the A mean altered ? )
Not sure who did the alterations and if Frank Matich was involved or consulted etc.
The "terrywalkersplace.com" site on Stuart Kostera has good information.
Perhaps because it was in the 1968-1974 Can Am class at Laguna Seca and it was altered / transformed in 1972 it was able to enter the Historic race.
They are particular there and even had Roger Williams repaint his McLaren M8E to the colours as it raced in the seventies.
BTW. The photo I used as an early example was from youtube.com.
I hope I did not make this too confusing.
Cheers,
Ken H

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Thanks Ken, greatly appreciated.

I still think the original guise was much better

Terry,
It was a great homework exercise and I agree with you totally about the original guise.


Ken

After two weeks of inputs it is about time for me to sign off with some BMW photos including an 1980 M1, 1978 BMW 320 Turbo and one of my favorites after watching them race in Europe in 1972 -73, a fine example of a 1972 BMW CSL # 42 driven by Mark Colbert.Attachment 37411
K Hyndman photo
Attachment 37412
K Hyndman photo.
Attachment 37413
J. Adams photo


K. Hyndman

Thanks for the photos and uploading, they are fantastic, You efforts are much appreciated.

Regards,
Bruce.
Hopefully I will see you again next year.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by khyndart in CA

Terry,
I found this article on Stuart Kostera which may explain it. It certainly looks similar to the Elfin MS 7 sports car.
" Stuart found the big V8 sports very much to his taste and, after a year’s absence, reappeared with the ex-Don O’Sullivan Matich SR3. He steadily developed this car over the next three years, with his eyes on the Sports Car Championship. He was second in 1972, third in 1973, second again in 1974, and finally won outright in 1975, by which time the Matich bore little resemblance to its original form. It sported an ugly but very effective body which had enormous down force."

Attachment 37376

The era of the big sports cars: TOP LEFT, the Matich SR3; TOP RIGHT, the mighty Elfin MS-7 5-litre. BOTTOM ROW; racing the Elfin MS7 in Victoria. (Stuart Kostera Collection)


(Ken H.)

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Ken, my last post on the Matich subject.

Thanks for putting me on to the "terrywalkersplace.com" site. I wasn't aware of it, and it has some fascinating info.

I love the bit you have quoted above it has "an ugly but effective body". This is one of my concerns about historic racing. Should these cars be in original but pretty bodies, or should they be transformed to "ugly but effective"

I think it goes to question of what historic motorsport is about. Is it to show the cars as they were and are remembered, or should they be transformed to win races.

For interest the Elfin MS 7 shown above is owned by Bob Tweedie in Sydney. He has been trying to sell it for possibly over 5 years. The price has been reduced to AUD 285,000, which seems good value.

Refer the attached
http://www.ibcholdings.com.au/cars/elfin/index.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bruce302

Thanks for the photos and uploading, they are fantastic, You efforts are much appreciated.

Regards,
Bruce.
Hopefully I will see you again next year.

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That goes for me too Ken, I've really been enjoying your photo uploads and recollections. Short of actually being there myself, this was the next best thing.

What other events are you attending this year? :o

Bruce & Steve,
Thanks for the comments and support which I truly appreciate.
Steve, the next event that I am ALLOWED to attend will be our daughter's wedding in November and I don't think this forum will be very interested in that !

I am sorry to disappoint you but a friend just contacted me this morning and said he had some photos of the Rolex Reunion and I might be entering those. (Just when you thought you had got rid of me.)

( Ken H )

Quoting from above

I love the bit you have quoted above it has "an ugly but effective body". This is one of my concerns about historic racing. Should these cars be in original but pretty bodies, or should they be transformed to "ugly but effective"

I think it goes to question of what historic motorsport is about. Is it to show the cars as they were and are remembered, or should they be transformed to win races.

I suspect that everyone has a view on what is historic, my view is that almost every car changed from meeting to meeting, and more substantially from season to season. The "custodian/restorer" then has to pick a moment in time to use for their restoration. If the car ran in period with the "effective but ugly" body then what is "wrong" with that? After all look at the Can Am McLarens, they don't all look like the M1. Some of the later cars when they were campaigned in the day used an earlier tub, eg M6 with M8 bodywork, is that wrong if you restored one of them?

Ken please keep posting!!

Rhys, no end in site.
One of my all time favorites after watching Steve McQueen in "Le Mans." In fact I think this car was shown in the movie.
Bruce Canepa driving the 1969 Porsche 917K # 2.
Attachment 37457

Attachment 37458
John Adams photos

Ken- I was looking at Convertible Racing at Daytona Beach 1963 on youtube, have you ever been there?
Do they ever have any revivals/ nostalgic meetings of these beach races?

No Roger, I have not been to Florida. I think NZ had beach racing long before Daytona at Muriwai, 90 Mile and Invercargill etc.