Big Sam

[Gav240z]

Forgive my ignorance but is Win Percy the same person who raced in V8 supercars in Australia? Or are there two different Win Percy's?

I for one would love to know about the engine specs but I guess that's a bit of a secret .:cheeky:

[Gav240z]

Now that you mention it and having looked at the pic's in your gallery.

I'm curious are those wheels Watanabe's? or Panasport C8R's? or different again? I really like the look of them.

What size are they 16" or 15"?

I'm also curious what brakes your running on the car?

That's what i guess I'm really interested in.

Gav,

[Nick H]

Hi Gavin,

Yes that's the same Win. A very talented driver whose career took off when he won the 1974 Blue Circle Modsports Championship in Big Sam against heavy opposition--like Nick Faure with a works sponsored Porsche 911 Carrera. After that Toyota, Jaguar and others hired Win and he competed at Le Mans and the World Sportscar Chapionships. He was still a very competative driver up until his operation being asked to drive many different cars from Sam to D type Jaguars.

Nick

[halz]

Hi Nick,

I kicked off this post so its me who has the questions...

I have read the very sketchy history of Sam in the couple of books that are available on the topic of Z-cars in general. As I understand it, Sam's original bodyshell was a works rally body that was refitted and prepared for racing in the 1974 British season. Although it was 1974 and 240z production had been replaced by 260zs, Sam retained a 2.4 litre engine (?). Admittedly this engine was significantly modified from stock but I would be interested if you can confirm if it remained as a 2.4 litre capacity motor? Since 1974, was the engine significantly changed (or even replaced?). What specification of engine does it have now? I'm interested in any detail you can give us on the current state of tune of the car.

I'm glad that the car is still seeing some use. Yesterday I watched a video of the 1997 Goodwood revival - The theme centred mainly around record-breaking race cars and Ferrari's 50th(?) anniversary. Interestingly, Michelle Mouton was present and drove her 600bhp Audi Quattro which made me think of other historic rally cars. Naturally my thoughts drifted back to Big Sam...it would be great if you could wangle yourself an invitation to Goodwood in the future....if not for historic reasons then at least to remind the Healy drivers of their natural place in the evolution of fast cars (ie, one below Datsun!)

Regards,

Hayden.

[Ben]

Originally posted by Nick H

Hi Gavin,

Yes that's the same Win. A very talented driver whose career took off when he won the 1974 Blue Circle Modsports Championship in Big Sam against heavy opposition--like Nick Faure with a works sponsored Porsche 911 Carrera. After that Toyota, Jaguar and others hired Win and he competed at Le Mans and the World Sportscar Chapionships. He was still a very competative driver up until his operation being asked to drive many different cars from Sam to D type Jaguars.

Nick

Indeed it is the same Win who used to scream around Bathurst in the old 'Group A' days. A lovely gentleman, I was fortunate to have a brief chat with him at the 2002 Classic Adelaide & got him to autograph the preface of my copy of Brian Longs' book. He still loves his Z's - which isn't surprising since he kept breaking the Sunbeams & Jaguars he was rallying in here in Adelaide! He ended up driving in a Robnell Cobra after his D-Type developed a death rattle....

I was very shocked to read about the surgical complications.

Nick, you'll have to strap him into the passenger seat of Sam & get some 'expert' driver training!

[Nick H]

Well Halz Sam's motor is still 2400cc and it was built by Tim (Jingers) Riley who now lives and works in New Zealand. He is one of the best 240Z builders and tuners around and was responsible for maintaing the top four 240z's of the Historic Sports Car Club race series over here in the UK.

As to the history of Sam there are a number of articles which have been written over the years that, with the latest research and information, are shown to be patently incorrect.

The first "Big Sam" was an early works rally car registered and known a "696", from its Japanese number plate. Rob Grant had been racing it in South Africa as a Group 4 sports car. When Bob Gathercole bought it it came with a load of works rally spares but was essentially now a race car and they prepared it for the 1974 Modsports series.

Win wrote it off at Bottom bend at Brands Hatch (uk) during the '74 modsports championship, during practise. He was tussling with a Morgan around Paddock, hit oil and went off going down to Bottom Bend; Sam ended up hitting the bank, backwards hard, rising up and settling down astride the bank, effectively T boning the car as well. Date was 11th August 1974 and Win had been doing 55sec laps, which is pretty impressive.

Next race was 26th April at Castle Coombe. Bob Gathercole, who was the race promotor and owned Sam, approached Datsun UK and after pleading with them about how well they were doing for Datsun's name in the UK (to little interest) he bought another ex works shell, which is what the existing Big Sam is. Incredibably Gathercole's team manged to rebuild Sam into the "new" shell in time for the next race at Castle Coombe on 26th August, 15 days later. Though still unpainted-- the photos show the repairs and filler mixed with the original rally paint--Win managed 4th in practise with a time of 1min 7.8secs against Nick Faure's Porsche at 1min 9.4secs.

The rest of the series was a battle with Sam hitting the headlines of the motoring press many times and the public liked the fact that the "underdogs" with their £4000 Datsun were beating Porsche with their £14,000 Carrera. Win won the series and the rest is history.

When I bought the car in the early '90's we stripped it out and set it up on the jig at Fran Tuthill's workshop. The front off side chassis leg was 1.75" out of true! Win had been racing a bent car all that time. Needless to say we straightened it but all the other rallying "scars" have been retained as have the not quite fitting fibre glass wings and the works doors, tailgate, perspex etc.

As to which rally's Sam, as the original works rally car, was involved in, the research continues. Alan Thomas has been a great help and so far we have established that between being built in Japan in June 1972 and rallying in the UK in late '73 it went back to Japan for a complete rebuild. (a suspension turret has been stamped with Japanese letters). I have been looking at the works cars that entered the Sothern Cross rally in Australia in October 1972 and 3 so any info you have on these rally's would be uselfull. In time we should be able to work out most of the events that the car has been in. Whatever comes out it will have been fun establishing how Big Sam has been perhaps the longest raced and rallied Works Datsun 240Z.

Regards

Nick Howell

[halz]

Thanks for the update Nick it makes for interesting reading.

You say the car is still 2400cc - can you describe the engine's modifications to us? Would you happen to have any more detailed pictures of Sam including the interior, engine bay and exhaust system... I'm entertaining thoughts of making a replica Datsun sports system for my own car..!

Hayden.

[Nick H]

Halz,

Another point; both Win Percy and Tony Dron--another excellent driver--want to take Sam up the hill at Goodwood. They think the handling will put a lot of cars to shame. When Tony raced Sam at Silverstone a few years ago he came in after practice and told me that he thought Sam was "one of the best handling cars that I've ever driven". Compliments indeed from another ex Le Mans driver. He also said it was as good as the works 944 Porsche; and better than the later non works 944 racers.

I have been lucky enough to be invited twice to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, both times in an old 1918 Brooklands racer that I had, and restored, called the Straker Squire. A lovely 4 litre, six cylinder, racer that was painted in a black and white zig zag colour scheme. I do tend to like straight sixes; the works Healey was the same of course. At the moment early Japanese cars are not quite recognised enough to get an invitation but time will tell.

Nick H

[Nick H]

There is an engine shot photo in "my gallery" but it is not too close. I will try and get some of my old pictures scanned in ...sometime.

Engine wise I'm not going to say too much; pistons are Cosworth, crank was specially made from a solid billet; block was modified and head not ported out too much. Carbs are Dellortos'.

(very useful that was!)

Nick

[HS30-H]

Hopefully Nick won't mind me posting a few photos from a Bentley Drivers Club event at Silverstone a couple of years back.

[HS30-H]

Another from the paddock:

[HS30-H]

And again: