The Roaring Season

Rod

Sign does say that as does a lot of other info on Beechey etc over the years.

First Mustangs were built in March 1964 and are referred to as 64 1/2 and Ford called them 65's.
USA used to/still does release the next years model mid the previous year.

Its a very early K code built Aug 3rd 64 in San Jose and was P = Prairie Bronze and had drum brakes all round ex factory , the fronts Beechey replaced with discs after 1 or 2 meetings.

This sign was on it at MCM at Eastern Crk a few years ago.

I reckon that is Golbourn on the Hume hwy

Ellis wrote:Rod

Sign does say that as does a lot of other info on Beechey etc over the years.

First Mustangs were built in March 1964 and are referred to as 64 1/2 and Ford called them 65's.
USA used to/still does release the next years model mid the previous year.

Its a very early K code built Aug 3rd 64 in San Jose and was P = Prairie Bronze and had drum brakes all round ex factory , the fronts Beechey replaced with discs after 1 or 2 meetings.

This sign was on it at MCM at Eastern Crk a few years ago.

Thanks Ellis, yea after I had done thread I clicked about the 64 1/2. Remember reading an article about Norm going and getting it and the work he did to it as he progressed with it. Also have read more than once about it being first to win, so can only go by what you are informed of.

of note is the final axle ratio of 3.89 ,which even today is a favourite ratio even today with the 289's turning to well over 7,500 rpm.

Most of the very early K Codes had 3.89 open diffs (Code 8) but as time passed 3.5 (Code 5) become the common ratio.

Later K Codes had code E which was 3.5 LSD as standard . H was optional 3.89 LSD as was a 4.11.
The K code had bigger carb, solid lifters, bigger main caps, bigger balancer, different headers, 9" diff,
CR toploader, twin piston calipers, lowered suspension, quicker steering 16.1 box, produced 271hp at 6K compared to USA A code engine of around 220hp.

Interesting that the USA A code engine was chosen by Ford Australia for the XR GT and called a K in Australia
Been nice if they had fitted the USA K Code.

It was the K code that Shelby used to build his cars from mainly giving them extractors and a head clean up to produce 300hp for the road going versions .
The R code Shelbys built specially to race had quite a few extra mods including front suspension pick up
point mods , weight saving stuff , and heaps of HP

K Codes are very collectable today and known as the poor mans Shelby.
I'm very poor but have one in the shed.

[ATTACH]20248[/ATTACH]Hi guys,Ray found this great shot of the start of the 1964 ATCC at Lakeside fearturing the Neptune Racing Team.

Pete

Great to see these brilliant period colour photos from Pete and Ray's collections. All full of great atmosphere. Please keep showing all us enthusiasts more.

It's all a very long time ago, but the missing Bob Jane Jaguar up the pointy end (or visible) made me double check this great photo though. I think this is the November 22, 1964 Lakeside visit for the Neptune Racing Team. They certainly started a 20 lap 'Sedan Trophy Race' in that order, with those numbers. Following should be Brian Muir in the red S4, Brian Foley red/black Cooper S and Bo Seton in the black Cortina GT. The Muir S4 obviously got a great start as he was next to Seton on the grid. While Foley was next to McKeown's Lotus Cortina. The L-C driver won.

Stephen

Wow, well spotted! I'm sure you could be right too, as it was Muir who led the field from the start in the '64 ATCC race, with Jane right behind. Unless its a prelim race?

Pete, beautiful photo! Thanks for posting it.

Here,s Norm giving Muirs S4 a bit of a hurry up.
Pete.[ATTACH]20252[/ATTACH]

I have just been reading the Alan Mann interviews with Wolfgang Kohrn. No quoting is permitted but it would be very interesting to substantiate the statements regarding the "Boxing Day Meeting" 1964, as previously stated which was held 2 weeks later where Alan Mann easily won his races with an ex Sofia Liege car.
Don't get me wrong, Norm was a real spectacle, but are we in the realm of "don't let the truth get in the road of a good story"?

Norm cleared out and was looking good for a win at this stage.

Pete.

Great pics Pete
Thanks for sharing

TDF Mustangs of Mann,were the 1st Mustangs to circuit race ....september 1964.

Robert Bailey wrote:TDF Mustangs of Mann,were the 1st Mustangs to circuit race ....september 1964.

And with out any doubt won in Jan 65 (but not TDF as the winner was a Sofia Liege car which preceded the TDF)

Correct,have you had a chance to read the Alan Mann book "A life of chance" ?

The mustang content is well worth reading as is the chapter on the F3L sports car.

Steve Holmes wrote:Wow, well spotted! I'm sure you could be right too, as it was Muir who led the field from the start in the '64 ATCC race, with Jane right behind. Unless its a prelim race?

Pete, beautiful photo! Thanks for posting it.

The #2 Manton Mini is one clue to the photo being the November 1964 meeting. For the July ATCC meeting he was #18, as shown in the 2 opening posts of this great thread. The November race was also run during overcast weather, lack of major shadows help indicate this to be the case.

The November meeting was also the debut meeting for some bloke named Johnson. I almost thought that beige early model humpy Holden sitting on the trailer in the background might have been Dick's, but I think the car in the photo is #37 and can't see the stripe across the front guards and bonnet.

Stephen

Fresh bitumen, put down just prior to the ATCC meeting indicate Pete's latest 2 photos are from the ATCC meeting. Beechey and Muir had the same numbers for both the July & November meetings.

Edit - looking again at the lighting, the Muir & Beechey photo is probably the ATCC. The single Beechey photo the November meeting.

Stephen

Thanks for clearing that up Stephen, the memory gets a bit murky with the passing of the years.

Pete.

Pete, happy to help if I can work things out with enough clues. I'm just glad that this 'gold' of yours is able to be seen. There will always be someone keen enough to identify the participants/ dates when it's of interest to fellow enthusiasts.

Don't worry about the memory when these photos are 49 years old. Just as well you learnt to take such great photos as a five year old (laughs). I surprise myself when I look back at photos taken in more recent times and are reminded of various cars at a particular event.

Stephen

Manton leading Foley out of the Karussel,Peter Mantons Cooper S was the Mini to beat in its day.

Pete.