Photos: The Peter Mellor Collection - Part 1

[zombie289]

PS.......I believe Norm may have the first person to circuit-race a Mustang......anywhere!

Nope Alan Mann beat him to it in the 1st week of Jan 1965

[Rod Grimwood]

Nope Alan Mann beat him to it in the 1st week of Jan 1965

Interesting as believe Norm to be first, ok

[Steve Holmes]

Yes, that is interesting. There has always been talk that the Beechey Mustang was the first Mustang in the world to be circuit raced. But the Beechey car made its race debut in late January 1965, so was after the Alan Mann car.

[Steve Holmes]

That would be the late Claude Morton,who worked for Norm in those years,many years latter he was member of the VHRR and the tow truck driver at Winton raceway Benalla,a very nice always had a joke and a smile on his face.

Thanks for this Robert.

[Robert Bailey]

Do we have any current photos of Norms Mustang?

[Ellis]

These are from ebay when it was sold in 2008

[Ellis]

Yes, that is interesting. There has always been talk that the Beechey Mustang was the first Mustang in the world to be circuit raced. But the Beechey car made its race debut in late January 1965, so was after the Alan Mann car.

Understood it to be the 1st Mustang in world to win a road race

[Robert Bailey]

I'm thinking that the current owners are restoring it in the style of 1965 ATCC figure.
I was keen to buy it at the time but the GFC and cancer kicked that on the head.

[Steve Holmes]

Robert, were you looking at buying it in 2008 when it went up for auction, or at an earlier time in its life?

[Steve Holmes]

These are from ebay when it was sold in 2008

Interesting, I've never noticed before that the Mustang was converted to right hand drive at some stage. When did this happen?

[Robert Bailey]

Hi Steve....great forum,been reading it for about a year,it was on Ebay and a fellow Autosport forum member (275) put me onto it.
I had known about it for years via a guy that worked in CAMS in the historic area,who did the ex Niel Allen Shelby 'stang.
But thats another story.perhaps not for print.Same fellow built up in the '90s a copy of the blue ATCC car and palmed it off as Norms car,it still is in VIC from memory.

[Steve Holmes]

Oh wow, I hadn't realised a replica had been made and was being palmed off as the real thing. A bit like the Sidchrome Mustang look-a-like that was built in the US and sold as the real thing. For some reason they used a '70 Mustang to build it from!

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[Ellis]

This is the replica (pic source not known)

[Robert Bailey]

thats the car,it was well built under contract by a mate that did a '67 Stang I ran in historics.

I think at some stage ,Norm sent a letter out ..asking for his name to be removed or similar.

[zombie289]

In Alan Manns biography, He claims to have won a race at Brands hatch in the first week of January 1965. That race was actually a delayed Boxing day meeting... He was driving an ex TDF mustang and it was typical of Alan to race at that Boxing day meeting once a year...to keep his eye in...so to speak! I do have a copy of autosport somewhere in my archives that verifies this victory. Speaking of Norm Beechey though, does anyone have a pic of this car when it was still painted Gold??

[Robert Bailey]

When those 3 cars ran in the '64 TDF,did they not also have races during the tour?

[Rod Grimwood]

thats the car,it was well built under contract by a mate that did a '67 Stang I ran in historics.

I think at some stage ,Norm sent a letter out ..asking for his name to be removed or similar.

Found this photo, same car number plate. kind of recent looking cars in background
note it is left hook

[zombie289]

When those 3 cars ran in the '64 TDF,did they not also have races during the tour?

I believe that could have been possible Robert, as I have seen pics of the 1963 TDF cars going around the Monaco?? track....

[Rod Grimwood]

Ellis, can you blow up or scan the for sale notice, as sure it says 1st Mustang to win a race in the world. This is interesting as I am sure I read somewhere way back that was what happened.

Its a 1965 Mustang. Believe they were the first.

Did they make them in 63/64.

[Rod Grimwood]

Found this on Bob Jane site, must be when norm had just picked the car up, before transporter.
Good looking set up.