PC meets up with a stunning classic car — a re-creation of the Mustang once raced by motor racing legend, Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan
The Australian Touring Car Championship wasn’t always a procession of Falcons and Commodores; there was a time when the gates were open to anything that met the rule-maker’s standards. Some entrants, though, had vehicles with a slightly bigger bang than others, an edge if you like.
There are certain journalists who really know how to get in amongst it. We occasionally hear how they meet their demise in doing so too, but back in 1960 there was a journo by the name of David McKay who took to the first Australian Touring Car Championship race with a vengeance, cleaning up in his Jaguar. The wins for Jaguar went on for a few more years until, surprisingly, the diminutive Ford Cortina showed the big boys how it was done in 1964. The man at the wheel was none other than Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan, and he ran off with the number one spot another four times, but he would never achieve that position again in a Cortina.
Although managing a win, Geoghegan knew he was outclassed in the smaller car, so he set off for California in search of something similar to the machine Norm Beechey had been operating in early 1965, a Mustang. Knocking on a few doors turned up a gem with the GT350R, the race edition of the legendary Shelby GT350. The only hitch was the body shape, a fastback, was not permitted in the class back in Australia. Geoghegan, with his buddy Bob Jane, did mange to secure a couple of ‘normal’ Mustangs through a local dealership and then it was off to meet the master, Carroll Shelby, to obtain parts and advice. Calling that a wise move is somewhat of an understatement.
Downunder Mustang
Shelby offered up parts galore for the boys from Down Under, and like kids in a candy store their pockets, so to speak, were filled to capacity. The list included a race-prepped, roller-cammed engine for Pete’s car. Shipping took a while back then, but as soon as possible Pete and Bob’s cars were both on Aussie soil.
Almost as the cars were being slung ashore Pete was informed by his brother about some sponsorship dollars that would be coming from Total, the fuel company. Things like that can open doors, not just into after-match functions but also in making sure your car is properly prepared, something Pete and his mechanic John Shepherd were very particular about.
Geoghegan raced the Ford Mustang with determination and passion while at the same time demonstrating some extraordinary winning ways. In fact, from his 74 starts in the Mustang he won 68 races! The man and his car are reportedly listed in Guinness World Records as being the ‘winningest’ car/driver combination ever, which is no mean feat. All this started at Calder Raceway, where he entered the meeting with some serious doubts about his mount, but he needn’t have worried. The Mustang (and its driver) performed flawlessly, sending Pete on the tour of a lifetime.
Change of colour
Geoghegan favoured black race cars initially and garnered the nickname ‘Black Pete’, even though his name was actually Ian, but when it comes to the almighty dollar you have to let your personal colour choice take a back seat to that of the sponsor’s own livery; they are picking up the tab, after all. Total wanted, and got, a white base with red and blue stripes. However times, as well as sponsors, can and do change. Pete got the nod from Castrol in 1966 and up popped the white base again, but this time with green stripes, complete with thin, gold accent stripes either side.
It is this vehicle and its colour scheme that Tauranga’s Wayne Hills chose when he decided to build a tribute Mustang to emulate what it was that Pete raced and so often won with. Wayne makes no claim to this car being Pete’s own ride, nor is it an exact replica, but it’s pretty darned close. The engine isn’t quite as radical as Geoghegan ran for a start, but there are still enough ponies to get a stampede underway, should Wayne feel the urge.
The basis for the project was a rust-free 1965 Mustang Hardtop, commonly referred to as a ‘notchback’, and Wayne’s was a genuine A-code GT. Rust-free examples of these machines are something that’s getting increasingly difficult to find, but in conversation Wayne was adamant that this car was exactly that; rust-free. “There wasn’t an ounce of rust in that body,” he gleefully says, and added that Matamata Panelworks had only to remove a few shopping trolley dings to get the car straight enough to continue with. The good points continued, with a 4736cc (289ci) engine that had already been fully rebuilt (with all new parts) to very reasonable specifications, and the vehicle also had been treated to a fully refurbished interior, but Wayne wasn’t about to let it rest there. He stripped every last nut and bolt from the car and, utilising the good bits, started from scratch.
After the minor dings and dents were sorted the body was treated to a coat of Wimbledon White, and the Geoghegan stripes were replicated as closely as possible. Wayne happily pointed the finger at Karl of KNR Paint Work in Tauranga for the standout paint application. When you look at pictures of the original race car online, or study the die-cast models that are made of the beast, it doesn’t take a genius to realise that Karl has got it right. Yes, there is a die-cast model of the Geoghegan car available and it looks just great. Naturally Wayne has one of these models and indicated that is was the catalyst for the project. With that, I conjured up a vision in my head of a young lad pushing such a model along in a school playground, making engine noises and dreaming of the day he might own the real thing. Wayne Hills is one lad who has made it happen.
Long legs
So, with the tinwork sorted and the project’s basis looking to be in fine fettle, Wayne tidied up the engine aesthetically but added some real get-up-and-go with four 48mm downdraft IDA Weber carbs that he imported himself. The fuel/air mixture that the (by American standards) tiny V8 engine ingests is burned by means of a Pertronix electronic conversion in the original Ford distributor. The electrical system is headed by an Ultima battery that has been securely mounted in the boot.
What the engine loses down low in the torque curve it sure makes up for with power in the upper rpm range. Thankfully, however, the camshaft isn’t too radical, so the machine can be used on the street quite satisfactorily, with a little care and attention to off-the-mark clutch operation. This is due in part to the fact that first gear in the Borg Warner T10 four-speed transmission has fairly long legs.
When it came to the suspension Wayne chose a world-class company to provide the shock absorbers. I’ve never really been a fan of the term ‘shock absorber’ because the items are actually ‘dampers’; they dampen the action (and reaction) of the suspension’s springs, but the vast majority of enthusiasts/tinkerers and also the experts use the term ‘shock absorbers’ so I’ll have to knuckle under and go with the flow on that one. To get back on topic; Koni shock absorbers reside on all four corners, with Gravi-track springs, so you couldn’t ask for better really.
To emulate the Shelby theme of the suspension/handling package, the upper a-arms had their mounting points relocated (just like ‘Ol Shel’ used to do) and the centre of gravity was brought closer to Terra Firma by about 65mm, requiring a rolling of the four fender lips for tyre clearance. This is a common practice on many automobiles, but when executed unprofessionally it can get rather ugly. Needless to say, ugly didn’t enter the frame on Wayne’s car.
The wheel and tyre combination doesn’t do the overall package any harm either, with Wayne staying true to the early style of alloy round things. Wheel Vintique supplied a set of Torque Thrust reproduction items on which to mount the Toyo Proxes RA1 tyres, which measure 225/50/ZR15 on all four corners. These carry the wording ‘recommended for competition events only’, wording that could probably be compressed into ‘sticky’.
Lurking behind the round objects are a set of four-pot Kelsey-Hayes disc callipers that work in conjunction with a set of drums which came with the eight-inch rear end, itself being delivered complete with 3.5:1 gears and LSD centre section. The braking system does not have a vacuum operated booster included; hydraulic ratios have been calculated to produce fine braking results without one. Having a big cam and low intake manifold vacuum in race trim would probably render one useless anyway, and let’s not forget how wonderful hydraulics can be when applied correctly. Wayne fabricated his own replica aluminium scoops to feed air down the flexible ducting to cool the disc rotors.
What wasn’t a useless addition was a full power steering conversion, undertaken by Wayne. This has made the vehicle far more driver-friendly on the street, with the utilisation of genuine parts throughout making it ‘look right’ into the bargain. Purists may scoff at such comforts being added to a race car tribute, but that’s purists for you. They don’t (and likely wouldn’t be permitted to) drive this car anyway. So there.
How many years?
Good-looking projects can take years to produce and then good-looking, functional and even pristine projects can (and often do) take many more years to get right. Wayne Hills, though, doesn’t like to mess about. Apart from this retired (yeah, right!) refrigeration engineer having a good eye for getting such things right, he is not one to sit in front of the fire or telly going on about the good old days. This guy is still living the good old days, and undertaking most of the work on his cars himself.
Occasionally Wayne took some time off from his new-found job of love at Dale Mather’s Coastline Automotive (where Mustang is spoken fluently) to bring this gem together in just three short, but intense, months! His approach to this and his past projects has not only a ‘can-do’ thread through it, but also a ‘get it right’ foundation. Wayne won’t start something without a quality end result in sight. He has the tenacity to carry things through, and when he sold his first Mustang (a 1970 Boss) to fund a move with his family to Canada back in 1979 he promised himself it wouldn’t be the end of his Mustang associations. These associations have not only been re-affirmed since his return to New Zealand, they have been positively cemented and expanded upon.
Indeed, Wayne has imparted some of his long-felt pony passion to his son Darin, who immersed himself in Mustang mania after completing his university studies in chartered accountancy. Naturally, dad stepped up to the plate and assisted in the rebuild of his son’s mechanical love, a 1970 Sportsroof Mustang. Today, Darin drives a “stout” (by dad’s reckoning) ’65 A-code Fastback with a 5686cc (347ci) Windsor powerplant, and dad is no newbie when it comes to understanding what stout really means. Wayne’s daughter, Deanna, gets her highs as an air hostess in Australia, having inherited her father’s professional approach to life.
When talking to Wayne you soon come to the realisation that this guy is both knowledgeable and talented. This Mustang reflects those attributes but moreover would, I’m sure, impress Mr Geoghegan. Not only has Wayne flattered ‘Black Pete’ with an automobile that makes reminiscing an art form, but he has also made the car authentic enough to grab the attention of enthusiasts and highlight Pete’s racing achievements.
Wayne has no intention of giving up now though, and already he plans to get stuck into an early Fastback. His son might have to keep his own F/b in a secret location lest dad’s itchy fingers get too sticky. Could that be the making of a tribute GT350R? It was the car that Geoghegan had his eye on in the first place, and could very well be suggestive of what could have been, but I’d hate to speak out of turn.
Having said that, the tribute you see here, the tribute to what actually was, will do us all just fine.
Words and Photos: Peter ‘PC’ Callen
