The Bruce Wells Collection

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Expand view Topic review: The Bruce Wells Collection

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Ray Bell » Fri Mar 12, 2021 10:48 am

Don't you hate it when you come back five years later and find you've made a mistake?
Originally posted by myself
The Thomas Rich accident occurred in May, 1962. That was in the Le Mans-start race on the wet track in another pic.....
It was May, 1963...

It was actually the first time I went to Catalina Park, the accident happened just before I got there that day. It can't have been 1962 as I didn't go to any race meeting prior to October, 1962.

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by seaqnmac27 » Thu Feb 09, 2017 7:26 am

For want of a better place, I think this compliments Bruces photos

[video=youtube;mb5qxTZA9nw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb5qxTZA9nw[/video]

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Ray Bell » Sat Jul 09, 2016 12:53 pm

Thank you, that fills in another blank...

I gather you're the owner of one of the infamous 179M 225 S4s?

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by EH S4 » Sat Jul 09, 2016 1:12 am

Hi Ray, Car 35 was entered by the Bannockburn Service Station and driven by W Porter

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Ray Bell » Sun Mar 20, 2016 11:28 pm

Looking at the Bathurst 6-hour cars... apart from the Geoghegan Daimler, of course...

I feel sure the Lark is the Don Algie/Kingsley Hibbard car, that seems to fit best with what little can be seen of the names on the front. It won its class and also headed the 'Teams Prize' winning team on 99 laps.

The Citroen is the Bill Buckle/Brian Foley entry, which wasn't placed, and the Falcon is the Jane/Firth FoMoCo entry which Firth had the misfortune to put on its roof. I can't identify the MGA, but two were entered, one for John/Caldecott, the other for Owen/Wear. I'm guessing that the latter was Pedro Owen and Colin Wear.

Whoops! There were also MGA Twin Cams entered for Claydon/Gibson and two others. Is that a Twin Cam?

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Ray Bell » Sun Mar 20, 2016 2:57 pm

This one had me a bit foxed...

Image

I was pretty sure it was the start of the '63 Australian FJr Championship at Warwick Farm, but the Greg Cusack Elfin Catalina is on the front row as well as Greg Cusack in his Brabham. However, reference to the race report shows that Jim Palmer is in the Elfin (while Greg is so slow away that he was fifth to the Western Crossing).

Kent Price is in the other black and Total-striped Lotus.

The Hume Weir meeting with Bartlett in the Lynx was about September '62. That would be Wally Mitchell in the Lotus 20 behind him and one of the Birchwood 18s next, likely Jack Hunnam driving.

The Nota Sportsman dicing with Jacques Sapir is likely Les Howard. I never saw this car but they were involved in a race at the same meeting.

The black Holden in this pic...

Image

...is probably Bo Seton, but of more interest to me is the FC on the outside. If anyone has the programme it is either 33 or 35 at the August '62 meeting.

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Ray Bell » Sat Mar 19, 2016 10:17 am

Originally posted by John Medley
Great pics!
Some identifications:
122 Sid Howard Nota MG XPEG s/c - currently being rebuilt
71 Kevin Bartlett Lynx
53 MG Vauxhall ?Ron Davis? - as MG P won an Australian Grand Prix
35 Jaques Sapir Nota Sportsman
70 Bob Healey Riley Coupe
21 George Murray Austin 7 chassis BMC A engine
Don Glanville's MGP s/c became Geoff McGrath's now Ian Mawson's
17 Tom Rich red TR fatal at Catalina Park


The Thomas Rich accident occurred in May, 1962. That was in the Le Mans-start race on the wet track in another pic.

Other unanswered questions:

The Cusato/Seton Mercedes was a rebuilt wreck if I recall correctly. I did a story about this car for Motor Racing Australia and I'm pretty sure that's what Bo told me. It is NOT the Jane/Firth Armstrong 500 car.

The pic of the carbies and (somewhat rough) manifold on the Daimler is NOT the Geoghegan car at Bathurst. I don't know if the Geoghegans ran this car elsewhere, but that 1962 Bathurst race was for production cars only. And it was only one year before Bathurst became the home to the 500.

The pic of the Neptune team cars is almost certainly at Warwick Farm, there wasn't that much level ground in the Catalina paddock.

The Repco V8 in the '67 AGP batch is of Brabham's car, I believe.

The centre trophy is the Tasman Cup, the lower left one is the Lex Davison Trophy for the AGP.

I would think that the '62 BRM on the trailer behind the Zephyr would be at the October meeting in '62, though I was there and I don't immediately remember it, but that would coincide with it maybe being on display at the '62 Sydney Motor Show. Then again, the sheer number of EJ Holdens in the background really auger against this. Maybe the December meeting? Or even the '63 International meeting? Not later than that, I'm sure, as it was definitely a tour promoting Hill's title successes for Shell and Rubery Owen.

The Shell connection would have been the reason for the SVM ute.

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Steve Holmes » Thu Dec 08, 2011 8:17 pm

John, thanks heaps for posting those captions, its much appreciated. Great to have your input here.

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by John Medley » Sat Dec 03, 2011 1:21 pm

Great pics!
Some identifications:
122 Sid Howard Nota MG XPEG s/c - currently being rebuilt
71 Kevin Bartlett Lynx
53 MG Vauxhall ?Ron Davis? - as MG P won an Australian Grand Prix
35 Jaques Sapir Nota Sportsman
70 Bob Healey Riley Coupe
21 George Murray Austin 7 chassis BMC A engine
Don Glanville's MGP s/c became Geoff McGrath's now Ian Mawson's
17 Tom Rich red TR fatal at Catalina park

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Steve Holmes » Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:29 pm

Just looking at the trophy table for the 67 AGP, when did wreaths stop being awarded to drivers?

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by nigel watts » Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:58 am

Outstanding photos - thanks for posting

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by bob homewood » Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:32 am

Rod Grimwood wrote:What a front row Stewart, Clark and Hill. Did not get much better. Good old days when they came down for a holiday.


Rod,yes plus a few beers and the odd cake fight .also a first hand look at how the colonials kept stuff going

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Rod Grimwood » Tue Nov 01, 2011 8:56 am

What a front row Stewart, Clark and Hill. Did not get much better. Good old days when they came down for a holiday.

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Steve Holmes » Tue Nov 01, 2011 3:10 am

Gavin, good post! I wondered about the BRM myself. I think you're probably right on the money. The trailer looks set up more as a publicity float rather than a functioning trailer. And the Zephyr seems to be towing it around the track during a break in the racing. Note the kid standing on the guard rail.

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by pallmall » Tue Nov 01, 2011 2:29 am

The BRM on the trailer is interesting, it is an early season 1962 car with the stack exhausts. This car never raced in Australia, so possibly a publicity visit for Shell after it won the World Championship.
The last shot shows Hill in the F2 Lotus alongside Clark in the 2 litre Lotus 33 Climax, showing the potential of the new FVA Cosworth when it could get a third on the grid ahead of many 2.5 cars. Pity we didn't see Hill and this car in the NZ part of that years Tasman.

Super photos.

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Steve Holmes » Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:48 pm

And finally, the last four photos for this part. All are from the Warwick Farm, the last three being the 1967 AGP meeting, which The Farm was hosting for the second time. Note the trophies! I absolutely love the final photo, the grid shot. There is just so much happening in here, its really enjoyable to see.

Thanks again to Bruce, for allowing me to share this amazing collection. Part 2 will follow soon, and will be from Hume Weir, from both 1962 and 1964.

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WF AGP 67 1967.jpg
WF  TR(3a) Harris.jpg
WF AGP 1967.jpg
WF 1967 a.jpg

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Steve Holmes » Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:19 pm

OK, winding down towards the finish of this first part. Kicking off here, the engine shot, Bruce has simply labelled it as "MG PB 848cc Glanville". Any help at all with this? The next is more FJ action, with Barry Collerson being chased by Kevin Bartlett at Oran Park. Next is a crowd shot from Oran Park. The next shot of the Triumph is simply labelled as "T Rich (fatal)". I assume the driver lost his life in this accident? Can anyone shed any light on this? Finally, a nice shot of one of the BRMs at the '64 Tasman race at Warwick Farm, being towed by a Scuderia Veloce motors MkII Zephyr.

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MG PB 848cc Glanville.jpg
WF 9-64 crash crew.jpg
OP 7-62 Collerson-Bartlett.jpg
OP 7-62.jpg
T Rich (Fatal) 2.jpg

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Steve Holmes » Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:59 am

What little info I could find on the car is this Michael: "..........Sid Howard's front engine Formula junior that was equipped with a MG XPEG engine blown to 17 psi". This being from the Nota Sports Cars website.

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by Michael Clark » Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:30 am

Great photos I agree - but it is the Nota that really catches my eye. What powerplant I wonder..

Re: The Bruce Wells Collection

by bob homewood » Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:39 am

Great photos ,I notice a couple of candidates for the pre 60 saloons there

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