Ready to Race
1992 Nissan Skyline R32
The car on display created a sensation when it was clocked at 327kph on Conrod straight at Bathurst. This is believed to be the highest speed ever recorded on Conrod. The car was actually doing 338 kph after the speed trap at the braking point for the Chase. The Skyline started life as one of the many grey import R32s. It was purchased in 2010 by local highly regarded tuner and owner of Racetech Performance, Brad Sherriff. Brad began racing the car in the Sports GT class and progressively added more and more power. Eventually in search of serious horsepower a billet block from Bullet Racing Engineering was matched to a bigger precision turbocharger pushing the output to a potential 1450 hp. The car weighs 1330kg, 1450kg in race trim with fuel and driver. It currently holds the lap record at Baskerville at 51.4 secs, breaking Alan Jones long standing record in a Porsche 935 set in 1982. It also holds the Symmons Plains lap record for sports sedans at 50.5 secs.
1975 Chevrolet Monza “KING MONZA”
Chevrolet produced the Monza between 1975 and 1980, competing with the Ford Mustang II and other stylish coupés. While Monza road cars were not particularly inspiring, it was in motorsport that the name became infamous. The cars competed in the IMSA series in the United States, powered by Corvette V8 engines. Monza cars built by DeKon Engineering enjoyed the most success, against factory-supported Porsche 935 cars. The vehicle on display was constructed by Canadian race engineer Grant King in 1975, being driven by Tom Nehl before being transported to New Zealand in 1977, enjoying success at the hands of local driver Art McKee. The vehicle is believed to have landed on Australian shores in 1980, being campaigned successively by John Pollard, Rowan Harman, Geoff Munday, Mike Imrie and Chris Fing. It was purchased by a local Tasmanian motorsport enthusiast and has undergone an extensive restoration.
1996 Yamaha TZ250
The Yamaha TZ 250 was produced from 1973 to 2004, based upon the OW17 of 1970s racing fame. Throughout the long production run, the motorcycle underwent many significant changes. It was a commercially available racing motorcycle, with customers being able to purchase the bike alongside street-legal motorcycles in dealers across the world. Early examples were powered by a 247cc powerplant, enlarged to 249cc in 1981. In 1991, the model was refreshed, now sharing a 250cc V-twin with another factory-racing bike, the YZR 250. This was a significant change for the model, allowing it to remain competitive till the end of production. For the 1996 model year, the fairing and frame were redesigned, with many changes made to the air intake design. The motorcycle on display holds Japanese race history, including at the famed Suzuka circuit.
1948 Triumph GP (Replica)
Before World War II, Triumph laid the foundation of the sporting parallel twin with its innovative Speed Twin. Limited production resumed in 1942 at temporary premises in Warwickshire, owing to bomb damage at the Coventry plant. Production of the Tiger 100 resumed in 1945, and shortly after, Triumph staff realised that the leftover stock of cylinder barrels from a wartime auxiliary generator could be used in a lightweight Tiger 100. Freddie Clarke, a pre-war record breaker, prepared prototypes and one was entered in the 1946 Manx Grand Prix, achieving a famous win ahead of the Manx Norton. In 1948 the GP model won the Manx Grand Prix again and over following years made it mark in road racing. By the time it was phased out in 1950 it had already entered Triumph folklore. The ‘bike on display is a result of one man’s fascination, spanning over fifty years, with the GP Triumph. It was built over a 5-year period and features many handmade components.
1974 Lola T332 'HU37'
Between 1968 and 1982, Formula 5000 was an open-wheel, single-seater race series; intended as an easily accessible option for small race teams, with the maximum engine capacity of 5 litres referenced in the Formula 5000 name, although many teams ran cars with smaller engines. Vehicles were produced for the series by Lotus, Elfin, Matich, McLaren and Chevron amongst many others. The Lola T332 was a highly competitive option, this particular example was campaigned by Theodore Racing, based in Hong Kong. It was raced by Brian Redman, Vern Schuppan and Alan Jones amongst other drivers. It scored victories under Redman in the UK, in Australia under Schuppan, and under Jones in Canada. During a practice session at ‘Watkins Glen’, a racing circuit in New York, the car suffered from an accident, which completely destroyed the car. Today, chassis number ‘HU37’ has been completely rebuilt, wearing the same livery as it once did nearly 50 years ago. It is now powered by a 5.0 litre small-block Chevrolet V8, fitted with McKay fuel injection. It produces 550bhp, which propels the super lightweight 740kg race car to 100 miles per hour (160km/h) in just 6.5 seconds. It is geared to reach a top speed of just under 180mph. Formula 5000 was a particularly popular race class across the world, with a strong following in Oceania, Africa, the British Isles and North America. Formula 5000 began to lose popularity as updated categories such as Formula Atlantic gained momentum. Internationally, most Formula 5000 series were dropped between 1976 and 1978, but in Australia the series continued with a large following until 1982. Today, Formula 5000 cars are a common sight at historic racing events internationally.
1969 Elfin ME5
The Elfin ME5 is a unique sports car originally built in Adelaide by Garrie Cooper's team for Niel Allen, it was designed to be competitive against Frank Matich's Repco V8 powered Matich SR4 and Bob Jane's similar McLaren M6 driven by John Harvey. Garrie Cooper's naming of the new car was basically 'M' for Monocoque, 'E' for Elfin and '5' for 5 Litre engine capacity. Principal builders and designers at Elfin in South Australia were Ron Lambert and Tony Alcock, who at the time had just recently returned from the UK having worked for Brabham. Garrie Cooper was also an integral part of the design team. Powered by a Bartz modified 5.0 Litre Chevrolet V8 engine. Bartz engines had been used in the late 60's by Mclaren in the U.S. and featured a steel crank, dry sump, alloy heads, roller rockers, Lucas mechanical fuel injection and mated to a Hewland DG300 5 speed transaxle gearbox. This significant Historic race car has been had many owners since Niel Allen, including Peter Woodward, Charlie Occupenti, Don Elliot, Johnny Walker, Bill Marshall, John Blanden, Rick Otten, Dutton & Sons, Greg Lovett, Bob Minoque, Dutch born Harm Lagaay (Porsche's Chief designer at the time) and now it is in its current owners hands. Considerable racing history is attached to this car, including competing at Spa, Elkhart Lake, Nurburgring, Daytona, Oschersleben, Melbourne GP circuit, Phillip Island, Dijon, Zolder, Hockenheimring, Monza and Zandvoort. The car held the lap record at Sandown for over 3000 cc for 11 years from 1970. It won at Warrick Farm in 1969 and 1970 and also competed successfully in Europe and the USA driven by Harm Lagaay before coming back to Australia in 2006.