The early history of Australian motor sport is filled with one-offs and specials, some famous and successful, others long-forgotten. Using whatever running gear and parts were at hand, often sourced from wrecker’s yards, these talented individuals built their home-made specials on limited budgets, competing against the more exotic (and expensive) machinery from England, Europe or the United States. Many famous names in our motor racing heritage started out building and racing their own specials, including legends like Jack Brabham with his famous RedeX Special.
Hand-built by Perth coachbuilder Harry Smith for the 1951 Australian Grand Prix, this one-off creation is a great example of Aussie ingenuity. Today the car retains most of her original components (Chassis, Body, Running Gear) although some small improvements have been made for safety and reliability (roll bar, new fuel tank, floor in cockpit)
Running Gear
Uses period Ford running gear including a flathead Mercury V8, a ’46 Ford gearbox and a diff from an early Ford ute. Pic shows what it looks like today, engine is a little dressed up, original heads in storage
Chassis
Completely hand made using box tube
Body
Steel, all hand made, orignal
Front Suspension
A Ford beam front axle was split to create fully independent front suspension on coil springs
Rear Suspension
Rear axle was cut and half-shaft axles added, riding on coils for a fully independent rear
Wheels
Back to her “racing configuration” now with an asymmetrical front/back setup. A model 19″ on the front and ’35 16’s on the rear
Driving her is “interesting”, I certainly don’t profess to an expert but she is very heavy on the steering. To the point where slow/tight corners are a bit of a concern in traffic (I need to get my confidence/competence up before I tackle Albany Round the Houses). Have had her out at Collie with the VSCC and she held her own (was great fun) and I do feel she is more suited to wider/faster courses.
