Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

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Expand view Topic review: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Steve Holmes » Mon Apr 14, 2014 5:30 am

Jim McKeown cocks an inside wheel in the 911 Sports Sedan. Does anyone know where McKeown got this car from? And what happened to it?

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Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Steve Holmes » Mon Mar 31, 2014 2:23 am

This is Pete Geoghegan getting both inside wheels up off the deck in his Mustang GTA.

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Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Steve Holmes » Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:50 pm

More from the Precision Driving Team.

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Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Steve Holmes » Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:43 pm

Thanks Paul, great info. I'd almost forgotten about the Alfa 75. Bond ran it through 1987, before switching to a Ford RS500.

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by prn31 » Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:43 pm

Steve Holmes wrote:Wow, the only survivor? How many GTV6s did Bondy race? I know he ran a two-car team in 1985 with Alan Jones driving the second car. Did either of these cars carry across to 1986?


There were three Alfa Romeo Australia GTV6s and Colin Bond raced all of them…

The first was the in-house built RHD GTV6 that started out in Network Alfa colours that Bond debuted in 1984, when Group A was allowed at Bathurst that year. This car was repainted “Ignis” yellow and used for the 85 ATCC, then raced by Allan Grice and Greg Hansford in white “Toy Shop” Colours before sold to Warwick Rooklyn and raced at Bathurst 86 in blue “Pye” colours with Lucio Cesario. Then it was sold to John Cotter and later Andrew Leithhead (both Alfa Club Presidents). Leithhead turned it into a sports sedan and he wrote it off at Amaroo Park circa 1992.

The LHD “Luigi Racing” was bought in for Alan Jones for the 85 ATCC. When he went to Europe it reverted to Bond who used it at Bathurst with Hansford to finish 8th outright. The car was written off at the Surfers Paradise enduro round later that year.

The remains of the Luigi car were transplanted into a new GTV6 shell sans chassis number and the original “Luigi” CAMS logbook was retained – essentially it assumed that car’s history. This is the car Melbourne Alfa specialist Hugh Harrison has owned for a long time.

As an aside the Ray Gulson “Dulux” Group C/A GTV6 survives in Melbourne in the hands of Scott Farquaharson.

And before anyone asks, Bond’s Group A 75 Turbo was turned into a sports sedan by another local Alfa club member Ian McDonald. It was raced on occasion by John Cotter but was written off by McDonald at Oran Park in the early 1990s.

Paul

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Spgeti » Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:41 am

prn31 wrote:My understanding is that Foley bought it directly from the Autodelta factory in 1971. I suspect that Foley was expecting a GTAm in race ready condition, but I think it was pretty tired when it landed in Australia. I beleive it was supposed to have been a works car, but Autodelta records were pretty much non-existant even back then and I understand the car's European history remains a mystery.


Thanks Paul. I always wondered re its history. These thing were raced to death in Europe and I believe only 30 plus were constructed by Autodelta. A very valuable and desirable Alfa. The GTV 6s do you have any pcs of that as well.

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Steve Holmes » Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:26 am

Wow, the only survivor? How many GTV6s did Bondy race? I know he ran a two-car team in 1985 with Alan Jones driving the second car. Did either of these cars carry across to 1986?

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by prn31 » Tue Mar 25, 2014 3:10 am

Steve Holmes wrote:Wow, that looks amazing! Thanks Paul. Is that one of the Colin Bond Ignis Fridges Group A cars next to it?


Yep, that is the rebodied and RHD "ex-Luigi Racing" GTV6 that Colin Bond campaigned in 1986. It is the only Alfa Romeo Australia "works" GTV6 race cars that survives.

I think the other yellow GTV6 on the other side of that photo would be the ex-Greg Carr ARC winning rally car.

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Steve Holmes » Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:22 pm

prn31 wrote:Hi Steve,

I hadn't realised that Foley had converted the GTAm from LHD to RHD when he put the V8 in, but he must have.

I've attached a photo of the restored GTAm at its unveiling by owner Vin Sharp and Brian Foley, and you can see it is now LHD....


Wow, that looks amazing! Thanks Paul. Is that one of the Colin Bond Ignis Fridges Group A cars next to it?

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Steve Holmes » Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:20 pm

Thanks Ellis.

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Ellis » Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:30 pm

Steve Holmes wrote:Ahh, OK, I didn't know they had two of them. Which is the one the Bowdens now own?


It went to a Melb owner maybe 2 or 3 years ago who had it restored...again...its the 72 car I think.
They have the 71 John French works car that went to Beechey. It is restored to 71 guise.

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by prn31 » Fri Mar 21, 2014 6:10 am

Spgeti wrote:Wow, what a beautiful resto. Do you know where Foley got the GTAm from Paul ?


My understanding is that Foley bought it directly from the Autodelta factory in 1971. I suspect that Foley was expecting a GTAm in race ready condition, but I think it was pretty tired when it landed in Australia. I beleive it was supposed to have been a works car, but Autodelta records were pretty much non-existant even back then and I understand the car's European history remains a mystery.

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Spgeti » Fri Mar 21, 2014 5:21 am

Wow, what a beautiful resto. Do you know where Foley got the GTAm from Paul ?

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by prn31 » Fri Mar 21, 2014 4:42 am

Steve Holmes wrote:Thanks Paul, great info, keep it coming. I assumed it was the white car which became the V8 Sports Sedan, as both this car and the V8 are rhd, whereas the car he ran in the 1971 ATCC was lhd. Would he have converted it to rhd when the V8 was fitted due to clearance issues?

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Hi Steve,

I hadn't realised that Foley had converted the GTAm from LHD to RHD when he put the V8 in, but he must have.

I've attached a photo of the restored GTAm at its unveiling by owner Vin Sharp and Brian Foley, and you can see it is now LHD....
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Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Steve Holmes » Fri Mar 21, 2014 4:09 am

Thanks Paul, great info, keep it coming. I assumed it was the white car which became the V8 Sports Sedan, as both this car and the V8 are rhd, whereas the car he ran in the 1971 ATCC was lhd. Would he have converted it to rhd when the V8 was fitted due to clearance issues?

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Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by prn31 » Fri Mar 21, 2014 3:59 am

Steve Holmes wrote:Thanks Paul. So this is the car Foley fitted the V8 to?


No Steve. The other Alfa - the 1750 GTAm in Chesterfield colours that Foley was three wheeling around Lakeside is the car that Brian transplanted the Tasman V8 into. Foley raced both the GTAm V8 and GTA sports sedan in Chesterfield colours at the same time, which is why they are often confused for each other.

After Foley sold the GTAm to the wild west, the Tasman V8 was replaced by a more common V8 (a Rover). The Tasman V8 was eventually reunited with one of the Mildren single seaters (the Brabham BT23D I think). When Vin Sharp bought the GTAm shell, the the original engine was part of the deal but hadn't been in the car since 1972!

Paul

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Steve Holmes » Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:01 am

Ellis wrote:The Skelton / Barnes pic is Sandown in 71 pre Bathurst (#54)
I believe they had a spare car originally entered for Geoghegans in 71 Bathurst (allocated 56E) but didnt race
(Its not in the race program but is on the preliminary entry sheets.)
The spare was originally another colour (Red) but repainted Wild Violet.
The better known car was a delete options Wild Violet car.


Ahh, OK, I didn't know they had two of them. Which is the one the Bowdens now own?

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Steve Holmes » Thu Mar 20, 2014 11:57 pm

prn31 wrote:Yes, this is the second of Alec Mildren's GTAs and the first RHD one that Kevin Bartlett took to 4th in the 1967 ATCC at Lakeside. This must be at least 1968 given that there is a Datsun 1600 in the pits.

This GTA later passed to John French who repainted it red with sponsorship from Clive Nolan Motors (John's father-in-law) and then Brian Foley who turned it into a sports sedan in Chesterfield colours. He crashed it badly in 1973 at Oran park breaking a leg and then the GTA headed west where it was originally restored in Chesterfield colours before returning to New South Wales where the current owner carried out an expensive restoration back to its original Alec Mildren Racing white livery as seen here. John French was reunited with the GTA at Lakeside in 2011.


Thanks Paul. So this is the car Foley fitted the V8 to?

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by Ellis » Thu Mar 20, 2014 10:40 am

Steve Holmes wrote:Well thats certainly interesting Ellis. The car raced at Bathurst 1972 with just the purple paint without the gold highlights, and the photo in post #52 above from Lakeside appears to have been taken not long after Bathurst, as the car still wears its Hardie Ferodo sticks. So it would seem the gold highlights appeared earlier in 1972, and later in 1972. Seems unlikely, but do you think they could have been stickers?


The Skelton / Barnes pic is Sandown in 71 pre Bathurst (#54)
I believe they had a spare car originally entered for Geoghegans in 71 Bathurst (allocated 56E) but didnt race
(Its not in the race program but is on the preliminary entry sheets.)
The spare was originally another colour (Red) but repainted Wild Violet.
The better known car was a delete options Wild Violet car.

Re: Photos: The Graham Ruckert Collection: Part 1

by prn31 » Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:01 am

Steve Holmes wrote:More Italian eye-candy. Gorgeous little Lancia Fulvia HF 1600. This example was owned by Graeme Ward.

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I think you will find that this was actually a Fulvia 1.3 HF. Grahame Ward raced this car in early 1968 with some success before he was involved in an accident with Bo Seton in a Falcon GT at the 1968 Easter Bathurst meeting. Unfortunately the little Fulvia was written off. There was talk of the car being reshelled but this never happened.

Grahame Ward, who still operates a Lancia sevice business in Surfers Paradise, apparently still has the original 1.3 HF engine....

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