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33rd Historic Winton - Maconberg Spl
Melbourne Desk
Written by Administrator   
Sunday, 03 May 2009 00:35
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1932 MACONBERG SPECIAL   - Keith Roberts
The Maconberg Special was built in South Australia by the McDonough brothers during the 1930s to specifically race at Lobethal meetings.  It was based on a 14 hp Amilcar chassis and running gear plus a Wizard Smith Essex motor, and sported a most attractive Monoposto body.

At the end of WW2, after a rather unsuccessful racing career and a change of interest by the Mc Donoughs, the car was sold in a dismantled condition to John Opatt who rebuilt it; but again, it was no world-beater.  The next owner solved the performance problem by replacing the Essex engine with a more powerful side valve Ford unit.

After passing through numerous hands, all the time being 'bastardised', including a conversion to a two seater sports with disc wheels, it finally ended up in the late 1950s lying in a Victorian farmers paddock, who had bought it solely for the V8 engine.

The present owner stumbled across the remains forty-plus years later and spent an arduous eight years bringing it back to original pre-War configuration, but retaining a V8 motor.

2009 Historic Winton will be the first public outing for the Maconberg Special in more than fifty years.

 

Last Updated on Sunday, 06 March 2011 05:50