Topic: Solved: GTE 429 - 1970 F2 oval track racer by Peter Meffan

[gte4289]

Please identify this car and its builder for a point.

[gte4289]

Experts?

[sichel]

One of Ralf Bilands experiments?

[gte4289]

One of Ralf Bilands experiments?

No

[D-type]

Coachwork by The Metal Box Company? 

Seriously, was this an Australian Clubman's car?

[gte4289]

Coachwork by The Metal Box Company? 

Seriously, was this an Australian Clubman's car?

Not that

[shamrock]

Is it an early IBEC  by Ian Bracey

[gte4289]

Is it an early IBEC  by Ian Bracey

No

[gte4289]

Pros?

[gte4289]

Easy point for the Masters

[Oguerrerob]

Marauder "Special" with probably Ford Mechanicals and Triumph Herald front suspension. Raced in 1983-88 by Trevor Trautmann

[gte4289]

Marauder "Special" with probably Ford Mechanicals and Triumph Herald front suspension. Raced in 1983-88 by Trevor Trautmann

Ford mechanicals: Yes
Triumph front suspension: Yes
Marauder: No, but there is a Marauder connection
Raced in 1983-88 by Trevor Trautmann: I have no idea if it was or not, as the puzzle photo predates this by quite a bit (and no mention of Trautmann)

But you've come close enough to earn a lock.

[Oguerrerob]

I have the picture from a FB page. One guy talked about Trevor Trautmann and the originally Marauder. While other guy talks about "Peter Meffan racing a flat little bombshell in the Formula II category....It was a "Special" with probably Ford Mechanicals and Triumph Herald front suspension, and was the forerunner of the popular and well loved "Marauder" sports car of the late 60's early Seventies.....It was because of the success of this "Giant-Killer" that there was an enormous amount of interest shown as well as the eventual birth of the Marauder Street Car"

[gte4289]

...other guy talks about "Peter Meffan racing a flat little bombshell in the Formula II category....It was a "Special" with probably Ford Mechanicals and Triumph Herald front suspension, and was the forerunner of the popular and well loved "Marauder" sports car of the late 60's early Seventies.....It was because of the success of this "Giant-Killer" that there was an enormous amount of interest shown as well as the eventual birth of the Marauder Street Car"

This second guy's mostly correct. Of course, there was no "Marauder sports car of the late 60s", as the Marauder prototype wasn't built until 1971. But this car, built by Peter Meffan in 1970, inspired him to create the Marauder. As explained by Meffan himself:

The urge to compete again was strong in 1970 but the money was tight. As a result, I looked into the oval track formulae at Buddy Fuller’s Wembley Stadium. I believed I could build a competitive oval tracker at a reasonable cost, and set about it. The result was a 1000cc Ford-driven vehicle good for the Formula 2 category – the engine chosen simply as it was what I had and could afford. Tyres came courtesy of Tyrrell’s F1 Matra 13-inch fronts. The chassis was a space frame made from both round and square tube, the engine sat alongside the driver and to suit the anti-clockwise circuit, the car was offset by cutting and welding the diff and unequal half shafts. Like so many racecars of the period, the front suspension was from a Triumph Herald, which was so soft it was ideal for close contact racing and could be ‘bent straight’ very easily. The car proved competitive and won numerous races, with lap times on a par with the Formula 1 oval class. This success had me thinking that South Africa could use a cost-effective and user-friendly sports car in both road and race guise. Sure, the Protea and the Dart had opened the door to an entry-level local sport racer, but no real kit cars were available locally. Enter the car design that would soon become known as the Marauder, built and sold via Matador Motors (Pty) Ltd.

While many might think the Lotus 7 played a role in its design, it was more my oval racer and cars such as the Morgan and Allard that had an influence on the layout and the concept. A prototype Marauder, basically the oval machine design with engine sitting upfront in a more traditional format, was built in 1971 and exhibited at the Power 71 Show. A flat aluminium body covered a gas-welded space frame chassis designed around readily available Ford Cortina components.

A point for you!

[Oguerrerob]

The FB info is usually vague and confused. Thank you for the correct info. And the point!