1964
Mk2 289
AC Cobra

COB 6033

General Data

Engine

Gearbox

Wheels and Suspension

Ron Thorp called AC Cars, Thames Ditton, in mid 1964 to see about buying a Cobra to replace his Aston Martin DB3S for racing. His sister was living in England and through her, he arranged a Vineyard Green MK2 Cobra with Red interior to be sent to Australia. Also ordered with the car was a matching green hardtop. She visited the factory taking pictures of the cars progress to send to back to Thorp in Australia.

The Cobra was packed in a special wooden crate marked by AC cars "Cobra for Export" and shipped on 19th November, 1964 via 20th Century and Thomas Meadows, to Ron Thorp's Bargain Barn, his used car dealership in Wollongong, New South Wales.

COB 6033's speedo was wound on to 1501 miles, to sell as used car and therefore lower the tax into Australia. It was also registered in the UK as DGJ 501B.   It finally arrived in Australia in Jan 1964.

COB 6033 mostly raced with the number "69" or "96".

RACE HISTORY

1965

Jan 11th, practised at Oran Park where it was noticed the oil pressure would drop on LH corners.

First raced at Sydney's Warwick Farm, Feb 14 th 1965. Was fitted with a front mounted three point roll over hoop, and small Perspex windshield that was mainly to be used in Hillclimbs. The car was still basically a road car. Placed third in class (and 14 th outright) after Thorp experienced oil surge and fuel starvation problems. He ordered a T pan sump and a new manifold with matching Holley carburettor from Shelby, which was fitted in late May and fixed the problems. Also received and fitted was an oil radiator. The Cobra was locally registered with the plate DPP 745.

Feb 21st, Bathurst Hillclimb, 1st in Production Sports Car Class. (Pictured above)

Feb 26th, Cover and feature story in "Australian Auto News Weekly".

Mar 14th, Silverdale Hillclimb 1st Outright.

Mar 21st,   Tamworth Hillclimb 1st Outright.

Mar 28th, Lakeland Hillclimb 1st Outright.

Apr 11th,   Huntley Hillclimb 1st Outright.

April 11th, Wollongong Hillclimb 1st Outright.

April 19th, Bathurst Race 1, 5 th Outright.

Race 2, 4 th Outright (Speed on Conrod Straight 143.76 mph)

May 1st,  Oran Park, 9 th Outright.

May 16th,  Warwick Farm Race 1,10 th .

Race 2, 4th Outright.

May 23rd, Silverdale Hillclimb 1st in Production Sports Car Class.

June 7th Caversham 6 hour, 2nd.(Pictured above) He drove solo!

Caversham is in Western Australia; Thorpe loaded the Cobra in his Austin 3 ton Cobra transporter (see picture below) and drove 4300 kilometres (2600 Miles) on mostly rough and unsealed roads. It took the little truck, the wild Cobra and the well shaken Thorp, one week to get there.

Aug 22nd, Catalina Park, Race 1,7 th .

Race 2, 6th Outright.   

Aug 29th,  Lowood 2nd Outright. 

Sept 11th,   Newcastle Hillclimb, 1st Production Sports Car Class

Thorp upgraded the car with an order from Shelby Automotive;

He received and fitted new Halibrand magnesium wheels, 4x 48IDA Webers, matching manifold and a hoodscoop, Derrington racing headers and side exhausts with brake scoops fitted to the front and rear brakes. Wider guards were fabricated to fit the new wheels. He also had a special Perspex fairing made for hillclimbs and some circuit races to replace the heavy windscreen.

Nov 7th,  Catalina (Pictured on front cover of events race program) Race 1, 7th.

Race 2, 7th Outright.

Nov 14th,  Lakeside,DNS; 

Thorp travelled 1000km (620 Miles) North to Queensland for the Australian Tourist Trophy race, which was run at Lakeside International Raceway on Nov 14 th . This was the event that Shelby sent over Ken Miles, Ron Butler and CSX 3002 to run in the race.

Thorp, who was very keen to race against the "works" Cobra, ran into trouble with some over zealous scrutineers who picked up That his wheels were ¼ of an inch proud of the guards. They offered Thorpe a solution of taping some wooden coat hangers to extend the guards. But Thorpe gave them his thoughts on it and then went out and qualified the car. In the first race he was waiting on the starting grid when the chief scrutineer approached him and said it was ok for him to race with the guards as they were, but he would not be listed in the official results.

He told them told them to shove it, drove off the grid, packed up the car and watched the race instead. He never raced at Lakeside Raceway again.

Dec 5th, Warwick Farm, 3rd in Production Sports class.

Dec 15th, Huntley Hillclimb, 1st Outright.

Thorp won the 1965 Australian Hillclimb Championship for Production Sports Cars (The championship was a series of seven hillclimbs, Thorp missed the first one in January at Amaroo NSW as the car was not ready, but he competed in the remaining six events.)      

1966

Jan 31st, Catalina Park, NSW Sports Racing Car Championship 5th Outright (Started from the rear of the Grid as he missed practise), Race 2, 4 th Outright

Feb 13th, Warwick Farm, DNF (Broken Throttle Linkage)

Feb 20th, Bathurst Hillclimb, 1st Sports and Racing Class.

Mar 6th, Oran Park (Pictued below), Race 1, 5 th Outright. Race 2, 1st Outright.

Mar 20th, ,Tamworth Hillclimb, 1 st Sports & Racing car Class.

April 11th,  Bathurst, 3rd Outright.

April 18th,  Wollongong, 1st Sports & Racing car Class.

May 1st,  Oran Park, 8th Outright.

May 15th,  Warwick Farm, Race 1, 11th Outright. Race 2, 2nd Outright.

May 22nd,  Silverdale Hillclimb, 1st Sports & Racing car Class.

June 6th,  Caversham 6 hour, 1st Outright   (Drove solo again!!)

June 13th,  Mallala, Race 1,7 th .

Race 2, 4th Outright.

July 17th,  Warwick Farm, Race 1, 2nd . Race 2, 7 th outright.

    (Ron Thorp, his Cobra and "The Farm". A wicked combination)

Aug 21st, Surfers Paradise 12 Hour, (Pictured below.) 1st Improved Production Class.

Aug 28th, Catalina Park, Race 1, 5th Outright.

Race 2, 2nd .Race 3,7 th (Mixed racing and Sports car race, 1 st Sports car home)

Sept 10th,  Newcastle Hillclimb, 2nd Sports & Racing cars Class.

Sept 18th,  Warwick Farm, Race 1, 6th Outright, Race 2, Unknown? (anyone know?).

Oct 23rd,  Fountaindale 1st Outright.

Nov 16th,  Grafton Hillclimb, 1st Sports & Racing cars Class.

Dec 4th,  Warwick Farm, Race 1,  6th Outright. Race 2, 4th Outright.

Winner of the 1966 Australian Hillclimb Championship for Sports & Racing cars, and 2nd outright

1967

Jan 22nd, Amaroo Hillclimb 1st Sports & Racing car class.

Jan 30th, Catalina Park Race 1, 5th Outright.

Feb 19th,  Warwick Farm, Thorpe practised, but then had to leave to attend the birth of his son. His son was given the middle name of "Warwick" after the racetrack.

Feb 26th,  Bathurst Hillclimb, 1st Outright and Sports & Racing cars Class.

"Racing Car News" Feb 1967, Feature car in article "Australia's Top Sports Cars"

Mar 27th,  Bathurst, Race 1,  2nd Outright.

Race 2 ,9th Outright.

May 14th,  Warwick Farm, Race 1,  10th Outright.

May 21st,  Wollongong Hillclimb, 1st Sports and Racing Class.

June 5th, Caversham 6 hour,  2nd Outright (Solo drive again)

June 25th, Castlereigh NSW Sprint Championships; 1st Sports cars class (Ran an average of 13.8 over the ¼ mile, with the engine badly misfiring every run, Thorp said the car should have easily ran a 12 second pass if running right.)

July? Dapto Hillclimb, 1st Sports and Racing cars class.

July 16th, Grafton Hillclimb, 1st Outright.

July 30th, Wollongong Hillclimb 1st Outright.

Sept 3rd, Surfers Paradise 12 Hour, (Pictured below) 1st Improved Production class

.

Sept 9th, Newcastle Hillclimb. 1st Sports & Racing cars Class.

Sept 17th, Silverdale Hillclimb, 1st Outright.

(If this photo doesn't do it for you, check your pulse.)

Advertised for sale in October 1967 Racing Car news with Austin "Cobra" transporter, but not sold.

Oct 15th,  Wollongong Hillclimb, 1st Sports and Racing cars class.

Nov 10th,  Wollongong Hillclimb, 1st Outright.

Nov 26th,  Bathurst Hillclimb, 2nd Outright.

Winner of the 1967 Australian Hillclimb Championship for Sports & Racing cars.

POST RACE HISTORY

Thorp parked the Cobra in his shed in 1968 and only occasionally drove it on the road. He then pursued his new love of planes and flying. It is of credit to Thorp, that in all the time he raced the Cobra, he never once marked it.

The Cobra was sold to Geoffrey Dowdle on the 12th of May, 1973 with 11 800 miles on the clock.

Dowdle heard about the car on a trip down to Wollongong where Thorp lived. He had always wanted a Cobra and approached Thorp about buying the car, Thorp declined his initial inquiry about purchasing it, but a year or so later he rang Dowdle to see if he still wanted the car.

Dowdle had to sell his Austin Healy and Jaguar E type to raise the $6000.00 Thorp was asking. He did so and became the cars new owner. Dowdle resprayed the car, keeping the original colour and retained the original interior. He left all the racing equipment on it and became well known in his local area through the car being such a noisy thing with the racing side pipe exhausts!

After many years of happy ownership, COB 6033 was sold to John Blandon, of South Australia in August 1980 for $42 000.00.

Entered by Blandon in numerous historical events including the Australian GP historic sports car races and the Classic Adelaide Rally. It was also featured in the books "Bathurst, the cradle of Australian Motorsport" and "Ford Australia, The racing history."

Blandon, who was a bloody good bloke and was a large influence on the Australian motorsport scene, unfortunately passed away before his time in April 2004. The car was put up for auction, along with other cars from John's impressive collection at a Sydney auction in May 2004. His 1977 Moffat Dealer Falcon Hardtop and COB6033 were sold to David Bowden. We are pretty sure John would be happy that the cars went to a good home and are very much loved.

COB6033 still has all its original racing components, original red interior, has now done 29,000 miles (minus the 1500 "done" in the UK). The factory hardtop, whilst it's a bit rough, still has the original vineyard green paint and came up nicely with some Auto Body Cleanser.

Second owner Geoff Dowdle visited Bowden and gave him the original registration plate from England, DGJ 501B, which now proudly sits on the cars rump. It has been more recently featured in numerous Australian magazines including Unique Cars, Australian Classic Car and Australian Muscle Car.

First Owner Ron Thorp and his son, Ron Warwick Thorp, also visited, with both happy that the Cobra is being looked after and amongst good company. Ron bought along two huge scrap books with all the details of every race and event the car entered. The sheer volume of information they have of the cars period race history is amazing, all of us have never seen anything like it actually. It is a great testament to the Thorp family's love of the the little Cobra.

COB6033 and the 63 Sprint lining up at the Nostalgia Drags

COB 6033 now spends its day's getting the odd spirited run through the hinterland and sitting proudly in our office, next to CSX 2101 and GT40 CH#P1034.

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