Photos: The Peter Mellor Collection - Part 2

[Ellis]

What better than if Ellis can get Geoff Smedley to share his wisdom on the Matich Lotus. I have a mention of it being the July 1965 Lakeside meeting where it was damaged/wrecked.

Stephen[/QUOTE]

I have received an email from Geoff. I will give bits from it as I didnt ask his permission to post it all......

The coloured pic is the cars first outing as a 19B after the 19 was rebuilt from the practise crash at Warwick Farm in early 64 ...referred to by Dale
The 19B was damaged then written off after Lakeside in 65. It wasnt owned by Total but leased from Laurie O'Neill...Geoff was responsible for it for a little over a year.
It was decided to build a new replacement car and Garrie Cooper was chosen as builder. Geoff took the wreck to Adeaide and worked on the project with Garrie for several months. This new car was known as the Traco Oldsmobile or first of the 400's.
Total pulled out of racing around this time and Geoff left Total/Matich.
The Traco was later sold to Niel Allen.
Matich had Bob Britten begin the Matich SR3 but there was a fallout and Geoff doent know who finnished it off.

The remains of the 19/19B were left at Elfin and all the mechanical bits went to Botany.
Howard and Sons took over the workshop (Total ?) and Geoff went to look after Howards 3 Lotus, Super 7, 23 and 27.

Months later Geoff was asked by Total to go to Botany and sort out the array of stuff left from the Matich era. Engines, gearboxes. wheels/ tyres were all auctioned off.

Matich then did a deal with Repco to build the SR4 but Repco fell apart about the same time and someone from USA financed the SR4

Thanks to Geoff Smedley for that insight...
I guess I will have to take a Bacardi or 3 down to see him