Australia’s Vintage Collingrove Hillclimb

South Australia, 5 October 2014

Story and photos by Vince Johnson

The British far outnumbered the French and Italians at the Sporting Car Club of South Australia’s annual vintage hillclimb in the Barossa Valley recently. At just under 700 meters in length it doesn’t take long for competitors to get over the crest at the top and most managed seven runs during the day. Perfect spring weather and a holiday weekend saw the drivers almost as relaxed as the spectators. The entry list included some post-WW2 cars but the invited ‘Come & Run’ category maintained the vintage feel with Jim Scammell’s 1922 Essex 4 Special the oldest car on the hill.

Noel Cunningham, 1926 Talbot Darracq Grand Prix crests the hill.

With a history to match its engineering, it was fitting that the first car against the clock was Noel Cunningham’s 1926 Talbot Darracq Grand Prix. It is the third of three built that had spent time racing at Brooklands, Monza and Tripoli with Seagrave and Nuvolari. Its dry sump, twin overhead cam, supercharged 1.5 liter straight eight engine produces 170 bhp at 7000 rpm and is offset, with the driver sitting low alongside the gearbox.

T-D at speed. Be sure to read the complete story of this car in VeloceToday.

After GP duties with the Sunbeam, Talbot & Darracq Company it spent time with Italian privateer Materassi, making its way from England to Australia in 1948. It’s still winning; Noel’s best time of 44.41 seconds bringing it home first in class and 8th outright. Read the full three part story about the Talbot-Darracq

1500cc T-D engine had DOHC and steel cylinder bores.

From across the border in Victoria, John Gillett’s 1934 MG K3 also oozes history. Its CV includes Prince Bira of Siam, in his brother’s ‘White Mouse Garage’ team, lapping Brooklands at 109 mph in 1935/36. Coming to Australia a year later, it was still competitive in 1953, finishing 3rd in the Grand Prix held at Melbourne’s Albert Park. After fifty years with the Bradey family in South Australia, the ‘White Mouse’ is still hard at work with John.

Flying ‘White Mouse’ MG K3.

Richard Creasy’s 1925 Amilcar G Model Sports kept the French connection well and truly alive on the hill. He shared the driving with Graeme Thwaites and it almost spent more time on the hill than in the paddock, completing nine runs.

1925 Amilcar G powers uphill.

Smallest of them all, Graeme Steinfort’s 1929 Austin Chummy showed the spectators at the start line what a 747 cc-powered burn out looks like. Perhaps next year he’ll bring the Austin 7 that he built around the original engine and gearbox from the winner of the first race held at Phillip Island in 1928.

747cc Austin Chummy ‘burn out’.

A healthy power to weight ratio gave fastest time of the day, 37.36 seconds, to John Payne in his 1951 Cooper Jap. It also scored highly in the decibel stakes. Much quieter but no less effective was the sole Italian, in the hands of Russell Meehan. Youngest by far, courtesy of its ‘Come & Run’ invitation, his 1969 Lancia Fulvia Rallye took 2nd in the category.

Fastest of the day, John Payne’s Cooper Jap.

Even the trophy at the end of the day had history. Originally won by Mr C Pickworth in a Hudson Terraplane at a 1935 hillclimb in Victoria, it’s now known as the Pickworth ‘Hudson Trophy’ for ‘Black and Grey Iron’ and is designed to attract Hudson-engined cars to Collingrove. The bottles of ‘Norfolk House 1855’ wines that were awarded to the class winners weren’t short of heritage either. They came from family vines re-established by James Creasy’s great-great-grandson Richard and his wife Bodil.

1969 Lancia Fulvia Rallye on the hill.

And as the Sporting Car Club of SA’s Veteran Section dates back to 1934, making it the second oldest in the world, that’s entirely as it should be.

Russell Meehan’s Lancia cockpit.

With thanks to event chairman Jim Scammell, the SCC of SA officials and volunteers and the cars’ owners for their histories.

Onward and upward for the Fulvia.