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Owner/Driver:
Mike White UK since 1985
History:
1948
Original HRG 1500 chassis laid down in 1948, chassis # 174
1955 Ryman Special with Holden Grey motor fitted
1958 After bad accident reappeared as the Godfrey Special, fitted
with a lightweight Buchanan body.
1958/59 Raced at Strathpine, Lowood, Bathurst and Leyburn by Jack
Edwards.
1960 Bought by Joe Marano from Brisbane, Repco Hi-power head was on
car when purchased.
1963 Rebuilt by Joe as front cross member was cracking, body removed,
engine rebuilt.
1964? Sold to Blair Shepard in Brisbane, still with Repco head
1964? Sold to Toowoomba, Repco headed engine removed and put in
speedboat.
1970's Turned up in Adelaide and rescued by Ted Newsome from under a
peach tree.
1980 Jim Russell commences restoration.
1983 Sold to Ron Hunt of Woodonga who raced it at Mt Tarrengower
Hillclimb in October.
1985 Acquired by Mike White and shipped to UK in March 1986,
full restoration and FIA papers obtained.
1986 on Raced at hillclimbs including at Prescott, Loton Park and
Shelsley Walsh.
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Special Buchanan lightweight race
body with no passenger door, no passenger dash cowl, no bootlid and
headrest fitted |
The
original HRG 1500 chassis, number 174, was laid down on September
2nd. 1948, however it wasn't until February 21st. of the following year it
was completed with engine number C1085 Sc and axle number 200/2/A.
It was the first of three exported to Brown & Dureau in Melbourne
Australia where cars were fitted with locally made bodies, in this
instance a special body was built for the chassis.
Come
1951 and Greg McErvin was the first owner, entrusting maintenance and
development to Don Reimann. It was raced successfully at Woodside,
Sellicks Beach, Port Wakefield, Fishermans Bend etc. Independent front
suspension and hydraulic brakes were fitted. In 1954 Don Reimann
bought the car from Greg and sold it on to Morry Maurice who continued to
race it until the engine expired.
By
1955 Reimann fitted a hot Grey Holden engine and the car became known as
the Ryman Special racing in Western Australia at Caversham, Northam etc.
It was advertised for sale in April 1956 by Morry and described as the
fastest special in W.A. Eventually it ended up in Jack O'Dea's hands
in Victoria who raced it while advertising it for sale in November 1957.
After
reportedly suffering a bad accident it wasn't until May 1958 that the HRG
chassis reappeared, this time clothed in a lightweight Buchanan racing
body. Now known as the "Godfrey Special", it was owned and raced by
Jack Edwards, Bill Whittaker subbing for a few events. A string of
races at Lowood, Strathpine, Toowoomba and Bathurst followed in 1958/59
until the car was next seen in the hands of Joe Marano at Strathpine in
1960. He eventually put it up for sale in March 1961 advertising it as a
Repco Holden. It did not sell.
Joe
rebuilt the car after the subframe that held the front suspension was
found to be cracked and moving around. he removed the body and had a new
and stronger subframe fabricated and refitted. He rebuilt the engine at
the same time.....rings, bearings, etc. He actually did his mechanical
apprenticeship at Holden way back in the late '40's so he knew those old
grey motors inside out. It was finished in 1963 and appeared in Joe's
hands at the Burleigh hillclimb. He also campaigned it at Lowood.
He
sold the Buchanan to a car dealer friend in Brisbane called Blair Shepard
who was also a well known speedway racer, but he on sold it to someone out
near Toowoomba. The new owner then removed the Repco head and fitted it to
a speedboat.
The
car disappeared for a few years until surfacing under a peach tree in a
suburb of Adelaide in South Australia. Ted Newsome dragged it out and back
to Melbourne where it eventually passed into the hands of Jim Russell who
commenced restoring it in 1980. By 1983 Ron Hunt in Woodonga had acquired
the car and competed at the Mt. Tarrengower Hillclimb in October.
Finally in 1985 the HRG Buchanan was to find a long term home back in the
UK, Mike White acquiring the car and shipping it home in March of 1956.
After years of neglect a full chassis up restoration was undertaken. The
car emerged with the UK registration of TFO 643 and full FIA papers.
Mike focused on hill climbs competing at Loton Park, Prescott and Shelsley
Walsh.
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