a REAL Cobra

This is Beven in America visiting his mate and automotive book colleague who just happens to have a genuine 289 AC Cobra. Beven was there on the 4th July so rode in the Independence Day parade where the Cobra boiled. Beven couldn't get his knees under the steering wheel but Jenny fitted into it quite nicely.

Another Cootha Classic Mark 7

This Mark 7 was on the hill this weekend too. It belongs to Barry Campbell and the photo was taken by fellow Flickr member, Tim B.

Cootha Classic 2010

The big run up Mt. CootTha was on this weekend. Don't know any times but here's Peter and John in action today. Jeff Rowse took the photos.

Thanks Jeff. They're beauties.

other modes of transport

Can't offer you much in the way of vehicles at the moment as I sit in this godforsaken place except this single seater open wheeler. It doesn't get used much and there's nothing really striking about it except that it's got WARBLER written across the back.More interesting is Giovanni in the bed opposite me. He's a bit off colour but he'll be alright. Trouble is he's got over 40 family members around him that have come for the last goodbye which was a surprise to him. They're all shouting in Italian, it's like Central Station. Oh Christ! Here comes another half a dozen. None of them seem to realise Giovanni's even there. Now they are splitting into 2 groups. The men are over my side complaining about Adelaide United Football Club (coached by a Greek you know), can't get the gist of what's worrying the women. It's no use trying to go to sleep. I might cut my toenails or something like that. Hope they don't all leave at once, they won't all fit in the lift.

under the bonnet and under everything else

This is the bonnet...............and this is under it.Specs.

Imported late model 351 Windsor (stroked to 363)

Dart Iron Eagle heads - ported

2.02 & 1.6 Chev valves

Crane cam, lifters, springs and retainers

Edelbrock Performer manifold

800 cfm D/P New Generation Holley

Keith Black 136060 hypereutectic pistons

Speed Pro rings, Felpro gaskets

Yella Terra lightened steel flywheel

11" F250/350 Hays clutch

Yella Terra roller rockers

ceramic coated 1&7/8 tuned length extractors

full 3" HiFlow exhaust

Approx. 450bhp @ 6,800 RPM

has run 11.6 @ 121 mph 1/4 mile in WA

uses PULP fuel or Super PULP or Avgas

and for the rest.....

Ford close ratio Toploader gearbox (XYGT)

brake m/cyl - Falcon - recent recon.

Front brakes 13" rotors HSV5000 2 spot VT Commodore

HR front end, modified top arms and pickup points

HQ stub axles

Rear end Mercedes 630 SL

12" rotors

rear calipers VN V8 Corvette type

brake bias valve

power booster to front brakes only.

90 litre fuel tank

BBS 3 piece rims - 16 x 6 (2), 16 x 8 (2), 17 x 10 (2)

brakes all use "Metal King pads"

Well, there's a bit of information for you.

From CH-353 to XAP-999

For most of its life XAP-999 was a white car. It was also light green on its way to being red. For most of its life it had a 289 Windsor before being fitted with the 351. For most of its life it lived in WA before eventually coming to SA.

The car is a 1969 model, first registered in Chittering WA on 4th July,1973 plate no. CH 353.

It's still for sale and here's a bit of its history, well, a list of owners anyway.

1. David B. Cole (CH353) Chittering, then Broome. 289 Windsor white

2. Mal Curd 289 Windsor white

3. Errol DuBoulay (1979-1993) 289 Windsor white

4. Bill Axel, Coolgardie 289 Windsor pastel green

5. Greg Nicholas (NGN10693) Narrogin WA 351 Windsor red

6. Steve Rowley (XAP999) Kingston SE (SA) 351 Windsor red

7. Colin McAskill, Sth. Plympton SA 351 Windsor red

Mallala this weekend

It would be good to get out to Mallala this weekend for the Shannons Series. Sunday looks to be fairly dry too. Not like last Sunday that almost washed out the 6-hour. Sorry everyone that I couldn't make it. Can't make it this Sunday either, still stuck in the RAH. I was looking forward to seeing how Darren Hossack goes in John Gourlay's Audi-Chev (below) and to see what the local RX7s and the Pfitzner Falcon can do. Darren is expecting to get into the low 1.05s. Something to aim for, Colin.And everyone from up our way should be supporting Barossa's Michael Bartsch in his Falcon in the V8 Touring Cars.Good luck Michael.

The Folden

I'm sure most of us have heard by now of the radio station in New Zealand that put a Mustang front on a HQ Holden, fitted a Ford V8 and called it a Folden, just to stir up the Ford and Holden fanatics. Stacey had some photos and here's some of them. I reckon it doesn't look half bad.

Rear engined Bolwell

This photo was taken at Lakeland in 1965. It's described as a Porsche-Bolwell. I'm assuming it's a Porsche chassis with some Mark 4 body panels. Does anybody remember it?

Lightweight Racing Mark 7

According to Charlie Stone the Dick Murphy racer was no ordinary Mark 7 but a special lightweight one that Campbell made for Dick specially for racing. Charlie had a hand in building it up in 1970 (that's him in the sunnies talking to Dick). The 186 engine was built by Tom Francis and Graeme Wesley. The photo was taken in the Wanneroo pits when they were at the top of the hill.Now while we're still in WA here's a couple of shots of B8/11 lining up for a Triumph Club event, the photos from their club blog. It's the ex Dave Moltoni ex Errol DuBoulay coupe. Does Kim still own it?

Rilstone Special

We've all seen lots of photos of Keith with the ex-Eldred Norman Eclipse Zephyr Special, but this is his Rilstone Special leaving the line at Collingrove.This was in the days when no decent official (including goal umpires) would be seen dead without his white dustcoat (or labcoat depending on your background).

No apology required

Just heard Geoff Mann apologising to the purists for fitting an RB20ET to his 240Z. I think it's a wonderful conversion, an in line 6 with Turbo, EFI and 24 valves sounds pretty good to me.I'm pretty fond of his other project too - a Brumby/WRX conversion.

Looks tough in black or red.

Still prefer the orange though.

Which Nagari is this?

The photo below is in Wikipedia under the title Bolwell Nagari. I know of a red Nagari with these wheels but it has the MGB blinkers, well it did when it left the factory. Now come to think of it I might have to check my photo album as it was rebuilt after a rollover.

Forerunner to the sequential?

This is the "Lotus Queerbox" as it was called. It was made by ZF especially for Lotus. From Ray Bell I learn that "it had a hollow mainshaft with some kind of engaging mechanism that moved from one gear to the next on demand." Sort of sequential. This photo is of Derek Jolly's Lotus XV.This is a good opportunity to post a few more "Jolly" pics. Below is the inflatable tonneau cover.and here is Derek changing his socks at a very wet Warwick Farm.Moving on to the Decca sports cars now. This shot is at Albert Park and is very typical of Jolly with the "babe" in the passenger seat. For me, the bull-nosed Bedford is more significant. All of us kids whose dads were into Bedfords got pretty excited when the "bull nose" came out, right down to collecting brochures.This is the Jolly tow rig. Even though this is at Collingrove, this outfit was likely to be found all over the country as he competed everywhere.It would be fair to say that Derek was indulged by a very rich mum which allowed him to pursue his racing career to the extent that he wanted. My dad had taken me to Port Wakefield so I was aware of his exploits when I was a kid. Later, Derek owned a lot of property along Melbourne Street in North Adelaide including a restaurant that he ran called Decca's Place. Across the street was a vacant block of land where he had constructed this great big fibreglass flying saucer, full of port holes, which was his office. Some of us used to go there to mess around on this complicated music synthesiser (one of the first in the world). Some time later, through badly managed business deals and then a split with his first wife, among other things, he ended up as well off as me! That didn't slow his exuberance and he was always planning big things. At one stage he had an exhibition of his wonderful photographs from LeMans and other European circuits from the 50s in the gallery in front of our studio in Norwood. That involved getting Dave Simpson to produce the hundreds of enlargements and Pete Schmidt to frame them, getting paid from the proceeds of the sale of the reproductions. His last days were lived at a B&B at Marananga, operated by his last wife, from where he ran his chauffeur driven outback tour business.

Waneroo Nostalgia

Trawling through some old motorsport photos while I'm stuck in bed, I came across this.Now, you Westies, tell me about the blue car bearing down on the Lotus. Who, what, when?

Upright slant 6

The Valano, as you know, is a very well built elongated Milano GT powered by a Valiant 225 slant 6.These 2 photos were taken at Templestowe hillclimb.In order to get the engine under that very low bonnet it was necessary to stand it upright. Who would have thought?Truth is, that was the way to lower it down between those very narrow chassis rails.

Power steering for Classics

Remember Rob Luck asking about off-the-shelf power steering? Well, Peter G has found this catalogue item.

Answering my own question

Well.......with a little bit of help from Peter G. Of course it's the Peter Mahoney Mark 4. (See below)........and here it is sharing the front row with the said Elfins.The car is still in the family with Peter's son campaigning it in Historic events at Wakefield Park.

Is it a Bolwell?

This is a Classic photo from the 60s that you often see in forums discussing Elfin sports cars. It's the other car I keep looking at. It looks to me to be Peter's grey Holden powered Mark 4 that raced so successfully back then. Then I think it looks too big. Is it a Bolwell or isn't it?

A world record?

Another one of Henry's photos, this time an MSCA event at Winton in the late 80s. There are 5 Mark 4s in the picture, from the left Jones' "Dinky", Royce's, Windham, Bruce rotary and Kemp (ex Sacre). I heard Tim Backhouse had his Mark 4 there too. The owner of the Zed in the foreground asks if this many 4s in one place could be a record. Probably is. Now to break it.The Nagari, by the way, was Peter Carpenter's.

Another Mark 4

Remember Tim B? He's in the Wodonga area these days and still has his Mark 4. See below.Tim has entered the debate on the variety of Mark 4 engines with his own version - Fiat 1438cc dohc.

While on the subject of Mark 4s, on the way home from Collingrove, I heard this tinkle on the road and now I know what it was.
It was the cover falling off the numberplate light. Does anybody have a spare Lucas lamp?

Division 4

This is a frame from an episode of Division 4 in the early 70s. Damien, in Canberra, showed me this and he describes the episode in detail in his excellent blog, "On Four Wheels" along with more photographs. You'll find "On Four Wheels" in the links. In another post, from October 2009, are photos of the two Nagaris at the Binalong Museum that belong to Sean. Damien's other blog, "Capital Diecast Garage" is also in the links.

Just a few pics from the top of Mt. Alma

You could have been forgiven for thinking this was an Evo/WRX event, there were so many of them, especially the Evos, but that wasn't what we went to see (with all due respects). Fortunately there were others to catch the eye.
Barry Lord was back with the Ascort. It still looks the same and still goes just as hard.

This is Richard Wright in the Elfin. Which Richard Wright you may well ask. Father and son share the same name and the same car. The same confusion occurred with them in our 6-hour team last year. Other clubman cars included a yellow early style Elfin and one of the old ASPs.A nice pink LJ XU1. There were other Toranas of the L34 and A9X variety and the usual yellowXYGT.A yellow Elise crosses the line.Chris Redin in the R100. Did every old friend of my vintage have a son called Chris?

Easter - where to next year?

To all of those people emailing me about where Easter is going to be next year, I apologise for not having replied. The reason is that I didn't know and tried to do my homework. I had heard that NSW had taken on the the task of organising it and they had selected Narrandera. Accomodation is a bit tricky there due to the Easter hotrod thing but for a number of reasons the NSW branch aren't in a position to do it this time. It's back to the drawing board and the Victorian club have come to the rescue and John Hartney in particular. Both the Victorian and South Australian clubs have their meetings tonight and I'm sure some ideas will get tossed around in both places but if you have any bright ideas for a venue give John a ring on 03-9762 6248.
Meanwhile, Peter G has extracted this photo from Henry's archive, taken at the 1989 gathering in Perth. Apart from Stacey's Hunter and Roger's RX7 down the back, there are 8 Nagaris in this picture. Peter is asking what are the chassis numbers of all 8? He already knows so I think he ought to come up with a prize for the "neatest correct entry".

Talking of hillclimbs, Mt. Alma was a few weeks ago.

Sorry all you Bolwell starved readers (I promise I'll get back to important things starting tomorrow), there weren't any to be found at Mt. Alma, not on the day I went. This is surprising because at the meeting the week before there were enough keen people to actually set a meeting place, time and day for an organised run down there. Andrew and I found no-one at the designated meeting place and no-one down at Mt. Alma. There must have been a change of plan but not being in the loop I don't get to hear about these things. No Bollies, but there were plenty of other nice cars. Late series RX7s are smart looking units, like this one below.

And this much more radical black one showing signs of a bit of use. It was pretty quick too.

While on the subject of quick Mazdas, congratulations to Clinton Faustmann in the 4-door RX3. 15th out of that field of 150 is no mean feat.

And talking about quick black sporties, here's Dave Hall's Z. That was pretty fast too. David is Peter's son. Peter was there with his white example and I saw him go up the hill on the practice run, but nothing after that. Same for the purple and yellow example of Kevin Mackrell. Something drastic must have happened to that.

This orange Z I've never seen before but it was certainly a smart looking unit.

I could go on showing you more Zs but I'd better not bore you.

This really attractive NSX caught my eye, though, at the bottom of the hill.