GRX 309D
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 3:44 pm
Postby worksminis » 11 Apr 2017, 19:04
Rally of the Flowers (Rallye dei Fiori) February 1966. Hopkirk/Crellin. Group 2. Built by Brian Moylan. One of 4 new Group 2 1293 unarched cars built to the new (1.1.66.) FIA Appendix J before the “definitive” 66 Group 2 spec cars emerged with the black wheel arch extensions on the Circuit of Ireland. Second event for the pivoting 4 lamp bar (first used on at least one car on the Swedish Rally earlier in Feb 66).
Used as a recce car on:
Circuit of Ireland April 66 (Hopkirk/Harryman).
Austrian Alpine May 66?? (Fall/Wood) (or French Alpine September 66 Fall/Wood?? See below).
Acropolis May 66 (initial route recce Easter/Liddon and maybe later final recce by an entered crew – Hopkirk/Crellin or Makinen/Easter – Aaltonen/Liddon believed to have used GRX555D).
Sold to Johnny Organ (works mechanic) as complete car without registration, with a 970 S engine installed. Later sold on.
Polish Rally August 1966. Fall/Krauklis Group 2. 999cc (to take advantage of favourable handicap). All evidence points to this being a new car (“unarched” as 4.5” wheels not then homologated for the 970 S and standard 3.5” used). Believed to be a new car for this event.
Used as recce car on French Alpine (Coupe des Alpes) September 66?? Fall/Wood (see above).
No data on disposal.
RAC Rally November 1966. Hill/Boyd Group2. Front mud flaps and Aley roll-over bar introduced for this event on all works Minis (except no bar on GRX5D for Makinen). All cars except GRX5D used AEG510 camshaft in anticipation of mud/snow following experience of the 65 event. Believed to be a new car for this event, as for other BMC entries.
Welsh Rally December 1966. Fall/Wood. Deciding event (between Fall and Fidler) for 1966 RAC British Championship. NOTE: Both Browning and Price record the 66 Welsh Rally as taking place before the RAC Rally. It didn't. It ran after the RAC. Believed to be the Hill car that had retired early from the RAC (with replacement transmission or engine/transmission for the Welsh). Could have been a number plate swap but question then arises as to which car, since all other ex-RAC cars damaged or more worn. Left the road and suffered damage (costing Fall the British Championship). Extent of damage believed significant (variously reported as rolled or extensive rear end damage) and thus unlikely to have been repaired by works. Confirmed by Price that 4th GRX309D (Sebring race car) was a new car and not this one.
Said to have been used as a recce car for the January 1967 Monte Carlo Rally. There appears to have been a shortage of recce cars for this event. The reg number of the private Freeborough Group 2 car was borrowed for a standard white/black recce car for Aaltonen. A red/black standard car (with roof rack carrying 4 studded tyres) called in at the Lydden Hill rallycross (in which the works team was competing) en route to Dover for early Monte recce with Liddon and (Easter?) after the RAC but before the Welsh. It does not therefore appear that this standard one could have carried the GRX309D registration but another car for the later recce phase could have done as an ID swap.
No data on disposal. Registration number later used on replica of the Hill RAC car (replica in that the accurate markings would not have been the original 66 RAC ones if car used after the RAC before disposal by works – no data on any body/mechanical parts used).
Sebring 4 Hours (3 Hours in previous years and often referred to as “3 Hours” this year). March 1967. Although Browning states that they converted one of their rally cars, Price has later clarified that this was a new race car built for the event and the GRX309D registration was applied to it to speed up the issue of documentation for it to be sent to the USA as (initially) a temporary export.
Sold to BMC USA (later into private ownership in USA).
Rally of the Flowers (Rallye dei Fiori) February 1966. Hopkirk/Crellin. Group 2. Built by Brian Moylan. One of 4 new Group 2 1293 unarched cars built to the new (1.1.66.) FIA Appendix J before the “definitive” 66 Group 2 spec cars emerged with the black wheel arch extensions on the Circuit of Ireland. Second event for the pivoting 4 lamp bar (first used on at least one car on the Swedish Rally earlier in Feb 66).
Used as a recce car on:
Circuit of Ireland April 66 (Hopkirk/Harryman).
Austrian Alpine May 66?? (Fall/Wood) (or French Alpine September 66 Fall/Wood?? See below).
Acropolis May 66 (initial route recce Easter/Liddon and maybe later final recce by an entered crew – Hopkirk/Crellin or Makinen/Easter – Aaltonen/Liddon believed to have used GRX555D).
Sold to Johnny Organ (works mechanic) as complete car without registration, with a 970 S engine installed. Later sold on.
Polish Rally August 1966. Fall/Krauklis Group 2. 999cc (to take advantage of favourable handicap). All evidence points to this being a new car (“unarched” as 4.5” wheels not then homologated for the 970 S and standard 3.5” used). Believed to be a new car for this event.
Used as recce car on French Alpine (Coupe des Alpes) September 66?? Fall/Wood (see above).
No data on disposal.
RAC Rally November 1966. Hill/Boyd Group2. Front mud flaps and Aley roll-over bar introduced for this event on all works Minis (except no bar on GRX5D for Makinen). All cars except GRX5D used AEG510 camshaft in anticipation of mud/snow following experience of the 65 event. Believed to be a new car for this event, as for other BMC entries.
Welsh Rally December 1966. Fall/Wood. Deciding event (between Fall and Fidler) for 1966 RAC British Championship. NOTE: Both Browning and Price record the 66 Welsh Rally as taking place before the RAC Rally. It didn't. It ran after the RAC. Believed to be the Hill car that had retired early from the RAC (with replacement transmission or engine/transmission for the Welsh). Could have been a number plate swap but question then arises as to which car, since all other ex-RAC cars damaged or more worn. Left the road and suffered damage (costing Fall the British Championship). Extent of damage believed significant (variously reported as rolled or extensive rear end damage) and thus unlikely to have been repaired by works. Confirmed by Price that 4th GRX309D (Sebring race car) was a new car and not this one.
Said to have been used as a recce car for the January 1967 Monte Carlo Rally. There appears to have been a shortage of recce cars for this event. The reg number of the private Freeborough Group 2 car was borrowed for a standard white/black recce car for Aaltonen. A red/black standard car (with roof rack carrying 4 studded tyres) called in at the Lydden Hill rallycross (in which the works team was competing) en route to Dover for early Monte recce with Liddon and (Easter?) after the RAC but before the Welsh. It does not therefore appear that this standard one could have carried the GRX309D registration but another car for the later recce phase could have done as an ID swap.
No data on disposal. Registration number later used on replica of the Hill RAC car (replica in that the accurate markings would not have been the original 66 RAC ones if car used after the RAC before disposal by works – no data on any body/mechanical parts used).
Sebring 4 Hours (3 Hours in previous years and often referred to as “3 Hours” this year). March 1967. Although Browning states that they converted one of their rally cars, Price has later clarified that this was a new race car built for the event and the GRX309D registration was applied to it to speed up the issue of documentation for it to be sent to the USA as (initially) a temporary export.
Sold to BMC USA (later into private ownership in USA).
