The Morrari recreation

[Roger Dowding]

These Ken Buckley photos are in Milan Fistonic's vast archives - he posted them on " Old New Zealand Motor Racing " Facebook page and Greg Stokes has seen them.
worth putting on here as go with a few others - second photos shows a bit of engine and suspension detail.
Early on as still on the Borrani Wires and show the splined hub.

Both at Pukekohe on what looks like a wet Race Day.





A couple of photos already posted show the car parked next to the Studebaker so the same event with Race #194, on the Wire Wheels, previous photo from Reeceracers archives

[kiwi285]

I have just revisited this thread after many moons and although I haven't had a chance to read all of the posts, I wonder if anyone has thought to contact Rod Tempero in Oamaru. If anyone knows what a Ferrari GP chassis looks like it would he Rod and his team. They have probably built a couple.

[GregT]

There is plenty of information on the web about early Ferrari chassis. Gilco who built most of the early chassis had a major anniversary a few years ago and put out a lot of info and drawings. The 555 is generic twin oval tube Gilco with an added tubular superstructure which differentiated the Super Squalo's.
I've certainly built replica motorcycle frames from less information than is available now for this.

[Roger Dowding]

There is plenty of information on the web about early Ferrari chassis. Gilco who built most of the early chassis had a major anniversary a few years ago and put out a lot of info and drawings. The 555 is generic twin oval tube Gilco with an added tubular superstructure which differentiated the Super Squalo's.
I've certainly built replica motorcycle frames from less information than is available now for this.

Greg T,

The Original Morrari has popped up on Facebook from an American Guy that I met in the USA in July 1982 - he had seen the photos on the HVRA page here in NZ and reposted. Spgeti Bruce Dyer mentioned Greg Stokes in the Post.

The photo that was recently posted - by Tom Colby,
[ Tom is an Austin Healey guy and involved with " Speedwell " in the USA - working on very modified AH Sprites and other British Sports Cars ]
The photo was part of a post by Spgeti on the HVRA Facebook page - photographer not stated.



The Morrari ran Race #177 at the April and May 1966 Pukekohe Meetings and Milan has posted Entry Lists - Interesting is the " Firestone " sticker is pasted over so presumably was a " Dunlop " Meeting.

The 23rd April 1966 Meeting was a Cars only Meeting and was the " infamous " Reverse Direction Meeting.
The 14th May 1966 Meeting was from memory a "Combined Car and Motorcycle " Meeting run by ACC NSCC and the Auto Cycle Union - correct me here please !!

I was at both meetings and had the programmes which I gave away in 2008 ..

[Roger Dowding]

The start of the thread a note from Greg [and Mark ] Stokes about the Morrari -Re-creation.
" I am posting this on behalf of my father Mark Stokes who is starting to build a recreation of the Morrari. The Garth Souness Morris Minor lo-lite on a Ferrari chassis with a 327 Corvette engine. "

A another photo for the collection ;

Same photo from John Larry Lawton - the original and his own cropped version.
Believed to be in 1965 - others may know more !!.
Morrari has the Borrani wires on it - so early in its life with the Morris / Corvette combination.

Nice VW Kombi Utility being used by the Marshall - too !!



Braking hard some smoke from the tyres..



Met Glen Jones in Newton [ Karangahape Road ] when working there 1968 - 1973. Glen was a mate of Frank " Sonny " Stephens /Stevens who ran the Service Station /Workshop off K Rd, in East Street.
There used to be interesting cars at the workshop as Glen, Frank and others were into Motor Racing in big American Cars, Chev Coupe's and others..

[Greg Stokes]

Happy New Year to everyone on here and also ALL the people who have been following and supportive of the Morrari recreation.

2023 will be the year in which the Morrari (Recreation) ROARS!

I have promised myself that I wont do anymore on my projects until we get at least two of Dads projects done. One being the recreation of the Morrari and the other being the restoration of an old Kiwi hot rod called Road Hog.

We totally appreciate the photos, the memories and the good wishes everyone has given over the years. Now we have to get it done before more of the audience who remember the car pass on.

Best regards,

Greg & Mark Stokes

[Oldfart]

That's great news Greg. Is there going to be a "build diary"?

[Greg Stokes]

At this stage we wont do a build diary as we go. We are working on it every day and night at the moment as we have put a deadline on the build.

Once its finished or near completion we will post pictures online here and on the GMS Hot Rods Facebook and Instagram pages.

Rest assured we are doing all we can within reason to recreate a very Ferrari like chassis and suspension and we are studying all the photos to get the details right with the rest of the car.

[Greg Stokes]

We have a majority of the Ferrari chassis all done and just finishing the rear suspension set up and steering

Its been fun so far but exhaustive research to get the details as close as feasible.

[Greg Stokes]

https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2023/pu...kland/pukekohe

[Greg Stokes]

We are six weeks away from having the Morrari recreation at the last motorsport event at Pukekohe at the end of March. If you looked at the car right now you would be thinking - no way in hell and in some ways you may be right haha.

The headers are done, 80% of the chassis is done with the body mounted etc. Everything has had to be hand made or machined to emulate the Ferrari chassis. The modifications to the chassis to fit the 327 Corvette engine have been done "in the spirit" of the original car.

Other great news is that we have had some color applied to the now one piece front clip.

Theres long days and long nights currently and ahead but the good news is that some serious light is at the end of the tunnel.

[Oldfart]

What an epicc job, I wish I could be there to see it, as I was there for when it first came out.
Congratulations Greg and team

[Greg Stokes]

Thank you - it is great to finally have this project at a point where we are now talking event debut etc! The chassis and fab are all being completed this weekend so we can start painting everything. The end of March is coming around quick. Once its done I look forward to sharing photos of the build. We are also going to do a run of T-shirts too.

[Oldfart]

Please put me down for a T shirt. Thanks to all at the team for taking on this herculean task. You rock.

[bry3500]

Please put me down for a T shirt. Thanks to all at the team for taking on this herculean task. You rock.

....I'll second that. Is there an online link for a tee or two?

[Greg Stokes]

This week's update is that all fabrication is all finished. The body is painted Ferrari red and awaiting hand painted lettering to be done later this week.

The chassis is being painted as I write this.

We are looking at reassembly this coming weekend.

T-shirts are being designed and we hope to have ready by the end of the month.

[Greg Stokes]

Chassis is mostly assembled after paint now...

Body is back on and we are finishing installing the front suspension and general final hook up of everything.

Lettering and signage - all hand painted is being finished today also.

It is great to be this far along with the project

[GregT]

Firmly resisting the temptation to make it look better than the original I trust ?

[Greg Stokes]

Firmly resisting the temptation to make it look better than the original I trust ?

We have accurately tried to recreate the Ferrari GP chassis the best we can from a few photos we had. The body itself was painted in enamel in a two car tin garage. The body was all together with windows and door handles masked off rather than stripped down.

We have also recreated things like the unequal, uneven and non-symetrical headers

BUT we are also trying to do things safe while riding the fine line between self pride and building it as rough as the original

[Greg Stokes]

The Morrari Recreation has been one of my Dad’s dream projects for at least 10 years. It is a recreation of the late Garth Souness Morrari which ran in the sixties in the All Comers class. It was a Morris Minor body draped over an unwanted and outdated 1955 Ferrari Super Squalo Grand Prix chassis. It ran a 327 Corvette engine. The original car no longer exists as the Morrari but has been restored to the original Ferrari Grand Prix car. My Dad has always helped me with all my projects and it was my time to pay it back. Thank you for entrusting me to recreate this historic NZ motor racing vehicle. The research was fun, the recreating of the Ferrari chassis was challenging at times but it is rewarding to get to this point. We rode the fine line to building it as faithful to the original car while being as tidy as possible. Things like the short pipe on the header had to be recreated and so on as thats how the original was. It doesnt run yet and theres still a list of things to do but its an incredibly proud point of time with this father & son project. Theres so many people to thank but for now thank you to my parents and also Tania Foster as well as Tim Philps. Thanks to Terry Bowden, Dave Graham, Gary Edgecumbe, Keith Ellis, Ian & Cath Goodwin, Angus Fogg, Nicolai at HPC, Dean Coley, Brian Bennett, Terry Sims and many many more. A proper thank you to come. Thanks also to guys like Steve Holmes of Roaring Season and also fellow gearheads like Craig Stacey and Duncan Fox to name a few. @gmshotrods_newzealand #gmshotrodsnz #morrari #ferrari #morrisminor #327corvette #garthsouness #allcomersracing #pukekoheraceway #hopuplive #roddersjournal #classiccar