Who knows this Camaro thundersaloon???!

[thatorangething]

We have just bought a slightly incomplete Race Camaro to rebuild (!), and would love to trace as much of it's history as possible. Two race programmes from the 1989 Thundersaloon series came with the car, which present it as an IROC Camaro, driven by Hibbert/Prior, with photos in each programme. The car is currently marked up Hibbert/Ralph, with Jerry Hibbert on the doors, and Truseal as a sponsor. The car is an american perimeter/space framed stock car, with steel Camaro roof -mid to late 70's shape, fabricated bulkheads, with the rest of the (missing) body panels-presumably glassfibre, held on with Dzus fasteners. There is quite a list of names on the programmes which came with the car, too many to list, so lets see who has a good memory! Any help would be great.

[vaughan jones]

vaughan jones -bury st edmunds vauxhall firenza, did 5or 6 rounds in 1989

[Peter Mallett]

I bet Rod Birley could help you out.

[carrera]

5.7 litre class A car used by Jerry Hibber/Malcolm Prior in Johnson Tiles Thundersaloon Championship.

R1 Brands Q 19 R 13 (8i/c)
R2 Oulton Q 15 DNF
R4 Snett Q 5 R 5 (3i/c)
R5 Brands Q 10 R 11 (6i/c)
R6 MalloryQ 7 DNF
R7 C CombeQ 8 R 9 (5i/c)

[carrera]

R8 Snett Q 6 DNS
R9 Mallory Q 4 DNF
R10 Brands Q 10 DNS
R11 Don P Q 9 R6 (3i/c)

It ran as number 43.

[Rod Birley]

Went into the loft to look at old programmes but Carrera got the results first. Spoke to the guys who have acquired this car at Lydden on Saturday and, as usual, we reminised about Thundersaloon days.

[thatorangething]

Thanks to those that have already replied to my request for information about this monster machine! I would love to have originals or copies of any programmes that show the car, or anyone's memories of what was quite an unusual choice of car, even in thundersaloons. What I would really like to know is what was this thing doing in the UK in the first place?! Who might have imported such a car? It must have arrived in thundersaloons as a secondhand racer - it's never been a road car, so what did it do in the years before some nutter put 14" wide rear rims on it here? Thanks again for the info so far.
Regards
Peter

[carrera]

Is/was the orange thing a Citroen?

[thatorangething]

the thing still is a Citroen, but it's not orange any more! I reshelled it after a fairly firm visit to the conveyer belt at Lavant! My friend Matt smith runs it now, in a more stripped out form, still to be resprayed, it's now mostly silver...

[thatorangething]

Re the Camaro, does anybody know where I might be able to contact it's former drivers Jerry Hibbert, (?) Ralph, & Malcolm Prior? As i said in my earlier post, the car Has Hibbert/Ralph across the windscreen, although Hibbert/Prior are shown in the two 1989 programmes I have. Could the Hibbert & Ralph be the same as of Hibbert Ralph animation?

[thatorangething]

Re the Camaro, does anybody know where I might be able to contact it's former drivers Jerry Hibbert, (?) Ralph, & Malcolm Prior? As i said in my earlier post, the car Has Hibbert/Ralph across the windscreen, although Hibbert/Prior are shown in the two 1989 programmes I have. Could the Hibbert & Ralph be the same as of Hibbert Ralph animation?

[carrera]

Another person to look for is Robin Gray, I believe he prepared the car.

The car was also used in a couple of Thundersaloon races at the end of the 1988 season.

[thatorangething]

I had seen Robin's name in one of the Thundersaloon programmes that came with the car. With the extra prompt (thanks!), I have now spoken to him at his workshop (Autopontiac) and he remembered the car, and was most helpful re it's history. He looked after the car for a couple of years while it raced as a Thundersaloon, and remembered amongst other things, the alterations done to the brakes etc. to make the car a little more suitable for British circuits. he also put me in touch with Tony Wolfe, who, together with Brian Rice, imported the car straight from the end of the 1980 I.R.O.C. series. It then ran here as an Ascar before entering Thundersaloons. Tony Wolfe was brilliant, posted me a colour copy of a Custom Car article from July 1982, when the Camaro was cover car, complete with the usual accoutrements which that magazine was famous for! Just great to bring the car to life...

[carrera]

That's good news. What are you going to run this in?

[Peter Mallett]

Classic Thunder.