1962 Westmead ‘120’ – the first win for an LDS. Serrurier leads van der Vyver’s Lotus 21 Climax. (Photo: Tony de Wijn).
Story by Robert Young
The 1962 South African Grand Prix season would also be see successful Alfa powered racecars. Ernest Pieterse, a proprietor of an Alfa Romeo dealership engaged Peter de Klerk to assist with the fitting of Alfa power to his championship winning Heron.
The South Africans were adept at building ‘specials’ and Doug Serrurier of LDS fame, a close friend of van der Vyver and de Klerk, used Alfa power in his early constructions. “Pure racing parts were hard and expensive to come by and I remember that to make larger valves Doug modified Model T Ford valves in his engine,” recalled Lew Baker.