Photos: The Ian Peak Collection - The Begg's

[Kwaussie]

Car # 70 in post 6 is the first Begg 1600, Colin Bunce in gold helmet with Bryan Taylor.
I could be wrong but I think George fabricated the wheels of the sports car in his workshop! steel not alloy!

[Grant Ellwood]

Car # 70 in post 6 is the first Begg 1600, Colin Bunce in gold helmet with Bryan Taylor.
I could be wrong but I think George fabricated the wheels of the sports car in his workshop! steel not alloy!

Re the Begg 1600, was that the Hillman powered car? If so, it was later converted to Formula Ford specs and owned by Warwick Binning (Levin) then by John Pirovano followed by myself. John Barnard aquired the Begg for hillclimbing, I lost track of it since then.

[Kwaussie]

That is correct. Dr Dave Bruton was the first driver of this car first raced in 1965. Wally Wilmott is your man to fill in the latest details.

[Russ Noble]

Re the Begg 1600, was that the Hillman powered car? If so, it was later converted to Formula Ford specs and owned by Warwick Binning (Levin) then by John Pirovano followed by myself. John Barnard aquired the Begg for hillclimbing, I lost track of it since then.

That's right, it was raced with Rootes power in the early days by Russell Thompson and then bought and raced by Ian Bisman. Ian then sold it and bought the mono Begg Twin Cam, also from Russell Thompson. Ian has since bought the Humber Begg back, now in Formula Ford spec. Incidentally I think Ian still has the tub from the Begg mono also.

[Grant Ellwood]

That's right, it was raced with Rootes power in the early days by Russell Thompson and then bought and raced by Ian Bisman. Ian then sold it and bought the mono Begg Twin Cam, also from Russell Thompson. Ian has since bought the Humber Begg back, now in Formula Ford spec. Incidentally I think Ian still has the tub from the Begg mono also.

I possibly still have the 10 inches (approx) of rear chassis I cut off to "modernise" the car back in the 70s (Ian B, don't shoot me).
Originally the spaceframe ended behind the rear axles. I once shared Feo Stanton's garage with George Begg and David Oxton at a Baypark meeting, I think they were swapping an engine and I was replacing a broken axle on my car. George kept giving me withering looks and muttering about the f ----g wanker who had messed with his Begg.

[Steve Holmes]

I possibly still have the 10 inches (approx) of rear chassis I cut off to "modernise" the car back in the 70s (Ian B, don't shoot me).
Originally the spaceframe ended behind the rear axles. I once shared Feo Stanton's garage with George Begg and David Oxton at a Baypark meeting, I think they were swapping an engine and I was replacing a broken axle on my car. George kept giving me withering looks and muttering about the f ----g wanker who had messed with his Begg.

Ha ha ha, that is brilliant Grant!

[Grant Ellwood]

Ha ha ha, that is brilliant Grant!

Thanks Steve, David Oxton found it hard to keep a straight face too. I think I got a less than honorable mention in one of George's books also.

And thanks David McKinney for reminding me that Ian Bisman has the car, I had noticed that in Russ Noble's post #14 and promptly forgot it...

[rf84]

Re the Begg 1600, was that the Hillman powered car? If so, it was later converted to Formula Ford specs and owned by Warwick Binning (Levin) then by John Pirovano followed by myself. John Barnard aquired the Begg for hillclimbing, I lost track of it since then.

Just a minor point. "John" Barnard should read "Paul" Barnard. For some years Paul was Service Manager at John Dyke Ford Tauranga but then he bought a "Mitre 10" at Mt Maunganui. I have not seen or heard of him for many years. Someone who lives in the BOP may like to track him down and find out what happened to the Begg. I think from memory it won at least 2 Gold Star H/C championships with Paul and Ford Twin Cam power. I also seem to recollect Paul had a humungus crash at a hillclimb and that the car was pretty much broken in 2 and subsequently "written off".

[Grant Ellwood]

Just a minor point. "John" Barnard should read "Paul" Barnard. For some years Paul was Service Manager at John Dyke Ford Tauranga but then he bought a "Mitre 10" at Mt Maunganui. I have not seen or heard of him for many years. Someone who lives in the BOP may like to track him down and find out what happened to the Begg. I think from memory it won at least 2 Gold Star H/C championships with Paul and Ford Twin Cam power. I also seem to recollect Paul had a humungus crash at a hillclimb and that the car was pretty much broken in 2 and subsequently "written off".

Thanks for the correction RF84, I'm from Tauranga and knew Paul so just a silly senior moment on my part. Senior moment now called MCI up here - Minor Cognitive Impairment (for anyone else who needs an excuse....).
I heard that the car had been restored but I'll do some research to confirm or otherwise.

[David McKinney]

It went from Barney to Steve Grant for FF in the early '80s. I believe it has recently been rebuilt by Ian Bisman and Noel Atley