Brabham, Camaro, Corvette and Datsun to feature at first Donington Auction
Brabham BT16
Leading the way is a Brabham BT16 with Australian Grand Prix history and seat time with Graham Hill and Frank Gardiner (Lot 39).
BT16 chassis F2-8-65 was built by Motor Racing Developments for John Coombs Racing to run in Formula Two competition in 1965. Coombs’s driver was the current Formula One champion, Graham Hill, who raced the car over two seasons before it came back to the factory at the end of 1966 and Alec Mildren purchased it to race in Australia.
Frank Gardiner, a racer of note both here and in the UK, worked with Brabham engineers to modify the car, which arrived in Australia in late 1966 and was campaigned by him in that summer’s Tasman Series, where he tied for third overall with Jack Brabham.
Gardiner’s best result in F2-8-65 was third at the ’67 Australian Grand Prix at Warwick Farm.
Sold in 1968, the Brabham passed through several more owners – with a livery change or two along the way – before it was restored in the early ’00s to its 1968 Tasman Series appearance.
Campaigned in historic Tasman Meetings since, the Brabham is ready to continue historic competition.
BWA historic racer
A competition car with a difference – and historic racing provenance – is the 1938 BWA (Lot 33).
Taking its name from the initials of its three Victorian creators – Gib Barrett, John White and Alan Ashton – the BWA was made up from pre-war Frazer Nash and Lancia mechanical parts, cloaked under a bespoke body from Melbourne coachworks, Curry & Richards.
Originally built as a two-seater, the BWA was converted to a monoposto soon after World War II, and raced at Bathurst, Phillip Island and Fisherman’s Bend. The car also competed in the 1953 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, where it finished twelfth.
With its Meadows engine replaced by a supercharged MGA engine in the late 1950s, the BWA was partially restored soon after, then fully restored more recently, when a 1.5-litre Lea Francis engine and Lancia gearbox was fitted to run the car in Group K Historic competition.
A regular in historic race events for the past two decades (most recently at this year’s Phillip Island Classic), the BWA comes to auction with a spare engine and ‘box, CAMS Historic log book, CoD and provenance paperwork.
Camaro SS 350
A car with a significant local racing history is the 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS 350 from the Estate of Daryl Duff (Lot 31).
A keen racer, Duff - known as ‘the fastest butcher in Brighton’ – converted the Camaro to Group N spec with a high-performance 350 V8, Muncie transmission, roll cage, ventilated front disc brakes, adjustable rear panhard rod and other category-specific components.
In hillclimbs and sprints, Duff’s Camaro was successful for more than a decade at venues like Myrniong and Mt. Tarrengower.
While in storage for the past two years, the car remains ready to race and will be sold with a current CAMS Historic log book. The original engine and gearbox will be included in the sale.
Datsun 240Z
Also from the Duff estate collection is a very cool 1971 Datsun 240Z (Lot 32).
Built to CAMS Group 2B spec sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s (the log book dates to 1991), the Datsun was purchased by Duff in 2000.
Mechanical spec includes a Nissan L28 six bored out to 3 litres and fitted with triple Weber 45DCOE carbs, a 5-speed gearbox and disc brakes all round, as well as Perspex side glass, fibreglass bonnet and bumpers, aluminium roll cage and a race seat and harness.
With Marque Sports / Sports Car race history, this car was campaigned in sprint, hillclimb and regularity competition throughout Victoria by the former president of the Victorian Historic Racing Register.
Parked up in 2016, Duff’s Datsun, like his Camaro, remains in ready-to-race condition with a CAMS 2B Prod Sport Log Book included in the sale.
Chevrolet Corvette 427
With the release of the eighth generation Corvette making everything “Vette” hot at the moment, this 1969 Corvette convertible is sure to be popular (Lot 37).
Fitted with the desirable Big Block 427 V8 from the factory, the Corvette was imported into Australia by a South Australian collector in 2007.
Issued with a CAMS Group Sb log book in 2014, the car has been used sparingly in recent years, most recently at the Geelong Revival Sprints in 2018.
Another ready-to-race consignment, this car comes with a CAMS-approved half roll cage, but includes all the original interior, soft top and wheels to return it to road spec.
Ford XW Falcon GT-HO
Just consigned as this article was posted was this 1969 Ford XW Falcon GT-HO (Lot 40).
Finished in Grecian Gold with a black vinyl interior, this genuine GT-HO Falcon was sold new to McCluskey Ford in Queensland and raced in the ’69 Hardie-Ferodo 500 at Bathurst. Driven by Glyn Scott and Roy Griffiths, the car qualified 17th but was effectively out of the race after a minor incident on Lap 4, eventually finishing 26th overall. The GT-HO was subsequently raced at Lakeside and Surfers Paradise.
Sold to another Ford dealership in NSW in 1971, the car went into private hands in the same year and remained in NSW until 1998, after which it went to South Australia.
Fully restored in the past five years, the car was returned to its 1969 Bathurst spec at the same time and comes to auction with a CAMS Gold CoD and log book.
Other lots of interest include a 1964 Jaguar 3.8 Mk2 in Group N spec, a 1962 Lotus Super 7 SII Clubman racer and a 1959 Ferrrari 196S Dino recreation that’s sure to generate some interest. There’s even a trayback truck and trailer up for grabs – to take your new purchases home with!
A trio of motorcycles and more than one hundred separate lots of memorabilia – covering books, posters, paintings, programmes, signed items, trophies and riding gear.
For more details on Donington Auctions’ first online auction event, go to: doningtonauctions.com.au
Online bids are being taken from 10:00AM on Sunday 21 July and will begin to close sequentially from 1:00PM on Sunday 28 July.
Viewings are available from 22 through 27 July at Donington’s auction rooms at 100A Talinga Rd., Cheltenham. See the website for viewing times and more details.
