by Steve Holmes » Tue Sep 20, 2011 1:00 am
Leo D wrote:Sorry Steve.... been a little distracted of late...
The Beechey Camaro was certainly a little mysterious in as much that it made very few appearances. As to where it went after its few races, I do not know.... I remember seeing a picture in Racing Car News of Norm and Margaret standing on the corner of Haight & Ashbury in San Francisco (you’d have to have been around in the 1960’s for that to have any meaning) that was included in a story of their trip to the USA to buy the Camaro.
I’m sure Thunder 427 has an interesting story about the Camaro appearing in a used car lot on the Nepean Highway out of Melbourne for sale at some stage.
I tend to believe that it was indeed an interim car between the Nova and the Monaro... as I said, the Monaro was parked beside the Camaro on its debut at Calder, and I don’t think that was by chance.
It must be remembered that when the Camaro was brought into service, the Nova had in reality been around a long time... well a long time for Norm.... The Nova saw service at 2 ATCC races, the first being 1966 at Bathurst, where Norm took both his championship winning Mustang and the Nova to Bathurst, qualifying in both cars, but choosing to race the Nova. Pete Geoghegan came out on top in his 1965 Mustang.
1967 again saw the Nova at Lakeside and in what should have been a winning position, but it was not to be.... Pete Geoghegan again coming out on top, this time in his new 1967 Mustang....
1968 at Warwick Farm, I’m guessing that Norm and his sponsors wanted to see him in something different, hence the Camaro. Unfortunately, the car didn’t go the distance and he spent most of the event watching Pete Geoghegan motor onto another championship win.
My memory of the Nova going to NZ was for the Bay park event, where he would have been one of the headliners....
The Nova at Sandown.... the same trim it would have appeared at Bay Park in..
Thanks Greg. Yes that all makes sense re the Camaro and Nova. Beechey did replace his cars pretty regularly, which helped keep interest up. It seems he either purchased or was about to purchase the Nova in late 1965, and I think the car made its race debut at the 1966 ATCC race at Bathurst didn't it?
Beechey raced the car in NZ twice, at the end of 1967, and at the end of 1968. The 1968 Bay Park races must have been some of the last he did in the car. This was the Bay Park Xmas meeting.
What I wonder, is why nobody seems to have bought the Camaro off Beechey to race. It was obviously a pretty good car, Beechey started on the front row for the '68 ATCC race alongside Geoghegan, and ahead of Jane, McKeown, Manton, Fahey, Foley, Gibson, Dawson, etc. And Beechey ran second until the Camaro stopped on lap 12. Every Beechey race car before and after the Camaro found a buyer who raced it, except the Camaro. I vaguely seem to remember Myles telling me he saw the car for sale in a car yard. Or did I just imagine that?
[quote="Leo D"]Sorry Steve.... been a little distracted of late...
The Beechey Camaro was certainly a little mysterious in as much that it made very few appearances. As to where it went after its few races, I do not know.... I remember seeing a picture in Racing Car News of Norm and Margaret standing on the corner of Haight & Ashbury in San Francisco (you’d have to have been around in the 1960’s for that to have any meaning) that was included in a story of their trip to the USA to buy the Camaro.
I’m sure Thunder 427 has an interesting story about the Camaro appearing in a used car lot on the Nepean Highway out of Melbourne for sale at some stage.
I tend to believe that it was indeed an interim car between the Nova and the Monaro... as I said, the Monaro was parked beside the Camaro on its debut at Calder, and I don’t think that was by chance.
It must be remembered that when the Camaro was brought into service, the Nova had in reality been around a long time... well a long time for Norm.... The Nova saw service at 2 ATCC races, the first being 1966 at Bathurst, where Norm took both his championship winning Mustang and the Nova to Bathurst, qualifying in both cars, but choosing to race the Nova. Pete Geoghegan came out on top in his 1965 Mustang.
1967 again saw the Nova at Lakeside and in what should have been a winning position, but it was not to be.... Pete Geoghegan again coming out on top, this time in his new 1967 Mustang....
1968 at Warwick Farm, I’m guessing that Norm and his sponsors wanted to see him in something different, hence the Camaro. Unfortunately, the car didn’t go the distance and he spent most of the event watching Pete Geoghegan motor onto another championship win.
My memory of the Nova going to NZ was for the Bay park event, where he would have been one of the headliners....
The Nova at Sandown.... the same trim it would have appeared at Bay Park in..
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Thanks Greg. Yes that all makes sense re the Camaro and Nova. Beechey did replace his cars pretty regularly, which helped keep interest up. It seems he either purchased or was about to purchase the Nova in late 1965, and I think the car made its race debut at the 1966 ATCC race at Bathurst didn't it?
Beechey raced the car in NZ twice, at the end of 1967, and at the end of 1968. The 1968 Bay Park races must have been some of the last he did in the car. This was the Bay Park Xmas meeting.
What I wonder, is why nobody seems to have bought the Camaro off Beechey to race. It was obviously a pretty good car, Beechey started on the front row for the '68 ATCC race alongside Geoghegan, and ahead of Jane, McKeown, Manton, Fahey, Foley, Gibson, Dawson, etc. And Beechey ran second until the Camaro stopped on lap 12. Every Beechey race car before and after the Camaro found a buyer who raced it, except the Camaro. I vaguely seem to remember Myles telling me he saw the car for sale in a car yard. Or did I just imagine that?