Lost Race Cars

[Steve Holmes]

So how about we start a thread on race cars that appear to have vanished from trace. See if we can't track a few of them down.

Here is one I've been trying to learn the fate of for some time, with no luck. I first found out about this car when writing an article for Australian Muscle Car mag a couple of years ago. The reason it grabbed my attention was because it was built in the Wairarapa, in New Zealand, where I moved with my partner Helen a few years ago. While researching various magazines gathering info for the article, I stumbled upon details of this car.

It was built around 1971 by Wayne Fuller, and fitted with an FVA motor reportedly from Paul Faheys Escort. Fuller raced the car in OSCA during the 1971/72 season, and was often the fastest car in the field. At the end of the season Fuller set his sites a little higher, and took the car to Graham Berry (of Berry & Chung hot rodding fame) to have a heap of fabrication work done on the firewall and transmission tunnel, so he could fit a 350ci small block Chevy, with twin off-set Holleys.

This was quite an ambitious project at the time, and appeared to have quite a bit of potential. The newly rebuilt Escort finally debuted at Bay Park in late 1973, driven by 24 year old Roger Brader, another Wairarapa hot shoe. It was very quick in a straight line, as fast as the front running machines of Allan Moffat, Jim Richards, Leo Leonard (in Mustangs), Red Dawson (Camaro), Rod Coppins (Firebird), and Paul Fahey (Capri), but required some development work on suspension and brakes.

Brader and Fuller raced the car at several events throughout the 1973/74 season, but at seasons end Fuller decided to sell it and go boat racing instead. The Escort was sold engineless to Warren Steel in the Hawkes Bay. Steel had planned to fit a smaller Chevy motor to compete in the 4.2 Saloon Car Championship, but failed his eyesight test, and had to sell the car.

It was purchased by John Scott in Auckland, who owned a transport company. This would have been late 1974, or early 1975. From there, the trail goes dead. I'm not sure if the John Scott who purchased the Escort was the same John Scott who raced speedway in the '70s and '80s, but that John Scott did happen to own a transport company, also in Auckland, so perhaps it was the same person. Either way, I've not been able to track him down.

Would love to know what happened to this car, and if it survived. Obviously Escorts were pretty popular during the '70s, and it could have ended up anywhere. Was it converted for ShellSport? Was it scrapped? Was it pushed into someones shed and forgotten about?

Anyway, here is a pic of the car at Levin when it was still fitted with the FVA. It changed little when the Chevy was shoe-horned in, except the wheels became slightly wider. It was silver with a green stripe down each flank, then later had a red or orange stripe.

[Steve Holmes]

Here is a photo taken by Terry Marshall at Wigram 1974, showing Brader in the Escort (left of shot) now fitted with the Chevy, and chasing Trevor Crowe (Chevy Corolla), Glenn McIntyre, Fiat, Bruce Jenner (Camaro), and Don Halliday (Escort).

[Steve Holmes]

And while on the subject of Anglo-American racing saloons, what happened to Ralph Mossman's V8 Viva he raced in NZ during the '80s? And does anyone have a photo of this car?

[Steve Holmes]

Ok, I'm on a roll here, so I'll keep going. In the early 1970s, when Jim Richards still lived in New Zealand and was taking just about any drive offered to him, he did quite a bit of speedway and rallying. Those helping his career along were Jim Carney and Jerry Clayton. Clayton would later supply the 302 Boss Mustang he and Murray Bunn would build into the Sidchrome Mustang, but prior to that, had a speedway saloon built from an HQ Holden Monaro, which, at the time, would have been a near new car. From what I can tell, the Monaro sported a couple of different paint schemes, including one for Sidchrome Tools, as pictured.



Richards raced the Monaro out of Waikaraka Park, though I don't know how much travelling he would have done with the car to other tracks.

It would eventually be sold to Palmerston North racer Bill Dorn, who did just about everything in speedway, including Stockcars and Modifieds. All Dorns race cars were painted up like large American flags, and the Monaro was the same. He raced the car during the 70s, when it was sold to another Palmy racer. It was eventually retired, but I'm quite certain, later re-appeared as a Streetstock, painted black, when Streetstock racing was introduced to Palmerston North speedway in the late '80s/early '90s.



Most Streetstocks end up getting crushed, as they're eventually no good for anything else. Was this the case with the old Jim Richards Sidchrome Monaro?

[Steve Holmes]

Here is another shot of the Fuller/Brader Escort, supplied to me some time back by "faminz". Its taken at Bay Park, during the 1971/72 season, chasing Dennis Marwood (Camaro), Brian Foley (Alfa), Rod Coppins (Camaro), and leading John Riley (Mustang), etc.

[pallmall]

The speedway Monaro was also driven by Steve Millen at Waikaraka Park. I doubt that JR ever raced it anywhere else but Waikaraka and Forest Lake.
And yes, apparently ended its days as a streetstock, but considering these car were built on the original floor pan and had some very hard racing it wouldn't have been much use for anything else.

Here is Mr Millen showing Ray Wright that there are two laps to go...............


And the Capri that Rod and Steve Millen both raced at Waikaraka Park with much success. Steve also drove Midgets at Western Springs.



Photos by Andre Ruiterman used with permission.

[Steve Holmes]

Roy Harrington raced this lovely little Holden Torana fitted with a V8 in the 4.2 class of the New Zealand Saloon Car Championship during the mid-1970s. This is the car pictured at Bay Park in late 1975.



By the 1977 season, Harrington had boxed the guards, and fitted fuel injection to a larger Chevy V8, as seen in this Mike Feisst photo.



Harrington eventually sold the car to Brian Friend who repainted it in HDT colours.



By the 1981 season, Friend had painted it yet again and fitted a wild rear wing, as seen in this Terry Marshall photo taken at Bay Park.



Friend would go on to purchase the Brent Bullivant built V8 Capri off Bob Cullinane around 1983, who'd purchased it off Graeme Baker. So what became of the Harrington Torana?

[Steve Holmes]

The speedway Monaro was also driven by Steve Millen at Waikaraka Park. I doubt that JR ever raced it anywhere else but Waikaraka and Forest Lake.
And yes, apparently ended its days as a streetstock, but considering these car were built on the original floor pan and had some very hard racing it wouldn't have been much use for anything else.

Here is Mr Millen showing Ray Wright that there are two laps to go...............


And the Capri that Rod and Steve Millen both raced at Waikaraka Park with much success. Steve also drove Midgets at Western Springs.



Photos by Andre Ruiterman used with permission.

Thanks pallmall. Do you know the name of the last person to race the Monaro in Streetstocks?

[Greg Stokes]

Roy Harrington raced this lovely little Holden Torana fitted with a V8 in the 4.2 class of the New Zealand Saloon Car Championship during the mid-1970s. This is the car pictured at Bay Park in late 1975.



By the 1977 season, Harrington had boxed the guards, and fitted fuel injection to a larger Chevy V8, as seen in this Mike Feisst photo.



Harrington eventually sold the car to Brian Friend who repainted it in HDT colours.



By the 1981 season, Friend had painted it yet again and fitted a wild rear wing, as seen in this Terry Marshall photo taken at Bay Park.



Friend would go on to purchase the Brent Bullivant built V8 Capri off Bob Cullinane around 1983, who'd purchased it off Graeme Baker. So what became of the Harrington Torana?

I know where all the body panels are for the Harrington Torana - hanging in a Auckland hot rodder's garage. They are in safe hands - he is a total motorsport enthusiast

[Steve Holmes]

Oh wow, that is cool! Do you know what became of the Torana Greg? Or does the owner of the body panels know of its fate?

[Greg Stokes]

i will see what I can find out

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Greg, that'll be great!

[bob homewood]

Fuller Escort ,
Steve
I have been looking to get some more positive information on this car for you in later times,now I am not sure if I am right here but I think this car was perhaps the Escort that Ian Knight ? raced in the later Sports Sedan Series around the time I was racing my Mk2 based Escort Sports Sedan,it ran with some Shakespeare Tavern sign writing on it .The Steve Millen connection also rings a bell with me,but I believe at that time it was going to run a 4.2 engine, ,I will keep you posted if I can turn up anymore

[bob homewood]

Ok here is one ,its not really lost ,as its gone to the scrappies,probably
The Dave Jolly Humber which became the Humber that Frank Radisich raced mid 60's I was involved in the very early stages with Dave when he started thinking about this project in fact the idea was hatched after the November Levin meeting the year before when the Auckland coupe guys went south for that first ? All comer meeting ,we looked at the power the Coupe guys had and figured putting a Corvette engine into a Humber 80 would perhaps be a better bet,moving the engine back etc to get better balance ,doubling up on the shock absorbers ,sounds a bit crude now but it was forward thinking for those times.They idea lingered around for some time until one day Dave came across one that had been fire damaged in Palmerston North ,now Dave's budget didn't stretch to a Chev V8 engine but the same wrecker had a early Customline Ford V8 enine for sale as well so that was what he ended up with.there was another Levin meeting coming up ,so with Dave having completed the purchase we decided to travel down to Levin via Palmerston North and drag it home by A frame behind my 39 Chev coupe ,we travelled down after work on the Thursday night arriving at day light on the Friday morning,slept in the car outside the wreckers until he opened up.They had already removed the Humber engine and gearbox ,we then spent all day Friday shovelling the burnt remains of the seats,mats etc out of it ,on top of that some one had shovelled what seemed like a truck load of soil into it in a attempt to put the fire out ,by the end of the day we were finished ,somehow we managed to manhandle the Ford motor into the now empty passenger compartment and tie it in.We made arrangements with the wrecker guy to meet us back there on the Saturday night after we had been to Levin ,picked it up and travelled back home to Auckland on the Saturday night ,my coupe was modified with triple carbs ,so was more than up to the job of towing it but gas consumption was from memory about 4 to 5 miles per gallon .The car languished around home for a while with out any real progress as Dave had run out of funds ,I went off in a different direction as I got involved with some else for the forth coming season ,Dave eventually scraped enough together to get it up and running but it never really showed any promise and Dave eventually sold it on to Frank Radisich

[Steve Holmes]

Fuller Escort ,
Steve
I have been looking to get some more positive information on this car for you in later times,now I am not sure if I am right here but I think this car was perhaps the Escort that Ian Knight ? raced in the later Sports Sedan Series around the time I was racing my Mk2 based Escort Sports Sedan,it ran with some Shakespeare Tavern sign writing on it .The Steve Millen connection also rings a bell with me,but I believe at that time it was going to run a 4.2 engine, ,I will keep you posted if I can turn up anymore

Thanks Bob, your memory is amazing! I'm wracking my brain trying to remember the car as Ian Knight raced it, but am having no luck. Do you know where I could find a photo of it as it later raced? Roger Brader said he thought Steve Millen was mixed in there somewhere, but couldn't recall for sure, but it can't be a coincidence that both of you link Millen with the car. Roger also said Trevor Crowe test drove it when they first stuffed the V8 into it, to try and sort some of the handling, as Crowe was racing his Chevy powered Corolla at the time.

[Steve Holmes]

Ok here is one ,its not really lost ,as its gone to the scrappies,probably
The Dave Jolly Humber which became the Humber that Frank Radisich raced mid 60's I was involved in the very early stages with Dave when he started thinking about this project in fact the idea was hatched after the November Levin meeting the year before when the Auckland coupe guys went south for that first ? All comer meeting ,we looked at the power the Coupe guys had and figured putting a Corvette engine into a Humber 80 would perhaps be a better bet,moving the engine back etc to get better balance ,doubling up on the shock absorbers ,sounds a bit crude now but it was forward thinking for those times.They idea lingered around for some time until one day Dave came across one that had been fire damaged in Palmerston North ,now Dave's budget didn't stretch to a Chev V8 engine but the same wrecker had a early Customline Ford V8 enine for sale as well so that was what he ended up with.there was another Levin meeting coming up ,so with Dave having completed the purchase we decided to travel down to Levin via Palmerston North and drag it home by A frame behind my 39 Chev coupe ,we travelled down after work on the Thursday night arriving at day light on the Friday morning,slept in the car outside the wreckers until he opened up.They had already removed the Humber engine and gearbox ,we then spent all day Friday shovelling the burnt remains of the seats,mats etc out of it ,on top of that some one had shovelled what seemed like a truck load of soil into it in a attempt to put the fire out ,by the end of the day we were finished ,somehow we managed to manhandle the Ford motor into the now empty passenger compartment and tie it in.We made arrangements with the wrecker guy to meet us back there on the Saturday night after we had been to Levin ,picked it up and travelled back home to Auckland on the Saturday night ,my coupe was modified with triple carbs ,so was more than up to the job of towing it but gas consumption was from memory about 4 to 5 miles per gallon .The car languished around home for a while with out any real progress as Dave had run out of funds ,I went off in a different direction as I got involved with some else for the forth coming season ,Dave eventually scraped enough together to get it up and running but it never really showed any promise and Dave eventually sold it on to Frank Radisich

Wow, that is an amazing story Bob. Was the V8 a flathead or a Y block? So did Radisich ever race the car with the V8 or did he just put the Jag motor straight in?

[bob homewood]

Y block sorry meant to mention that it was basically stock with headers ,thats all the budget stretched to,I think the V8 blew up ,when Frank brought that car I think he ran his Zephyr motor in it then put the Jag motor in it,David will know

[Greg Stokes]

Re the Harrington Torana - the Auckland hot rodder came across the car in someone's backyard where the body was found to be quite rotten so the all the good panels were pulled off the car with an intention to one day do a recreation of the car. The owner of the panels is a saloon car fan and has really enjoyed the info and pics on here.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Greg, its a real shame the body couldn't be saved. That was a tough race car. Be great if the owner could join up here and post a few pics.

[Greg Stokes]

Yeah thats what my friend said. It was kept outside for a long period of time and was very rotten. However, the panels are in very good shape. I may try and catch up with him and see what pics he has of big banger saloons etc that could be posted on here.