EDITOR’S PICK

FOR THE SERIOUS HISTORIC RACING ENTHUSIAST

This 1969 Brabham BT 29 was brought to New Zealand by the American racer Evan Noyes in 1970. He had driven it to second place in a US Formula B championship before driving it to fifth place it in the Tasman Series of that year here. Graeme Lawrence then owned and raced the car during 1971. A string of impressive results followed from both the local races, the Tasman Series, and a campaign through some of the more important Asian events. Among these results were: Timaru and Pukekohe, second; Levin, first; Oran Park, second; Japanese GP, fourth; and first at the Malaysian and Singapore Grands Prix. The car was then sold to Ken Smith then a succession of other owners before Warren Steel converted the Brabham into the ‘Rhubarb Racer’. In 1987, David Sharp converted the car back to its original configuration and specifications.

Today, the car is presented entirely in its original state, and the livery is as it was at the time Graeme Lawrence campaigned it.

The Brabham comes with a fresh Ford Twin Cam 1600 motor. These motors were eventually coaxed to produce very close to 200bhp (149kw), which is sent to the road via an also-fresh Hewland FT200 transaxle. The list of accompanying spare parts is comprehensive, and it includes tyres, wheels, brakes, suspension components, a gearbox, and ratios.

Although it hasn’t raced locally recently, the car is eligible for the post-1964 Historic Racing class.

These cars originally raced as Formula B ( later changed to Formula Atlantic) cars in the US. Jack Brabham and designer Ron Tauranac produced a steady stream of championship-winning cars for their customers, and this car was originally produced for Fred Opert Racing in the US, where it was driven by Evan Noyes. Fred Opert entered some promising drivers in his cars — Alain Prost, Keke Rosberg, and Alan Jones are just three of a string of successful drivers who followed Evan Noyes.

To follow in their wheel tracks, contact Paul at paulchristie@gmail.com for log books, photos, and list of spares, etc.

The price for this piece of history is $95K.