Matich A50

Johnny Walker's A50-004 is pushed out for practice at the 1973 Tasman race at Sandown. Copyright Glenn Moulds 2005. Used with permission.Described by Frank Matich as an open-wheel version of his highly successful SR4 sports car, the Matich dominated its first event, the November 1971 Australian GP, won at Warwick Farm during the 1972 Tasman and went on to dominate the 1972 Australian Gold Star. After winning one more race during the 1973 Tasman, Frank Matich built a revised car, the A51, for the 1973 US season.

Of the four A50s built, 002 was used to rebuild 001, so those two effectively merged, and 003 was wrecked in the US. The two surviving cars, 002 and 004, raced on for many seasons in Australia. Both are believed to remain in Australia.

This research was originally conducted by Aaron Lewis but has been extensively reworked in May and June 2003 with the assistance of Bryan Miller in Australia and Milan Fistonic in New Zealand. Tony Nicholson has filled in the gaps on the US-based A50 and Peter Turk provided an update on 002. Thanks also to Wolfgang Klopfer for spotting omissions and to Kevin Thomson, Glenn Moulds and Autosports Marketing Associates/Bill Oursler for the photographs.

All and any further help would be gratefully received. Please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can add anything.


Car History Current
owner
Matich A50
001		 Completed November 1971. Frank Matich (Aus): first raced at Australian GP 21 Nov 1971 (won); and in the four New Zealand rounds of the 1972 Tasman before Matich moved to a new, lighter A50, presumably 002, for Surfers Paradise. It is assumed that all subsequent references to "the prototype", "the original" or to "001" refer to this rebuilt car using monocoque 002. Does not exist
Matich A50
002		 Frank Matich's A50-002 on its way out to practice at the Sandown Tasman race in Feb 1973. Copyright Glenn Moulds 2005. Used with permission.New at Surfers Paradise Feb 1972. Frank Matich (Aus): Australian races of the 1972 Tasman series (won at Warwick Farm); Gold Star series 1972 (won championship, winning races at Sandown Park, Oran Park, Surfers Paradise and Warwick Farm plus two races at Calder), Tasman series 1973. Matich's second car during 1973 US season (driven by Vern Schuppan at Watkins Glen - DNS). Advertised by Frank Matich Racing in Racing Car News November 1973 ... believed to have been updated to A51 specification and sold to Barry Lewis 1975: Calder Oct 1975 - Peter Roach: Australian Internationals 1976 - Dave Powell: Australian GP Sep 1976, Australian Gold Star 1976, Australian Internationals 1977, Australian Gold Star 1977 - John Briggs: Australian Internationals 1978, Australian GP Sep 1978, Calder Oct 1978, Winton Oct 1978. Later damaged by Briggs in a crash at Mt Tarrengower Hillclimb. Sold to K & A Engineering. Some parts subsequently sold to Gavin Sala. In January 2004, Peter Turk was in the process of reskinning a Matich A50 tub for Sala.
Remains with Gavin Sala (Aus) 2004
Matich A50
003		 John Gimbel in Matich A50-003 during the 1973 season. Copyright Autosports Marketing Associates and Bill Oursler 2001. Used with permission.Built for 1972 US season. Roy Woods Racing for George Follmer: raced in US 1972 (debut R1 Laguna Seca 7 May 1972 (retired), then DNS at R2 Edmonton and crashed at R3 Watkins Glen). Presumably the car raced by John Gimbel: US 1973 (debut R4 Mid-Ohio 4 Jun 1973 where three Matiches raced, also raced at R5 Watkins Glen, R6 Road America and R9 Seattle, best finish eighth at Seattle). Presumably the Merle Brennan Matich-Ford in 1974: Laguna Seca in October 1974 (7th in Heat 1 and 12th in the final) and Riverside (12th in Heat 2). This car was wrecked on Brennan's way home from Riverside when the trailer carrying the Matich popped off the tow ball and the trailer skated off the road and hard into an embankment. The car was tied down by all four corners and the trailer crashed hard enough to twist the trailer and, therefore, the tub on the Matich. With F5000 declining, Brennan built a sportscar (to the SCCA's ASR class) using a new spaceframe two-seater chassis plus parts of the Matich and a LeGrand body. After using this in late 1975 and through 1976, he sold it to Chris Bender who modified the rear bodywork, named it the "McBender" and raced it in Can-Am in 1977. Bender recalls it being sold to a Nevada owner, then to an Idaho owner and, by 2001, the car was believed to be on the East Coast of the US.
 Destroyed
Matich A50
004		 Johnny Walker's Matich A50 racing in the US in 1973. Copyright Autosports Marketing Associates and Bill Oursler 2001. Used with permission.Built for 1972 Australian season. Johnny Walker: Australian Gold Star 1972 (debut at Oran Park 25 Jun 1972 - fourth), Tasman 1973 (Australian races only), US 1973 (R1 and R3-R5, best finishes two eighths). Replaced by Lola T330 Sep 1973 - Jon Davison (Aus): Australian Gold Star 1974 (first run in a minor event at Adelaide 9 Jun 1974), Australian Internationals Feb 1975 (leased by Graham McRae at 1975 Surfers Paradise round Jon Davison at Oran Park in 1975. Copyright Terry Walker 2006. Used with permission.after McRae damaged his GM2 in a private test on the Thursday before the race; McRae finished fourth), Australian Gold Star 1975, Australian Internationals Feb 1976, Australian Gold Star 1976, Australian Internationals Feb 1977 - Bronwyn Taylor June/July 1977: Australian Gold Star 1978, Winton 1978, Winton 1979 - Geoff Munyard: Jon Davison in the Matich in side-radiator form at the Oran Park round of the 1976 Rothmans series. Copyright Glenn Moulds 2005. Used with permission.Oran Park 4 May 1980 (three Matich cars started!) - leased to Kevin Leighton: on entry list for last F5000 race, Oran Park 21 Mar 1982 - Graham Stoll - Peter Brennan - Ziggy Schueller 1990 - Ken Smith (NZ) 1992 or May 1993 - James Boult (NZ) 1996 - Russell Greer (NZ) 1996 - Richard Bendell (Australia) June 2001 - Aaron Lewis (Australia) 2004. Aaron Lewis (Australia) 2004

A note on chassis number identification

The chassis numbers used here are derived from a variety of documentation.

Chassis Comment
Matich A50
001 		See notes on 002.
Matich A50
002

A Motorman report of the 1972 Surfers Tasman race said: "Matich arrived with a new production A50 utilising a slightly lighter (by 14lb) tub and revised front suspension mounting points. He ran 15in wheels at the back and although the new car was not painted in the right shade of flame red, it still ran under STP colours. Matich used the Teretonga Repco engine."

A preview of the 1972 Gold Star in Racing Car News lists Matich's car as A50-002.

It is possible that this car retained the chassis number 001 or that the Matich team still regarded it as the prototype. This would explain the later reappearance of "A50-001" with Barry Lewis late in 1975.

In 2003, John Briggs told Ray Bell his car had been 001.

According to an anonymous Australian source, Gavin Sala owns some parts of this car but it is not clear how much. Peter Turk reported in January 2004 that he was reskinning the tub of 002 for Sala.

Matich A50
003		 The identification of this car as 003 is largely by the unsatisfactory proces of elimination. A report in Racing Car News January 1972 said that second car was "virtually earmarked for sale to Follmer". With chassis 002 being used for the revision to Frank Matich's own car and with 004 going to Walker, there can be little doubt 003 was the Follmer car.
Matich A50
004

Who said F5000 wasn't glamorous? Johnny Walker tried to remember why he gave up Australia for a wet weekend in Mid-Ohio. Copyright Mark Windecker 2005. Used with permission.A preview of the 1972 Gold Star in Racing Car News lists Walker's car as A50-004.

CAMS records for A50-004 mention the ownership of Walker (first logged car 22/6/72, first race 24/6/72 Oran Park), a change of owner 29/7/74 to Jon Davidson, sale to Bronwyn Taylor and later Geoff Munyard, the lease to Kevin Leighton, subsequent sale to Graham Stoll and finally sale to Peter Brennan.

Richard Bendell has advised subsequent history from Brennan to himself: 'Brennan to Ziggy Schuller 1990. Schuller to Ken Smith N.Z. 1992, to James Boult N.Z. 1996, Russell Greer 1996 N.Z. to Richard Bendell 2001 Aust'. The NZ Motorsport log gives car to Smith 11/5/93.

Russell Greer's Matich A50/004 at the Classic Speed Fest in 2001 held at Teretonga Park, New Zealand. Copyright Kevin Thomson 2004. Used with permission.Barry Lake twice refers to this car as A50-003, firstly in his report of R2 Surfer's Paradise in 1974 but also in his summaries of the Rothmans series in 1976 and 1977. Everything else calls the car A50-004.

Aaron Lewis emailed 18 Aug 2004 to say he had bought car from Bendall.

Other sources include Autosport 14 Feb 1974 p8 (Oran Park Tasman report) and 7 Mar 1974 p12 (Adelaide Tasman report). Added details taken from "The official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix" (R&T Publishing 1986) include pp402-403 (Matich 005 & 007 story), p383 (1974 GP report), p411,415 (1977 GP report). "The Formula 1 Register Fact Book: Formula 5000 1972-1981" (Paul Sheldon, 1994) has been used for most post-1977 race results.

These histories last updated on 28 February, 2006 .