Group C Alfetta - Foley 1980 and Leggat 1981 - Are these the same car?

Started by Scott Farquharson, August 23, 2018, 12:22:03 AM

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Scott Farquharson

Are these the same car? - one is the Foley entered Pye sponsored Derek Bell driven Alfetta GTV 1980 (and 1978 and 1979) and the other is the Gary Leggat Cinzano car from 1981 (written off in 1982)

Vin? Anyone?
Scott Farquharson
Group A Dulux Alfetta GTV6
Group S Alfetta GTV
Alfetta GT (GTAM?)

GTV6SA

Yes car was destroyed when Gary Leggatt went off at McPhilamy

Scott Farquharson

Did they update the car from series 1 steel bumper to series 2 plastic bumpers?
Scott Farquharson
Group A Dulux Alfetta GTV6
Group S Alfetta GTV
Alfetta GT (GTAM?)

Paul Newby

Interesting question and I don't really know the answer.

However, I've seen photos of the Foley "Nuovo" GTV 2.0 after its Bathurst crash in 1982 and I believe it's a genuine plastic bumper "Nuovo" shell and thus different to the early (steel bumper) Alfetta GTV raced 78-80.

It has the later front clip with the four cut outs under the bumper – I can't see Foley cutting a clip off a brand new GTV and grafting it on the old car. The coolant and washer bottle in the engine bay are from the later model. The doors are from the early Alfetta GTV – chrome door handle and flipper quarter window is the tell tale! I bet the doors are missing their side intrusion bars! The alloy bolt in roll cage could be easily transferred from one car to another – and probably was in this case.

If there are indeed two cars, the question is what happened to the old Alfetta GTV and was the "Nuovo" GTV an Alfa Romeo Australia evaluation car? The "Nuovo" was released here in mid 1981 and was on the grid for the 1981 Bathurst race so it must have been an early car. Gary Leggatt would probably know, but I've never met him...
1974 2000 GT Veloce (Le Mans Blue) - Restoration project
1975 Alfetta GT (Periwinkle Blue Metallic) - Group S racer - Sold!
2009 147 Monza 3Dr (Kyalami Black) - Don't ask!
2010 VW Passat R36 Wagon (Biscay Blue) - Daily Driver
2015 VW Golf GTI Performance (Night Blue) - Wife's Runabout

GTV6SA

The old car (steel bumper version) was converted with a new from and rear bumpers by Garry Leggatt when he bought it of Foley ,originally the idea was to run  the new 2.5 liter V6 but he ran out of development time and  had to revert to the 2 liter version

Scott Farquharson

Quote from: Paul Newby on August 24, 2018, 11:20:10 AM
Interesting question and I don't really know the answer.

However, I've seen photos of the Foley "Nuovo" GTV 2.0 after its Bathurst crash in 1982 and I believe it's a genuine plastic bumper "Nuovo" shell and thus different to the early (steel bumper) Alfetta GTV raced 78-80.

It has the later front clip with the four cut outs under the bumper – I can't see Foley cutting a clip off a brand new GTV and grafting it on the old car. The coolant and washer bottle in the engine bay are from the later model. The doors are from the early Alfetta GTV – chrome door handle and flipper quarter window is the tell tale! I bet the doors are missing their side intrusion bars! The alloy bolt in roll cage could be easily transferred from one car to another – and probably was in this case.

If there are indeed two cars, the question is what happened to the old Alfetta GTV and was the "Nuovo" GTV an Alfa Romeo Australia evaluation car? The "Nuovo" was released here in mid 1981 and was on the grid for the 1981 Bathurst race so it must have been an early car. Gary Leggatt would probably know, but I've never met him...

Spot on Paul.  That is the question.

I note on FB last night Bob Williamson wrote:

This photo was a few years after the 1978 Alfas. I teamed up with Garry Leggatt in 1979 and I bought the ex Harvey/Mollison Mtrs Gemini Coupe. Gary and Dave Seldon drove it at Bathurst and won the class. Next year we built a twin cam Gemini sedan, great car but failed at Bathurst. Then we bought Foleys Alfa which Garry badly crashed on top of the mountain. The one in the above photo was our series production car that we raced during the year for our sponsor Cinzano. V6 did not happen, we were working with Merv Waggott on the cam shafts, when sadly Merv was killed in his plane, so we quickly rebuilt it as the original 4 cylinder.

I'm wondering whether he's talking about the Group C Alfetta 2L or another car?

I'll ask him.

Could there be 2 Foley Group C Alfetta's in the wind....?
Scott Farquharson
Group A Dulux Alfetta GTV6
Group S Alfetta GTV
Alfetta GT (GTAM?)

Scott Farquharson

#6
Quote from: GTV6SA on August 24, 2018, 02:20:58 PM
The old car (steel bumper version) was converted with a new from and rear bumpers by Garry Leggatt when he bought it of Foley ,originally the idea was to run  the new 2.5 liter V6 but he ran out of development time and  had to revert to the 2 liter version

Ah, just read this - so they completely converted to Plastic bumper spec and painted red?

Was aware of the attempt to go to V6 spec (its actually listed as a GTV6 in many of the Bathurst doco from the period) just wanted to be clear that the 81/82 car was in fact the ex Foley steel bumper 2L car that ran in Amex colours in 78, Alitalia/Pye colours in 79 and 80, and not another, new, plastic bumper "Nuovo" car.
Scott Farquharson
Group A Dulux Alfetta GTV6
Group S Alfetta GTV
Alfetta GT (GTAM?)


GTV6SA

Most of the transmission i.e.close ratio Autodelta 3.5 diff ratio Gearbox and brakes ended up on Mike Birks Sports sedan, I remember because it had floating ventilated discs . I acquired the alloy wishbones which weren't eligible and alloy torsion bar mount and a spare Autodelta close ratio gearbox.

Scott Farquharson

Scott Farquharson
Group A Dulux Alfetta GTV6
Group S Alfetta GTV
Alfetta GT (GTAM?)

GTV6SA

From memory most of the mechanicals were saved,the speedline wheels end up on Graham Smiths  131 sports sedan, body went to the dump and most of the mechanicals that survived were sold off. This  car was known as the  No. 58 American Express car originally built by Stuart Randall and Steve Perkins at Foleys

Paul Newby

Quote from: Scott Farquharson on September 03, 2018, 01:08:36 PM
Quote from: GTV6SA on August 24, 2018, 02:20:58 PM
The old car (steel bumper version) was converted with a new from and rear bumpers by Garry Leggatt when he bought it of Foley ,originally the idea was to run  the new 2.5 liter V6 but he ran out of development time and  had to revert to the 2 liter version

Ah, just read this - so they completely converted to Plastic bumper spec and painted red?
Was aware of the attempt to go to V6 spec (its actually listed as a GTV6 in many of the Bathurst doco from the period) just wanted to be clear that the 81/82 car was in fact the ex Foley steel bumper 2L car that ran in Amex colours in 78, Alitalia/Pye colours in 79 and 80, and not another, new, plastic bumper "Nuovo" car.

I respect what Lane has to say and he was around the scene then and I wasn't. But I'm still not convinced that they reconfigured an early shell into a later one - without bolt on panels it is not an easy job and where would they find the body panel and parts for a car released only a few months earlier?

As a favoured dealer, Foley could have got hold of a Nuovo shell - an evaluation car(?) from Alfa Australia - strip it for parts and transfer all the mechanical bits from the old car including the flares and the roll cage. To do otherwise makes no sense to me.

1974 2000 GT Veloce (Le Mans Blue) - Restoration project
1975 Alfetta GT (Periwinkle Blue Metallic) - Group S racer - Sold!
2009 147 Monza 3Dr (Kyalami Black) - Don't ask!
2010 VW Passat R36 Wagon (Biscay Blue) - Daily Driver
2015 VW Golf GTI Performance (Night Blue) - Wife's Runabout

GTV6SA

The information about the upgrade from a steel bumper came from Gary himself so is not heresay I also know me changed his Group E -steel bumpers Black  GTV which he raced at Amaroo Pk. to a plastic bumpers model by removing the necessary panels and "pop-riveting on the new ones" and got down to the approx. Homogated weight if around 880- 900 kgs.