RACING INTO HISTORY - Australian Grand Prix

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1953 Australian grand PrixCompetition Cars12Car: BROWN MG K3Driver: Andy BrownRace #: 22Position: 3This car links MG’s famous Abingdonfactory in the UK to the royal familyof Siam, as Thailand was once known.Second-last of the 33 (some sources say 31) very successful ‘K3’ models built,K3030 was Italy-bound until a certain fascist dictator forbade it; the car wentinstead to Prince Chula for his royal cousin Prince Birabongse to race at legendaryvenues like Brooklands and Donington. The prince, better known as Bira, alsocontested 18 World Championship Grands Prix for some famous marques. Broughtto Australia in 1936, K3030 went through several owners’ hands, including thoseof Lex Davison, before South Australian Andy Brown drove it to third place inthe 1953 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. Its engine was an MG six-cylinderinline unit, single overhead camshaft, originally of 1086cc with a power output ofaround 120 bhp at 6500 rpm. It had a front-mounted Marshall 85 supercharger.K3030’s last major outing was at the 1955 Australian Grand Prix staged at PortWakefield. South Australia’s Bradey family owned it for over half a century andtook it to Thailand to celebrate Prince Bira’s career in 1988. John and Helen Gillettof Drysdale, Victoria, are now its proud owners; John is a keen club racer and usesthis car in races, hillclimbs and regularities. The Gilletts have overseen extensiverefurbishment by Ray Skewes Automotive to its chassis, axles, wheels brakes andengine, while Historic and Vintage Restorations are responsible for the car’s body,gearbox, electrics and tuning.Car: WYLIE JAVELINDriver: Arthur/Ken WylieRace #: 19Position: 9Conspicuous by its very yellow presence,this familiar machine came into being in1949-50 around a steel ladder frame. Itwas the marriage of a Jowett Javelin four-cylinder 1486cc motor with MarshallRootes supercharger and SU carburettor, and a body built by one Mr. Thomson,an aircraft fitter who boasted no previous motor racing experience. The purposefullooking“Yellow Greased Lightning” or “Goanna”, as it came to be known, alsohad a Jowett Jupiter close-ratio gearbox. The Wylie Javelin could get up to astartling 210 km/h or thereabouts. Its original owner/builder was Australian MotorSport editor Arthur Wylie, who had entered the Australian Grand Prix as far backas 1934 at Phillip Island in a Bugatti. He co-drove the Javelin with his brother Kenin the 1953 Albert Park race. Arthur took advantage of the car’s speed to move upto sixth early on before an ‘off’, but he and Ken between them got the car throughto ninth place at the finish despite a slipping clutch. Joe Caudo of Attadale in WAbought the Wylie Javelin in 1997 and is the car’s eighth owner; Joe himself is astalwart of events such as Targa Tasmania, the 2000 London-Sydney marathon,
hill-climbs and a great deal more. After its Albert Park success this car went on tocompete at the 1954 Australian Grand Prix in Southport, Queensland, in the handsof Arthur Griffiths, retiring with a blown head gasket after distinguishing itselfin the first 15 laps of the race.MASERATI 4CLWhile the Maserati 4CL on display hereis not the one that raced in the inauguralAustralian Grand Prix at Albert Park,it is a supremely interesting car in itsown right. This is chassis no.1564 – thevery first of the 17 4CL’s built by thefamous Bologna firm just before WorldWar II. It belongs to American-basedIrish businessman Paddins Dowling, whoacquired it just over a year ago. “This is probably the most original of the 4CL’s,”he says. “Every body panel still has that #1564 stamped on it!” Built to do battlewith Alfa Romeo and ERA in the popular voiturette class of racing, the 4CL’s wereconstructed on a light-alloy ladder frame; they had a four-cylinder inline enginewith a front-mounted single-stage supercharger and a four-speed box. The car fromAlbert Park 1953 had been driven by the legendary Frenchman Raymond Sommerto beat the Alfas and win at St. Cloud near Paris in 1946. It came to these shoresin 1951 and found its way into the hands of Peter Vennermark; he and Melbourne’sCec Warren shared the drive when the car competed in the 1953 Australian GrandPrix after making its Down Under debut at Fisherman’s Bend the previous month.It endured a difficult race: Vennermark was suffering from heat blisters when hebrought the car in to change both a plug and the driver, then Warren had to takeevasive action when Gillespie’s car overturned and the Maser was out on lap 51.13Car: PATTERSON BRYDON MG TCDriver: Curley BrydonRace #: 26Position: 2“A TC with a pretty dress on it!”That’s how current owner RichardTownley describes his MG TC Special,the car that finished second in the 1953Australian Grand Prix. It was keen racer Bill Patterson’s second TC from thefamous English sports car manufacturer; it was built by Reg Nutt and DougWhiteford, and Bill asked Bob Baker to fit a special alloy racing body, adding aRootes supercharger to its 1.25-litre OHV pushrod four-cylinder inline engine. Itweighed 559 kilos and, with close-ratio gears for racing purposes, it pushed out 65kW at 6000 rpm and could nudge beyond 180 km/h. In 1950 it was sold to exfighterpilot ‘Curley’ Brydon. It posted a DNF in the 1952 Australian Grand Prixbefore enjoying its moment of glory at Albert Park: it was originally classifiedthird but elevated to second after a protest. It was entered in no fewer than fiveAustralian Grands Prix, but that top-three finish at Albert Park was by far its bestresult – it failed to finish three races and didn’t start in the other. This little carhas had eight owners in its long life. Richard, whose first competition event was asprint race in an MG TC road car at Fisherman’s Bend in the Sixties, acquired it in2000 and refurbished it, doing most of the work himself. He reckons it has donemore than 50 circuit race meetings, including 16 appearances at Bathurst between1950 and 1962.
Page 1 and 2: RACING INTO HISTORYA look back at t
Page 3 and 4: nightmare of World War 2. A new ser
Page 5 and 6: No. Driver Car c.c1. Doug Whiteford
Page 7 and 8: Place Driver Car Time1. Doug Whitef
Page 9 and 10: 1953 Australian Grand Prixon displa
Page 11: concession to safety.Phil Caitlin
Page 15: Car: BARRETT BWADriver: Julian/Gib
Page 18 and 19: Celebrating 60 yearsWhat’s onIn r
Page 20: memorabilia including, most remarka

RACING INTO HISTORY - Australian Grand Prix

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