The Roaring Season

Having including these pics in another tread I thought it might be worth a post
I have always considered the Lycoming Special to be one of the best examples of a home built special and a credit to Ralph Watson. the history of the car speaks for itself with the results in racing by the few drivers that got to drive it in competition against world class ''factory'' race cars including big names like Bruce McLaren. Ralph Smiths rebuild from a pile of parts is a credit to him and all those involved and hopefully we will see it racing well into the future while so many other historic race cars have been wrapped in cotton wool and relegated to display pieces. I am proud to have the original pre 1980s rebuild ''boot'' panel that I acquired from Sam Smith [Ralph Smiths son] a few years ago. so I am sharing some pics here. I made a display board to mount it to after giving it a light cleaning but left the original paint in as in condition as it has a once raced patina. it is hanging on the wall in my dining room in Waimate a hundred meters from the Waimate 50 track and it makes a cool talking point and a welcome addition to my early motor racing memorabilia and book collection.

Nice wall art hotrod1,
Saw the Lycoming many times back in the 1960's 70's and again at Dunedin in 1984 - the Street Races.
In the 1960's - 1966 on, saw it at Pukekohe often, Kerepehi Grass Track meeting in February 1967 [ had just got my first car ] and all through the 1970's.
By the late 1960's was a tired looking Beast with widened wheels and scruffy bodywork - Still went like Stink, though.

At Pukekohe in 1966 or 1967 -my own photo.
Dunedin January 1984 - with Paul Samuel Smith's Lotus - oops wrong photo, with an E-Type Jaguar, but you all knew that.


Dunedin - in the pits - as restored by Ralph Smith
Matamata in 1965 - photo by . Glen Kirk
Car is Featured in the Trevor Sheffield Book " Ralph Watson - Special Engineer " along with Ralph Watson's other Special the BSA, now with Ray Ferner, and other work that Ralph did on other peoples cars.
Cheers Bruce, we both have copies of the book.

Roger

Roger Dowding wrote:Nice wall art hotrod1,
Saw the Lycoming many times back in the 1960's 70's and again at Dunedin in 1984 - the Street Races.
In the 1960's - 1966 on, saw it at Pukekohe often, Kerepehi Grass Track meeting in February 1967 [ had just got my first car ] and all through the 1970's.
By the late 1960's was a tired looking Beast with widened wheels and scruffy bodywork - Still went like Stink, though.

At Pukekohe in 1966 or 1967 -my own photo.

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Dunedin January 1984 - with Paul Samuel Smith's Lotus

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Dunedin - in the pits - as restored by Ralph Smith

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Matamata in 1965 - photo by . Glen Kirk

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Car is Featured in the Trevor Sheffield Book " Ralph Watson - Special Engineer " along with Ralph Watson's other Special the BSA, now with Ray Ferner, and other work that Ralph did on other peoples cars.

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Cheers Bruce, we both have copies of the book.

Roger

If there is a demand, I would be prepared to order a second printing of the Supplementary Edition of the book. Otherwise it is out of print.

Trevor.