Winners are grinners! Beechey often enjoyed the spoils of success.Įven though it had drum brakes all round, it was hoped the Chevy II Nova's raw muscle car credentials would form the basis of a Geoghegan Mustang beater when Beechey purchased a brand new four-speed manual V8 example from a Chevrolet dealership in Santa Monica, California. The '66 Nova was also a great looker, with the prettiest set of panels yet seen on Chevy's compact unibody model introduced four years earlier to combat the popularity of Ford's new Falcon in the US (see Joe Kenwright's detailed analysis of the Chevy II road cars).Īnd, despite being slightly larger and heavier than the Mustang coupe, there were numerous potential Mustang-beating attributes including a relatively light kerb weight just under 2800 pounds (about 1270 kgs), similar wheelbase, track and body dimensions and a potent power-to-weight ratio thanks to a stout small-block 5.4 litre V8 that was more than half a litre larger in cubic capacity than his Ford-based foe. (After Neptune's withdrawal later that year, the cars were painted black with Shell's yellow and red stripes and renamed the Tridents Racing Team). Under the Neptune Racing Team banner, which included Jim McKeown's Lotus Cortina and Peter Manton's Mini Cooper, Norm's new Chevy created an ideal brand mix for the team with broad spectator appeal. Neptune was at the time a subsidiary fuel franchise owned by global oil giant Shell, but its cars could at least be painted in the fuel brand's handsome blue and white corporate colours. This coverage was pure gold for his 'sponsor' Neptune, at a time when commercial branding could not be openly displayed on race cars. The arrival of a shiny new muscle car fresh from the US in the 1960s always created a great buzz in local media circles, too. These included the nail-biting Australian Touring Car Championship battles at Bathurst in '66 and Lakeside in '67 (when the ATCC was decided by a single race), in which Norm led early but was defeated on both occasions.īeechey's selection of the 1966 Chevy II Nova as replacement for his '64 Mustang was an inspired choice for several reasons, not the least being that he constantly strived to keep one step ahead of the competition by using the latest and greatest machinery.
Norm Beechey's famous 1966 Chevy II Nova holds the distinction of being the only V8-powered car to have defeated Pete Geoghegan's almost invincible '65 Ford Mustang.īeechey's sole victory over Geoghegan's famous Ford occurred on Novemat Sandown Park's LCCA Touring Trophy meeting, where he beat Geoghegan fair and square, a feat he was never able to achieve in his own Mustang.īeechey raced this fabulous muscle car in Australia across three seasons spanning 1966 to 1968, during which time it won 36 races and shared centre stage in many a memorable battle with his arch rival Geoghegan. Beechey's many battles with Pete Geoghegan's 1965 Mustang are the stuff of legends. Norm Beechey and his 1966 Chevy II Nova were one of the most exciting combinations in local touring car racing in the 1960s.
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