The Group A display at the Clipsal (Merged)

[GTRMagic]

A request from a competitor:

David Towe asks:

"I'd like to ask anyone who was at the Clipsal meeting if they've got any photos of my cars (the ex-JPS BMW 635Csi and ex-JPS BMW M3) on track there and if they'd be able to send me a copy.

I had a huge brake lock up on Sunday coming in to the Adelaide hairpin and would love to see a pic of it or any others that people might have taken.

Cheers
David"

So folks... if you managed to take any pics of the beautiful BMWs, please reply here, or via PM to David directly

Thanks....

[mayhem]

Can't help unfortunately GTR, missed both parades through bad timing alone, although I have one or two nice ones of David from Wakefield a few weeks ago.

[cavvy]

Did the Group A cars appear en masse - I've been waiting to read something, anyone tell me how it went, how it was received?

[Chucky]

Huh?

[GTRMagic]

David Towe's BMWs were there, there is a thread here somewhere requesting copies of pics....

[00 XR8]

I took some pics inside the temporary museum that was set up at the track.

I took them with a mate’s digital camera and he hasn't emailed the images yet but I will put them on the web when he does

As mentioned before, Mr Towe's beautiful JPS 635 and M3 BMWs were there, as well as other classic Aussie Group A weapons like..............

Perkins EnZed VK

Crosby Bob Jane T-Marts VK

Seton Peter Jackson RS500

Longhurst B&H RS500

Skaife Nissan R31

Crompton/Percy HRT VL

Brock Mobil VN

Skaife/Richards Winfield GTR (1992 ATCC and Bathurst Winner)

Perkins/Ingall Castrol VS (1997 Bathurst Winner)

Seton Ford Credit EL


That is my memory of what was there, anyone want to add or argue?

Unfortunately none of these cars were at Mallala today at the Easter Historic Meeting

[00 XR8]

Oh, and the Ingall/Bartlett GIO VL was there as well

I found a pic on the web (taken by "ballsy" from the Classic Carlectable Forum) of the B&H Sierra......................

http://photobucket.com/albums/y56/tu...t=DSCN3646.jpg

[00 XR8]

Oh, and by the look of this pic.........................

http://photobucket.com/albums/y56/tu...t=DSCN3633.jpg

...........the Laurie Nelson Mustang was there too. I knew there was another I had forgotten

"Ballsy" actually took a few good shots, see the whole gallery here...............

http://photobucket.com/albums/y56/turn8/

[GTRMagic]

The B&H car is an interesting reproduction, but isnt true to its heritage if the paintwork under the bonnet is any indication.... this car is likely an ex-Wolf car... based on the paint work, yet the airjack nub isnt in the right spot....

I wonder if this is the unit that keeps threatening to run in the TCC?

[GTRMagic]

Ahhhhh.... a real racecar

[00 XR8]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

The B&H car is an interesting reproduction, but isnt true to its heritage if the paintwork under the bonnet is any indication.... this car is likely an ex-Wolf car... based on the paint work, yet the airjack nub isnt in the right spot....

The board sitting next to the car in the display certainly seemed to think that it was a fair dinkum Longhurst car I think it hinted at the fact that this one "replaced" the 1988 Bathurst winning machine...............

And yes, that Winfield thing is a serious bit of kit. All 16 or 17 hundred kilos of it There is heaps of complex gear in the boot mounted on the fuel tank too, much bigger brains than this would try and explain what all that does

[GTRMagic]

Perhaps someone cleverer than me can confirm it, but the big white thing with the red dot at the top... looks very much to me like a turbo boost pop off valve.... just look at the huge radiator in the thing....

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by 00 XR8

The board sitting next to the car in the display certainly seemed to think that it was a fair dinkum Longhurst car I think it hinted at the fact that this one "replaced" the 1988 Bathurst winning machine...............

There were five B&H Sierras around from memory... the original RHD one that now sits in the Bathurst museum, a pair of ex-Wolf cars (which apparently included the silver car Robbie Francevic ran one year in the ATCC) and a pair of locally built machines....

It is likely an ex-Longhurst machine, which one is unclear....

[GTRMagic]

Most of the stuff in the rear here is fuel system related... pumps, swirl pot, filtration.... it would take a lot of consistent fuel pressure to keep the power and reliability in such a highly stressed engine....

[Just Do It!]

So did you get a pic of you sitting in it, GTR? I bet you were tempted to

[SamDale]

As always David's cars look fantastic! And it looks like Rod Markland also had his HR31 Skyline there.

I am almost certain the B&H Sierra IS the car that has been threatening to run in the TCC, and actually made an appearance at the Ride Day in Nov last year.

Would be great to see some more of those cars running in the Gulf Western Touring Car Challenge along with David and Rod!! Actually, with Richard Prince's Volvo 240T and the couple of VL Commodores joining us for Mallala, we should have the most Group A cars we've ever had.

[gab73]

i have to say the 635 looks horrible with the m3 wheels as opposed to its original bbs wheels

[mixxer]

Good to see some of these cars are being looked after.
Did anybody get a peek under the GS sierra bonnet, last time I saw it at a show it had a NA 2 litre engine fitted.

[Chucky]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Perhaps someone cleverer than me can confirm it, but the big white thing with the red dot at the top... looks very much to me like a turbo boost pop off valve.... just look at the huge radiator in the thing....

Yup, that'a a pop off valve. Set to 2.5 bar from memory.

Also note the mechanical fuel pump driving off the inlet cam pulley.

I can't figure out what's on the nose of the exhaust cam pulley. It looks like a variable cam mechanism but I didn't think it had one.

[pcarter68]

Here's one of the BMW from the hairpin
http://www.pbase.com/pcarter68/image/41270780

[David Towe]

Originally Posted by gab73

i have to say the 635 looks horrible with the m3 wheels as opposed to its original bbs wheels

I've got a 2 sets of the BBS wheels but they have 10 year old wets on them and as we were not taking all our usual racing supplies in the TNT transporter I elected to take the only set of wheels I got with the car that had any form of usable slick on them.
One set of BBS are in original paint, the other are white painted centres and need to be refinished. Does anyone know the relevance of white centres? What was the colour scheme when Joe Somariva owned the car.
I had a chat with Jim Richards while I was there and he confirmed that the car I have IS the championship winning car from 85. He even says on tape that everyone who's got a JPS 635 claims it as being the championship winner but confirms mine as the car.
Thanks to those who passed compliments to the car. I was hoping to get a small dent out of the bonnet before shipping, but my nephew (Mr. Unreleiable but a brilliant painter) didn't get it done in time.
I'll be taking the car to the Mallala round of the Touring Car Challenge and giving the M3 a rest, hope to see you there.

[David Towe]

Originally Posted by SamDale

.

I am almost certain the B&H Sierra IS the car that has been threatening to run in the TCC, and actually made an appearance at the Ride Day in Nov last year.

Would be great to see some more of those cars running in the Gulf Western Touring Car Challenge along with David and Rod!! Actually, with Richard Prince's Volvo 240T and the couple of VL Commodores joining us for Mallala, we should have the most Group A cars we've ever had.

The B&H car is the same car now owned by the irrepressable Neville Davies.
I'll have the 635 at Mallala but I don't think Rod Markland can make it there.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by David Towe

What was the colour scheme when Joe Somariva owned the car.

From the 1989 Great Race book (p121 for trainspotters...) is a small pic of the Sommariva car... it has what look to be 16" BBS wheels, with white centres aboard....

The car is finished in white, with a BMW-style red and blue and darker blue across the LHS, with Sommariva Concrete Contractors as primary branding, along with Australian Crssh Repairs and La Scala Restaurant aboard....

... while on P187 it shows the same BMW tricolours across the rear quarter, with the same sponsor package aboard..... and p196 shows the car from the front... for Joe Sommariva, Daryl Belskyj and Warren McKellar...

The car ran at Sandown 1989 (DNF) and Bathurst 1989 (not classified as a finisher but 118 laps down regardless) where at Bathurst they blew the "good" engine in practice and struggled with a less powerful spare... which had wiring issues during the race (the starter motor wire broke...) and later the car jammed in gear, and sat in the pits on its jacks till they could free the linkage.... the box eventually cacked itself, left with only 2nd gear.. and after a fuel leak in the boot, which they used to trundle over the line at the end....

If i recall rightly this car also went to Garry Rogers, who ran it in 1986(?) in the ATCC as well?

[David Towe]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

If i recall rightly this car also went to Garry Rogers, who ran it in 1986(?) in the ATCC as well?

Right, the car went, JPS, Rogers, Somariva, Jim Richards, John Hebron, David Towe. Story now complete, many thanks.

[Road Ranger Vk]

does any one have any pics of the commodores that were there