Vintage Collingrove Hillclimb, South Australia, 6 October

Story and photos by Vince Johnson
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The first competitive hillclimb in South Australia, held in 1904 on the Norton Summit Road, was won by Ernest Rymill in his 15hp Darracq. The following year he made it two in a row. Sadly, Rymill’s Darracq wasn’t in the Barossa Valley this year for the Sporting Car Club of SA’s Vintage Collingrove, although the French were admirably represented by local stalwart Richard Creasy’s slightly younger Amilcar G.

Richard purchased the car in 1986 as the remains of a Morris powered special built in the 1960’s in Melbourne. It has been rebuilt with Amilcar components. The engine is a 1925 pressure fed 1985cc side valve and drives through its original 4 speed transmission.

The lone Italian was entered in the ‘Come & Run’ category by John & Andrew Stevens, keeping the pre-WW2 spirit of the red cars alive. John takes up its story:

“Some years ago, Bruce Hartwig decided to build a tribute to the Alfa P2 racing car of 1932, scaled back in size by 20%. He is well known for his flying school in Adelaide and for building and racing various specials around Australia. His Chrysler Special is particularly well known. He used a vintage chassis, probably something American, and incorporated a vintage Jaguar front axle and brakes. He then fitted it with a 1960’s Alfa engine and gearbox. The result was a very quick special that did not qualify for much as the engine and gearbox were not vintage.

“Around 1969 an Italian aircraft engineer called Alex Nagy in Sydney was selling a 1939 Fiat 6C1500B engine. This engine had been race-prepared by a Sydney engineering firm who were well known at the time. It was fitted with period-correct, twin brass Weber carburettors which may have been with it from new. These engines in single carb form were fitted to a range of Fiat sedans. The engine was purchased by Geoff Dutch who stored it under his house for the next 42 years. In 2014 Geoff advertised the engine. During our conversation I learnt that the gearbox was still attached, with pedals. He also had the original independent front suspension and about 30% of the original chassis on which the engine was still mounted. Geoff delivered the engine to Adelaide; I parked it in a corner and started looking for late 30’s Fiat bits. A swap of a pair of French headlights with Adrian Denman produced a rear axle and diff and from Italian eBay I got a NOS right hand drive steering box. There is not much late 30’s Fiat stuff in Australia.

“Meanwhile, Bruce put two of his specials up for sale, including the Alfa special. I had him remove the Alfa engine and gearbox and fit the Fiat. Compression is even in all 6 cylinders and oil pressure is good. We reverted to front leaf springs and dumb irons, but I still have the chassis section and original IFS at home. The car is now on its way to being all pre-war vintage.”

With perhaps the most notable history was the 1934 Railton Sports Tourer of event committee chairman Jim Scammell. In December 1934, 22 year-old Whitney Straight, Dick Seaman, 21 and Whitney’s 18 year-old brother Michael had flown a De Havilland Dragon Rapide from the UK, landing 5 days later in East London, South Africa. Whitney’s Maserati, Seaman’s MG Magnette and Michael’s Railton-Terraplane had been sent by sea, entered in the inaugural South African Grand Prix. On the fast 16-mile street circuit, the Maserati took the lead from scratch on lap 5 of the 6-lap handicap event. A Ford came home second but in his racing debut Michael was on the podium in third, at an average speed of 89mph. It was Michael’s first and last race. He became an American publisher and arts patron and died in 2004. The Railton was imported by Sporting Car Club of SA life member Ray Pank in 1982. Jim acquired it in 2014, registering it with the original UK number it raced with in South Africa.

Also with impressive racing credentials was Allan Tyrell’s Austin 7 Ulster. One of five supercharged Ulsters built in May 1930, a month later at its first outing it won the 850cc class of the One Hour High Speed Trial at the Junior Car Club’s Brooklands meeting. Success at Brooklands and Shelsley Walsh continued in 1931-32 and it was a regular competitor there, and at Donington Park, throughout 1933-34. Allan brought the car to Melbourne in the mid 1970’s. Following a complete rebuild, it still very much earns its keep, having had only two DNFs in around 150 events.

Last year Graeme Steinfort brought his Austin Chummy over from Melbourne. With him this year was his ‘Waite Replica’ with its link to the first Australian Grand Prix, won by Arthur Waite in 1928 at Phillip Island.

“Many years ago I purchased the ex John Bowring Austin 7 Special”, explained Graeme.

“With it came a 3-speed gearbox with 4 speeds. It was said to be out of Arthur Waite’s 1928 AGP-winning car and at the time was the only such gearbox known to me. I sold the car as it had an independent front end, with the axle having been cut in half and ‘Ballamyised’, but I kept the gearbox. Without a car to race at the Winton Historics here in Victoria, I decided to put together a car for that purpose. I had a rolling chassis and gearbox and all I needed was a body and an engine. Tony Johns lent me an ‘Ulster; engine and I purchased a replica body that Ross Stewart had Bill Sheehan had built.

“The engine came from Sydney and was identified by its casting numbers and a modification to its rear main bearing by a former owner, who had worked at Waite’s Austin Distributors in Melbourne and had purchased the ‘Waite Car’ in the late 1930’s. He related that the crankshaft had broken and a new one had been ordered from the UK. The replacement was dimensionally larger, which required an enlargement of the hole at the rear of the crankcase (in all A7 engines, the crankshaft has to be threaded thorough). This was evident in the crankcase. David Rapley assembled the engine and once installed, this car was as near to the original that one could get!

“The car was completed and ran at Winton. It has a Cozette supercharger which gives it good acceleration and otherwise it handles like an Austin 7!”

There was room on the day for a Modern Invited category so it was no surprise to see fastest time go to Kym Ninnes’ Fidini Clubman on 37.15 seconds. What was also no surprise was Michael Shearer continuing the tenacious exploits of his late father Kevin, in the 1935 Ford A Special. Taking 2nd outright, a mere 0.29 seconds behind, this car’s modern day history continues to be written.

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