Photos: The Bruce Wells Collection - The Drivers

[Terry S]

How do you know that, Terry?

Don't be obtuse Ray. That's all I'll say

[Steve Holmes]

[Steve Holmes]

[Ray Bell]

Lex Davison in the first of that brace...

1964 or 1965 in his Brabham.

Rocky Tresise in the second, seated in the Cooper Bruce McLaren ran in the Internationals of 1963 and Davo ran in the rest of 1963.

[Steve Holmes]

My dad goes to the gym with this bloke.

[Kwaussie]

Is your dad's gym bloke Kerry Grant?

[Ray Bell]

In the BT4 before it got painted black...

[Steve Holmes]

Is your dad's gym bloke Kerry Grant?

Yes indeed. They used to go to school together.

[Steve Holmes]

This one has been posted in another chapter of Bruce's photos, but is also suitable for this thread.

[Terry S]

This one has been posted in another chapter of Bruce's photos, but is also suitable for this thread.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]43863[/ATTACH]

Left to right: Max Stahl of RCN, Norm Beechey and his mechanic Claude Morton

[Kwaussie]

Yes indeed. They used to go to school together.

Wow that is great - now Steve you are in a perfect position to maybe get a few insights into his early races.
My hero ever since I saw him in his first A40, I and most likely many others were impressed by his great skills!

[Steve Holmes]

[Ray Bell]

Frank Gardner in the Mildren Maserati...

In the background is Ken Miles in the 427 Cobra, the other car partially visible is probably Greg Cusack's Lotus 23. This is on the grid for the heat prior to the Australian Tourist Trophy at Lakeside in November, 1965.

[Terry S]

Frank Gardner in the Mildren Maserati...

In the background is Ken Miles in the 427 Cobra, the other car partially visible is probably Greg Cusack's Lotus 23. This is on the grid for the heat prior to the Australian Tourist Trophy at Lakeside in November, 1965.

Ray, looks like the same driver as in posts #32 and 39, don't you think?

[Steve Holmes]

Frank Gardner in the Mildren Maserati...

In the background is Ken Miles in the 427 Cobra, the other car partially visible is probably Greg Cusack's Lotus 23. This is on the grid for the heat prior to the Australian Tourist Trophy at Lakeside in November, 1965.

Ray, whatever happened to the Mildren Maserati?

[Ray Bell]

It died in that very race...

At the end of the first lap the crank broke, bits escaping took out the gear linkage and Frank couldn't knock it out of gear so all the bits were still whirring around out of control and it all began at pretty much the fastest point on the circuit.

After Frank Matich's crash in the Lotus 19B in July (also at Lakeside) the Mildren Maserati was expected to walk away with the ATT, but it fell into Pete Geoghegan's lap for the second time.

Sold less the damaged Maserati engine to Ross Ambrose in Tasmania, he fitted a Climax (about a 2.2-litre as I recall) and raced it with success on the Apple Isle. Later it had an Olds or Buick engine fitted, I think an Oldsmobile, and it continued racing for some years. It's still out there somewhere.

For the greater part of its life it was known as a Rennmax, though the Wikipedia article on it states it was copied from a Lotus 19 chassis while in fact it was basically a Lotus 23 with a bigger engine bay, bigger brakes and a restyled body. It was, of course, a Bob Britton build and he had Mildren's 23 chassis on hand to copy.

[Terry S]

Ray, whatever happened to the Mildren Maserati?

A couple of things on this car:

Refer post # 2 of this thread:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/australia/165328-rennmax-traco-olds-sports-car-pre-1969-a.html

Also what appear to be last photos of the car

http://www.motorsportarchive.com/alec_mildren_rennmax_maserati.htm

Looks horrible doesn't it?

Last I saw of it was on the American Race Car Sales site possibly 5 years ago. It doesn't seem to have sold.

[Ray Bell]

It seems to me to have been seriously disfigured around the rear...

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks guys, this is great info.

[Steve Holmes]