Jaegermeister Camaro

[Bruce302]

Gentlemen,
I have been asked by the current owner of the Frank Gardner '67 Camaro, to see if between us, we can determine if it is the same car that raced in Jaegermeister colours.
Your help would be greatly appreciate, and I know some of you must have pics.

Bruce.

This is the known history of the car thus far:

Late November 1966 production - Norwood (most probably an SS 350/327 car with RS option).
Delivered to Robert Chevrolet (NY) and prepared for Trans-Am for Bob (Bobby) Brown.
Sebring 4 Hour Trans-Am 2, March 1967. Finished 6th.
Lime Rock Trans-Am 4, May 1967. DNF.
1967 SCCA Runoffs, Lime Rock (Labour Day) Overall Winner.
Sold to Malcolm Wayne - UK. Wayne raced the car in 1968 (inc some BSCC races)
1968, Wayne sold to Mike Kearon (race history TBA)
1970, Kearon sold to Bill Shaw for Roy Pierpoint to replace Camaro 'written off' at Oulton Park in 69.
1970 (Late), Shaw sold to Adrian Chambers (SCA European Road Services) ending up with Frank Gardner at the wheel.
1971, BSCC, Gardner.
1972, First two rounds of BSCC before new car ready.

There are some doubts that the car was then prepared as the Jagermeister car for Germany in 1972. This is yet to be fully researched. There are thoughts that the Jagermeister car was in fact the Martin Thomas car!!

[Jeremy Jackson]

Autopsort (July 20 1972) reported that Gardner's practice time at the British GP support race on July 15 (Prac. on Friday 14th) was set in the "old car" (i.e the 1971 early 72 car), as Frank was "trying the car in preparation for the first of a series of 4 races in Germany and it has been repainted red for its Jaegermeister sponsorship. The car left for Germany after practice as its first race was last Sunday"

Don't know if you had that already, but hopefully it's a starting point...

[Bruce302]

Thanks Jeremy,
That tends to suggest that it is indeed the same car.
That means the car, now in Australia, has race history in USA, UK, Germany, Australia and NZ. That's pretty impressive.
Of course if there are any pics, my friend would be extremely grateful.

[Camaroz]

Thought I would bring this thread back in the vain hope that some new people to the forum may have info.

Does anyone have any photo's, B&W or colour (colour would be fantastic), info or articles of the Jagermeister/SCA Camaro in German TCC in 1972?

[Milan Fistonic]

I've found one of Gardner's results in Germany.

The saloon car event supporting the Hockenheim F2 race last Sunday [June 11, 1972] was won by Frank Gardner in the SCA Freight Chevrolet Camaro despite being nudged down to third place on the first lap. Gardner had no trouble in recovering and was over 30 seconds ahead of Dieter Basche's BMW 2002.

And just to correct your first post, the old car was used in the fourth and fifth rounds, not the first two.

[Bruce302]

So it was still refered to as the SCA Camaro in June in Germany , then it was back to the (Fri practice) for the British GP support races (July 15) where it was already painted red in preparation for the J'meister backed German rounds ? but it left before the actual race if I understand correctly. It sure travelled back and forth a bit.
Thanks Milan.

[Milan Fistonic]

This is what Motoring News had to say about Gardner and the Camaro in the British GP preview.

Gardner will be driving Adrian Chamber's new-look SCA Freight Chevrolet Camaro, which has been quietly developed while Frank scored a couple of wins in the old Camaro. Frank Gardner has a busy schedule over this weekend for on Saturday he drives the 5.7-litre Alan Smith machine at Brands, then jets across to Diepholz for a German national touring car championship event in the old 5.0 Camaro, now in the colours of SCA and Graham Hill's sponsor in F2 - Jaegermeister. Gardner will be competing in some more German national events in the older car this year, so his loyal mechanics Norman Lockwood and Mark Leseur should be kept busy.

Chambers says of the new-style Camaro (which last appeared, and won, at Thruxton): "It looks very strong for Brands Hatch as, in private testing, Frank has already slashed 2.5 seconds off the outright Snetterton saloon record!" Chambers follows the Gardner line of thought in not shouting about power figures, but he is quietly confident that the Smith engine - on carburetters as injection is still too much of a fiddle - will give a very healthy proportion of 500 bhp.

[Milan Fistonic]

Originally posted by Jeremy Jackson
Autopsort (July 20 1972) reported that Gardner's practice time at the British GP support race on July 15 (Prac. on Friday 14th) was set in the "old car" (i.e the 1971 early 72 car), as Frank was "trying the car in preparation for the first of a series of 4 races in Germany and it has been repainted red for its Jaegermeister sponsorship. The car left for Germany after practice as its first race was last Sunday"

Don't know if you had that already, but hopefully it's a starting point...

Not quite right.

Gardner's practice time was set in the new 5.7-litre car.

To quote Autosport:

Frank's best [time] was 1m 41.0s and he also had on hand the old car fitted with a 5 litre engine. Frank was trying the car in preparation for the first of a series of four races in Germany and it has been repainted in red for its Jaegermeister sponsorship. The car left for Germany after practice as its first race was last Sunday.

[Bruce302]

Thanks Milan,
Frank sure was busy during that time. He seems to be driving the Alan Smith 5.7 Camaro, his own (Chambers SCA) 5.0 Camaro, and the "new" SCA Camaro virtually simultaneously.
The Motoring News article is very good.

Thanks
Bruce.

[Milan Fistonic]

Bruce

The car Gardner drove at Brands Hatch was not another car. It was the new SCA Camaro. The reporter was referring to the new car with the 5.7-litre Alan Smith prepared engine.

[Bruce302]

Thanks for clarifying that Milan, It makes more sense now.

[rdrcr]

Bruce,

I've seen models that depict the car in a bright orange with gold Jaegermeister lettering highlighted with black.

I will continue to search around for a photo, but I believe this to be the original color scheme.

[Bruce302]

Thanks Richard,
That's the colour/color scheme I associated with that beautiful Porsche in Jagermeister livery, and that is the way the model of the Camaro appears in a very small pic.
Any pics of the car in action, or otherwise will be gratefully recieved.

Bruce.

[rdrcr]

Bruce,

Check your PM's...

[Camaroz]

Hi All,

Sorry for not responding but have been interstate (Indy Rally and Gold Coast Indy) for the last two weeks.

I have the "Competition 43" resin model of the SCA/Jagermeister Camaro and it came with a fairly detailed drawing of the car and signage placement. Bruce, I will get this scanned for you and e-mail as prommised, just got to get the 3 Peaks Rally over with this weekend.

Jagermeister have been very helpful and they are sending me reference material for the logo's etc. I would really like a colour pic of the car, mainly for it's "photo history album".

Milan, thanks heaps for your recources and inputs. Lets hope someone in Germany has found an old photo stash!!!

[Bruce302]

Welcome back,
I'll look forward to seeing the model and anything else you can share.
Unfortunately no new pics of the car in orange, but I know they will turn up in time. I have had a few new ones of mine recently. i'll share as soon as copywrite issues permit.

Bruce.

[Camaroz]

Milan,

Can you PM me with your contact details. Bruce 302 has verified your credentials and I would like to make contact.

Cheers