The 1968 Tasman series, starting with the New Zealand
Grand Prix at Pukekohe near Auckland, had one of the best machinery line-ups for some vears. Team Lotus sent
o n e c a r , f o r J i m C l a r k , w h i c h
w a s t h e s a m e o n e h e u s e d a t
Z a n d v o o r t l a s t y e a r , b u t w i t h
t h e l a t e s t s u s p e n s i o n m o d i f i c a –
t i o n s a n d t h e 2 . 5 – l i t r e T a s m a n
F o r d V 8 engine. F o r d spent
c o n s i d e r a b l em o n e y d e v e l o p i n g
t h e 2 . 5 – l i t r e v e r s i o n o f i t s F o r –
m u l a O n e e n g i n e w h i c h i s n ‘ t
j u s t a d e – s t r o k e d v e r s i o n o f t h e
3 – l i t r e .
( B R M )
Owen
a r r i v e d
with four cars
and two 2.1 V8s.
O r g a n i s a t i o n
A u c k l a n d
t w o n e w V 1 2 s
O n e o f t h e
V 8 s w a s i n t e n d e d a s a s p a r e ,
w h i l e t h e o t h e r h a d b e e n
s c h e d u l e d f o r R o b b i e F r a n c e v i c ,
N Z ‘ s 3067 t o u r i n g
H o w e v e r ,
c a r c h a m –
n e c o n a c o u s
between B R M ,
( F r a n c e v i c ‘ s s p o n s o r ) a n d
F r a n c e v i c f a i l e d a n d h e d i d n ‘ t
f o l l o w t h e d e a l t h r o u g h . H e s a t
i n t h e c a r p r i o r t o t h e N Z G P ,
a n d S a l e T h e ? c o c k p i t
n a r r o w ( p l u s
w a s TOO
f e w o t h e r
t h i n g s ) a n d a s t h e c a r c o u l d n ‘ t
e a s i l y b e a l t e r e d h e a d d e d t h a t
t o h i s r e a s o n s f o r n o t b u y i n g .
F e r r a r i c a u s e d a s u r b y
i n g i t s 2 . 4 – l i t r e D i n o V 6 c a r
o u t f o r C h r i s A m o n . T h i s w a s
t h e h r s t t i m e A m o n n a d d r i v e n
i n h i s h o m ec o u n t r y s i n c e h e
w e n t overseas t h e f i r s t
time a works Ferrari had raced
T h e V6 engine
wasdetuned at the factory
the interests of reliability,
280 bhp was under
a n d
t h a t
c l a i m e d b y t h e L o t u s – F o r d s a n d
B R M .
t h e
However, the Ferrari was
l i g h t e s t t h e t h r e e
A m o n h a d i m p r o v e d i n
e n o u g h
d r i v i n g
m a k e t h e
F e r r a r i a r e a l t h r e a t i n t h e
semes
T h o s e h o p i n g t o s e e W o r l d
C h a m p i o n D e n i s H u l m e i n o n e
o f t h e b i g – b a n g e r s a g a i n w e r e
d i s a p p o i n t e d . H e c h o s e t o d r i v e
a F o r m u l a T w o F V A C o s w o r t h
1600 cc-engined B r a b h a m ( t h e
s a m e W i n k l e m a n n c a r a s u s e d
b y R i n d t i n E u r o p e l a s t s e a s o n )
011T. H I l l m e f i g u r e d t h e l i g h t