Paul Fahey/Kevin McNamara Z28 Camaro

[Spgeti]

Hello Steve, yes it turned up at one of our meetings at Pakuranga shopping centre, but I can not remember who owned it then. dale O'Gorman from Helensville bought it and she was losing water due to a doggy head repair. i helped him get it fixed. The heads were early angle plug heads, very rear then and she was 60 thou over....talk about streaching it.

Your old car is around but I will talk to Garry first if that is ok.

John, the silver car, 69 Z/28 belongs to a guy in the Waikato and has been restored....repainted many times but is now red again as per my then brother in law owned this car in the later 70s.....didnt race for long and not in GTX... artcle in Petrolhead about a year ago.

[John McKechnie]

Spgeti - thanks for the up date- didnt see that petrol head mag. Would like to see that article, can you help me out with it? Add it to my collection of racing cars that thankfully survived.

[Spgeti]

Hi John, I am sorry I don't have that paper any longer. perhaps contact Petrolhead. From memory the car still had the original rego. Cheers, Bruce

[Steve Emson]

The Art McKee car was green, if that is the one you guys are referring too. It was a very nice car, in lovely condition, and was one of the front running cars.

[Steve Emson]

I originally got this photo from Garry Price and Bruce Dyer as part of their huge collection of info gathered on the Castrol GTX and other early production racing NZ Camaro's.

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The interesting thing about this photo is the trailer the car is sitting on. It is mine, (-now, was Dad's back then) and it is the very same one I still have here in Qld. Dad brought it over to Brisbane for me as it tows fantastically. It has carried many race cars over the years . It even was used by Nissan NZ for Jimmy's Godzilla. Dad must have lent it to Paul for this meeting.
Very weird seeing it in this photo. I suppose I had better call Kevin and collect the hire fee. Might be worth a bottle of beer................................

[Rod Grimwood]

I hope to catch up with him shortly Steve, so will see if I can pick up your beer for you.
Cheers

[Steve Holmes]

The interesting thing about this photo is the trailer the car is sitting on. It is mine, (-now, was Dad's back then) and it is the very same one I still have here in Qld. Dad brought it over to Brisbane for me as it tows fantastically. It has carried many race cars over the years . It even was used by Nissan NZ for Jimmy's Godzilla. Dad must have lent it to Paul for this meeting.
Very weird seeing it in this photo. I suppose I had better call Kevin and collect the hire fee. Might be worth a bottle of beer................................

Wow, that is amazing you still have it. Wouldn't it have been awesome if you'd taken a photo of every race car that had been on it.

[Steve Holmes]

The Art McKee car was green, if that is the one you guys are referring too. It was a very nice car, in lovely condition, and was one of the front running cars.

Thats probably his last one Steve. He had three of them. The first one he bought when living in the UK. Thats the one Steve Malam asked about above. The second one is the bronze coloured car that races in historics in the South Island. It was owned for a while by Brendan Mason, but I think Steve Ross might own it now. Its bronze with black vinyl roof and Crown Court Motel (or similar) graphics on it. The third one is I think the one you're referring to, which is the only one he raced in the Castrol GTX series, and he won the championship with. I think I've got that right? Bruce will be able to say for sure.

[John McKechnie]

Steve-I have at my place the trailer that Tim Bailey used for his GTHO. He sold the combo to Roy Harrington, he then sold the car , kept the trailer. The trailer is still yellow, wont have time to repaint this to match the car in 2 weeks. Maybe I should have a signage for this trailer as well as the car at Hampton Downs.It may be easier to trace car usage of a trailer than the car history . A house without a car trailer is like a Sunday not wearing Flamecrushers....... Who is going to tell to tell Dale that Cars and now Trailers are the stars ?

[Steve Emson]

Yes, some of the trailers could tell a thousand stories. I think this trailer has done 104mph. That is what the speedo said, it is rumoured. Or was it just a dream..from a place far,far away.

[Spgeti]

Thats probably his last one Steve. He had three of them. The first one he bought when living in the UK. Thats the one Steve Malam asked about above. The second one is the bronze coloured car that races in historics in the South Island. It was owned for a while by Brendan Mason, but I think Steve Ross might own it now. Its bronze with black vinyl roof and Crown Court Motel (or similar) graphics on it. The third one is I think the one you're referring to, which is the only one he raced in the Castrol GTX series, and he won the championship with. I think I've got that right? Bruce will be able to say for sure.

The green car is the one he won the 75/76 GTX Championship. He then sold that to Doug Allen . The Bronze car was a Crown Court car and raced by Farrar, pre RS front and was dark green. Brendon Mason at some stage also owned the Richards /Bunce car. Steves car originaly gold was his UK car.

[Spgeti]

Hey folks, I got an email a couple of days ago from Tony Collins in Queensland asking for info and photos of the Paul Fahey owned Z28 Camaro that Kevin McNamara raced in the 1975/76 Castrol GTX series in New Zealand. I'm sure I have a couple of period photos of the car around somewhere. It was painted white and sponsored by Union Travel (I think). Does anyone else have info and/or photos of the car? Also, did it race again after this season? Not sure why, but I had a feeling it might have been the Dave Baker "Big Brother" Camaro that raced the following season.

Below is the email I got from Tony. Can anyone help?

"Hi Steve

My name is Tony Collins-Haskins one of the founders of The Australian Trans-Am Series.

Shane Wilson one of our members who is coming with us to race in New Zealand has purchased a 1971 Z28 Camaro (attached photo's) here locally. He had some knowledge of this car racing in the Castrol GTX Series in the 70's . The original importer to New Zealand was Paul Fahey but as I understand he didn't race this car and was sold to someone else. It is believed to have been raced by Kevin McNamara . We are unsure of the cars colour when raced. The photos I have sent of the car as you see it has been painted in its original Vin colour. A person here believes he has seen the car White or even an Orange/Mustard colour. We think we know the where the original log books for this car are and are trying to pursue this further.
At the moment we are going to check the car over ant race it here in the 2013 Fataz Sportsman Series apart of Australian Trans-Am. Once we get all of the cars history we will restore it back how it belonged. If yourself or anyone else has photos or imformation please let us know.

Regards
Tony"

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I will be at HD for the first weekend and only to pleased to talk to you re this car. I am with the Group A cars but will find you. I will bring details of original rego numbers and a couple of photos plus ownership history with me.
It is great to see that the car has not been lost and is alive and well. Look forward to meeting you. Cheers, Bruce

[BMCBOY]

A few shots I found of the Camaro taken in 1976 Winter Series at Pukekohe that may be of interest

[Spgeti]

Great photos, Thanks, Bruce.

[markec]

The Bronze Z is now owned by Roy MacDonald in Dunedin, I was talking to him at his workshop two weeks ago when he asked me if I could find any info on the car, I will send him the link to this thread.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Mark, I think the bronze car was Art's first (of three) and which he bought in the UK when living there and shipped back to NZ.

[Steve Holmes]

A few shots I found of the Camaro taken in 1976 Winter Series at Pukekohe that may be of interest

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Beautiful photos Ross, thanks for posting. I got to speak with 'Jandals' Sheehan about this car on the weekend. He built it from three cars that Fahey had shipped out of the US. As Jandals put it, all three were junk. It was built around the best of the three, a red one with parts donated by the other two, and which was then painted white for racing.