SOLD 2009
1977 Elwyn (002)
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SOLD 2009
Steven Brook in Elwyn 002 in 1989
History
Built by well known Sydney racer/fabricator Elwyn Bickley who worked very closely with Dave Mawer whose reputation for building and repairing open wheel racing cars also is both long and excellent. I believe this is one of FIVE ever built by Elwyn and to my knowledge FOUR still exist and race including one he has kept.
The following details are records obtained from the original CAMS log books showing the driver/owners in the cars past ... some drivers have been successful in other categories.
1977 Elwyn Bickley/Wally Storey 1979 Richard Steigler 1980 Brad Jones 1984 Anthony Swan 1987 Stephen Brook 1994 Tony Harper 2002 Tim Berriman 2003 Robert/Thomas Tweedie Specifications
CAMS regulation Group Q (Australia) open wheel single seat racing car with 1600cc pushrod Ford Cortina GT based unmodified engine producing after blueprinting and balancing (only permissable modifications), around 108 bhp with a dry sump oil system.
Gearbox/transaxle comes from a 1960's Volkswagen Kombi, turned upside down and heavily modified to accept Hewland gears 4 speed forward & reverse non synchromesh, dog box and no limited slip differential. Gearchange is on the right side of the driver.
Suspension is double wishbone independent coil over damper on the front and upper and lower lateral links and trailing arms with coil over dampers on the rear with adjustable sway bars front and rear.
Brakes - 260 mm non-vented external discs front with 235 mm inboard non-vented discs rear.
Wheels/tyres are controlled by regulations. All wheels are 5.5 wide x 13 inches and tyres must be Dunlop CR82 treaded exclusive FF tyres.
Chassis is tubular steel and body panels are detachable fibreglass. Fully laden without driver, car weighs around 435 kilo's.
Performance
Dependent on gearbox ratios all of which are changeable by removing the rear gearbox end-cover. At Phillip Island, which has the fastest straight this category is invited to race at, top speed depending on winds is in the vicinity of 140 mph (235 kph).
Sandown Park 2003 - Rob Tweedie in close company
Summary
Formula Fords have gone on to become a major category and training ground for new drivers (and old ones too) and still race in more modern but similar mechanical configurations and the latest ones only lap about 2 or 3 seconds a lap faster than the Historic cars do from where there development particularly in aerodynamics and suspension has made large strides.
Elwyn (model 002)
Will shortly be raced by Tom Tweedie who turns 16 in June 2004 and although he has achieved his CAMS C3 licence in the car, has not been permitted to race in "open" company until his 16th birthday. The car is maintained mainly by John Masala help by Rob and Tom Tweedie in their Hornsby (Sydney) workshop.
Phillip Island 2006
Results
Since Tom has been racing the car he has recorded many outright FIRST and podium places both on NSW circuits and also in Victoria at Winton, Phillip Island and Sandown Park. Tom has WON the 2006 NSW HSRCA Formula Ford Championship in this blue Elwyn after only one and a half years of racing ... click on Tom Tweedie's personal webpage on this site for further details or go to www.natsoft.com.au (race results 2006) or www.hsrca.org.au for the championship results.
Tom Tweedie with car builder Elwyn Bickley and previous owner Tony Swann at Wakefield Park Historic April 2005 ... Tom came 6th outright in a class mixed field narrowing beating father Rob in his later model Elwyn 004 in the process ... a great first full race meeting for Tom who also was only .02 sec of the winners fastest time!
Rob in his "new" 1983 Elwyn 004 and Don Holland's Reynard scrapped like this all weekend - Wakefield Park April 2005
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Left: Tom at Wakefield Park Historic April 2005. Right: Tom at Wakefield Park in his first race April 2005
Rob in red no. 7 and Tom not far behind in blue no. 19 ... Wakefield Park April 2005
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