Topic: Solved - MJW #642 - Baltzer Foster Holden Sports 1957 (ex Whatmore-Jaguar Special)

[woodinsight]

Quite a number of new puzzles from me.......
This first one is possibly a hard nut to crack as it never looked like this originally.
It has now been restored to its original format so what we have here is the car in its "second configuration".

I may award two points depending on the answers to the following questions -
What was the car known as originally - name and engine?
Who converted it to this format and the year of conversion?
In this configuration what engine did it use and who built the bodywork?

Apologies for the slightly out of focus image but it's the only one I have.

[woodinsight]

Experts....

[woodinsight]

Pros?

[grobmotorix]

Is there a Woodill/Glasspar connection?

[barrett]

This is (or was) the Whatmore-Jaguar Special.
The car was first built in 1950 by Charlie Whatmore in Queensland, using a Standard 14 chassis and a Studebaker V8 engine. The car in this configuration was known as the Studebaker Special. In 1954 he replaced the engine with a unit from a Jaguar MkVI and renamed the Whatmore-Jaguar Special. By 1956 the car was no longer competitive and it was sold to Trevor Baltzer of Brisbane who replaced the single seater bodywork with the GRP item seen here, and installed a Holden motor. The picture shows it just prior to restoration back to 1954 specification.

[woodinsight]

Is there a Woodill/Glasspar connection?

No.....

[woodinsight]

This is (or was) the Whatmore-Jaguar Special.
The car was first built in 1950 by Charlie Whatmore in Queensland, using a Standard 14 chassis and a Studebaker V8 engine. The car in this configuration was known as the Studebaker Special. In 1954 he replaced the engine with a unit from a Jaguar MkVI and renamed the Whatmore-Jaguar Special. By 1956 the car was no longer competitive and it was sold to Trevor Baltzer of Brisbane who replaced the single seater bodywork with the GRP item seen here, and installed a Holden motor. The picture shows it just prior to restoration back to 1954 specification.

That's the car and the excellent description.
I can add that the bodywork was a Foster product.
Below is the car as it appears today -

[D-type]

Being pedantic, the engine must have been either from a Jaguar Mk V or an XK from a Mk VII as there was no Jaguar MK VI (as Bentley had a MkVI at the time they stopped Jaguar using the name)