New Zealand ShellSport Saloon Series 1978 - 1985

[Steve Holmes]

Built and run by Fred Bailey then run by John Armstrong (Lombard Finance) and Allan Farr (Auto Performance) brought the car off Army in 1981 and has run it ever since, Shellsport, OSCA, South Island Endurance Series, put it away for a few years then has brought it out again to run in Classic events. I have been known to have to odd run in it too as that particular photo shows.

Timaru was a bit of a hotbed as far as Shellsport went, Kevin Ryan with Big Bertha which a I assisted him with, Warren Burt with a selection of Corollas and Starlets, Wayne Murdoch and the Avenger along with Faraway and the Escort.

Currently there are a few more cars or replica cars around the district, plus Grant Aitken has his car sitting above his office and John Gobbe has found and brought up somewhere around 11 -12 old Shellsport cars and is restoring all of them.

It sure was great highly contested racing with no quarter either given or expected

11 - 12 old ShellSport cars? That is amazing! Do you have any details on some of the cars he has? He could have his own private ShellSport tribute race. Amazing foresight, those will be the next thing sought out by collectors I think.

[Carlo]

11 - 12 old ShellSport cars? That is amazing! Do you have any details on some of the cars he has? He could have his own private ShellSport tribute race. Amazing foresight, those will be the next thing sought out by collectors I think.

Been a tad busy to follow up on a few things but I was talking with Mike Johnson from Ashburton today, many years ago his brother "Butch" brought Noddy Murdoch's Shellsport Avenger which he raced in both Shellsport and OSCA. Butch has brought the old girl out and has repainted it back into the origonal Murdoch colours while Mike is about to give the mechanicals a fresh up and then the car is going to run in the OSCA Classic series later this year.

Noddy meanwhile is currently racing a replica of Rex Findlays car

John Gobbe held a meeting at Timaru at the end of the past season with a view to getting all the Shellsport cars out at one of the Classic / Historic meetings, he is /was going to contact some of the old owners about having a skid in them