141 replies to this topic

[u1 71]

There's an article in Motor Manaul 74 that states what happened to the Flexible Special ?

Edited by u1 71, 19 October 2020 - 09:44 AM.

[Redzone]

Geez this is all very interesting, but as I dont know anything about Torana's...... Ive got no idea what this is all alluding to?? 

28C had the wiper plenum cut for quick access to the wiper linkage etc during Bathurst 72 weekend, they put what looks like red electrical tape over the slice for the race, you can see it in the pics. This was later changed to silver duct tape by the looks, HDT never fixed it properly while they had the car. Right through 73 and probably early 74 while they still had the car it just had grey duct tape. Barry Nixon-Smith bought the car and I think it was him who got another section of plenum from another little Torana and screwed it over the top/tucked it under the windscreen seal. Dick bought the car from Barry, did the 75 and 76 QLD Touring car series with it and won both, Dad bought it from Dick and won the 77 series with it, that pic I posted that clearly shows the screwed on plenum patch was taken at the trophy presentation for the 77 QLD series on the main straight of Lakeside. I have a couple of other pics showing it also but not as clearly as that first pic I uploaded last night.

 

Lindsay Finch who pit crewed for dad told me that 2 of the HDT team mechanics came up to dad's pit in 1977 at an ATCC round and told him "That's PB's old Bathurst winner", they recognised the dodgy patch.. Which conflicted with what DJ told dad, DJ told dad it was Bond's car that rolled at Bathurst which as we know is impossible. The car was a frOcking pretzel. Dick and Barry Nixon Smith had a falling out over the sale of that car so that may explain DJ saying that, who knows. I do know that Bond raced 28C with Brock taped over on the door and the racing number changed to 24 at Surfers Paradise 73 so Bond did race it at least once, actually a few times I think.

 

Anyway all I know is that there was only one HDT Torana that had a cut wiper plenum, and that cut happened at the Bathurst 72 weekend. And dad's old car, which has an unbroken line of history back to HDT ownership and Dustings Holden listed as first owner, had a patch in exactly the same spot. And the pic of the car when Peter Varady owned it, the one I uploaded with PB's signature across it, you can just see the patch in that pic too. And Glen who owns the car now, left the patch alone when he restored it as he knew it helped identify the car. So who knows what HDT did with that car pre Bathurst 72, what exactly the shell was, but all I know is that the car that dad had in 77/78 was Brock's 72 Bathurst winner.

Edited by Redzone, 19 October 2020 - 02:35 PM.

[RallyRed]

Thank's for putting it so clearly.
So it is the 28c, only mystery is the DJ comments.

[jd lj]

I might have missed the point of cutting a section out of the plenum, but was there a problem with the wiper linkages during the 72 race that needed to be addressed quickly and currently the plenum was the quickest way to do so?

[S pack]

James,the problem with the wipers occured prior to the start of the race. May have been during practice sessions on the Saturday? 28C started the race with the tape over the cut bars to the plenum grille.

[FLY_AGAIN_XU-1]

Thank's for putting it so clearly.
So it is the 28c, only mystery is the DJ comments.

 

 DICKJOHNSON.jpg   47.48K   7 downloads

 

DJ September 1975

[RallyRed]

Top pic mate have not seen that one before, no dispute he had the car, just his "Bond car" comments?

[S pack]

A better view of the plenum grille patch.

 dick.jpg   148.97K   11 downloads

[S pack]

John, you're not the only one who finds this storyline confusing but that sounds like a very plausible scenario.

[crabba67]

The first time we would see the new color scheme for Brock 28C is the 13th August 72 at Calder for the TAA series.The new color scheme for Bond 24C is the 10th September 72 at Sandown both still 1/72 Adelaide xu1's

[FLY_AGAIN_XU-1]

 bond a (2).jpg   94.34K   3 downloads

 

Colin Bond at Adelaide raceway for the first round of the Manchamp on Sunday 27-8-1972, still silver but with sprintmasters.

[crabba67]

Brock in the new color scheme 13th august 72 at calder 

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•  brock 13 aug 72.jpg   82.42K   3 downloads

[crabba67]

Bond at Oran park on the 20th august 72

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•  bond at oran park 20 august 72.jpg   80.42K   3 downloads

[crabba67]

Bond at A.I.R on the 27th august 72 with 28c in the back ground

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•  Bond at Air.jpg   72.62K   3 downloads

[FLY_AGAIN_XU-1]

Well it looks like its time to blow this thread right open,,,i have reason to believe that bond and Brock got new cars for Bathurst 1972 both lightweight body shells and both 8/72 tagged and also the cars they raced at Sandown earlier that year would of been the 1/72 Baroda silver cars but with the new HDT paint .

Anyways it has all confused me,,, fly and crab what's the go with the stirring pot ???

 

Cheers gong

 

OK, Time to get those heads spinning even more.

The Holden Dealer Team did receive new cars, tagged 8/72. They were first registered in September 1972, LGN-347 & LGL-443. LGN-347 went on to become Colin Bonds race car after he rolled the old chassis 1/72 at Bathurst in October 1972, LGL-443 went on to become Colin Bonds Rally car for the 1973 & 1974 seasons, both cars tagged 8/72........

 

 thumbnail_joe felice at Bathurst 1973.jpg   80.03K   4 downloads

 

LGN-347 at Bathurst in 1973

 

 1974.jpg   40.78K   5 downloads

 

LGL-443 at a rally in 1974

[FLY_AGAIN_XU-1]

Yes Anthony you are right they were both 1/72 cars and there is no paint tag on the 28c car in the pics but I think you will also find out that they were both Baroda silver cars as well,,, you say in this last pic car has the wrong chassis number ???

 

Cheers gong

[crabba67]

Bond 24c painted in the new scheme with silver under the bonnet still

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•  hdt 1.jpg   119.52K   3 downloads

[crabba67]

 28c under bonnet looks like harry did it with a brush.........the hinges are painted

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•  brock 72.jpg   44.47K   6 downloads

[lx308]

Bond 24c painted in the new scheme with silver under the bonnet still

How can that be called silver? Looks satin black to me.
The oil cap is silver.

[FLY_AGAIN_XU-1]

 no dispute he had the car, just his "Bond car" comments?

 

Ok Col, Dick Johnson's "Bond car" comments :        WARNING this may injure brain.

28C in its current form has no chassis number on the passenger side inner guard. Its current body was built after July 1972. Both its ADR & VIN tags are 8/72 and I believe are from the original LGN-347 Bond car. Its body tag is from a 1/72 car and I believe is from Colin Bonds car which rolled at Bathurst in 1972. Its log books are from 28C I believe. The 3 tags all point to Colin Bond and I can see how Dick Johnson came to his conclusion......

Exactly what this car is or was in its current form, I have no idea.....

 

 post-9895-0-71666800-1602896336.jpg   220.63K   4 downloads

 

 28c9_LI.jpg   1.12MB   5 downloads

[RallyRed]

ok, seems to me the car is the car, but the body is?....in which case, is the car the car.  No idea.

Regardless, a good bit of history in this thread, and some cracker old pics!

[RallyRed]

p.s. Bond did finish 5th at P.I. late 72, so he got a car from somewhere.

[FLY_AGAIN_XU-1]

LGN-347