Much to the annoyance of event promoters throughout New Zealand during the 1960s, saloon car racing, introduced very much as a novelty class to maintain spectator interest between the all-important open wheeler races, often proved more popular than the highly prized single-seater stars they were there to support.
The New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing celebrating Chris Amon – to be held on consecutive weekends in January (21-23 and 28-30) will honour the living legend by recreating this golden era of New Zealand racing saloons.
Although the New Zealand Saloon Car Championship first began in 1960, saloon racing in New Zealand was already thriving. Early saloon races were a combination of very mildly-modified British sedans and a smattering of pre-war American coupes. Harold Heasley was the first New Zealand Saloon Car Champion, in 1960, in a Humber 80. The next three championships were won by the exotic 3.8 Jaguars of Ross Jensen and Ray Archibald, while Kerry Grant brought down the Jaguar reign in 1964 with his Cortina GT.
Although saloon car racing during the early 1960s mirrored that of Britain and Australia, where the local championship differed was that it was largely devoid of any rules, and although it took a few years for competitors to begin using this oversight to their advantage, when they did, the floodgates opened, and all manner of wild and whacky machinery began appearing. Paul Fahey won the title in 1965, in a Lotus Cortina, but by now the grids were a colourful mixture of British factory performance sedans and locally modified science-projects. The most successful of these 'All-comers' was Rod Coppins' Chevrolet V8 powered MkII Zephyr, with its eight exhaust pipes protruding vertically through the bonnet, which finished runner-up to Fahey.
For 1966, even purist Fahey took the All-comer option, by building a Lotus powered Ford Anglia, featuring a radical fastback roofline which loosely resembled Count Volpi's famous modified 250 GT SWB 'Breadvan' Ferrari, hence the humble British sedan adopting the term 'Breadvan Anglia'. David Simpson built a similar car, and it was Simpson who swept all before him to win the '66 title.
For the 1967 season, the only competitor not opting for the All-comer option was Fahey, as he imported a Shelby prepared-Mustang to tackle the growing number of barely recognizable, but hugely popular, All-comer machines, including the proven Lotus Anglias, an Oldsmobile V8 Anglia, Chevrolet V8 Anglia, Lotus Morris Minor, push-rod Ford powered chopped and sectioned Austin A40, and Chevrolet powered Renault Dauphine. But a young Robbie Francevic, with perhaps the ultimate All-comer, a 427ci Galaxie powered 1955 Ford Customline, nicknamed 'The Monster', or more appropriately 'Custaxie', won four of the seven races in the championship, on his way to the title.
Motorsport New Zealand eventually reigned in the madness, introducing internationally recognised FIA Group 5 regulations, along with a curious points system which rewarded class wins over outright wins, and Rodger Anderson became the 1968 champion, in a Mini Cooper S. But the most dominant driver that year was Fahey, still campaigning his Shelby Mustang, and it was he who took the second of an eventual four titles in 1969. The decade was completed with the closest ever battle for the title, when Camaro driver Rod Coppins and Mustang driver Red Dawson were celebrated as joint-champions, on account of ending the season with the same number of points, and the same number of podium finishes.
This was truly a coming-of-age decade for saloon car racing in New Zealand, one in which the formula grew from support, to headline act. And the 1960s Saloons grid at the 2011 New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing will recreate the era, assembling an impressive collection of both genuine historic cars with competition pedigrees, accurate replicas, and suitable period-correct saloons that represent the New Zealand saloon car racing landscape of the 60s.
On display will be the Dennis Marwood Camaro and the Rod Coppins Pontiac Firebird, while other historic New Zealand Saloons will join the on-track action including the Jim Richards Twin-Cam Willment Escort, the Robbie Francevic Custaxie, the John Miller Renault Dauphine Chevrolet V8, and the Brian Innes Mini Cooper. And to top it off, four-time New Zealand Saloon Car Champion Paul Fahey will be at the 60s Saloons marquee as a special guest during the first weekend of the Festival on January 22/23, signing autographs.
