The Roaring Season

Thanks to TRS, I found this posting of the De Joux Holden Special. It almost looks like a 1955 Mercedes 300 SL !

" 01-15-2013, 11:28 PM #3

Patrick.Harlow


Patrick.Harlow is offline Weekend Warrior
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Join Date:May 2012Location:Upper HuttPosts:68;

There were actually three of these cars built. The first was a 2+2. Happy with the success of the buckler body Ferris believed that there was a market for a fully enclosed coupe. He built the 2+2 car, used it as an everyday runner as well as racing it occassionally. Then Keven Lamb convinced Ferris to shorten the next car and make it a 2 seater. Hence the second car had 200 millimetres taken out of its roof and 100mm out its scuttle shortening the car by 300mm in total. The headlight arrangement was also altered.
Below is the only picture I have of the 2+2 (Ferris standing beside it)Name: F deJoux- GT Holden based. 4 seater. Raced by Ferris who is standing in front of it.sm.JPG Views: 443 Size: 69.6 KB



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I am pretty sure this is taken at Ardmore, January 9th 1960. The car number 20 is correct and in the background is car # 124, a Buckler Mk 90, driven by C.S. Judd that day. (It looks like Ardmore in the background )

(ken Hyndman )

This is a list of the entrants in the two sports car races at the Ardmore NZGP meet in 1960.






(Ken Hyndman ) I think some of these contestants are the parents of some future well known drivers.

This is a list of the entrants in the two sports car races at the Ardmore NZGP meet in 1960.

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(Ken Hyndman ) I think some of these contestants are the parents of some future well known drivers.

Some of the advertising was interesting back in the 1960 programme.





( Ken Hyndman )

What is interesting about those pages from the program is the First place prize money for the Ultimate Echo Race Car Feature. In 1960 150 pounds was a lot of money when the average was about 20 pounds a week (someone may correct me if I'm wrong) and you could fly to New Caledonia for 61 pounds. So according to my calculations that would make the prize money in today's dollars approaching $5000. Correct me if I'm wrong please.

Allan, That might be why Bruce McLaren turned to sports cars when you note that driving his Jaguar around, the best he could win was 60 pounds. But the sports car winner was more than twice as much at 150 pounds ! Is this what sowed the seeds for our future Can Am champion ?

Ardmore. Jan 9th 1960. Here is the entry list for the main event. The 7th New Zealand Grand Prix.



Note entry number 88 is the remarkable Ron Roycroft who has entered his Blue Ferrari 375 with the 4.5 liter V-12 for the fourth year in a row. Ron became a legend when he led all the field for over 10 laps in 1957 before the on-board heat and fumes almost caused him to pass out and he was lucky to come in when he did, completely exhausted. As the photo shows he gave it all he could. A brave man indeed.




Ron Roycroft in his Ferrari at Ardmore before the 1957 NZGP
(photo thanks to Eoin Young's "Classic Racer" book )
(In the book Ron is quoted as saying the huge drum brakes were a handful. " None at all when car was cold, then great for 3 laps, then nothing for the rest of the race !" If you hit the brakes it could throw the car left or right until they were warm ! )
Wow that must have been exciting !
If you note in the next album photo that Ron is on the very right and it looks like he is allowing for the inevitable brake lock to get him around the fast right hand College Corner at the start of the 1960 NZGP.



(Ken Hyndman )

Ardmore. Jan 9th 1960. Here is the entry list for the main event. The 7th New Zealand Grand Prix.

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Note entry number 88 is the remarkable Ron Roycroft who has entered his Blue Ferrari 375 with the 4.5 liter V-12 for the fourth year in a row. Ron became a legend when he led all the field for over 10 laps in 1957 before the on-board heat and fumes almost caused him to pass out and he was lucky to come in when he did, completely exhausted. As the photo shows he gave it all he could. A brave man indeed.
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Ron Roycroft in his Ferrari at Ardmore before the 1957 NZGP
(photo thanks to Eoin Young's "Classic Racer" book )
(In the book Ron is quoted as saying the huge drum brakes were a handful. " None at all when car was cold, then great for 3 laps, then nothing for the rest of the race !" If you hit the brakes it could throw the car left or right until they were warm ! )
Wow that must have been exciting !
If you note in the next album photo that Ron is on the very right and it looks like he is allowing for the inevitable brake lock to get him around the fast right hand College Corner at the start of the 1960 NZGP.
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(Ken Hyndman )

I found this short movie of the 1957 NZGP at Ardmore.
(Thanks to Pacific Films )

[video]http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/grand-prix-down-under-1957[/video]


(Ken Hyndman )

Forgive me but my calculations are wrong. According to the Reserve Bank website the 1000 pound prize money for winning the 1960 NZIGP has the equivalent of $70,447 in today's money.

Its all relative to the that era Allan. If you look at how much a Maserati 250F cost then, to what one is worth today, it puts it in perspective $$$ wise .....

[color="#0000CD"]So if we still have/had a 2015 NZIGP would or did the winner of that race this year receive ~$70,000.00?[/color]

Jac Mac wrote:[color="#0000CD"]So if we still have/had a 2015 NZIGP would or did the winner of that race this year receive ~$70,000.00?[/color]

Obviously not Jac Mac, but the point I was making about `that era' was the calibre of the overseas guys competing in the NZIGP ..... most of todays F1 show ponies would want 70k just to front up, let alone race .....

fullnoise68 wrote:Obviously not Jac Mac, but the point I was making about `that era' was the calibre of the overseas guys competing in the NZIGP ..... most of todays F1 show ponies would want 70k just to front up, let alone race .....

[color="#0000CD"]Going thru that list I don't see many if any drivers who could be considered 'show ponies'. Perhaps that's the core of what is missing from most avenues of motorsport today, not many driver /builders anymore and any 'kiwi' diy efforts are virtually killed off by rules for the sake of rules.[/color]

fullnoise68 wrote:My father in Event 2, #92 Singer 9 ......

Steve, Do you have any memories or photos of this car and Ardmore ?
It would be great to see.

(Ken Hyndman )

Ardmore was a bit before my time Ken, I arrived in this world the same year the Puke track was opened ( 1963 ).... I know it was a Singer 9 Sports and I`ll ask my younger brother if he has any photos of it.

Perhaps I found a photo of the Elliott family & crew on their way to the races in their Singer !






(Ken Hyndman )

High performance bit of gear for sure Ken ..... not!

Wouldn't you want to own that today....Singer LeMans ??

It is a Singer Le Mans...well spotted.