[275 GTB-4]

HEAVILY EDITED FOR THE PRIVACY OF OWNER

MUSTANG: 1964

FIRST MUSTANG TO WIN A CAR RACE IN THE WORLD

ORIGINAL OWNER NORM BEECHEY (STORMIN NORMAN)

ORIGINAL SPECIFICATIONS - 65A P 29 03H 12 8 5 5 R 07 K 125011.

65A. Body. Two door Hardtop.
P. Colour. Prairie Bronze.
29. Trim. Pinto Vinyl.
03H. Date. Third of August 1964.
12. District. Buffalo.
8. Axle. 3.89-1.
5. Transmission. 4 Speed Manual.
5. Year. 1965.
R. Assembly Plant. San Jose.
07. Body Code. Two Door Hardtop.
K. Engine Code. 289 High Performance.
Unit Number. 125011.

HISTORY OF THE VEHICLE: - Ascertained from vehicle identification numbers, magazine articles and people who knew the car and drivers.

VIN: 65A P 29 03H 12 8 5 5 R 07 K 125011

List of owners: - Which coincides with owners research and articles able to be found on the vehicle:

1. Norm BEECHEY
2. Bryan THOMSON
3. Kim AUNGER (Driven mainly by Peter Finch)
4. WIGRAM
5. Kelvin SQUIRES
6. Tom JEPPERSON
7. MORROW
8. Current Owner

“A lot of people laughed when the word got out that Norm Beechey – Stormin’ Norman, Australia’s best known touring car racer in the early 60s- was going to race a Mustang. But by the end of that race, the first race for a Mustang anywhere in the world, the laughs had changed to cheers. We had seen the Mustang era start with a win, and the cheering had only just begun.”

Calder January 24th 1965, raced against Bob Jane in his 4.1 litre Jaguar. The Mustang was so new it’s front disc brakes had not been fitted and it was racing with drums all round, even so, after ten laps Jane’s Jaguar was 15 seconds behind and the Mustang won hands down.

First raced in its Gold colour, unveiled on January 27 1965 in Neptune racing colours. Claude Morton, Beechey’s mechanic is quoted as saying “Norm had tried chasing Bob Jane and that Jaguar with the Impala and then Len Lukey’s Galaxy and those cars were soaking up money faster than he could earn it, and as Norm used to say, when it came to making money he was no slouch.

So we built the 179 while he kept looking for something and he started talking about this new Mustang, it was a nice light car, only about 3000lbs and it had the same engine and gearbox that Shelby was using in that fabulous AC Cobra. Norm said a Mustang V8 “could be a real good thing”.

He went over there and would you believe bought second hand 1965 model in September 1964! It had the heavy-duty suspension and diff and the four-speed gearbox, but it didn’t have front disc brakes. Discs were a Ford performance option, so Norm ordered a set of those and they were sent out in the same box as a Shelby race engine. When we went to fit that engine before Calder, we discovered it had the wrong Bell Housing and had to sort that out. Then we discovered they’d sent us the discs and callipers, but no mounting brackets. We got some locally made for the short term, but we had to run at Calder with front drums and metallic liners and they weren’t worth a bumper.”

Norm Beechey said he bought the vehicle from a Ford Motor Dealership in L.A, the original colour of the vehicle being Ivy and Gold. The vehicle was then taken to Carol Shelby who worked the engine to race specification; it was then imported to Australia by Norm.

So... “landed in Australia in November 1964 and race track debut at Catalina Park early the following year. Beechey took out his first Australian Touring Car title at Sandown in April of 1965. Painted in Neptune racing blue with white “skunk stripes”.

OTHER WORK DONE: A set of five spoke American-racing mags replaced the steel wheels after about six months. Replaced Ford steering box with a right- hand drive Holden case containing left-hand drive gears. Front springs were stiffened, caster was increased to the maximum available and the inner pick-up for the top wishbone was lowered. A change made by Shelby and later adopted for the second Geoghegan Mustang. The nine-inch diff, which came with a locker centre, was given a set of anti tramp rods and the front mountings for the rear springs were lowered to help the car point into corners better.

1966 – SOLD TO BRYAN THOMSON - From Shepparton Victoria, who took it to England and raced in 1966, 1967. He then returned to Australia and sold it to KIM AUNGER.

“In the late 60’s I worked for Kim Aunger when he purchased the car from Bryan Thomson and I remember working around the car it was driven mainly by Peter Finch who also worked at Aunger Accessories with me. The car was painted white with orange striping. Kim did drive the car but didn’t do all that well and always had to try and conceal his “drives” from his family, who were against it.

PETER FINCH had raced the fastest FJ Holden in Australia for years, and was an excellent driver. I stopped working for Kim about the same time he sold the car and I lost track of it after that.”

SOLD TO WIGRAM – I have no further information.

SOLD TO TOM JEPPERSON in 1977 - Who did not race it.

SOLD TO MORROW in 1980 - Who did not race it.

SOLD TO CURRENT OWNER in 1983.

It looks like the car may be displayed at the Mustang Nationals in Canberra this Easter. By then, the owner will have a better idea on what to do with car.