Koos Swanepoel Mustang

[ZA Perana]

"the spluttering, misfiring dog" as one forum member called it....

Well it would be true to say that it was quite as quick as the BVR car but during the later part of 1966 it was decently competitive..finishing 2nd to Basil on occaision but what really seemed to let the car down was reliabilty, from the records I have seemed in most races the car either didnt start of failed to finish due to some or other mechanical problem.

In other thread where the BVR car was debated we briefly discussed the Swanepoel car and going through the archives I found some more info.

At the end of the 1966 season the car went back to Ford who kept the car, during 1967 Bernie Marriner drove the car at a PE race meeting, burning rubber for 200 yards at the start...that was after breaking the gearbox in practice...

At the time it was mooted Ford were going to sell the car to the Scribante racing team...cant find any evidence of it from that point on...whats the chances that car is a road car today...and some guy has a car he doesnt know the history of.....

[ZA Perana]

Some pictures of very dubious quality....they have been edited quite extensively...

[ZA Perana]

Ok that first pic isnt of great quality.....

[ZA Perana]

Not easy to see in the pics but pic 2 was taken at the 1966 Springbok Series race when Gough drove the car...had a black roof...1st pic was taken later in the season...no black roof...

[Killarney Racer]

I remember seeing both these colour schemes. Swanners raced it with the black (or was it dark blue) side panel, Gough with the black roof. These are rare pics you have shown us, possibly from CAR mag? Gough's run in the Mustang was even worse than Koos'. I remember the car going back to Ford in PE, but from there i dunno. Derek van Blerk claimed to me about two years back that his car was the Swanepoel car. But we have since established his is the BvR car. Uytenbogardt confirmed this. I don't know what DvB was thinking!

[ZA Perana]

I remember seeing both these colour schemes. Swanners raced it with the black (or was it dark blue) side panel, Gough with the black roof. These are rare pics you have shown us, possibly from CAR mag? Gough's run in the Mustang was even worse than Koos'. I remember the car going back to Ford in PE, but from there i dunno. Derek van Blerk claimed to me about two years back that his car was the Swanepoel car. But we have since established his is the BvR car. Uytenbogardt confirmed this. I don't know what DvB was thinking!

Interesting, am assuming that like BVRs car the motor was a 289 but for some reason the KS car looks to be of an earlier model than the BVR car, looking at the grill in particular....one wonders what mods were done to the car, unfortunately I am missing a 1966 magazine with the road test of the BVR car...

I have some more "rare" edited pictures of other cars to post up....

[Killarney Racer]

I believe that Ford imported the two cars at the same time and allowed the two teams to prepare them as they wanted to. Both were initially spec'd the same 289's and my understanding is that engine size remained 289. I think the Meissner guys believed they had been given a Friday car as they never sorted it out. I guess if they couldn't, then no one could...

[Killarney Racer]

ZAP - if you have more pics I am sure many would enjoy them!

[Railway]

I remember seeing both these colour schemes. Swanners raced it with the black (or was it dark blue) side panel, Gough with the black roof. These are rare pics you have shown us, possibly from CAR mag? Gough's run in the Mustang was even worse than Koos'. I remember the car going back to Ford in PE, but from there i dunno. Derek van Blerk claimed to me about two years back that his car was the Swanepoel car. But we have since established his is the BvR car. Uytenbogardt confirmed this. I don't know what DvB was thinking!

Nick explained some history of the DvB car which seems to have originated from the BvR car then reshelled at some stage owned by Brian Evans when I saw it some years back. Here again sometimes one wonders how come or for what reason persons are in Historics. Surely such history of one's car especially this famous should be known ? I mean how difficult can it be to backpeddle on a cars history if most of the poeple are still around or people that were closely associated with those that have maybe passed on ? I see that as a touch ignorance or questionable interest in historics per say.

[ZA Perana]

ZAP - if you have more pics I am sure many would enjoy them!

Have a pic or 2 of the BVR mustang...which will post up.