Norm Beechey's Mustang - Mustang's first winner?!

[275 GTB-4]

Learned of an interesting "find" today....quote:

Sitting in my mums shed is this 64½ Mustang. Apparently this is the first Mustang to ever WIN a race in the world! unquote

Plse don't bother trying to find out more from me...I have advised the owner to be very careful with what he has....and I will be leaving it up to him whether he wants to display it etc.....great find though

[Camaroz]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

Learned of an interesting "find" today....quote:

Sitting in my mums shed is this 64½ Mustang. Apparently this is the first Mustang to ever WIN a race in the world! unquote

Plse don't bother trying to find out more from me...I have advised the owner to be very careful with what he has....and I will be leaving it up to him whether he wants to display it etc.....great find though

Get Norm to verify it and then pray to God that it doesn't go to Queensland. The next call should be to FoMoCo in Detroit.

[chunterer]

Well that is some find if it turns out to be verified as the first Mustang ever to win a race!! I looked up the Beechey car in my Australian Touring Car book (that covers the series up until 1989).

Norm ran the car for quite a few years didn't he?

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by Camaroz

Get Norm to verify it and then pray to God that it doesn't go to Queensland. The next call should be to FoMoCo in Detroit.

Well...I'm going to PI where Norm's cars will be featured...whats the chances of meeting up with my boyhood hero???

FoMoCo....would they really be interested in something that happened beyond the (USA) center of the universe??

[Camaroz]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

Well...I'm going to PI where Norm's cars will be featured...whats the chances of meeting up with my boyhood hero???

FoMoCo....would they really be interested in something that happened beyond the (USA) center of the universe??

The car will have a special interest to Ford. The Mustang became one of their world cars. The first Mustang to win a motor race anywhere in the world? If Edsel B or William Clay II are worth there salt, FoMoCo will be interested.

If you wish, PM me with your contat details and I will give Norm a call and broach the subject.

[chunterer]

Gents, it seems you really have stumbled across a rare but real piece of motorsport legend.

Do you have any idea who originally supplied the car to Norm? Reason being is that Alan Mann had a lot to do with the early Mustang development and probably believes he was responsible for the car's early successes!

[Camaroz]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Gents, it seems you really have stumbled across a rare but real piece of motorsport legend.

Do you have any idea who originally supplied the car to Norm? Reason being is that Alan Mann had a lot to do with the early Mustang development and probably believes he was responsible for the car's early successes!

I'm pretty sure that this car was all Norm's own work! Self sourced, self prepared, self driven, legend.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Camaroz

I'm pretty sure that this car was all Norm's own work! Self sourced, self prepared, self driven, legend.

Tremendous stuff!!

[M-Kart]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

Learned of an interesting "find" today....quote:

Sitting in my mums shed is this 64½ Mustang. Apparently this is the first Mustang to ever WIN a race in the world! unquote

Plse don't bother trying to find out more from me...I have advised the owner to be very careful with what he has....and I will be leaving it up to him whether he wants to display it etc.....great find though

If this is infact the car, what a fantastic find! great news! i hope it ends up restored to the days that saw Norm behind the wheel!!

[cavvy]

Norm was at Calder last Easter, drove his 1962 Chev Impala 409 out to the circuit - I believe he knew where the Mustang was & whilst of interest, he had no desire to own it, the same with the EH S4 - was proud of his achievements in the Chevvy Nova showing one & all a photo of the Nova full chat trying to round up Paul Fahey in his Shelby Mustang somewhere in New Zealand.

Norm did not race the Mustang for long, replacing it with a Camaro whilst arch rivals Geoghegan & Jane went the Mustang route.

Note: there is some dispute over whether or not it was the first Mustang to win on the track or the first one to win a title?

[William Dale Jr]

I believe a Mustang won a SCCA race in America before Beechey won the ATCC, but I'm pretty sure Beechey took the first title won by a Mustang.

Absolutely fantastic find if it's the real thing!

[275 GTB-4]

HEAVILY EDITED FOR THE PRIVACY OF OWNER

MUSTANG: 1964

FIRST MUSTANG TO WIN A CAR RACE IN THE WORLD

ORIGINAL OWNER NORM BEECHEY (STORMIN NORMAN)

ORIGINAL SPECIFICATIONS - 65A P 29 03H 12 8 5 5 R 07 K 125011.

65A. Body. Two door Hardtop.
P. Colour. Prairie Bronze.
29. Trim. Pinto Vinyl.
03H. Date. Third of August 1964.
12. District. Buffalo.
8. Axle. 3.89-1.
5. Transmission. 4 Speed Manual.
5. Year. 1965.
R. Assembly Plant. San Jose.
07. Body Code. Two Door Hardtop.
K. Engine Code. 289 High Performance.
Unit Number. 125011.

HISTORY OF THE VEHICLE: - Ascertained from vehicle identification numbers, magazine articles and people who knew the car and drivers.

VIN: 65A P 29 03H 12 8 5 5 R 07 K 125011

List of owners: - Which coincides with owners research and articles able to be found on the vehicle:

1. Norm BEECHEY
2. Bryan THOMSON
3. Kim AUNGER (Driven mainly by Peter Finch)
4. WIGRAM
5. Kelvin SQUIRES
6. Tom JEPPERSON
7. MORROW
8. Current Owner

“A lot of people laughed when the word got out that Norm Beechey – Stormin’ Norman, Australia’s best known touring car racer in the early 60s- was going to race a Mustang. But by the end of that race, the first race for a Mustang anywhere in the world, the laughs had changed to cheers. We had seen the Mustang era start with a win, and the cheering had only just begun.”

Calder January 24th 1965, raced against Bob Jane in his 4.1 litre Jaguar. The Mustang was so new it’s front disc brakes had not been fitted and it was racing with drums all round, even so, after ten laps Jane’s Jaguar was 15 seconds behind and the Mustang won hands down.

First raced in its Gold colour, unveiled on January 27 1965 in Neptune racing colours. Claude Morton, Beechey’s mechanic is quoted as saying “Norm had tried chasing Bob Jane and that Jaguar with the Impala and then Len Lukey’s Galaxy and those cars were soaking up money faster than he could earn it, and as Norm used to say, when it came to making money he was no slouch.

So we built the 179 while he kept looking for something and he started talking about this new Mustang, it was a nice light car, only about 3000lbs and it had the same engine and gearbox that Shelby was using in that fabulous AC Cobra. Norm said a Mustang V8 “could be a real good thing”.

He went over there and would you believe bought second hand 1965 model in September 1964! It had the heavy-duty suspension and diff and the four-speed gearbox, but it didn’t have front disc brakes. Discs were a Ford performance option, so Norm ordered a set of those and they were sent out in the same box as a Shelby race engine. When we went to fit that engine before Calder, we discovered it had the wrong Bell Housing and had to sort that out. Then we discovered they’d sent us the discs and callipers, but no mounting brackets. We got some locally made for the short term, but we had to run at Calder with front drums and metallic liners and they weren’t worth a bumper.”

Norm Beechey said he bought the vehicle from a Ford Motor Dealership in L.A, the original colour of the vehicle being Ivy and Gold. The vehicle was then taken to Carol Shelby who worked the engine to race specification; it was then imported to Australia by Norm.

So... “landed in Australia in November 1964 and race track debut at Catalina Park early the following year. Beechey took out his first Australian Touring Car title at Sandown in April of 1965. Painted in Neptune racing blue with white “skunk stripes”.

OTHER WORK DONE: A set of five spoke American-racing mags replaced the steel wheels after about six months. Replaced Ford steering box with a right- hand drive Holden case containing left-hand drive gears. Front springs were stiffened, caster was increased to the maximum available and the inner pick-up for the top wishbone was lowered. A change made by Shelby and later adopted for the second Geoghegan Mustang. The nine-inch diff, which came with a locker centre, was given a set of anti tramp rods and the front mountings for the rear springs were lowered to help the car point into corners better.

1966 – SOLD TO BRYAN THOMSON - From Shepparton Victoria, who took it to England and raced in 1966, 1967. He then returned to Australia and sold it to KIM AUNGER.

“In the late 60’s I worked for Kim Aunger when he purchased the car from Bryan Thomson and I remember working around the car it was driven mainly by Peter Finch who also worked at Aunger Accessories with me. The car was painted white with orange striping. Kim did drive the car but didn’t do all that well and always had to try and conceal his “drives” from his family, who were against it.

PETER FINCH had raced the fastest FJ Holden in Australia for years, and was an excellent driver. I stopped working for Kim about the same time he sold the car and I lost track of it after that.”

SOLD TO WIGRAM – I have no further information.

SOLD TO TOM JEPPERSON in 1977 - Who did not race it.

SOLD TO MORROW in 1980 - Who did not race it.

SOLD TO CURRENT OWNER in 1983.

It looks like the car may be displayed at the Mustang Nationals in Canberra this Easter. By then, the owner will have a better idea on what to do with car.

[275 GTB-4]

[AMICALEMANS]

Sorry to disturb you but a Mustang won The Tour de France Automobile in 1964. It was in the Tourism class...

http://freenet-homepage.de/pony/tdf.htm

http://www.ponysite.de/fmcog/racing/tdf_e.htm#eng

[M-Kart]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

Thanks for that - i was about 2 ask if a picture was available. Its changed quite a bit from Norm's days - but good to see its still around in some form!!!

[Frank de Jong]

Originally Posted by AMICALEMANS

Sorry to disturb you but a Mustang won The Tour de France Automobile in 1964. It was in the Tourism class...

I was thinking along the same lines - the Tour de France victory was quite a sensation...

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by AMICALEMANS

Sorry to disturb you but a Mustang won The Tour de France Automobile in 1964. It was in the Tourism class...

http://freenet-homepage.de/pony/tdf.htm

http://www.ponysite.de/fmcog/racing/tdf_e.htm#eng

Thank you mon amicalemans.....fascinating early Mustang history...particularly the involvement of Alan Mann and Holman and Moody in rallying.

I think that this race though is more a road rally???

"The mixture of rallying, circle tracks and hillclimbing races caused the special outstanding thrill to drivers as well as spectators. However it demanded a well-balanced synergy of experience, technical and driving ambitions and skills as well as healthy and trained body and mind conditions from the participants"

The anoraks and pedants on here can fight it out...but in my opinion...this was not a pure circuit race??

[Frank de Jong]

This meeting was contested by pure racing cars; in later years the TdF was won by a Matra sportscar. The TdF counted towards the GT championship and the Trophee de l'avenir in some years, both circuit championships.
Make from that what you want...

[Notso Swift]

The point that I 275 GTB is trying to make is that it is a competition where cars are judged against the clock and the winner is derived by the lowest elapsed time, as opposed to a race, where first pass the post wins. The type of car is not relevent, the nature of the event is...

[Frank de Jong]

Some parts of the TdF were hillclimbs (not that I would call that a rallye), but the circuit races had normal starts.

[Camaroz]

GTB,

Your "PM" box is full.

I cannot send a PM

Cheers,

[275 GTB-4]

No its not!! ;-)....plse send away :-)

[zombie289]

Hmmm I wonder what the car is that i saw at the arthurs seat hillclimb about 7-8 years ago...owner claimed the original car was too far gone to restore so reshelled it... I have a pic somewhere i can scan if i find it.
Cheers
Pauly
Zombie289

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by zombie289

Hmmm I wonder what the car is that i saw at the arthurs seat hillclimb about 7-8 years ago...owner claimed the original car was too far gone to restore so reshelled it... I have a pic somewhere i can scan if i find it.
Cheers
Pauly
Zombie289

Hope you are mistaken Zombe....it would be disappointing if the car is no longer whats left of the original

[Jeff Morrow]

I used to own this car back in the late 70's early 80's. Looks like the same car to me. It was owned by a friend who purchased it off Kim aunger who was the third owner after Bryan Thomson and Norma Beechey.
I still have the original centre piece out of the grille. Hope ot gets restored back to its former glory.