MY FEEDLY

Bob Jane’s Bathurst Winning Ford Mustang 390 GT

This article is an interview by Andrew Jones with Cameron Jurd, the owner of the car you see here – a Ford Mustang 390 GT that was raced extensively in period by Australian motor racing legend Bob Jane, as well as John Harvey, Chris Brauer, and Dale “Mulga” Button.

– What is the make, model, and model year of the car?

It’s a 1967 390 GT. Back then, a 390 GT came from the factory with the 390 (6.3 litre) FE big block engine with 4 barrel carburettor rated at 335hp and 427 ft/lbs of torque, 4 speed top loader gearbox and 9 inch differential. That’s how Bob Jane raced it in the first part of 1967 before he removed the 390 and fitted a mechanically fuel injected 302.

I have restored it to it’s original specification, as raced at Bathurst in 1967 by Bob Jane.

The 390 in the car now was built by Cobra Automotive in Connecticut, USA. John Garutti is a legendary engine builder at Cobra Automotive and has built up an engine that extracts about as much as anyone could get from a 390. Power is just shy of 500hp, with torque is an impressive 465 ftlbs of torque. Power is a long way short of what can be extracted from the more typical 289 and 302 small blocks, but the torque and the sound from the big block are a great trade off!

– Tell us about how and why you came to own it?

The car was owned by Historic Racer, Terry Lawlor. Terry had purchased the remains of the original car from prominent collector David Bowden. Terry had commenced the restoration with the help of Chad Parrish when he offered the project to me back in 2018. Terry had too many projects on the go and offered this to me, I simply couldn’t refuse!

– I’ve heard the car has some interesting history, can you tell us about it?

Bob Jane was the original owner and he debuted it at Bathurst in March 1967, winning 2 of the 3 races that weekend. He continued to campaign the car for just over 12 months, at which time he acquired a new 1968 Mustang from America. Bob Jane Racing retained this car and he entrusted Australian motor racing legend John Harvey to drive it for him until it was sold in 1969 to up and coming racer, Chris Brauer.

Chris campaigned the car very regularly at Oran Park, Warwick Farm and Bathurst in 1970. The final race was the Australian Touring Car Championship race at Lakeside, where ironically, Chris was collected off the start by Bob Jane in his 1968 Mustang and crashed very heavily into a broken piece of Armco fencing.

The crash ended the career of Chris Brauer and almost the Mustang. The car was subsequently repaired and turned into a speedway racer and was campaigned very successfully in South Australia and Victoria by the charismatic Dale “Mulga” Button.

– What work have you done on it over the years?

Total restoration that took 3 years. A challenge was weighing up restoring the car to how it was back in 1967 or to improve different aspects of the car within the rules of current historic Group N regulations.

Where possible, we went with keeping it 1967. For instance, we could have run a modern Tilton pedal box but we retained original 1967 pedals. Aside from safety considerations, we kept the car as close as possible to how Bob Jane raced it at Bathurst in 1967.

– Can you tell us about any interesting adventures or stories that you’ve had in the car?

I’ve only driven it once, at Eastern Creek. The lap times I was doing on Sunday would have placed it 3rd on the grid in Group N, where the front running Mustangs have 150hp more from their small blocks and are over 100 kg lighter.

The car felt superb straight out of the box which is a credit to Brad Tilley who builds the fastest and most reliable historic cars in the land. Brad did all of the engineering on the car and it was on the money from the first lap.

– What are your favourite things about the car? What could it maybe do better?

My favourite thing about the car is it is an actual Bob Jane car and thus an important part of Australian motor racing history. It is also unique being the only big block engined Mustang to ever be log booked and raced in Australia. I also love the thunderous exhaust note!

– Can you tell us a little about yourself, and why you chose this car in particular? What other cars do you own?

Owning and restoring a Mustang is a little left field for me, being a Jaguar trained mechanic and owning/operating a restoration business for the last 28 years specialising in Jaguar, Aston Martin and Ferrari! The restoration of the Mustang wasn’t difficult, but I did have to call on the specialist expertise of a couple of long time friends who just happen to be Mustang experts – Chad Parrish and Brad Tilley.

– What kind of owner would it best suit?

This car would suit a range of different people. The historic racer who wanted to run at the front of the field in Historic Touring cars in Australia. It would also suit an overseas racer who wanted to run in all of the big historic meetings as the car will have an FIA passport and will be eligible to race at any invitational meeting in the world. It would also suit the investor who would like to own the car, maintain it in the brand new restored condition that it is for future capital gains.

– What are your plans for the car?

‘Initially do some more track days, possibly race it. The idea was to take it to the UK to race it at Goodwood but COVID has killed that. Ultimately i would say I’d sell it as it’s too important a car to race here but overseas the importance and provenance of the car allows direct entry into the big race meetings, so that’s where it’s value is’

Photography and interview by Andrew Jones – Machines That Dream

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Ex-Works ‘Group A’ Toyota Supra Raced By Barry Sheene

This is the ex-Toyota works ‘Group A’ Toyota Supra that was raced by Barry Sheene in the 1985 Trimoco RAC British Saloon Car Championship (now the BTCC).

Sheene competed in the car you see here for much of the 1985 season, impressively he managed a number of podium places and top six finishes in the aggressive and often dangerous world of British touring car racing.

The car is now for sale, it’s scheduled to roll across the auction block with Silverstone Auctions on the 31st of July with a guide price of £70,000 – £80,000, which works out to approximately $95,600 – $109,200 USD.

Fast Facts

✱ Barry Sheene was one of the most beloved Grand Prix motorcycle racers of his generation, he became a two-time World Champion and was just as famous for his hard partying lifestyle off the track as his racing exploits on it.

✱ Sheene retired from top flight motorcycle racing at the end of the 1984 season, he wasn’t ready to leave racing behind just yet, and so he decided to try his hand at touring car racing.

✱ He piloted the car you see here in the 1985 season after proving his pace in testing. Though he wouldn’t quite manage to get onto the top step of the podium he did achieve two podium places and a number of high placed finishes.

Barry Sheene’s Group A Toyota Supra

Sheene retired from the dangerous world of Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 1984, a crash in the 1982 season had very nearly claimed his legs and it had left him struggling to be competitive when he returned to the grid.

He decided to try his hand at competing on four wheels, perhaps due to the safety of having a full roll cage around him at all times when on track, and he had enjoyed his brief time behind the wheel of a Mazda RX-7 in 1981 racing at Mallory Park.

Above Image: The car presents today in the same livery from 1985, with Barry Sheene’s name still on the door.

In order to secure a place on the Toyota factory team Sheene initially drove a Toyota works team Corolla GT, this clearly showed his pace, and in testing he proved to be just 0.4 of a second slower than future 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Win Percy.

Sheene was officially signed to race for the Toyota factory team for the 1985 season. He would be racing the second generation of the Toyota Supra, known internally as the A60, which was sold between 1981 and 1985.

Group A Toyota Supra Specifications

As you would expect, the British touring car version of the Supra varied significantly from the standard road car.

It was fitted with a highly-tuned Group A version of the production engine, a double overhead cam inline-six modified to produce 225 bhp and 207 lb ft of torque at 6,500rpm thanks to upgraded cams, an 11.6:1 compression ratio, and a number of other internal modifications.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a W50 gearbox with Quaife close-cut gears, the transmission in this car was recently rebuilt and is now ready for on track action.

The Toyota Supra A60, called the Celica Supra in some markets, rides on four wheel independent suspension that as developed by Lotus. It has MacPherson struts up front with semi-trailing arms, coil springs, and a stabilizer bar in the rear. Braking is by four wheel discs.

Above Image: The Supra engine has become famous for its tunability, in this specification the engine is turning out 225 bhp and 207 lb ft of torque.

Barry Sheene And The 1985 Season

Sheene’s time in this car during the 1985 season was characterized by both its highs and its lows, he impressed many with his competitive lap times against an experienced field and he claimed two podiums, but he was also involved in a first lap six-car crash that left the car badly damaged.

The Toyota team managed to reshell the car before the next race at Silverstone just two weeks later, and Sheene would compete in this reshelled car for the rest of the season.

This Supra was sold into private hands in 1987, it’s most recent resurfacing was its hugely popular appearance at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the car was invited to race up the hill in front of tens of thousands of spectators as part of that year’s Barry Sheene tribute.

The car is now presented in ready to race condition throughout and it would doubtless be a welcome addition to the grid of countless vintage racing events worldwide, and it’s likely to enjoy the ever increasing popularity we’re seeing surrounding sports cars from the 1980s and 1990s.

As mentioned above this Supra is now due to roll across the auction block in late July with a price estimate around the $100,000 USD mark. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Silverstone Auctions

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For Sale: A 1:1 Scale Model Of The Ferrari 312T Formula 1 Car

This is a 1:1 sale model of the 1975 Ferrari 312T Formula 1 car driven by Niki Lauda, the attention to detail is remarkably good throughout, helped along by the fact that the car uses original 312T front and rear wings, and it has a detailed cockpit.

1:1 scale display cars have been used by F1 teams for decades, they provide a less expensive alternative to sending real cars to auto shows and events, and most people who see them have no idea that the car isn’t the real thing.

The Ferrari 312T

The Ferrari 312T is remembered today as the most successful Formula 1 car design in history, it won four F1 Constructors’ and three F1 Drivers’ Championships, with 27 race wins, 61 podium places, and 19 pole positions.

The car was developed by the great Mauro Forghieri for the 1975 season, the car has a tubular steel spaceframe with aluminium panels and it’s powered by the Ferrari 015 flat-12 engine with a swept capacity of 2,992cc (3.0 liters) and power output figures of 500 to 515+ hp.

Above Image: This 1:1 scale model looks remarkably similar to the real car, it even has a detailed cockpit and authentic front and rear wings.

The 312T was constantly developed over its 1975 to 1980 lifespan, from the original 312T to the 312T2 right the way through to the 312T5 of 1980. Interestingly Ferrari also made a version of the car with four front wheels like the Tyrell P34, however this was later reveled to be a mock up in order to keep public attention high.

The surviving examples of the 312T and its descendants are now worth a small fortune due to the on track successes enjoyed by the vehicle in the mid-to-late 1970s, and a small number of them still race in vintage motor sport events.

The 1:1 scale model of the original 1975 Ferrari 312T you see here is accompanied by a replica Niki Lauda helmet based on a Bell Star from 1975, the same helmet he wore during the season. This model is now for sale by Halmo, the price isn’t listed however they encourage enquiries.

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Images courtesy of Halmo

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This Is The Rare BMW-Glas 3000 V8

This is one of just 389 examples of the BMW-Glas 3000 V8, they were only made in 1967 and 1968 before BMW discontinued the model, and today they’re among the rarest BMWs money can buy.

In the early 1960s Hans Glas GmbH, one of Germany’s smallest automakers, was in dire financial trouble. The company approached Italian design house Frua to design them a new GT car, a car that company executives hoped would turn their fortunes around.

Fast Facts – The BMW-Glas 3000 V8

✱ The BMW-Glas 3000 V8 was originally developed as the Glas 3000 V8, the name changed to include BMW after the Bavarian automaker acquired Hans Glas GmbH in late 1966.

✱ The V8 used in the car was essentially a new block with the upper part of the Glas four-cylinder engine fitted in a “V” configuration. This helped keep development costs down.

✱ By the standards of the mid-1960s the car was quite advanced, with belt-driven overhead cams, independent front and rear suspension, and front and rear disc brakes.

BMW-Glas 3000 V8

The BMW-Glas 3000 V8 is a car that very nearly didn’t go into production, in fact it likely would never have ever seen the light of day if not for the fact that BMW acquired Glas when the smaller company was already ramping up for production of the new car.

Above Image: The Glas V8 was created by taking the top end of the company’s four-cylinder engine and using it as the cylinder banks of the new V8 to help reduce development costs.

The design of the Glas 3000 V8 wasn’t quite aligned with the BMW design language of the time, in fact it was considered so similar to Pietro Frua’s other designs for Maserati that these cars were nicknamed “Glaseratis.”

Under their Italian-designed skin the Glas 3000 V8, and its earlier stablemate the 2600 V8, were relatively advanced cars for the period. They were fitted with independent front and rear suspension, with upper and lower A-arms and coil springs up front and a leaf-sprung independent De Dion rear axle in the rear.

The cars also had front and rear disc brakes, inboard discs were used in the rear, as well as a belt-driven overhead camshaft for each cylinder bank. By the standards of the mid-1960s these Glas coupes were impressive from and engineering standpoint, and it’s clear that Glas company executives were working hard to deliver the best cars possible in the hopes of saving the company.

The 3000 V8 has 160 hp at 5,100 rpm and 173 lb ft of torque at 3,400 rpm, and it sends its power back through a 4-speed manual transmission to the rubber-mounted differential. The model is said to be capable of 200 km/h (126 mph), making it an ideal candidate for journeys on the Autobahn.

When BMW acquired Hans Glas GmbH in late 1966 it wasn’t because they wanted access to the Glas catalogue of cars, it’s because they needed to expand and they wanted to use the Glas factories increase their own production.

There must have been no small amount of debate at BMW about what to do with the unusual Glas V8 coupes. It seems there was enough interest in keeping the model in production to hire Pietro Frua to design an all-new fastback body for the car specifically for BMW – the BMW-Glas 3000 V8 Fastback prototype of which only one was made.

Above Image: The Italian Frua styling of the car has won it both fans and detractors over the years.

In the end BMW kept the BMW-Glas V8 in production until only May 1968 when it ceased production. 277 examples of the 2600 V8 had been made followed by 389 examples of the 3000 V8, today the surviving examples are much sought after by enthusiasts who extoll the virtues of the cars to all who’ll listen.

The 1968 BMW-Glas 3000 V8 Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1968 BMW-Glas 3000 V8, the second and final calendar year of production for the model. Interestingly this car spent over 20 years on display at the Berlin Auto Museum where it was seen by countless visitors, many of whom had likely never seen one before.

This BMW-Glas benefits from a comprehensive museum-grade restoration to its original specifications, with red paint and a two-tone black vinyl with beige corduroy insert interior.

It has a Becker Grand Prix tri-band radio, a fender mounted Talbot mirror, silver 14 inch wheels with chrome hubcaps with 185 wide Michelin XVS tires, and a more modern aftermarket electronic ignition for enhanced reliability.

The car is due to cross the auction block with Mecum in mid-August, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Mecum

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proudfromafar:Via BaT

proudfromafar:Via BaT
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Tom Hanks’ Airstream Model 34 Is For Sale: $150,000 – $250,000 USD

This is an Airstream Model 34 travel trailer that was ordered new by Tom Hanks in 1992 and used by the American actor for close to 30 years as his home away from home while filming many of his most famous movies.

Hanks used this Airstream during the filming of at least 18 movies starting with Sleepless in Seattle in 1993. It was also used while filming Apollo 13, Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Catch Me If You Can, Castaway, The Polar Express, Sully, and a slew of other films, the culminating with The Circle in 2017.

He’s now decided to offer it for sale, the price guide is $150,000 – $250,000 USD, and it’d due to roll across the auction block in mid-August in California.

Fast Facts – Tom Hanks’ Airstream

✱ Tom Hanks ordered this Airstream Model 34 as he had grown tired of spending countless hours in the uncomfortable, cookie cutter trailers typically offered on set.

✱ The trailer was delivered from Airstream largely empty inside, Hanks then had a new interior built to his own specifications with ample use of natural wood and fabrics.

✱ The trailer is equipped with a bedroom in the rear, a bathroom, a kitchenette, a dining table, and a lounge area with a gas heater.

Above Image: This Model 34 Airstream is a triple axle trailer with with the signature riveted aluminum body.

Tom Hanks And His Airstream Model 34

Apollo 13 was released to global cinema audiences in 1995, it became one of the most memorable films of the decade, and it was nominated for nine Academy Awards (including Best Picture), and it won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

What audiences didn’t know when they saw Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton in the famous NASA Airstream trailer before their fateful launch, was that Hanks spent much of his free time on set in a similar looking Airstream on the other side of the lot.

“I got it in the days when movies moved slower. I had spent too much time in regular trailers with ugly décor and horribly uncomfortable furniture, so I decided to buy a brand-new Airstream shell with an interior made to my own request.

I didn’t want anything built-in, other than the kitchen and bathroom, so it had only a desk and cupboard in the back, a futon platform on the floor, and room for a small table and chairs. I wanted a regular sofa, too, so I had one made with removable legs so it would get through the door.” – Tom Hanks, Bonhams Magazine interview.

After growing tired of the impersonal and often uncomfortable mass-produced trailers on movie sets Hanks ordered this Model 34 Airstream with an almost empty interior. He then worked with a specialist to have a custom interior built to his specifications.

Above Image: The trailer has a roll-out awning providing a place to sit outside and watch the world go by.

Rather than the plasic, vinyl, and formica that’s so prevalent in travel trailers Hanks went in the other direction, with ample use of natural wood for the floors, cabinetry, chairs, and table. Natural fabrics were used throughout, and over time he added little mementos from various films – like an FBI evidence tag from Catch Me If You Can, a FedEx sticker from Castaway, and an Apollo 13 decal from the 1995 film.

In the rear of the trailer there’s a modestly sized bedroom with a single bed. As you move down the hall you pass the bathroom and kitchenette area as well as the small dining table with two chairs. At the far end there’s a small living room area with a couch and a gaslit fire that adds both warmth and a little character.

Twin roof-mounted air conditioning units have been fitted to keep the trailer comfortable year round regardless of location, and there’s a roll-out awning off the side that provides an area to sit and watch the world go by.

Interestingly the door and one of the windows are adorned with clapper board decals that show the locations that the Airstream has visited while filming, a small hat tip to the extraordinary 30 year life it’s lived so far.

As mentioned in the introduction, he’s now decided to sell his Airstream and Bonhams are estimating it’ll sell for between $150,000 and $250,000 USD. Although that sounds steep it really isn’t much more than you would expect to pay for an Airstream like this without the 30 years of Hollywood history.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.