How did how could a carburetted six-cylinder FJ run times as quick as 11.81 back in 1971? TRT: The stories behind the sport. Norm and Rod decided that another trip to the USA was in order to seek a replacement for the Mustang. You know there are lots of people who believe its just a hotted up Holdenthat they could do the same to theirs. Where did I read 'six and a half litres' today? Not a Holman and Moody car by the sound of things , they didn't blow motors usually . Beechey competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1963 to 1972 winning the title in 1965 driving a Ford Mustang and in 1970 at the wheel of a Holden Monaro. Norm only seems to have raced it a couple of times , was it a success ? When a wife whose husband has Beecheys is built number 271 and has been in his personal collection since he brought it back to Australia. The conrods were massaged standard-Holden. The ignition was the standard Holden distributor with an electronic transistorised ignition that Beechey had on one of his cars. Theres also a spare set of brake pads and brake hoses, both still in boxes. The second is the race Beechey had with Max Volkers in a Cortina at Lowood. Attached is a link to a youtube video that records the successful year of 1970 when Norm won the Australian Touring Car Championship in his locally built Holden Monaro powered by a 350 Chev. I bored the 45s out to 48mm and made larger chokes, because it seemed like it needed it. "You had to rush down to the corner, hop onto the brakes firmly and then start rowing it down through the gears. Norman Beechey A factory Imp was imported by Norm Beechey, a top Australian Touring car driver in the sixties. Not great resolution to the photo though. Beechey won seven of the 31 ATCC rounds that he competed in between 1963 and 1972 and has largely kept a low profile since his retirement. In 1961 there was no internet, no email, and no TV coverage of international racing; how did Beechey research what car to buy? Stephen , the red 4 door Galaxie seems to have had a few pilots . From left: Peter Manton, Brad Jones and Norm Beechey in 1967. Gurney's car though, is not Beechey's. He was brilliant there. And Lindsay, that's a nice shot. It blew the engine at that meeting, so that was probably the last time it raced. The Nova was an instant success and the battle lines between Norm and Ian Pete Geoghegan were drawn in early 1966 and continued right through until Beecheys retirement in 1972. What we do. 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. Bob Jane continued with his hastily arrived Mustang in 1966 and was joined by Pete Geoghegan in the Touring Car ranks. Norm Beechey had long been a crowd favourite, his flamboyant driving style was addictive. A Customline being worked for all it's worth at Catalina Park, Katoomba, New South Wales http://motoring.com.au/reviews/2005/classic-and-rare/ford-customline-3292 The 1933-born Racecar driver expert is arguably the worlds most influential Norm Beechey is expert, with a wide-ranging social media outreach. Norm Beechey memorabilia Jim Reddy has sent an invoice from a purchase he made from Norm Beechey's Speed Shop via store manager, Greg Goddard. I saw Lex in Sir Gawaine's 2 door at WF , quite memorable , sounded fantastic . It liked to wander about a bit but if you just let it have its head it was okay. "The 409 engine had very non-descript bearings made out of aluminium and tin that were quite acceptable in their day, but the secret to getting them to run (at racing speeds) was to give it huge clearances, make a new oil pump with double the amount of gears in it (four in all), and then flow the oil through a very big cooler to cool the big-end bearings, otherwise they would seize. Take a simple thing like the seat. thats one of the very few shots that I've seen of the car . The wife of the Gadana is accorded the title Qarichcho (literally, 'the first'), and when she passes away she is mourned as Ayo Qarichcho. The Galaxie paddock bashing at the 1963 Longford. Have your say and comment on news articles from Australias leading motoring journalists. Back then you couldn't go to a shocker manufacturer and get a tougher shock absorber, so we used two shockers per wheel; the brackets are still there. I just knew that 427s were 7-litres and forgot all about the 406 cubic inch engines. He raced a new Ford Customline that won the main Touring Car Race, beating Len Lukey in the procerss. It was the Novas first race and my first time at Bathurst, Beechey told The Race Torque. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and much more. Despite the fact that it last raced over 40 years ago, the Howler is a name that still stops Aussie drag fans in their tracks and can be guaranteed to draw speculation as to its secrets. Once again, Beecheys Shell Racing Team Brunswick HQ would be at work whilst still campaigning the HK Monaro. We often romance about heroes in motor sport. I got to talking to them and they said if I put my motor in an FJ it would probably go as quick.. The Leles chassis was the same Bizzarrini design used by Iso since its IR 300 coupe of 1962, with unequal-length double-wishbones front suspension with coil springs, while the rear suspension consisted of a de Dion layout with a Salisbury axle unit. Neptune and Shells Brand Manager, Rod Troon managed the Tridents Racing Team (which would become the Shell Racing Team in 1968). At the age of 88 years, Norm Beechey weight not available right now. Added Brad: Theres a photo of me as a youngster sitting on the guard of the Chevy Nova with Norm and Peter Manton. Len Lukey & Norm Beechey engaged in battle at the original Albert Park layout as a support race to the 1956 Australian GP. But it wasnt. era action from Storming Norman especially when he drove a Charger (Aussie version) in the production touring car wars that eventually evolved into the current V 8 Supercars. The car having only arrived shortly before this meeting. I saw Stormin Norm race the Len Lukey owned red Galaxie at Sandown, many years ago. Initially I started with SUs but I finished with Webers. 1964 krdes msterskapet ver ett race, och dr blev Beechey tva p Lakeside. I note that pretty well everyone does that today. Tell us your email address and we'll email you a new password. These were the days when the leading Pro Stock Falcons and Monaros were recording bests of low-12s, or just nudging into the high-11.9s. Maybe some connections were made and strings pulled. But it was no use buying a Jaguar to beat a Jaguar; he had to find something else. A superb looking USA Muscle Car, which, just as Beechey had done with the Mustang, would be the Novas first circuit racing campaign. Interestingly, Gurney would not race his Impala again, due to bureaucratic problems, and the car was reportedly sold to Laurie O'Neil in Australia. But it was 1965 that arguably changed the landscape of Touring Car Racing and almost certainly began the love affair with V8s as the staple diet of racing in Australia. Norm won the Australian Touring Car Championship that year when he imported a brand-new Ford Mustang. ABN 62 976 094 459, www.autoaction.com.au John, just on 12 months ago Russell Hawthorn (son of Calder instigator, Pat Hawthorn) posted this great closeup of Lex's March 1963 Sandown armco experiences on social media. Improved in 24 Hours. Norm and his wife Marg were friends of our parents, as were many competitors from the '70s so it makes the tribute a very personal one for us." Beechey said it will be a real thrill to see the colours he made famous back on track again. I suspect as a road car far nicer all round than the 427s. 1965-66 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa: Classic Metal. 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, win or lose, he was adored by his legions of fans. At the front were the standard 90/10 shocks. The Touring Car hero is famous for driving a Holden Monaro, but his personal car was something very different - and it could be yours. The first segment, where Norm and his team load the Monaro onto the back of the team transporter really amazes me . 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. The HK Monaro arrived at Norms Brunswick workshops late in 1968 and while still campaigning the Camaro, his small crew led by Graham Moore had the car race ready for the 69 Championship. John, Lex should have learnt from his 1963 Sandown accident that fixing Galaxie's add somewhat to his racing expenses. This car cost a lot of money in 1962, 2750. Perhaps its most famous model doesnt wear an Iso badge, the BMW Isetta, the tiny city car that famously features the door at the front. Norm Beechey nationality Australian age 90 years old born July 9, 1932 hometown Melbourne Racing highlights Racing career summary Disclaimer: the data and summaries are all taken from the data available in the career details section further below on this page. July 20, 2021 Quite the same Wikipedia. For any diehard touring car fan, when you hear the name Stormin Norm Beechey your mind instantly pictures a yellow Holden HT Monaro GTS. And that made the brakes much better. Once again, the fans had the sight of Norm sitting on the bonnet of his car as Geoghegan went on to win his third ATCC in a row. From the October 1966 edition of Modern Motor. Genealogy profile for Richard Beechey Richard Beechey (1828 - 1902) - Genealogy Genealogy for Richard Beechey (1828 - 1902) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. 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