Grp C/Grp A/V8SC 'Where are they now?' continued...

[GTRMagic]

I am intrigued by This Ad. I thought all the ex-TWR Volvos ended up back in Europe....

Is this good value at E44,000 (A$75k)?

[lloyd12a]

Still looking for a Mazda rx groupC?Anyone know that maybe for sale.

[pete55]

I heard that someone in Brisbane had one but can't remember who told me.

[Mr Walker]

Hello all from the newbie. I'm trying to track the history of a VK GrpA MHDT racecar chassis #12. I believe this car was originally a VK (I think that makes sense 'cos I know for a fact that chassis #14 was a VK) which was converted to a VL and eventually a Walkinshaw. Does anyone have any info on this car or any of the MHDT VK-VL's? The grp c VK's were chassis#'s 6&7 so I'm assuming everything after that would be GpA's? There seems to be some well informed people here so any help would be much appreciated.

[anthony81901]

Originally Posted by Mr Walker

Hello all from the newbie. I'm trying to track the history of a VK GrpA MHDT racecar chassis #12. I believe this car was originally a VK (I think that makes sense 'cos I know for a fact that chassis #14 was a VK) which was converted to a VL and eventually a Walkinshaw. Does anyone have any info on this car or any of the MHDT VK-VL's? The grp c VK's were chassis#'s 6&7 so I'm assuming everything after that would be GpA's? There seems to be some well informed people here so any help would be much appreciated.

Not sure if this thread answers your question directly, but if may give you some pointers

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64266

[Steve Holmes]

This is interesting. Says its ex Andy Rouse built, Tim Harvey raced car. I don't think its done any racing in NZ, I haven't seen it before. I thought it might have been the Eggenberger XR4i imported by Neville Crichton for a moment. That was converted to a sports sedan and looked quite similar to this car.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...n-56052365.htm

[William Dale Jr]

I suppose that means it's the sister car to the Tim Harvey one that 10Tenths user martinlabatts owns/owned. Laurence Bristow definitely turned his into a Thundersaloon and raced it in that class in the UK after the BTCC went 2L. The two Labatts team cars were built by Andy Rouse and, whilst run independantly of Rouse's own Kaliber operation, they were effectively a Rouse satellite squad.

Quite how that particular car made it's way to NZ...

[Sultan]

Perhaps during the old Wellington 500 days?

[Steve Holmes]

Originally Posted by William Dale Jr

I suppose that means it's the sister car to the Tim Harvey one that 10Tenths user martinlabatts owns/owned. Laurence Bristow definitely turned his into a Thundersaloon and raced it in that class in the UK after the BTCC went 2L. The two Labatts team cars were built by Andy Rouse and, whilst run independantly of Rouse's own Kaliber operation, they were effectively a Rouse satellite squad.

Quite how that particular car made it's way to NZ...

The owner imports quite a few interesting cars from Europe. Pretty sure the same person recently had a couple of 2 litre Super Tourers for sale. One was a Corolla, and the other was (from memory) a Primera. And this: http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/0...n-55784631.htm

They would have found the Sierra in as-is condition. Probably only imported very recently. Would be interesting to know how far removed it is from the original Group A car.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by Steve Holmes

This is interesting. Says its ex Andy Rouse built, Tim Harvey raced car. I don't think its done any racing in NZ, I haven't seen it before. I thought it might have been the Eggenberger XR4i imported by Neville Crichton for a moment. That was converted to a sports sedan and looked quite similar to this car.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...n-56052365.htm

I understood the #105 Mobil Sierra chassis as brought into Australia by Mr Brock was an ex-Rouse customer team car... and that after Mr Sheene turned it into a SWB version, it was eventually rebuilt and sold to NZ interests.

This could be the same chassis....

[William Dale Jr]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

I understood the #105 Mobil Sierra chassis as brought into Australia by Mr Brock was an ex-Rouse customer team car... and that after Mr Sheene turned it into a SWB version, it was eventually rebuilt and sold to NZ interests.

This could be the same chassis....

I doubt it. The #105 car was the ex-ICS car from the 1988 BTCC. The Labatts team didn't start until 1989, and I think they may have had new cars.

It also says that it's an '89 car. If that came from the build date on the chassis plate (if it still has the Rouse Sport plate), then it can't be one of the ex-Brock cars; #05 was brand-new for '88 and was Rouse's personal car, whilst the #105 car was the ex-ICS '88 BTCC car which was likely an '87-build car.

[Mr Walker]

Thanks for the link to that thread Anthony. Plenty of info on VK-Vl's. I'm now trying to get a list of Perkins & early SV/HRT VL's & 'Walkinshaws'. There was some info in the other thread but does anyone have any concise info?

I'm also trying to trace the history of a VL Walkinshaw that was raced in WA by Claude Giorgi (white with black highlights over the rear and lower sides of the car) before he bought the PJ car of Glen Seton. Anyone know what this car originally was/ who it was built by and any pics if possible? Not asking much am I...

[William Dale Jr]

Originally Posted by Mr Walker

Thanks for the link to that thread Anthony. Plenty of info on VK-Vl's. I'm now trying to get a list of Perkins & early SV/HRT VL's & 'Walkinshaws'. There was some info in the other thread but does anyone have any concise info?

I'm also trying to trace the history of a VL Walkinshaw that was raced in WA by Claude Giorgi (white with black highlights over the rear and lower sides of the car) before he bought the PJ car of Glen Seton. Anyone know what this car originally was/ who it was built by and any pics if possible? Not asking much am I...

The only VL I can think of that fits that description was the Tony Mulvihill TWR-VL, but that the car is currently for sale on the Group C organisation website, and it doesn't appear as though it passed through Giorgi's hands.

[Mr Walker]

Thanks WD Jr.

Is that the car currently in VK guise on the Group C website that you're talking about? The car's got dual fillpoints between the tailights like the GIO VL TWR car - not sure if that helps.

[Mr Walker]

OK, Hope you guys aren't getting sick of this but I have some further info but it has led me to a bit of a brick wall.

The owner prior to Claude Giorgi was another West Australian, Graham Blythman who ran it over here with not very prominent 'Trailcraft Boats' sponsorship on the car. At this stage it was white with blue across the rear quarters/ boot.

Graham is positive it is a Perkins Engineering car but he can't remember which one or who he bought it from. He knows it was purchased from Melbourne around '92/'93 and that the owner was not a 'well known' driver/ owner (hope I'm not offending anyone). When he bought it the car was all white and had had the sponsorship removed.

From the info I got from this site, PE only built 10 cars prior to VN (PE11) so if Graham (and some others in the West who remember it as being a PE car) are correct, it should be one of those. Does anyone know the current whereabouts of any of these ten PE cars? Are they all accounted for or are any MIA? The process of elimination may help me determine what this car is.

Thanks again.

Alex.

[Just Do It!]

Noonz will. He is a rockstar on race car history, ownership, and a plethora of other facts.

[Sultan]

Gerald Kay had a blue & white VK, the Jagparts car. That was built by MHDT. As was the Kavich 'Yellow pages' car, and also Ken Mathews car.

At the time ('85), MHDT were building customer cars. I'm not sure when LP started building customer cars but in '86 her debuted his first VK, the ENZED car. Later, he built himself a VL (carby).
Bill O'brien's VL was a 'PE' car, not sure if there were any more PE VL carby cars made....

[pete60]

Originally Posted by Mr Walker

The owner prior to Claude Giorgi was another West Australian, Graham Blythman who ran it over here with not very prominent 'Trailcraft Boats' sponsorship on the car. At this stage it was white with blue across the rear quarters/ boot.

Graham is positive it is a Perkins Engineering car but he can't remember which one or who he bought it from. He knows it was purchased from Melbourne around '92/'93 and that the owner was not a 'well known' driver/ owner (hope I'm not offending anyone). When he bought it the car was all white and had had the sponsorship removed.
.

A couple of things to consider. Graham Blythmann bought the ex HRT VP run by Wayne Gardner, I think in 1993. I assume this isn't the car?

Another possibilty might be a VP Perkins built for Ian Love in WA (PE#18). This car went to Shaun Walker in Perth, Mike Imrie in Vic and finally Shane Beikoff in Qld.

Of the VLs Perkins built, it could have been the rebuilt shell of the ex Larry VL which Don Watson crashed in 1993 and used to build his VP. Or maybe the ex Noske VL which Bob Jones bought and ran for a few years but I think that car came to Qld.

The only other possibility is the VL which Tommy Suharto ran a few times.

Otherwise, dunno!

[Sultan]

Wasn't the Noske VL originally a VK?

[William Dale Jr]

Nope, they were two different cars:

• The first Noske Commodore was a VK, PE001.
  This car was Perkins' own Enzed VK for late '86, and Noske got it in early '87. Noske always ran this car in the orange and yellow Kalari Transport colours. Where is this car now?
• The second Noske Commodore was a TWR VL, PE006 (IIRC).
  This car was a TWR VL from the ground up, not a HDT conversion. This car initially appeared in a red Strathfield Car Radio livery at the '88 Sandown 500, then at Bathurst and the AGP meeting (incidentally, there was a dispute over whether the sponsorship dollars covered the AGP meeting, and I think it may even have gone to the courts). Noske then raced the car at the Sandown ATCC round in '89 in the orange and yellow Kalari Transport colours. The car was then sold to Bob Jones, who also initially ran the car in orange and yellow before repainting it.

[Sultan]

Thanks WD, also another for the 'where are they now' - the original Lansvale VK & the Callahan VK (& XE Falcon for that matter!)

[William Dale Jr]

Wasn't the Lansvale VK written off at the Amaroo enduro in '87? The car was crashed at the Amaroo and Oran Park ATCC rounds before that, so they built up a new VL shell in time for Bathurst. I suppose there's a chance that the shell could have been saved and repaired by someone.

What about the original Lansvale VL? Anyone know the whereabouts of that? That was a pretty quick car in its original guise.

[cornermsport]

Originally Posted by Sultan

Thanks WD, also another for the 'where are they now' - the original Lansvale VK & the Callahan VK (& XE Falcon for that matter!)

I think this info is listed earlier in this thread. The Callaghan VK was pulled down for its parts to be used in the new VL TWR for Bathurst 1988.

It was later reassembled with earlier Group A bits that were laying around the shed, (earlier spec brakes, super T-10) so that Brian Callaghan Jnr and Steven Graham could begin their road racing. Steven only did 1 race before concentrating on speedcar racing, leaving Jnr the sole use of the car.

It did numerous Amscar and touring car rounds, before being stripped, and converted to VL carby spec for Bathurst 1990. The team comprised of Jnr, John Gerwald, and a third young driver by the name of Jason Bargwanna!
Jnr crashed the car during qualifying, requiring an overnight TAFE rebuild, but went on to complete the 1000.

Later, it was used in a sports sedan race by Jnr, then it was sold to Sports Sedan racer, Paul Neilson, who continued to race it in sports sedan. He then onsold it, and thats where i loose trace. I would like to know where this car is too as i was able to drive this car before it was sold.

The XE Falcon was unloaded from the trailer after Bathurst 1984 and parked next to the farm shed, where it sat out in the weather for a good 5 years or so. It was then restored around 1991,1992 and Brian Jnr actually raced it in one of the first Group C exibition races not long after. It is still owned by the family, and is in storage somewhere.

[cornermsport]

Originally Posted by William Dale Jr

What about the original Lansvale VL? Anyone know the whereabouts of that? That was a pretty quick car in its original guise.

But not as quick as the Callaghan VL in its day. The big three in Sydney were the GIO team, Mobile Concrete Pumping, and Lansvale. Funnily enough the Callaghan and GIO cars were based a couple of streets away!

I haven't seen a VL go as fast around Amaroo since the day Brian Callaghanput the Commodore on pole position at an Amscar round, ahead of Longhurst's and Bondy's Sierras, in the period when it was formula sierra and a leading Commodore was unheard of.

Brian missed on winning the first race when Longhurst went in front on the final lap, but i can remember everyone yelling, and on their toes hoping a Commodore would win!!

[William Dale Jr]

Originally Posted by cornermsport

Brian missed on winning the first race when Longhurst went in front on the final lap, but i can remember everyone yelling, and on their toes hoping a Commodore would win!!

I've got the closing laps of that on tape up here; missed the start of the coverage. Brian only lost the lead when Tony got alongside up the straight and pocketed him behind Reda Awadallah on the run up the hill for the final time. The Channel 7 coverage had a story on privateers that weekend and had some clips of the dismally-wet practice session where Brian was drifting the Commodore onto the straight; full opposite lock, tail of the car almost-but-not-quite brushing the armco...great stuff

That was the same meeting that Gibbs totalled the original GIO Commodore exiting the Dunlop Loop, wasn't it?