Muscle Mail
Green and gold
Thank you so much for the story on the green and gold GTS 253 Monaro, now owned by Tony Connarty, which graced the cover of your magazine (AMC #109). It was a great read and your publication did our family proud. My father, Howard Frankenberg, was the rst owner of this special car.
The Monaro was purchased new by him through Watsons Holden after he traded in his EH Holden 179, in Neptune Blue. He had purchased that new also before the Monaro.
Dad won the Victorian middle weight boxing championship in 1969 and he was a regular ghter on TV Ringside on Channel 7 back in the 1960s and early 1970s.
The Monaro was purchased just after he purchased our newly-built family home in Diamond Creek and he won the title. We all have that time in
life where we peak. Dad’s was in 1969.
The car remained a family member for 37 years, when he reluctantly sold it due to his knees failing. At that time, when he sold it to Tony, $37K was big bucks!
Fast forward now and he has new knees and he totally regretted selling the car to this day, but happy it went to Tony given what he has done with it. However, he struggles to see the car as it reminds him of a ‘lost love’ that he shouldn’t have parted with. That said, he is loving the attention the car is getting!
Since selling the Monaro he has purchased a mint VZ Black Monaro in stunning condition. It doesn’t ll the void of selling the GTS 253, but he does love the new Monaro.
We are an Aussie muscle car family. My rst car at 17 was an original XA GT coupe and I have owned three original GT Falcons and now own VF HSVs. We grew up with GTs and GTS Holdens.
I remember going with my Dad back in 1969 to pick up the brand new Monaro, then driving around to just about every mate and family member he had in Victoria that night! It was just priceless.
That car has so much family history and was cared for like a baby by Dad. It was his pride and joy and reminds him when he was on top of his game in ’69 when the car was purchased.
My family wasn’t surprised when it made the cover of Australian
MUSCLE CAR as the car since new has always been the centre of attention.
Howard
Frankenberg (Jnr)
Desert boots and moccasins
Great discourse in AMC #109 on the GTS 350 Monaro, its race history, and Colin Bond’s involvement.
What caught my eye were the driving shoes on the winners in the main shot in the ‘The Sweetest Victory’ story. It looks like Bondy was shod with Desert Boots and Tony Roberts with moccasins. Both pairs worn down to the wire!
On Harry Firth, his achievements in the eld of motorsport speak for themselves, but his teacherstudent approach must have been wearing to those around him. The contrast with the likes of Carroll Smith could not have been more stark. Alan Hamilton commented upon his obligations as co-driver to Bond at Bathurst in 1977 that Smith did not instruct him on how to drive the car, and he appreciated that recognition.
Eric Waples
Albion Park, NSW
Race track dunnies
In issue #109, in the Muscle Maniac section, Ron Gillard gave his memories of the dangers of the Hume Weir toilets with their trackside position and possible snakes. I can con rm that old racing cars were not the only danger at the early circuits, the toilets were too!
Back in the late fties, Lowood, the Queensland airstrip track had similar ‘facilities.’ Hessian wrapped round bush poles and a rough old seat was all you could hope for.
As I sat there early one crisp morning, various cars could be identi ed by sound as they practiced at maximum revs on the nearby straight. I could identify Bill Pitt’s Jaguar D-Type humming along, Arnold Glass’s 250F Maserati, the king of all noise makers.
But what’s this? An unfamiliar sound got rapidly louder and closer. What car could it be? Louder and closer, sounded like it was going to come right through the hessian wall! Had some racing car jumped the wire fence and was about to mow me down?
Should I escape with a high-speed shuffle, trousers round my ankles, or take the time to remove them and sprint out in the nuddy? Or should I sit there and take it like a man.
These thoughts raced through my mind as the
sound rose to a thunderous roar and a shadow ashed across a couple of metres above my head. It was a local pilot amusing himself by buzzing the track and also seeing if there was anybody in the open-air toilet who needed a wakeup call.
My immediate reaction can be imagined, but I was already well placed on the toilet, so no problem there.
Somehow, the rest of the day seemed a bit unexciting.
Rob Switzer
Weir’s water traps
Thought that I should send you this photo taken at Hume Weir from 1973. I was always impressed with their very innovative use of ‘water traps’ instead of sand/gravel traps. Can’t quite understand why they never caught on as they obviously worked okay...
I photographed several meetings at The Weir over the next three years but never with a press pass. Even saw Brocky in his open-wheeler.
Raced my little 808 Mazda (1300cc) once there in 1976, but I won’t bore you with that photo as it was not exactly a Muscle Car of the era. Russell Martin
Vale Kerry Butchers
Our club, the New South Wales Road Racing Club, has lost a life member and long serving president, Kerry Butchers OAM.
Many of your readership will know the NSWRRC were the stewards of the now defunct Oran Park Raceway in south west Sydney and will remember Kerry as a tireless worker and competitor at this venue for some 43 years.
He was aged just 70 and his life was celebrated in Picton in May. Incidentally he passed away on 1 May, the 25 anniversary of Senna’s death.
During his years as president, Kerry presented many, many trophies and got no greater pleasure. His is a motorsport family; two daughters became active competitors and one is now our acting club president.
With the loss of a home track at Oran Park, many members became disinterested or simply left motorsport all together. However, he and a dedicated few worked hard to secure the future of the NSWRRC, an outstanding legacy that (in part) earned him an OAM.
Kerry was well known throughout the Sydney motorsport fraternity. He was totally immersed and undeniably dedicated to the welfare of all those competing at the track. He was chief scrutineer at countless events right up until recently. It’s now more than ever we realise how very lucky we were to have Kerry Butchers.
He will be sorely missed. Kindest regards Alex Tickle NSWRRC Secretary
Sykes for sore eyes
Just a correction from issue #109’s Muscle Mail. The ARDC used a photo of my 1975 Bathurst car on their promotional T-shirt and the sponsor shown on the T-shirt, Sykes, were Western Australia’s biggest dewatering and pump hire company, not a trucking company as suggested in the ED’s reply.
Tim Slako
West Racing Motor Development
Nationals news
Iwould like to get an idea out all the Torana L34 owners and readers of AMC about an event that I am planning for 2021. As there is no official club speci cally for L34s and their owners, a group of people are organising a Nationals-style event for owners.
It will be held in early 2021 at Phillip Island, Victoria. If it all works out it will be on the long weekend in March.
There are many exciting ideas being talked about and so far there are over 50 owners who know about it.
So if you are reading this and don’t know about it and own an L34, drop me a line if this is something you would want to join in with.
Contact me via email at eyepeeler@hotmail.com Craig Poole Perth, Western Australia
Unhappy customer 1
Ihave been a very happy customer of your magazine since issue #1. That is, till recently. I can’t believe what was written about the new Supercars Mustang [in issue #109].
You should be so ashamed of yourselves for writing such appalling BS like that.
It’s obvious you’re Holden men and Skaife lovers!
How about taking a look at all the past and recent years where Holden was dominating unfairly!
That story makes me sick! You are a joke. What a way to treat your Ford fans. If you didn’t have us Ford fans, you wouldn’t have this magazine! Goodbye! Jazz Desira Email
Unhappy customer 2
Your magazine really has it in for the Ford Mustang Supercar. I have followed motorsport in Australia since 1970 and I think it is a nice change from Formula Commodore. It
has been impossible to get manufacturers into this sport. With Nissan pulling the pin and no other manufacturer wanting to come into this category, all I can say is welcome back Ford and well done.
ED: Well done and welcome back to Ford, we say, too. AMC is less impressed with the Supercars rules that have allowed a caricature of the Ford Mustang, one that bears only a passing resemblance to the road-going version, to compete. Like many others, we are not a fan of this latest ‘prototype’ touring car era. Supercars has opened a Pandora’s box.
1976 Bathurst ‘Grudge Match’
Iwrite in response to the magni cent part one article in issue #108 regarding Muscle Man Ron Gillard, in particular the year 1976 and the story on the Gil Gordon-sponsored Alfa GTV 2000, driven by Graham Harrison and Ron himself.
The photograph accompanying the story was the catalyst for the current owner of the Alfa Bill Magoffin to restore the vehicle to this period.
As you can see from the current day photograph the car is in great hands with a true Al sti in Bill being its custodian.
During the 1970s the Alfa Romeo marque was very competitive in the two-litre class of the ATCC, and this trend continues today in Historic racing. 2017 proved the situation with Bill taking out the Heritage Touring Car championship by being competitive in class and reliably starting and nishing every race.
As a side note to the GTV
2000, Bill is also the owner of a
1976 Alfetta GTAm, the former Autodelta Group 2 factory works car that also competed in the Great Race in 1976 driven by John Leffler and Richard Carter, in 1977 by Warwick Henderson and
Peter Hopwood, and in 1980 shared by Warwick Henderson and Graham Harrison. Bill has restored the car to 1980 specs, see photo supplied.
I was fortunate enough to turn a few demonstration laps in the GTAm at Sydney Motorsport Park last year, after 10 years out of the seat it was a wonderful experience to get behind the wheel again.
It is a tribute to the owners of these period vehicles that they are presented in probably better condition than in the day (due to the advancements in technologies of paint, etc) and are race-ready to compete in today’s Heritage Touring Car competition.
These cars are very expensive today to purchase and maintain so it’s a treat to see so many of the ‘Old Bangers’ on the track again.
Please keep up the great stories of past Muscle Men, I nd them extremely interesting as I was there when most of these guys were starting out.
See you in the pits.
Tony Harriott
Coledale, NSW
HK to HG Nationals
Just thought I would send you through some info on the second HK/HT/HG Holden Nationals event that my club, the HK HT HG Holden Owners Club of Queensland Inc, is hosting over the weekend of September 27-30 on the Sunshine Coast. Events include a meet and greet, show
‘n’ shine, swap meet, a mystery cruise, themed dinner and hot laps of Lakeside Park.
Enter at www.hktgclubqld.com
Adrian Peacock
0434 768 327
Club president
Whaddayaknow?
In regard to the Ray Alford XD Falcon Group C car that featured in Whaddayaknow in issue #109, the person who bought it [from Alford] had the car painted white and had it as a daily driver. I was working for Mullins Wheels in Adelaide at the time and he contacted me to t some Center Line Wheels to it and I rang Ray to nd out the offsets so that I could get the rims as they were special order. From re ection this owner’s name was Chris and was originally from Melbourne. Since then I lost contact as I changed jobs, but I believe that he also passed on.
Rob Nolan
ED: Thanks Rob. Hopefully that might jog the memory of other readers, as, sadly, we’ve received no other correspondence on the whereabouts of the Alford XD.
Model behaviour
Being a huge fan of the TCM series and diecast model collector, I decided to build up a 1:18 model of the Johnson Mustang.
It’s built from an ACME model. David Page
Not just dioramas
Thank you for the story on my dioramas in Mini Muscle in issue #109. Congrats on the latest magazine as it had some great stories and really enjoyed the Sacred Sites story on the tracks of NE Victoria. Being a local made it a very interesting read.
Regarding your slot car section, I sold my slot car layout that took me two years to complete. As the images show, it was set out like a train buff’s layout. I thought your readers would like to see that I do build other items not just workshops. Peter Krajnc pkdiorama@msn.com
ED: Love your work, Peter!
Hey! That’s me!
Ispotted myself in your crowd shot at Bathurst following the famous HDT 1-2 in 1984. I was nine at the time and remember the moment, and day, vividly. I am the boy in the white and red Commodore hat and blue sweater being held up by my now late father.
With generations of my family originating from Bathurst, I achieved 26 straight (starting in 1980) Bathurst 1000 pilgrimages before moving to Queensland in 2006, where my attendance has become more sporadic.
I have not missed an issue of AMC since becoming a fan from the beginning.
Brad Waddell