Ironically, the single-plate clutch never gave trouble. Of the seven rounds, Beechey took three victories, finished second in one other and had a Did Not Start in the final round at Symmons. Copyright 2023 Wheels Media, a division of Are Media Pty Limited. This was the last car he raced before retirement. Beechey, Norm. "You had to rush down to the corner, hop onto the brakes firmly and then start rowing it down through the gears. We only ever raced it with Chev conrods - it's got Carillos in it now - but we never had conrod problems, only bearing trouble." He was adored by fans because he was one of the. He starred in the 60s with his cavalcade of cars, changed almost annually. We used to weld metal gussets on the brake shoes to make them stronger." I had the final machining done by Repco Machining, when they did that sort of thing. Car Insurance, Norm Beechey is a retired Australian race car driver, who was given the nickname Stormin Norman by his fans. A rare car today, the Lele has the added attraction of having an interesting Australian provenance and is expected to sell in the $90,000-$110,000 range. Norm retired 3 years after Brocky ran his first Bathurst. I believe the Galaxie is in the Bowden collection, and painted Red. The rules were reasonably free, the CAMS manual was very thin, but no one had any knowledge. Which means it would have been one of the first cars off the line of that model year, usually the release is towards the end of August. July 20, 2021 Inboard disc brakes were used on all four wheels. Even for the time, the Beechey family was a big one. In the end it had a Toploader close-ratio box. But for the man himself, one of his favorite cars is an Italian-built, Ford-powered grand tourer. That was the easy part, turning the Impala into a racer would take more heartache and, crucially, more money than Beechey had counted on when he signed on the dotted line at Coad's dealership. said he owned the Galaxie. According to Shannons, Beechey has cherished and has driven it sparingly ever since, but now at 90 years old. The Chevy Nova went straight by Geoghegan up the Mountain Straight in the race, and I was leading comfortably. It was a monster and still is and one of Beechey's favourite pastimes is blowing off Falcon GTHOs. here's a link to the current owners of the car. But it wasnt. Inicio; Servicios. At the end we had 343hp at 7800rpm. The line-up covered each class of racing in the Improved Production era: Beechey in the Over 3000cc class along with teammates Jim McKeown, and his super quick Lotus Cortina, and the ubiquitous Peter Manton, king of the Mini brigade. The Holden project was immense, Beechey said. I ran it on 115 octane fuel. It would get to maximum revs about 100-200ft before the finish.. "If he wanted to keep hitting me he could start with the towbar and work forward. It was a huge luxury car but in that era if you were a bookie, wealthy businessman, or a farmer you had a Pontiac Parisienne, a Buick or a Chev and the Impala wasn't considered big in those days. Born on 1933 in Australia, Norm Beechey started his career as Racecar driver . Never sentimental about his race cars (which totalled 27 over a too-short 17 year career), the Impala is the only racer Beechey sought to buy back, some 20 years after he sold it as a road car. If you have current knowledge about Norm Beechey's net worth, please feel free to share the information below. He was just brilliant to watch.. Anyway, a race was organised up in the back-blocks of Coburg and I won that. Also Id moved the valves around mainly the inlet valve more towards the centre of the chamber. I got to know Jack Collins, Greg Goddard and Fritz Norton pretty well, buying camshafts, carburettors and manifolds for the EH. The 179 crank had the big ends welded up and the counterweights carved off, replaced by Harrops own. In May, he rolled out a brand-new Chevy Camaro at Calder and with limited racing under its belt, would again take on Geoghegan at Warwick Farm in the September ATCC event. Norm won the Australian Touring Car Championship that year when he imported a brand-new Ford Mustang. Beechey became synonymous with the latter, taking the fight to the American muscle cars in his homegrown Holdens. It will be a real thrill to see them on track, and hopefully on the podium at the end of the 500.. It was just what looked right to me, Harrop says now. Beechey had the last word in an interview in Sports Car World in 1970. View PDS. I watched Norm race from his six cylinder Holden days through the Mustang and then the Nova. Completing the line-up is the Nick Percat/Macauley Jones car, which pays homage to the Trident-backed Chevrolet Nova raced by Beechey in 1967. Wilson Security Sandown 500 | Tickets | EventInfo. Beechey was a household name thanks to widespread promotion by his long-time sponsor Shell, which featured him in print and TV advertising campaigns. But at Lakeside we both won a lot of races, Norm recalled. Norm had this unique driving style, with plenty of sideways flair and a determined attitude. Lets start by taking you back to November 28, 1971. When a wife whose husband has The final-round contest in Street Eliminator saw a six-cylinder FJ matching it with a 55 Chevy with 396 cubes of bulk American power. LEGAL INNOVATION | Tu Agente Digitalizador; LEGAL3 | Gestin Definitiva de Despachos; LEGAL GOV | Gestin Avanzada Sector Pblico Facebook @autoactionmagTwitter @Auto_ActionInstagram @autoactionmagOnline Shop, Bruce Williams[emailprotected] Norm Beechey built arguably Australia's toughest muscle car back in 1970, with an eye to beat the best tin tops in the world. Does anyone know? His championship win in 1970 was the first victory by a Holden driver in the Australian Touring Car Championship. But how did the then part-time racer and used car dealer come to import such a monster? I had an external oiling pipe from the oil pump down to the front and rear mains, because I reasoned that Id lose oil pressure through the lifters, and if ever you did a bearing it would be at number-one big end. Ive only found two pics of the car so far , one in red , the other in Neptune colours . Home Insurance products for motoring enthusiasts who drive imported, modified, classic, veteran or vintage cars. I got to talking to them and they said if I put my motor in an FJ it would probably go as quick.. Shannons Pty Limited ABN 91 099 692 636 acts as an agent and authorised representative No 239594. Simply a full size family car. Norm was really 99% of that motor car. We'd rather make sure we get the facts straight." Norm and Marg Beechey are big on facts. He was a very, very clever man. Emergency Proceed to Emergency Department (ED). "You've got to remember that buying this car was a very entrepreneurial decision in 1962. Just better. The HT Monaro GTS 350 debuted at Beecheys home track at Calder. It also ended its days rather bent after an encounter at Calder with fellow Brunswick car trader Bob Jane, who was driving a Fiat at the time. After the Mustang won the 1965 ATCC by over a lap, it was the car of choice. I broke one or two, but essentially they were good. Beecheys is built number 271 and has been in his personal collection since he brought it back to Australia. His adoring fans were lined up in their thousands to watch not only the resumption of the Beechey / Geoghegan battle but a host of serious contenders now entering the Championship: Allan Moffat in the full spec 1969 Trans Am Mustang, Bob Jane in a matching car to Geogehgans 68 Mustang GTA and serious Porsche additions. Ken Box was also involved and he was a brilliant engineer.. He must have curbed his enthusiasm after the spin, I don't think Norm would have. Must be 4 doors? If you'd put a fresh gearbox in every time you raced you probably would have got away with it but there was no alternative: the engine was too powerful for the 'box and the car was using money faster than I could make it, that's why I stopped racing it." sku: 62002-1. Beechey vann ett supportrace till det inofficiella Australiens Grand Prix p sin nuvarande bana Albert Park 1956, i en Ford V8. This is as much as I can remember. All Rights Reserved. Beecheys Iso is an original right-hand drive example and one of just 160 powered by the larger 351ci Cleveland Ford V8 engine. It was still breaking parts, rear wheel bearings. Sun 31 Jan 2021 10.47 EST. Its a 100% racing car and we have achieved it all here in Australia in one season, with a budget only a fraction the size the Yanks had to play with. Ever the showman, Beechey sat on the bonnet of the stricken black Nova and watched another ATCC slip away. He raced a new Ford Customline that won the main Touring Car Race, beating Len Lukey in the procerss. Amy lost five of those. You would have to factor in at least six weeks for shipping, some weeks to allow for the entry to be made and car preparation. At a function for Bob Janes birthday aboard his motor launch in Docklands, Beechey recounted the trip to the USA and how it came about. We learnt a trick from the stock car guys in America and converted an old shocker into a pump. I was driving for David McKay's Scuderia Veloce team and David had to write to Dan Gurney and ask him for advice. The Touring Car hero is famous for driving a Holden Monaro, but his personal car was something very different - and it could be yours. It was 1970 that saw Beechey launch the car that would be defining not only in his own career but lives in the annals of one of the greatest Touring Cars the country has ever seen. This is an amazing documentary reviewing Norm Beecheys much celebrated 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship win in his famous HT Monaro. 1997, A history of Dover & Port Esperance, Tasmania / by Norm Beechey & Dorothy Baker N. Beechey & D. Baker Dover, Tas. he has decided to rationalise his car collection. For those unfamiliar, Iso Rivolta - or just Iso for short - was an Italian company that built cars between 1938 and 1974. The mourning at the funeral is very elaborate and the tomb of the Gadana's wife is fenced in with bamboo, both indicators of her cherished status among the Sidama. So, how much is Norm Beechey networth at the age of 88 years old? Wilberforce despaired at his friend's end and Clarkson aided the king's wife and daughters when they were exiled to England. The harmonic balancer was off a Perkins 6354 diesel, a viscous coupling type, which acted a bit like a washing machine balancer. Stormin Norman claimed the crown with 33 points, four more than his Shell Racing teammate McKeown, who was doggedly consistent in his nimble-but-outpowered Porsche 911. ABN 62 976 094 459, www.autoaction.com.au The Monaro took its first ATCC win at Round 2 at Bathurst and then went on to win in front of huge crowd at Melbournes Sandown Park Raceway. While both marxist method and feminist analysis are necessary to an . Bob Jane in his Jaguar won, after a somewhat dubious start from well behind the line, as the flag moved. Racing Geoghegan was always tough but very fair. he is one of famous Racecar driver with the age 88 years old group. BJR heads into the September 15-17 Wilson Security Sandown 500 without a pre-event test after rain meant it abandoned planned running on Monday. A detailed review of Beecheys title winning season and his profound impact in the sport, pick up Auto Action 1799 online or at your local newsagent. 1969 Australian magazine ad for Norm Beechey Speed Shop. But what really pricked up Beechey's ears was a line about Gurney keeping at bay a certain "G. Hill in a 3.8-litre disc-braked Jaguar". Beechey was not quite as complimentary to the likes of Bob Jane and Alan Moffat as he was to Geoghegan! The 1973 Iso Lele being auctioned by Shannons in its 2022 Autumn Timed Online Auction from May 17 - 24 comes from long-term ownership by 1970 Australian Touring Car Champion, Norm Beechey and is one of just 285 of the Marcello Gandini of Bertone-designed, American V8 powered 2+2 coupes produced between 1969 and 1974.. Named after director Piero Rivolta's wife, the Lele filled the gap . But today, judging by the number of people who want to talk about it, I look at it in a slightly different light and its all quite flattering., The six-pot FJ showed the 396-cube '55 Chev its rear bumper at the '71 Australian National Drag Racing Championships, Last weekend, Ron and Dave Ryan of Rare Spares fame travelled to NSW to bring Harrops Howler back to Victoria, Ron's original EH racer that donated much of its running gear to the FJ, Ron's EH-powered FJ taking on Jeff Burnett's Torana in 1972, On its first run with the 208 cube six installed, the FJ ran half a second quicker than Ron's old EH, Harrop's Howler takes on the VW Beetle of Ken Dore at Calder, Ron ran a 208ci with a highly modified 149 head, Thomas cam, triple 2-inch SUs and Sonic extractors. Harrop bought a traded FJ from Beechey for $29, installed the engine, gearbox and diff from the EH, all in the standard positions, and $1300 later it ran a 13.42 at its first meeting (April 1969). I suspect as a road car far nicer all round than the 427s. .2.the cambridge history of the native peoples of the americas volume 1 part 2 north ameri The big Yank had numerous Achilles heels, ones that wouldn't show up on a US interstate. I saw Lex in Sir Gawaine's 2 door at WF , quite memorable , sounded fantastic . On that occasion we discussed his time as a driver for HDT, his role as chief engineer at HRT in the early 90s, and his massively successful Harrop Engineering firm. Yes, Appendix J rules required 4 doors for cars over 1600cc. Although Moffat and a number of other drivers raced Mustangs for ATCC competition - the five ATCC titles from 1965 to 1969 were won by Norm Beechey (1965) and Ian Geoghegan (196669) driving Mustangs - this car, modified to CAMS Improved Production Touring Car regulations was ineligible for the Bathurst 500 (later Bathurst 1000), which was . We had a workshop in Brunswick across the road from Norm Beecheys Speed Shop, and so I found myself down there a bit. Unfortunately once again a little gentle pressure was applied and Max sold the car to track competitor Barry. Because the R5 racing Dunlops of the day were only narrow, you couldn't turn the steering wheel when the car was stationary but once you got it rolling it was okay. Quite the same Wikipedia. he is one of famous Racecar driver with the age 88 years old group. "I've been up against GTHOs on Dutton rallies and this car just chewed them up and spat them out; they weren't even in the contest and didn't that break a few hearts. Beechey, I would say, is simply covering the corner as they brake here - a Brier Thomas photo. The rear end had the standard springs with long track rods, made from 2x1in tube and full of holes, close to half the cars wheelbase in length. 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