New Zealand ShellSport Saloon Series 1978 - 1985

[crunch]

Dont they look the business!

[worsel]

Hell yea!

[Steve Holmes]

Oh wow, really cool! Was the Aitken Datsun an ex-Cook car?

[Fandatstick]

Well, well, well, look who was at Highlands Park Opening Weekend, the two best cars IMO, I'm not biased!

What's the deal with the big front bumper bar on the 120Y coupe?

[Steve Holmes]

Good question, its MASSIVE! Maybe the rules stated the front spoiler couldn't extend beyond the front bumper, so they just made a larger front bumper?

[Carlo]

USA Bumper with the end pieces removed and new end plates, there used to be a bit of contact in Shellsport

[Growler]

Not too sure of this has been posted elsewhere...but there is some good footage of the Shell Sport cars.
http://beeoneoneoh.com/2011/10/30/shell-sport-nz/

[CobraV8]

Has anyone got any photos of Eugene child's red and black mk1 Escort shell Sport car? He was a friend of my dads, and my brother and I used to go to Manfeild and watch / help out when we were kids. Not sure where it ended up either.

[shellsport]

What's the deal with the big front bumper bar on the 120Y coupe?

American style bumper, I guess as a method of getting around the fact of this car using an L series mill , as our models had the A12,s .

[45DCOE]

Found these that may be of interest

[Oldfart]

Found these that may be of interest

??

[GD66]

Not so far...

[45DCOE]

Trying to convert png to jpeg files !

[crunch]

Has anyone got any photos of Eugene child's red and black mk1 Escort shell Sport car? He was a friend of my dads, and my brother and I used to go to Manfeild and watch / help out when we were kids. Not sure where it ended up either.

It (Eugene) ended up living in Brisbane, but he comes back to NZ every year to work at the APRC Whangarei Rally. This is happening in 4 weeks by chance

[CobraV8]

It (Eugene) ended up living in Brisbane, but he comes back to NZ every year to work at the APRC Whangarei Rally. This is happening in 4 weeks by chance

That would bound to be him. I am pretty sure he sold the car before he left. Say hi from Bernard, Bevan and Justin Wright if you see him.

[Steve Holmes]

Trying to convert png to jpeg files !

Email them to me if you like, I can convert them: mailto:?subject=&body=

[Chris Read]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15870[/ATTACH]

You will notice Grant Aitken's sponser - Graeme Dyer Auto- in the photo at post #331. Well, Graeme died this week suddenly in the Gold Coast where he was living age 67. Graeme who ran a successful used car yard in Dunedin was an enthusiastic sponsor. I used to help crew for Grant and Graeme was always along with us having a good time and getting the most out of his sponsorship. Chris Read - Arrowtown.

[Steve Emson]

You will notice Grant Aitken's sponser - Graeme Dyer Auto- in the photo at post #331. Well, Graeme died this week suddenly in the Gold Coast where he was living age 67. Graeme who ran a successful used car yard in Dunedin was an enthusiastic sponsor. I used to help crew for Grant and Graeme was always along with us having a good time and getting the most out of his sponsorship. Chris Read - Arrowtown.

Sad news. All the Shellsport competitors and crews are getting older now! Time waits for no man. I would hate to think how many people I came across in my pretty short racing adventures are no longer with us. Back in the 70's I think we all pretty much thought we were built proof. On the bright side there are many more races to be run. Make the most of them. I had a ball in the 2 seasons I did in Shellsport, and even though I was seriously racing for the championship win, had lots of laughs and fun. Met some amazing people back then. Stuffed up many opportunities also. Regards to all.

[Steve Emson]

Talking about people in the Shellsport era, I wonder if this photo jogs any memories. From the right hand side,
Peter Richardson;
Clever guy and good friend who could make anything out of metal. He even designed and built my Formula Pacific trailer in his spare time.
Neville Bailey;
Fantastic driver in his own right, talented engine man. Also gave me some sound council, and advice on many things. He built the Eastern Tool Co Shellsport car, My GTX B110 coupe, and also my Rally Datsun 1600.
Stewart Coutts:
Very clever guy who designed and built the suspension on my Shellsport car. He completed that work for its 2nd ever meeting at Baypark. New lap record, pole position and the race win. The car never looked back. Stewart also built the Pacific from scratch after my Timaru crash. This was a big feat, as the tub was completely destroyed, as you might expect with the throttles jammed wide open.
Yvonne;
My extremely supportive girlfriend at the time, absolute genius at timing- always exact with official timekeeping and kept my cars clean and polished. The mother of my children, and best wife in the world.
Dad:
Well, everyone who knows Dad will know what a wonderful decent person he is. Widely liked by many people. A very supportive Dad who never really placed any pressure on me, except I think he believed I could win without needing the same equipment of my competitors. Amazing father to have.
John Terry:
My long term sponsor. At times he placed a few demands on me, however his heart and intentions were always correct. He certainly was a big fan of motor racing, and enjoyed the results that we achieved. I think he really enjoyed himself.

Well there you have some of my old team members, there are other important people of course, but are not in the photo that day.

[Grant Sprague]

Steve this is a very cool photo, i knew you were good even in re the GTX days , you ether have it or you dont [U HAD IT ] for some reason things happen & at the end of the day its for the best, I often dream of what could have been , must tell you a little story about that one day ...........Grant