Where are they now?

Ever wondered where all these lovely old things get to? North America could be a likely answer. This roadster ute is for sale in Canada for $79,950.

A tip for Tim Backhouse.

Aussie sports specials.

Bolwell Mk.4B
Buchanan
J&S Hunter.

Not a bad set. Who can equal or better that?

Heads up on Mk.4

Antony's Mark 4 will be found on eBay in the morning (Thursday). Auctioned in 2 lots (chassis and moulds) starting price 99c and no reserve. Take a look.

Fibrefab Jamaican in Australia

On Gumtree for the second time around.

Last Edited:

 

02/07/2014

Listing Type:

 

Private seller

Make:

 

Austin Healey

Model:

 

Other

Body Type:

 

Coupe (2 door)

Year:

 

1968

Kilometres:

 

0

Transmission:

 

Manual

Drive Train:

 

Rear Wheel Drive

Fuel Type:

 

Petrol - Leaded

Colour:

 

Red

Air Conditioning:

 

No

Registered:

 

No

1968 Fibre Fab Jamaican Austin Healey
Built in 1968 by Fibre Fab in California. Was imported to Australia in 1970.
Orginally L/H drive and has been converted to R/H drive.
Fibreglass body sits on an Austin Healy 3000 chassis. Has a rebuilt triumph 2500 engine and g/box in it at the moment. Any small block V8 would work well as well. Wheels are new 16" Performace Wheels Spline drives.
Have some history from purchase in 1996. Has FibreFab S/N of 1515555
Engine is running. All suspension etc has been overhauled.
This car is only one in existance in Australia.
Requires finishing work to complete such as, finish installing engine, complete wiring, find and fit door latches, interior trim, fit heater, fit window wipers etc.
Have the following items windows front/back and rubbers and trims, window wipers & mechanisms, door windows, heater unit.
Does require fair amount of work to finish but will be the only one to be seen in Aus. Has an estimated value of $50 - $60 000 when completed by Unique Cars magazine.

Still lots of work to go. Has a nice shape don't you think?

RACQ Motorfest 2014

More shots of Jim's red 7.

Silverstone Classic 2014

A couple of Aussies.

Where's the Veskanda Paul? Trading up or down?

Trump Trikes.

Good luck to all the entrants in the pedal prix 6 hour at Victoria Park today, a warm up for the big one, the 24 hour at Murray Bridge in a couple of months. Expect the Trumps to do well and their order book to be filled by non-Trump teams after the event. First and third last time out.

B2B media release.

Pre EH Holden racing.

God they were desperados back then.

Eureka nostalgia

http://youtu.be/LOPfW_Knzg4

November's not that far away.

30^TH Annual

“John Blanden’s Climb to the Eagle and Northern GP”

Friday 7th November 2014

While the Grand Prix has been lost to Melbourne the memories remain.  One of the most popular of the fringe events was the Climb to the Eagle held traditionally on the Friday morning preceding the Grand Prix. 

The event commenced in 1985 and during its 11 years it attracted the likes of Formula 1 World Champions Juan Manuel Fangio, Sir Jack Brabham, John Surtees, Denny Hulme, Phil Hill as well as Stirling Moss and other champions.  Among the cars that have taken place are some of the world’s most valuable and rarest sports and racing cars.

 To commemorate the 11 years of the Grand Prix in Adelaide, the Climb to the Eagle continues to be run annually on the anniversary of the last “Climb” and in memory of Adelaide’s great Grand Prix carnival.  In 2004 the name was changed to the “John Blanden’s Climb to the Eagle” in recognition of John’s work in setting up this event.  For the last 18 years we have added the optional “Grand Parade” and for this, the 30^th running of the event, we will return to the Northern GP –  via Belair and then continue to Nuriootpa for lunch. 

Adelaide’s motoring community is being invited to be part of this celebration and to join in the official “Climb to the Eagle” while the public is encouraged to line the route to the Eagle on the Hill and to cheer the cars and their enthusiastic drivers and crew. 

The Sporting Car Club of SA is organising the event and is determined to maintain the Grand Prix tradition through this event.

 The “Climb to the Eagle” has already become a motoring classic and the public can see cars at the start at Victoria Park on the pit straight of the grand prix track, or line the route along Glen Osmond Road to the Eagle on the Hill and Belair.  Here is the opportunity for enthusiasts to be part of the experience.  All cars are welcome however with emphasis on any vehicle with sporting heritage, including MG, Jaguar, Austin Healey, Porsche, Ferrari, Holden Monaro, Falcon GT, Clubman’s, Vintage Cars and Veteran Cars.  All cars must be registered and road rules adhered to at all times.  At Victoria Park you can expect to see over 200 sporting and collectable cars head for the hills. 

This year, after the Climb to the Eagle, we will continue to The Belair Country Club for morning tea where there will be a very well known motoring identity guest speaker who has a special connection to the Adelaide/Australian Grand Prix in this state.  It is highly recommended to all enthusiasts. 

As an extension of the Climb to the Eagle, this year will again see the popular but optional Grand Parade conducted to the Northern GP.  It is a drive from Belair, through the magnificent Adelaide Hills to a lunch at The Vine Inn, Nuriootpa.  An interesting route has been selected and all participants will be provided with a 30th Annual Book giving them directions, along with articles of interest and coloured photos.

 The Climb to the Eagle will start promptly at 9 a.m. from Victoria Park with the lead group of about 15 cars being led by a Police Escort.  The remainder of the official “John Blanden’s Climb to the Eagle” field will follow.  While the crews rest at the Belair Country Club, the cars will be available for inspection.  Security will be there to ensure that cars are monitored.  Morning Tea will be available for entrants who have booked in the upstairs Panorama Room overlooking the beautiful National Park and Golf Course.  For entrants that may have difficulty with stairs there is ramp access. The Northern GP will commence at approximately 10-40 a.m. for Nuriootpa. 

Breakfast

This year there will again be the breakfast available prior to the start.   The breakfast will be from 7-00 a.m. to 9-00 a.m. and all proceeds will go to the Brownhill Creek Rotary Club.  Please indicate your interest on the entry form. 

Numbers for Morning Tea and Lunch are limited, so an early entry is advised to avoid disappointment.

 For further information please contact the Sporting Car Club of SA on 08 8373 4899 or Susan Weber on 0448 975 535.  Entry forms are attached, or can be downloaded from the Sporting Car Club of SA website – select the “Forms” tab and scroll to “Entry Forms” (http://www.sportingcarclubsa.org.au/forms.php).

 We invite you to take part in the 30^th running of “John Blanden’s Climb to the Eagle” and Northern GP. 

John Blanden’s Climb to the Eagle Committee 2014

The entry form and disclaimer is on the attached PDF PLEASE NOTE that the closing date for entries is 29^th September 2014

---

A fourth Tonkin body.

This time last year we (Wayne Tonkin and I) heard from Peter Bird in Brisbane who had acquired what he thought was a Buchanan (sounds familiar).Photos that followed revealed that the body was identical to Wayne's Triden, built and raced in 1957 by Wayne's dad, Ron (well, the body may have come a year later). Ron was the fibreglasser at Elfin and he built himself a fairly attractive sports body for his Triden (a grey HolDEN on a TRIumph 1800 chassis). There must have been moulds as years later an identical car turned up in Murray Bridge (also thought to have been a Buchanan at the time). Immanuel now has that car. Then later, Larry Kavanagh turned up another one which I think has now found its way to Queensland.

Anyway, here's number 4. We're yet to learn its history prior to 1980, but it had a Standard 10 chassis, Zephyr 6 engine with triple SUs and a Moss gearbox. Peter has now owned the car twice. In his own words here's an account of its life between 1980 and 2013.........

I bought the car originally in the early 1980’s when I was a graduate engineer in Mount Isa. My first full time job. I saw it under one of the Barracks (single men’s quarters), asked about it and bought it for $500. In those days it was on the chassis and lots of other parts. It had a Jag gearbox and was “rolling”, very rough but not working. It had a jag manual 4 speed gearbox. I had it for a year or so and did nothing to it what with work, girls, going bush and grog to worry about. Too immature and too many distractions.

I sold it to a bloke who worked in the mobile workshops at MIM and who was a bit of a speedway nut for $100. I’ve been thinking about the car for 30 odd years and now how good it would be to do it up as a retirement project.

I managed to track down the same bloke I sold it to since moving back to Brisbane in the last 8 months. He had moved around the country extensively also. Amazingly, he still had it and yes he would sell it back to me. In dragging it around the country he had scrapped the chassis and some other parts so now what remains is the fibreglass shell and the engine in parts. The gearbox apparently suffered water damage and was shot and therefore scrapped a while ago. Apparently the chassis was a Vanguard of about 1958 vintage and mostly that is in the dump too. I can see on the net a Vanguard Standard 10 which might be the chassis used.

I don’t have a lot of time or money to spare at the moment but would very much like to go historic, even if it is only to use the old Zephyr engine. Now that I have all the body parts I have taken some wheelbase dimensions etc and am doing research on the chassis that it would fit. Looks like an MGA or Triumph would do the job but there may be others like an old Austin also.

A bit of an unusual story of going in a 33 year circle but there you go.

This is Peter's retirement project and last I heard he was gathering bits and looking for a suitable donor chassis (he had an MGA in mind).

Incidentally, when I was still in high school in 1961 I recall being shown Ron's Triden in Albert Ludgate's home garage (Ron and Albert lived fairly near to each other) and remember the sides were created by taking a mould from the sides and doors of a 100/4 Healey.

28 litres of Fiat.

Still for sale.

Jim's lovely red 7.

Out and about in Bris Vegas on the weekend. Sharing company with a painted horse.

Talking about utes.

This EK "truck" for sale in America.

Bring-a-trailer described it as a pedestrian car from another land.

It came complete with a spare grey motor. That must be where they are disappearing to.

Another Mustang ute.

SWB ute.

Lots of discussion about this powerful Valiant on the Unique Cars site including a guy from the US (notice I've stopped referring to "septic tanks" in the interests of international harmony, the things you have to do) who recognised the Charger R/T stripe as some Plymouth item. No-one seemed to notice the short tray. This could be one of the factory test mules. The Chrysler race team, when they were developing the Charger for Bathurst, did their testing in utes that were fitted with all of the goodies right down to the short wheelbase.

And talking about SWB utes (no, not the Mighty Boy) take a look at this beauty.

A beaut little heater.

..........and inexpensive too.
Just the thing for your self build project and I can now vouch for its suitability in Ikaras.

Distributed by Tony Cullen at

www.minisport.com.au

1256 South Road, Clovelly Park SA 5042

ph : 08-8177 1275       fax : 08-8177 0188

email : sales@minisport.com.au

Keep this date in mind.

Last year's was a great event. This year's will be even better. The following day we have a flag commitment at Mallala. Let's make a weekend of it.

JWF Italia.

Just have to show you this. Ellis French took these shots of a really great grey engined Tassie Italia. They've got some wonderful Aussie sporties down there.

Allan Hanns had an Italia. I wonder what became of that.

Grey Holdens.

Without a doubt my favourite Facebook page just has to be "Holden Cars & Machinery with Grey Motors." It's fairly new and it's gone gangbusters, 200 members in the 1st 2 days. Here's a few examples.

Triple SUs.

Twins.

Twin engines.

Dave Dunstan's rotary valve heads.

Eldred Norman superchargers.

Repco crossflows.

Waggott twin cam.

Knobbly pistons.

Twin breathers.

Weber manifold.

Speco rocker cover.

Grey motors in Australian Specials.

In Speedway midgets.

and in rails.

You can get lost in this page.