Given the rash of early cars popping out of the woodwork, and the wide coverage and deep knowledge on this board I thought i would cross-post something I just posted on the Australian TYP901 board.
I am looking for help trying to track down information on a mystery (at least to me and a few others) very early Australian 911
Last weekend at the TYP901 Christmas breakfast in Melbourne Greg Gaylor who came over from NZ showed me a picture and article out of the February 1966 Christophorus magazine. It in turn was quoting a front page article in our national newspaper "The Australian" from 30 September 1965.
It showed a brand new 911 being delivered in Canberra to the then Australian Governor General, Lord Casey, by Norman Hamilton.
The car was described as a "rich yellow" German sports car with a price tag of £4875 and capable of 140 MPH.
This was about two months after the car Stewart Kay (1st on this board) now has was delivered to Ron Angus. (It is the first customer delivered RHD car). That car was finished in May 1965 and delivered on 1 August 1965 and had an original purchase price £4881.10 according to Stewart's records.
I have no record of this yellow "Casey" car in the list of cars I have and neither did Stewart Kay when I asked him last week.
I have seen claims (but not original documents) that there was an delivery of about 6 cars to Australia for 1965 although of these only 3 (maybe 4) were true Model Year 65's and the balance were model year 66 cars delivered in 1965. It is also not clear if tourist delivery cars were counted or, indeed if the number includes cars that were sold in New Zealand (as occurred in some later years).
I understand that apart from the "Angas" car (301503) in Australia there was:
- 300475, a "Fawn" car; (not quite sure what that is but maybe a special order 356 color or, as a long shot, 6405 champagne yellow and the "Casey" car)
- 300882, a signal red car completed on 20 April 1965, but tourist delivered
- 302146, an Aga blue car delivered on 14 September 1965
- 302658, a light Ivory car apparently delivered to Australia on 28 October 1965 and delivered to first owner on31 December 1965
I am not sure what date the Aga Blue car was completed but cars with similar numbers were completed in August 1965. Given it was delivered to the client in mid September, and 302658 did not arrive in Australia until the end of October, that puts a rough upper limit on the chassis number for this mystery "Casey" car.
Other records show that cars with numbers in the 3022xx range were finished in September 1965 which would not have given enough time to get it delivered to Canberra. Also 302631, in New Zealand seems to also have a build date of October 1965.
It is also not clear whether the "Casey" car would be early enough to be a Model year 65 car or a very early Model year 66 car given its delivery date.
This car exists / or existed. I also asked in the UK in case it was a UK car diverted over here for the Governor General. They had no record of a yellow RHD car coming there before 1966. Indeed the response was the first 65 RHD UK yellow car was a Bahama yellow in October 66. However it is possible that a RHD car may have been intended for another market and diverted to Australia.
attached are the articles Greg showed me
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