Tony Mac - Wellington's #1 (Read 69,087 times)

[TimSOZ]

Seeing the Gaskin thread reminded me of Wellington's greatest ever driver - Tony McLanachan. So here for your enjoyment are all 4 of his machines...starting with the legendary 7w Zephyr.

This car debuted in 1979/80



and got better over the next few seasons, to the point where it was the fastest in the country when sold at the end of the 1983/84 season

[TimSOZ]

Lured back into racing in a car that was lent to him, Tony raced as 2w - check out the lack of netting in the windscreen!



Tony returned part time in 1987/88 in a car he shared with Clive Cooper, built by Gary Parkes to a McLanachan design. Then he disappeared to the sidelines again....

[TimSOZ]

McLanachan returned late in the 1994/95 season in a wild looking new car, powered by a Rover.......which was eventually converted to a Nissan, named the Silver Bullet, and the rest is history. First pic is 1997/98.



Sometime around 1998/99 it got even meaner thanks to some subtle bodywork changes. The Silver Bullet had a new paint scheme every year...below is one of the better looking, 1999/2000

[TimSOZ]

As for the whereabouts of these cars
#1 is rumoured to still be with Duncan Gollop, who last raced it as 57w - any more info anybody?
#2 I have no idea - can anyone help??
#3 went to Paul Bouzaid for many years, then to Barry Ward in Palmy. I think it's raced one meeting in each of the last two seasons.
#4 is still one of the quickest in the country, but has yet to deliver any of it's drivers a national title.

[TimSOZ]

Here's Barry Ward 42p at the start of the 2003/04 season.



Thanks to www.speedwayarchive.co.nz for the pics

[thewatcher]

2w was also clive coopers it went to Tony 66p from there!!!

[thewatcher]

he also raced 53 which was his 1st car again before the mac 2w

[pallmall]

Here are a few of the Silver Bullet over a number of years.
A couple of TMac cars. 1998 Auckland Teams:


1999 Palmy Teams:


2000 Palmy Teams:


2002 NZ's at Gisborne:

[mrmadtaylor]

2006 world 248s at palmerston north, Bryce Penn at the wheel


where is the number 3 car thats in 1998 Auckland Teams photo posted by pallmall

[scrapper44]

Wayne Whittaker 51A did have it im not to sure if he has it anymore.

[Deleted]

yep wayne still has it,the car has had a heart transplant and will be out again soon

[worldno1]

here is sum pics i took at the nz this year, one of shane and a few tony mac copies

[maverick]

The 54w car of Mike Pye,s isn,t a T-Mac car or a copy. It,s the x Andy Gudgeon Kuriger car.

[Deleted]

I thought Joel Pitcher & Nigel Cooper (ex-Musgrove) cars were built by Tony Mac and not copies? Can someone confirm this?

One more, 33p Craig Rolston ex-8w Dave Ashkettle



Any other modern Tony Mac cars we've missed?

[Lªz¥]

The new car for Darren Grey in the stockcar class. Ive only heard, aint never seen a picture of it...

[steve38]

Pretty sure the center motored stockcar that Garry Bean ran out of Wellington a few years ago was a Tony Mac chassis. Won the Wellington champs one year.

[xneilx]

so was the car that darren grey had before it went to neville harrop (58w) a tony mac flat chassis, certainly looks like one fom the earlier pics, before the silver bullet, does any wellington ppl know?

[impact14p]

i can confirm it Basil as i was there the whole off season with them ive got photos and photos of it Joels gettin built but because the plans have a copyright on them cant post them

I also understand that T Mac has finished building cars as Steve Hamptons was going to be the last built

[TimSOZ]

The 1990 Wildcats all had Tony Mac designed or constructed flat chassis' - I will post some later on today when I'm back at the archive. Harrod's will probably be one of those cars.
3w Blair Ireland
6w Eddie Hawkins
52w Graeme Gaskin
84w Ian King
The other name escapes me at present....

[thewatcher]

no neil yours isnt one sorry