Quote:
Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4
Here in Australia we are pleased to have Rauno Aaltonnen visiting for the 50th anniversary of his October 1966 Bathurst 500 win with our Bob Holden (Mini = first 9 across the line) and also the Southern Cross Rally 50th celebrations  |
In circa 1970/1, I had the distinct pleasure of driving Rauno Aaltonen's Monte winning Cooper
s.
My then local main agent'sidentified we were the largest local trade buyer of Abingdon Special Tuning bits, and since the Stores Manager had Aaltonen's car for a show week, ran it around in his lunch hour.
Naturally all my mechs were over it like wasps around a jampot!
I, however, talked him into allowing me to take it for a spin...
(At the time, we built, tuned, maintained and refettled many Cooper
s race, rally, autocross and road cars and competed in all those classes, too).
I quite forget the guy's wife, sitting docilely in the front passenger seat.
She wasn't quite so calm when we returned: rather white faced... I still sometimes feel guilty about that. Not often though!
Standard works spec car: 1293 c.c. over-bore; 649 full race cam (993 c.c. F3 XSP engine); twin 1 1/2" SUs (Weber not homologated); beefed up alternator; free flow fabricated exhaust; Dural Sump Shield; Hydrolastic suspension, plus front shocks; full balance and lightened; straight cut transfer gears and close ratio box plus Salisbury LSD.
Went like a whippet.