Blast from the Past

[Roger Dowding]

Poster - copy courtesy Mike Ryan in the USA - this is the event that James Dean was going to in his Porsche 550 that had replaced his 356 - October 1955.
By accounts I have read the car was supposed to have been trailered [ behind 1 1955 Ford Ranchwagon [ Station Wagon ] but in the end Dean and his mate drove the Porsche when that fatal accident occurred.
Dean called his car " The Little Bastard " and has that sign written on it.

[Milan Fistonic]

Poster - copy courtesy Mike Ryan in the USA - this is the event that James Dean was going to in his Porsche 550 that had replaced his 356 - October 1955.
By accounts I have read the car was supposed to have been trailered [ behind 1 1955 Ford Ranchwagon [ Station Wagon ] but in the end Dean and his mate drove the Porsche when that fatal accident occurred.
Dean called his car " The Little Bastard " and has that sign written on it.

Dean and his German mechanic, Rolf Weutherich, decided to drive the new Porsche to Salinas to get more mileage on the engine and to give Dean more experience of the car's handling.

"Little Bastard" was the nickname given to Dean by his friend Bill Hickman. Hickman, quite a bit taller than Dean, was known as "Big Bastard"

[Roger Dowding]

Dean and his German mechanic, Rolf Weutherich, decided to drive the new Porsche to Salinas to get more mileage on the engine and to give Dean more experience of the car's handling.

"Little Bastard" was the nickname given to Dean by his friend Bill Hickman. Hickman, quite a bit taller than Dean, was known as "Big Bastard"

Thanks Milan , I read a book on James Dean with a few photo's of the crash and the car driven by Donald " Turnupseed / Turnipseed ".
Had forgotten the name of his mechanic.. Rolf ..

[khyndart in CA]

I see my Happy Miss America story was quickly moved into the background. ( Thanks Roger..I will get over it !)

Anyway here is a brief clip in May 1955 of James Dean racing at Santa Barbara Airport, which is very close to where I work at Moss Motors.






(Ken H.. )

[Roger Dowding]

" I see my Happy Miss America story was quickly moved into the background. ( Thanks Roger..I will get over it !) "

Sorry to have hijacked your thread Ken ... " The Trev's made me do it " Fred Dagg said..
I will give some ladies back .. and a Healey too !!

[khyndart in CA]

Being an apprentice mechanic in 1965 in NZ was not a way to get rich financially but the experience and knowledge gained was priceless.


I wanted to be a race car designer one day.
Hey this sketch still looks pretty good even after 50 years !



(Ken H)

[Oldfart]

Even the first period is a bit more than I got at Hauraki Catchment Board as a "Cadet Engineer" Ken!

[khyndart in CA]

Sometimes you come across something that reminds one of something from the past such as this article regarding this dreadful race at Silverstone in 1973 and I did not know until now that poor Gavin Booth suffered fatal injuries in his Mini but when you see all the photos it is amazing that it was not worse. I can remember seeing the smoke from this accident in the distance from Becketts Corner.
It all looked so exciting in the beginning.

(Hyndman photo )
Dave Brodie is behind the Frank Gardner Camaro alongside Andy Roush in their Escorts.
Dave Mathews can be seen between them in his Broadspeed Capri in 7th position after a slow start.








Today I found this article that was published in June 2017.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebri...eated-10523107


(Ken H )

[khyndart in CA]

Dave Mathews may have been saved by the fact that his Capri was LHD and as can be seen the right side of the car was completely crushed and demolished compared to the left side.
(Note the engine position !)


Sadly Gavin Booth was unable to avoid the high speed collision with the Brodie Escort in his under 1 liter Mini.

[khyndart in CA]

I wrote this over 4 years ago and as I looked up some 1967 Can Am information tonight I was reminded again of what a wonderful era it was around Morrinsville in the 1960s. An amazing group from that area in the Waikato.
" I had the wonderful experience of growing up in the Morrinsville area at Kiwitahi at a time when so many had connections to motor racing.e.g. Spencer (Spinner ) Black went to Kiwitahi school with my sister, Bryan Innes's family brought property from my grandfather, Dennis Marwood married the sister of a neighboring farmer, a relative owned the Motordrome Service Station in Te Rapa, Terry Marshall was at Morrinsville College when I was there as was Malcom Gill as a teacher, John Paton (Paton & Black ) engines was a friend, Ross Greenville had a really sweet niece, plus Terry Scott, Ross Douglas, etc. etc. ( We were like a big family )".
What reminded me was seeing this Sept. 1967 "Road America" Can-Am entry list and at entry # 79 was Ross Greenville from Morrinsville, New Zealand in his Lola T 70.

(This was a pretty impressive field. )





(Ken H)

[Kevin Hirst]

I wrote this over 4 years ago and as I looked up some 1967 Can Am information tonight I was reminded again of what a wonderful era it was around Morrinsville in the 1960s. An amazing group from that area in the Waikato.
" I had the wonderful experience of growing up in the Morrinsville area at Kiwitahi at a time when so many had connections to motor racing.e.g. Spencer (Spinner ) Black went to Kiwitahi school with my sister, Bryan Innes's family brought property from my grandfather, Dennis Marwood married the sister of a neighboring farmer, a relative owned the Motordrome Service Station in Te Rapa, Terry Marshall was at Morrinsville College when I was there as was Malcom Gill as a teacher, John Paton (Paton & Black ) engines was a friend, Ross Greenville had a really sweet niece, plus Terry Scott, Ross Douglas, etc. etc. ( We were like a big family )".
What reminded me was seeing this Sept. 1967 "Road America" Can-Am entry list and at entry # 79 was Ross Greenville from Morrinsville, New Zealand in his Lola T 70.

(This was a pretty impressive field. )

[ATTACH=CONFIG]59085[/ATTAC



(Ken H)

Hi Ken, is that the same Ross douglass whose father was the station master at walton, if so went to school with him, just wondering, all the best for christmass,

[khyndart in CA]

Kevin,
Ross Douglas lived just out of Morrinsville on the way to Hamilton not far from where Terry Scott lived.
Did you know "Buster" Mortenson who had the store and post office in Walton or Roy Clothier who had Walton Transport and would tell great stories down at the quarry during "smoko".
May you also have a wonderful Christmas.

[khyndart in CA]

Another from the past.
This was an advertisement in the January 1958 NZGP programme.
The Mistral with a Ford 10 engine.

Driven to and from each meeting.
We had a friend, Kelvin Cameron, who had one of these and he definitely drove his on the roads around Kiwitahi !

(Ken H )

[Oldfart]

Can any of the Waikato group remember who the guy in Hamilton who drove the Mistral owned by Logan Fow was? Surname of Sharp rings a bell. Raglan Grasstrack, Head Rd hillclimb etc. Would have been 68, 69 perhaps 1970.

[Grant Ellwood]

Another from the past.
This was an advertisement in the January 1958 NZGP programme.
The Mistral with a Ford 10 engine.

Driven to and from each meeting.
We had a friend, Kelvin Cameron, who had one of these and he definitely drove his on the roads around Kiwitahi !

(Ken H )

When I was about 16 I acquired a Ford 10 powered Mistral from a guy with the surname Simcock, lived near Oahu and worked for the Ford dealer in Levin. Can't recall what happened to that car, hope it's still around today. I recall the steering wheel falling off while I was driving in traffic between Foxton and Levin.

[Ray Bell]

Gardner's Camaro would have had the special gearbox in that race...

This was a fabricated steel housing, rough-blasted to look like a casting with aluminium paint to change its appearance totally. The gear centres were wider than standard and Peter Holinger made the gears for it. It served well in Jane's Camaro for a couple of years and then Gardner took it to England.

[khyndart in CA]

Ray,
Here are two photos I found of the Gardner Camaro # 46 at Silverstone. July 1973.





(Ken )

[Trevor Sheffield]

When I was about 16 I acquired a Ford 10 powered Mistral from a guy with the surname Simcock, lived near Oahu and worked for the Ford dealer in Levin. Can't recall what happened to that car, hope it's still around today. I recall the steering wheel falling off while I was driving in traffic between Foxton and Levin.

This looks like an interesting concept, but lacks some heavy cross tubes between the main chassis tubes and a diagonal across the rear section in order to prevent twisting of the open cockpit design. Does anyone have details concerning the suspension which was utilised ? Probably utilised a production stock sets up.

[khyndart in CA]

A slightly larger blast about to happen about 20 miles away fro Los Olivos. CA.
https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/delta-iv-nrol-71


Postponed Once again !


(Ken H )

[Roger Dowding]

Heard a rumour that a certain boy from Kiwitahi is returning to a place nearby called Taupo for this ...

" https://www.brucemclarenmotorsportpa...toric-gp-2019/ "

Cannot make it myself but I hope all those who go - have a GREAT TIME ..Cheers all ..

Travel safely all of you and as it is close to Christmas.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

Take care on the roads and remember - the Boys in Blue will be watching you !!.



So don't drive like this ...





PS Ken , sorry to " hijack " the thread