Photos: The Gerard Richards Collection - Part 1

[Gerard Richards]

Brilliant photo here of Jack Nazers 'Miss Victorious' in its first racing season. An article on Miss Victorious can be found here

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Jack Nazer's Victor Chev, pictured here in the pits at the Jan 1975 NZ Grand Prix, was the shape of the future for the big capacity N.Z.Saloon Champs category. The days of the modified road car, were on the way out despite the best efforts of some stalwarts. O.S.C.A. in some ways paved the way for the transition. Hybrids and silouette style racers were the brave new world for the big grunters. The Nazer Victor, while fairly conservative in this initial guise, was to become more radical looking in the years that followed. Initially equiped with ex Neal Doyle Begg FM2 F5000 Chevy engine, this later evolved to a full house McLaren built injected Chevy. This hybrid was professionally built by Jimmy Stone and bore little in common with the many backyard O.S.C.A. specials of the period.

Jack and the Victor were the dominant combo over the last two seasons of the classic years of the Big Banger champs. Apart from the dubiously legal PDL Mustang 2 of Leo Leonard, which may have been marginally faster on its spasmodic appearances and Red Dawson (the Monza was also a "fringe" saloon as well) who was on terms with Nazer at times, the mighty Victor was the class act of the final stand, of the true Tin Top thunder brigade!

[Gerard Richards]

The beautiful Begg 018.

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George Begg's Finest Hour? Begg J018 in the Paddock at Pukekohe for the Jan 1975 NZ Grand Prix Tasman Champs race. In a race conducted in changeable weather conditions, Jimmy Murdoch, produced a great drive, staying out of trouble in the wet and brought the the pretty wedge shaped Begg, home in 2nd place. This was George Begg's best Tasman Series finish, one place better than David Oxton's equally good wet weather drive to 3rd place in the Begg FM4 at the Teretonga Tasman race in Jan 1972

[Gerard Richards]

Couple of great shots here from early 1970, at the NZIGP. First the field lines up on the dummy-grid, then on the actual grid. Behind the well known cars on the first few rows, can anyone ID the red Escort and yellow Mini further back?

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This was start of NZ Saloon Car Championship race at the Pukekohe April 1970 round of the series. The race was won by Coppins after Fahey who had the lead until his brakes locked at the Elbow. This race had extra interest as they using the "long circuit" including the Loop section. Fahey spun the Escort when the brakes locked and was very lucky not to hit the horse railings near the tight entrance to the Elbow corner.

One of the strong memories I have of that meeting was the big V8s, bucking and writhing under extreme breaking for the Elbow corner and the ballistic back firing of the Mustangs of Dawson in particular and Riley as they changed down gears to take the tight bend!

Regarding the red Escort in the dummy grid photo, I have strong hunch, this was the first version of Don Halliday's Twin Cam Escort?

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Gerard, this is great! I assume this is either the opening or early laps of the race as shown in the grid shots above, with Fahey being chased by Coppins.

[Steve Holmes]

The PDL Mustang, a year after the photos posted earlier in this thread. The car here sports its new pink paint scheme, which in itself was a real work of art. I assume it was artist Mike Nidd who created this paint scheme. Mike designed several of the paint schemes for the PDL team, which were applied by Dave Flanagan. Definitely a huge amount of work, which just added to the excitement these cars generated.

[kiwi285]

And here is one of the car in its green scheme. It has had some great schemes in its time

[kiwi285]

And the Johnny Riley car in its green scheme.



And the Gardner Camaro.



And the Dawson Mustang in that magic blue

[John McKechnie]

I have the Autonews coverage of this event in front of me The Remakable Motors Minis had yellow-could this be Peter Riggs or Don Gordon.Clyde Collins was there in a red XW , but dont see him here

[thunder427]

.And the Gardner Camaro.



....this photo shows the early, narrow, Boot style spoiler that was on the Gardner Camaro that I subjested should be on the Restored Castrol/Gardner Camaro...I was not trying to be Picky,there just aren't to many shots of it from behind !!!!.....MJ

[Gerard Richards]

Thanks Gerard, this is great! I assume this is either the opening or early laps of the race as shown in the grid shots above, with Fahey being chased by Coppins.

You're right Steve, this was most likely the end of the first lap and Paul Fahey in the Escort F.V.A. looked to have the measure of Rod Coppins in the Chev Camaro. This was also helped by the having two very slow corners on the long circuit with Hairpin at the end of back straight and the Elbow at the end of pit straight. Interesting also that at this junction Jim Richards in Carney Racing Twin Escort is either in third or fourth place (both Riley and Richards cars being white its a bit hard to tell at that distance) ahead of Red Dawson in 5th place. For Red the ascendancy he had in the early rounds of the series was starting to slip at this stage

[Gerard Richards]

And the Jonny Riley car in its green scheme.



And the Gardner Camaro.



And the Dawson Mustang in that magic blue

Wonderful paddock images, that really are evocative. Love that shot of the Dawson and Riley cars under the shade tree canopy. Looks like its from the 1970 NZ Grand Prix Meeting as the Riley car is still in white. The other pics are also superb particularly the green PDL colour scheme and the very groovy metallic green of Johnny Riley's wildly driven '66 Shelby. Great to see!

[Kiwiboss]

[/QUOTE]

Wheres this one take Steve? a sweeping left hander it could be Bay Park but i know it isn't, must be Teretonga?

Dale M

[seaqnmac27]

No thats Pukekohe the left hander after the hairpin isn't it?

[John McKechnie]

Ye it is.With the reshaping over the years and more crowd control features it can be confusing

[kiwi285]

I also loved this short lived scheme for the Riley Mustang. It obviously had a fair amount of paint as well

[TonyG]

Definitely Pukekohe and shot from up on the bank near the horse railing. You can just see a car exiting the hairpin at top left of shot.

Wheres this one take Steve? a sweeping left hander it could be Bay Park but i know it isn't, must be Teretonga?

Dale M[/QUOTE]

[Steve Holmes]

The Sidchrome Mustang. My personal preference for this car was its original 1973/74 guise with the more subtle bubble flares. But Jim and Murray Bunn were no doubt wowed by the amazing box flares on Paul Faheys RS2600 Capri when it arrived in late 1973, as the Sidchrome Mustang, the PDL Mustang and Nazer Victor along with several others cars all had them fitted the following season.

[John McKechnie]

This reminds me of flares on mens pants-once they were fashionable . Next season , they were last old hat. Watch out flares are coming back into fashion.

[Steve Holmes]

Chris Amons Talon MR1, at Pukekohe for the 1975 New Zealand Grand Prix.

[Steve Holmes]

Also from the 1975 NZGP event as above, Johnnie Walkers Lola T332, with ken Smiths similar car in the background. These photos were both taken on the grid prior to the race start.