Gerry Marshall was the best race driver this country has ever had, he was just so unbelievably talented and so quick, he was a true gentleman and racing genius, thanks for creating the best memories.
Thank you and obviously I'd agree too ;) Dad is a sore loss and I'll continue to post videos of him as and when I can - copyright can be a challenge sometimes - enjoy!!
I had the pleasure of being taken round Brands Hatch by Gerry back in 1983. It was an Opel Monza GSE….he sat back and threw it around like a mini. We came into the pit with the front pads on fire!. Great guy.
@@GregorMarshall96 It was really entertaining seeing him race for me and my dad, who is also called Gerry. I saw him in the pits afterwards and I think he left in an Irmscher Vectra or Signum. Thanks for uploading this. There's not much footage of Big Bertha around, if any!
@@sporkfindus4777 Really great to hear both youand your Dad were well entertained, Dad would be happy about :) He had a couple of Vectras (3) and a Signum was his last car, all with Irmscher bits, always tried to do his bit for Vauxhall and I only got rind oy my own Signum a couple of months ago and still have my Droop Snoot Firenza. There's not a lot of footage of Big Bertha, she only did six races, but three are on camera and I have a load of photos and will be doing a DVD copy of this video in full.
Awesome video, a big thanks to Gregor Marshall. You need the volume right up to appreciate that awesome Repco Holden V8 in Big Bertha. Myself and my twin brother were big Gerry fans and were there that day to witness Gerry's first ever Silverstone win, he certainly worked hard that day, nobody could have drove that Ventora better than Gerry ! Thanks Gregor.
@@rosskelly8268 Can only presume that the Strawson's Escort had the Ford small block and that's why it was mentioned. Big Bertha had an Australia Repco built Holden V8, built for F5000.
Hi Gregor Thank you so much for sharing this in fact in all the years I have been marshaling and spectating my biggest regret was that I never got to see Big Bertha I can honesty say this has made my day
Hi Steve. No problem and glad you liked it. The whole video is great and Big Bertha would have been amazing, but was just built too much like a show car, so when the opportunity came to change her and build Baby Bertha, it was the right thing to do.
@@GregorMarshall96had some build pics of baby Bertha from the Munro Bros. Had a Tasman Orange FE VX4/90 in the 90’s. Did Lands End to John o’Groats in it. Fabulous time. Never knew your Dad went to Lands End, would have made the start even more epic. Still go down every year. Will raise a toast to a remarkable racing driver when I’m next down in October. Love the footnote: Now all we need to do is make it go FASTER!!! 😮👏👏👏
@@chriswilliams-lilley3069 sounds like you;re a good Vauxhall man then. I never knew Dad had been to John o'Groats either, learn something new all the time!! I've been down there and will be in St Mawes this weekend, love Cornwall. Enjoy the beer 🍻🍻🍻
@@GregorMarshall96we both know Dave Richards. Keeping the FE alive. Big Bertha was a legendary car. I’m based just outside of Silverstone. So motorsport is in the blood. Often see the Droop Snoot at Shelsley Walsh. Still think the Lotus Carlton had some tenuous links to your Dad. Last of the great British Vauxhall’s. Enjoy your trip to Cornwall. Catch up soon eh?👏👏👏
@@chriswilliams-lilley3069 Dave has flown the flag for a long time, could do with some more cars out there. There are 3 Big Bertha replicas I know of being built, 1 very faithful to original, 1 not so much and 1 based on an Opel Commodore - will be great when at least 1 of them is finished. Did you see the Insignia that Vauxhall did as a Big Bertha tribute? It ran on Lotus Carlton tyres!! I'm in Welwyn Garden City, so not far from Silverstone and will be there on the GP circuit in October, come and say hi.
Excellent video Gregor. BB was an awesome looking & sounding car. As an ex-Vauxhall/GM apprentice (Kingsbury London NW9 plant 1972-'76) I have a soft spot for Vauxhall/Opel cars. After watching Gerry racing Viva GT's in the late '60 early 70's I managed to save up my meager earnings to get an early used 1968 GT. I loved that car which of course I modified with Blydenstein parts. Memories...
Thanks for the comment Colin and agreed Big Bertha was fantastic, such a shame the design was flawed, but they did a great job with Baby Bertha. It must've been a great time to be part of GM/Vauxhall and I know Dad really appreciated all the support he got and I'm very proud of the legacy he left and have been able to keep it going a little with forays in my Firenza at Goodwood 🏁
You lucky man we had had a HB Viva and a brace of new FE’s In my late teens they were special especially the ventora And VX/4s the only things that would give them a hard time We’re xj’s and some of the big rovers great times
His brother is a really nice guy , pretty quick in a car as well, last time I seen him he was recovering from stomach cancer . Big brother Gerry was his hero and rightly so ❤
Thanks for the kind words on Dad - I'm very lucky that so much has been captured in film and photos and that I can share with people to bring back great memories 😀
A friend raced a Vauxhal Firenza here in Alberta. He had gone over to meet the DTV guys and buy parts. He related they were in a pub one evening, and after a few pints, Gerry was doing cartwheels in the pub. Ended up in the fireplace.
Thanks for posting , brings back happy memories watching your Dad race BB. I remember watching him sliding round Woodcote in the wet, and getting his autograph after the win.
Hi Tony - glad you enjoyed ;) I've got the full film on DVD if you ever want to see it, plus I've just found where one of the original tins of film with it on is too. It's a great film, so evocative and interesting too
Thanks Sam, it's great to watch with the noise and music and it looks an absoloute handful, Dad did a great job. I used a replica of this helmet at Goodwood at the weekend, where conditions weren't far off in qualifying - not that I'm anywhere as good as Dad was!!
Thanks Gregor for posting your videos good to see and I hope you can find some more of your dad racing. I had the pleasure of meeting my favourite driver and having my photo taken with him at Donnington when he was in the Marsh Plant hire Aston. Good luck to you in your racing !
I do have loads of Dad racing, but copyright is always an issue. I have set up a playlist of Dad's racing on my TH-cam Channel - not sure if this link works, but you should be able to find - th-cam.com/play/PLmVfEj9rU1uZ3GQr-0TiTEjQIOg7wUAgP.html
@@GregorMarshall96 Thanks Gregor I have seen some of them and will watch the others later especially the John Noakes one being a Yorkshireman myself. I have photos somewhere of your dad in a DB4 also at Donnington Park ......what a star.
This looks like a Vauxhall Victor with a few inches added in every direction. Were they popular in old-Oz, as most English Vauxhalls were easily and instantly forgotten before the '80s.
Similar to a Victor but a Ventora FE. Australia had an equivalent Holden model, but not that popular and to be fair the FE was not overly popular and the Ventora was actually axed here in the UK
ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC to see this. My favourite racer and a GOD of a driver.Thankyou Gregor for getting this back on TH-cam even with the Clockwork Orange style music which is so COOOOL
My dad had 1 of these in the UK, i6 had a straight 6 in his, i think it was a Ventuta 3300..... he loved that car and NEVER let me drive it, though i drove a lot of his others....fond memories
That's right Mark, straight 6 3.3 Ventora. Vauxhall decided to do a V8 in 1973, so DTB built Big Bertha, but with the fuel crisis of '74 it never made production, so was scrapped - a real shame.
@@GregorMarshall96 yeah, it's a shame as my dad would have gone for the v8 if he could have..... he had a rover v8 previously and he used to tow a caravan.... we were away every other weekend from spring to autumn..... I must say, looking back my parents gave myself and my siblings a wonderful childhood 🙂😃🙂
@@markstorer7204 Sounds like your Dad would've been the ideal customer for them then and sound slike a great childhood - we didn't go camping, too busy at racetracks every weekend!!
Was at Silverstone when it crashed great shame.Went to DTVs at Royston just when they were building Baby Bertha to build our garages Vauxhall Magnum.Gerry was second to none he drove our Hamilton Motors Magnum production saloon car at the same meetings as Baby Bertha raced ,Had many a beer the night before at meetings a great loss to racing a legend .
@@GregorMarshall96 I did T bone John as he was nicknamed I was his apprentice don’t know if he’s still with us he was a lovely man to had many a good weekend.I’ve got a few photos of Gerry on 2 wheels in the Magnum.Many good memories my wife used to make the food when racing Gerry love my daughter.lovely man meet him many years later in a pub in Aston Clinton near Aylesbury Buckinghamshire where we live now he recognised me straight away brilliant ,also came to the Vauxhall dealership in Aylesbury one night had a good chat.
@@GregorMarshall96Thanks Gregor, it’s only taken 2 years for me to reply. Nice to know a date. I can’t remember anything else about that day - so Big Bertha must have been awesome to the 8 year old me!
@@glennturnbull8568 it was also the launch race of the Vauxhall Firenza Droop Snoot, 20 cars on one race if you rememebr that? We were back at Thruxton a few weeks ago to celebrate the 50th anniversary 🙂
I’ve realised I’ve seen this before. It was during a Vauxhall day at the Vauxhall sports ground. An annual fair in Luton and yes my dad worked there. Remember this was being shown on a cine projector in one of the white marquees.
Very probably, it was one of a few Vauxhall and Castrol made films and Dad used to go round the dealer netwrok doing film nights, showing the films, drinking beer and doing Q&A sessions. Would definitely been shown at Vauxhall employee days, plus we didn;t live far from Luton either
Hi Paul, thanks for the commnet - i never knew Dad had been to Lands End - he used to visit Carlyon Bay as a child, but interesting to know he went there. Can you remember who he was with? My two sisters would've been born then, so I wonder if he took Mum and them away or if it was just a car-related trip.
@@GregorMarshall96 we were staying in Static Caravans, but he did have a car on a trailer, I think it was the Viva GT, not sure though. I was only 5 and car mad, so my dad took me over to see it. That how we met your Dad. Never forget it.
@@paulpobsanderson6219 Viva GT would've been in 1970 and DTV had a Group 2 spec car that they raced over Europe in 1970, so maybe there was a boat crossing at Lands End? Really interesting - any idea what time of year it was?
@@GregorMarshall96 it was the summer for sure, I remember getting badly sunburnt on my back. June of that year was really hot, but records show it got to 32 in the Uk that year. I’m guessing June/July. We drove down from North Wales in a Vauxhall Cresta PB.
@GregorMarshall96 I'm a big vauxhall fan ... I was there when the droop snoots, sports hatches, etc...wish I had invested in something but now specialise in old mercs
Sounds like great times - I race a Snoot & recently borrowed Vauxhall's own Snoot to go to Thruxton where we celebrated the Snoot's 50th. Theres a video of the weekend on TH-cam. I wish Dad had have kept a Snoot or a Sportshatch.
I see the Monaro was not the first Holden to sport a Vauxhall badge. In Australia, that was a Holden HQ Kingswood. In New Zealand some of them came stock with a 350 Chev motor.
The Australian equivalent of the FE Victor / Ventora was the LH Torana . Which was available from the showroom with a five litre V8. It was turned in to a formidable race car and went on to win Bathurst several times. The FE shared underpinnings with the then current Opel Rekord D. Holden obviously paid particular attention to these cars when developing the new for 1974 LH Torana.
Yes, there was a Firenxa called Baby Bertha, which was built using all the running gear from this car (Big Bertha) after it had been damaged in a wet race at Silverstone.
@@GregorMarshall96 Yes,l used to buy Cars and Car Conversions,and l remember the track test mate.He was a quick lad,your Dad! Motor racing is definitely different these days.Saw your Dad a lot,back in the day.Used to do most of the circuits back then.Cadwell,Oulton, Silverstone etc
@@melvyncox3361 Glad you've read it, was a good article. Thanks and yes, it is different, but still some fun to be had - the Gerry Marshal Trophy Series I run with the HRDC is great 😁
As an Aussie, I nedd to ask- whatcrye gell was that thing??? What category did it race in? It was similar to our Touring Car Championship in the late 70's when they were racing Group C. It almost looks like it had been channeled and sectioned! It really looks similar to our HQ - HZ Holden Kingswoods and elements of our LH - LX Holden Toranas with the design of the glass and belt line- that's a very cool looking race car
scarry fast in the wet, how was that possible with so much torque and power ?. I am very impressed absolutely love these cars bertha, strawson capri etc..... i have read that the capri was equipped with a 7 litre chevy and for braking gt40 brakes where used
It was pretty impressive for a first outing, especially with the standing water. The ex Mick Hill and Tony Strawson Boss Capri used a lot of GT40 running gear. There is a very good Car and Car Conversions article from 1974 that details all the cars at the time.
@@judgedread-q4t my mistake, as Tony changed the Capri quite a bit when he bought it from Mick Hill, Lola T70 suspension and brakes, Gurney-Weslake 4.7 with IDA Webers, Indy rods, TWS pistons, steel crank, 400+ bhp. E-Type gearbox, dif, etc, so engine was probably GT40, but nothing else.
@@GregorMarshall96 not at all Gregor thanks for sharing the clip. I would a drive in the Big Bertha but on the other hand i may if i survive a lap drive into the pits shaking 🙈🥵
@@GregorMarshall96 Hi Gregor, great to hear from you :) - just spotted your reply of 4 mths back on the Old Nail thread and replied - Re Big Bertha, no I had no connection with DTV unfortunately, I knew Frank as a family friend - he phoned me up and asked me to give him a hand unloading the original std shell into his private Kettering domestic garage to get all the measurements etc from
Frank was a true eccentric - I remember him giving me a lift in his Daff Variomatic 33? - I could clearly see the road beneath my feet through rust holes big enough to allow you to do a Flintstone impression of propulsion! - He was a CVT fan at the time :)
Another time he turned up in an a development Amigo to give my sister a lift- When we chatted about it, he told me about the test driving in rural Wales where the car was so low that nobody saw it coming over the low stone walls, giving rise to potential collisions...in Frank's practical way of engineering solutions...he added a fluorescent coning tower to it!!
@@MrGaryjames1 there would've been John Taylor design drawings and then Frank Costin engineering drawings, but all seemingly long gone unfortunately. There is a chap in Ireland making a replica at the moment though. Unfortunately Big Bertha fell between too many stalls, Baby Bertha took all the learnings and improved.
Thank you for your reply! Yes now say Commodore, it was a Ghia design if im correct actually by Giugiaro when he worked for Ghia. Read somewhere later its a Repco Holden engine. What a car! And feel honored i get an answer from you! Great heritage man
Love motorsports, cars, bikes, scooters. Anything with an an engine to be tinkered with hehe. And love the shapes from that era. Am a big Alfa Romeo fan myself and ended up on youtube in 80s southafrican race series with big racemonsters, and through there to the special saloon class in the UK. As a Brabham F1 fan also know a bit about that history and their Repco connection. So now that circle is round also 😂
This was called a Ventora and was due to be a V8 and was based on the Vauxhall Victor FE series that came out in 1972 until 1978. Unfortunately the Ventora V8 wasn't officially released in the end due to the fuel crisis. The Holden HQ looks very similar to FD Victor that was built 1967 to 1972, as the FE and FD were similar side on.
@@GregorMarshall96 Here in New Zealand we had lots of those FD Victor's 'they are good looking cars ' a friend of mine had one with a 3.3 and triple side draughts ' and later on fitted it with a 327 Chev motor . I have to say that the race car in this video doesn't so much look like a Victor ' side on especially it looks unmistakably the HQ shape. So' was this Ventora a prototype body design that was planned to go into production but didnt happen? It sure sounded hot with the Repco v8 'the same engine that Bob Jane used in his highly modified Torana in Australia. So you're Gerry's son ? 👍. Many times Iv'e watched the Viva versus Camaro and Escort's race at crystal palace 1971 .
@@barrycuda3769 They did want to launch a V8, bt the fuel crisis over here killed it, so it never officially launched and the 3.3 was the biggest engine you could get. Big Bertha was a Vauxhall Ventora FE, just with flared arched and widened a little. I don't know the HQ that well - just googled and I suppose it does look more like the FE, than the FD. In the full video of the above, you can see the Ventora's being built and then discussions in the Design Studio - the designer was Australian, so might explain a lot. The Repco was supposedly the same engine they used in F5000 cars and again came from Australia. Yes, for my sins I am his son :) Glad to hear you've watched the Crystal Palace race - Dad actually wins the race, as the car in front get penalised for a jump start!! Dad loved his visit to Bathurts, was just disappointed Peter Brock messed him around - I've put some clips of that on TH-cam too. Cheers.
@@GregorMarshall96 yes the Repco V8 was really Jack Brabham's engine ' also used by Frank Matich in his Can Am car' if you can find anything about Bob Jane's Holden Torana ' it's worth having a look at 'with the Repco v8 ' ultra lightweight small car ' and a high rear wing that provided enormous down force . I suppose the crystal palace track is long gone ? What part of the country was it ? Thank you for your info.
@@GregorMarshall96 I've been looking at photos of fe Victor's ' they have the body shape ' and look to be the same size as a Holden Torana ' I'm not sure 'but Gerry's car looks larger and more resembles an HQ Holden.
I still have a history of tvr book with a photo of him stood on the roof of a vixen i think to demonstrate how strong it was because gerry was allegedly 16 stone-----.
@@GregorMarshall96 thank you 😊 my late father got a pre offical publication copy of the book from martin Lilley and as soon as the article came up on my phone feed it triggered the memory of the photo which I thought was great 👍 my dad was friends with martin through rotary club .martin once lent him the keys to a gritthith Road car at home hill and it scared me dad senseless-----his daily was a vw beetle at the time-----.
@@GregorMarshall96 It sounded more than warm. Reminds me of what were called OSCA's in the 70s here in NZ. MKIII Cortina's, Capri's n Vauvhall Victors were some used with big donks
@@GregorMarshall96Still basen on either Buick or SBChevy engines.... Repco actually used the all aluminium 215 CID Buick as template for their racing engines...
What the hell kinda racing formula has mutant Vauxhall sedans with Ford Windsor engines* fitted, racing against Minis? * The only reference to Ventoras powered by V8 engines, is with GM Murrrca's popular 350c.i. 'small block'. Why swap that for the blue oval's 289?
Gerry Marshall was the best race driver this country has ever had, he was just so unbelievably talented and so quick, he was a true gentleman and racing genius, thanks for creating the best memories.
Thank you and obviously I'd agree too ;)
Dad is a sore loss and I'll continue to post videos of him as and when I can - copyright can be a challenge sometimes - enjoy!!
One of them, Derek Bell, Roger Clark, Graeme Hill etc.
I think Jim Clark was better.
@@icooper5236 Graham Hill.
@@chris-zl4wm Maybe so, but he didn't have 600+ wins, Gerry did.
I had the pleasure of being taken round Brands Hatch by Gerry back in 1983. It was an Opel Monza GSE….he sat back and threw it around like a mini. We came into the pit with the front pads on fire!. Great guy.
Great memory, the Monza was 1 of Dad's favourites & I had some great track & road trips, so I can just imagine the fun you had 🍻
That FE shell was beautiful
Still looks lovely today
Squint just a little and my fellow Aussies might agree that the Ventora closely replicates our contemporary HQ Holden Premier sedan of 1971-74.
The FE looked good in Ventura guise.
What a handsome car. Saw Gerry Marshall race a DB4 at Donnington in the early 2000s. Sideways round every corner and won the race comfortably.
It was a great looking car, just too heavy in the end :(
Dad loved the DB4s, great to watch and I was probably there too :)
@@GregorMarshall96 It was really entertaining seeing him race for me and my dad, who is also called Gerry. I saw him in the pits afterwards and I think he left in an Irmscher Vectra or Signum. Thanks for uploading this. There's not much footage of Big Bertha around, if any!
@@sporkfindus4777 Really great to hear both youand your Dad were well entertained, Dad would be happy about :)
He had a couple of Vectras (3) and a Signum was his last car, all with Irmscher bits, always tried to do his bit for Vauxhall and I only got rind oy my own Signum a couple of months ago and still have my Droop Snoot Firenza.
There's not a lot of footage of Big Bertha, she only did six races, but three are on camera and I have a load of photos and will be doing a DVD copy of this video in full.
Awesome video, a big thanks to Gregor Marshall. You need the volume right up to appreciate that awesome Repco Holden V8 in Big Bertha. Myself and my twin brother were big Gerry fans and were there that day to witness Gerry's first ever Silverstone win, he certainly worked hard that day, nobody could have drove that Ventora better than Gerry ! Thanks Gregor.
Repco Holden V8. Gulp.
That was porn for us back in the day.
Come to think of it, it’s still porn today.
Big Bertha Gerry Marshall and thruxton 1970s plus huge side slide going under the bridge is stamped on my mind forever. Great days indeed. Rog.
This is FANTASTIC !! What a FANTASTIC sound from the HOLDEN V8 ...
It's a fantastic noise, a real shame one of the original Repco engines has been left outside to rot for 35 years!!
@@GregorMarshall96, that's criminal !!
Holden? There has never been a 4.7 litre Holden V8. They said it was a Ford in the video...
@@rosskelly8268 It was a Repco Holden V8 476 bhp.
@@rosskelly8268 Can only presume that the Strawson's Escort had the Ford small block and that's why it was mentioned.
Big Bertha had an Australia Repco built Holden V8, built for F5000.
When motor racing was worth watching
Really?
@@chrismckay8349 Yes really.
Probably the most tediously predictable line in the history of car race videos on TH-cam. 😐
Hi Gregor Thank you so much for sharing this in fact in all the years I have been marshaling and spectating my biggest regret was that I never got to see Big Bertha I can honesty say this has made my day
Hi Steve. No problem and glad you liked it. The whole video is great and Big Bertha would have been amazing, but was just built too much like a show car, so when the opportunity came to change her and build Baby Bertha, it was the right thing to do.
@@GregorMarshall96had some build pics of baby Bertha from the Munro Bros. Had a Tasman Orange FE VX4/90 in the 90’s. Did Lands End to John o’Groats in it. Fabulous time. Never knew your Dad went to Lands End, would have made the start even more epic. Still go down every year. Will raise a toast to a remarkable racing driver when I’m next down in October.
Love the footnote: Now all we need to do is make it go FASTER!!! 😮👏👏👏
@@chriswilliams-lilley3069 sounds like you;re a good Vauxhall man then. I never knew Dad had been to John o'Groats either, learn something new all the time!! I've been down there and will be in St Mawes this weekend, love Cornwall. Enjoy the beer 🍻🍻🍻
@@GregorMarshall96we both know Dave Richards. Keeping the FE alive. Big Bertha was a legendary car. I’m based just outside of Silverstone. So motorsport is in the blood. Often see the Droop Snoot at Shelsley Walsh. Still think the Lotus Carlton had some tenuous links to your Dad. Last of the great British Vauxhall’s. Enjoy your trip to Cornwall. Catch up soon eh?👏👏👏
@@chriswilliams-lilley3069 Dave has flown the flag for a long time, could do with some more cars out there. There are 3 Big Bertha replicas I know of being built, 1 very faithful to original, 1 not so much and 1 based on an Opel Commodore - will be great when at least 1 of them is finished. Did you see the Insignia that Vauxhall did as a Big Bertha tribute? It ran on Lotus Carlton tyres!! I'm in Welwyn Garden City, so not far from Silverstone and will be there on the GP circuit in October, come and say hi.
He came to Australia and raced in one of Peter Brocks Toranas in 1977 which was a similar sized car
I've put a couple of clips on the channel - th-cam.com/video/PBc4YDxWwus/w-d-xo.html
Excellent video Gregor. BB was an awesome looking & sounding car. As an ex-Vauxhall/GM apprentice (Kingsbury London NW9 plant 1972-'76) I have a soft spot for Vauxhall/Opel cars. After watching Gerry racing Viva GT's in the late '60 early 70's I managed to save up my meager earnings to get an early used 1968 GT. I loved that car which of course I modified with Blydenstein parts. Memories...
Thanks for the comment Colin and agreed Big Bertha was fantastic, such a shame the design was flawed, but they did a great job with Baby Bertha.
It must've been a great time to be part of GM/Vauxhall and I know Dad really appreciated all the support he got and I'm very proud of the legacy he left and have been able to keep it going a little with forays in my Firenza at Goodwood 🏁
You lucky man we had had a HB
Viva and a brace of new FE’s
In my late teens they were special especially the ventora
And VX/4s the only things that would give them a hard time
We’re xj’s and some of the big rovers great times
A fantastic driver and an incredible car and team, many thanks for this video, it's always good to go back to better times.
Gerry Marshall....one of the Great drivers of the 70s , I worked for a Main Vauxhall Dealer and met Gerry what a character 👏 good day's !
Thanks for the kind words about Dad 👍
His brother is a really nice guy , pretty quick in a car as well, last time I seen him he was recovering from stomach cancer . Big brother Gerry was his hero and rightly so ❤
I count myself lucky that I came to motor racing at a time when Gerry was driving.
Thanks for the kind words on Dad - I'm very lucky that so much has been captured in film and photos and that I can share with people to bring back great memories 😀
Top driver and a character to boot.What a combination👍!
Remember seeing him race back in the '70s.Awesome.
A friend raced a Vauxhal Firenza here in Alberta. He had gone over to meet the DTV guys and buy parts. He related they were in a pub one evening, and after a few pints, Gerry was doing cartwheels in the pub. Ended up in the fireplace.
Sounds about right 😆
Thanks for posting , brings back happy memories watching your Dad race BB. I remember watching him sliding round Woodcote in the wet, and getting his autograph after the win.
Hi Paul - glad you enjoyed and it brings back happy memories and I hope you stll have the autograph ;)
Wow! What a brilliant archive find Gregor - well done for publishing it. Superb!!🙂
Hi Tony - glad you enjoyed ;) I've got the full film on DVD if you ever want to see it, plus I've just found where one of the original tins of film with it on is too. It's a great film, so evocative and interesting too
@@GregorMarshall96 Awesome! Would certainly like to see the DVD sometime. 👍
@@Firenzaman Hopefully see you in the new year and sort something out, as I have some copies on DVD too 😀
Excellent film, I haven't seen this before, thanks for sharing. Big Bertha certainly had interesting handling, but what a soundtrack!
This is absolutely fantatsic! Car looks and sounds more like a speed boat in some of those early shots!
Thanks Sam, it's great to watch with the noise and music and it looks an absoloute handful, Dad did a great job. I used a replica of this helmet at Goodwood at the weekend, where conditions weren't far off in qualifying - not that I'm anywhere as good as Dad was!!
I remember watching Gerry at Brands in what must have been the late 70's / early 80's. He was fearsome.
Great to hear you got to watch Dad race - Brands Hatch was one of his favourite tracks and he always put on a good show there :)
Thanks Gregor for posting your videos good to see and I hope you can find some more of your dad racing. I had the pleasure of meeting my favourite driver and having my photo taken with him at Donnington when he was in the Marsh Plant hire Aston. Good luck to you in your racing !
I do have loads of Dad racing, but copyright is always an issue. I have set up a playlist of Dad's racing on my TH-cam Channel - not sure if this link works, but you should be able to find - th-cam.com/play/PLmVfEj9rU1uZ3GQr-0TiTEjQIOg7wUAgP.html
@@GregorMarshall96 Thanks Gregor I have seen some of them and will watch the others later especially the John Noakes one being a Yorkshireman myself. I have photos somewhere of your dad in a DB4 also at Donnington Park ......what a star.
This looks like a Vauxhall Victor with a few inches added in every direction. Were they popular in old-Oz, as most English Vauxhalls were easily and instantly forgotten before the '80s.
Similar to a Victor but a Ventora FE. Australia had an equivalent Holden model, but not that popular and to be fair the FE was not overly popular and the Ventora was actually axed here in the UK
ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC to see this. My favourite racer and a GOD of a driver.Thankyou Gregor for getting this back on TH-cam even with the Clockwork Orange style music which is so COOOOL
Glad you like it Steve. I've put a few videos of Dad on my Channel and at some stage will add some more. Cheers.
My dad had 1 of these in the UK, i6 had a straight 6 in his, i think it was a Ventuta 3300..... he loved that car and NEVER let me drive it, though i drove a lot of his others....fond memories
That's right Mark, straight 6 3.3 Ventora. Vauxhall decided to do a V8 in 1973, so DTB built Big Bertha, but with the fuel crisis of '74 it never made production, so was scrapped - a real shame.
@@GregorMarshall96 yeah, it's a shame as my dad would have gone for the v8 if he could have..... he had a rover v8 previously and he used to tow a caravan.... we were away every other weekend from spring to autumn..... I must say, looking back my parents gave myself and my siblings a wonderful childhood 🙂😃🙂
@@markstorer7204 Sounds like your Dad would've been the ideal customer for them then and sound slike a great childhood - we didn't go camping, too busy at racetracks every weekend!!
Thanks for sharing Gregor, keeping your Dad's legend alive.
Subscribed to the channel now - I see there are lots of videos to enjoy there.
No problem, thanks for watching & commenting 🍻
Thanks Gregor for posting this excellent film :)
Was at Silverstone when it crashed great shame.Went to DTVs at Royston just when they were building Baby Bertha to build our garages Vauxhall Magnum.Gerry was second to none he drove our Hamilton Motors Magnum production saloon car at the same meetings as Baby Bertha raced ,Had many a beer the night before at meetings a great loss to racing a legend .
Hi Dave - did you work with the Botts at Hamilton Motors?
Sounds like you've got some great memories :)
@@GregorMarshall96 I did T bone John as he was nicknamed I was his apprentice don’t know if he’s still with us he was a lovely man to had many a good weekend.I’ve got a few photos of Gerry on 2 wheels in the Magnum.Many good memories my wife used to make the food when racing Gerry love my daughter.lovely man meet him many years later in a pub in Aston Clinton near Aylesbury Buckinghamshire where we live now he recognised me straight away brilliant ,also came to the Vauxhall dealership in Aylesbury one night had a good chat.
Was that at Blydensteins? The railway station, Shefford I think.
@@petercutting6126 it was yes
@@Dave-wt8xg ☺
I saw Gerry race this car at Thruxton in the early seventies, it made a big a impression on a 7 or 8 year old at the time!!
Great memories - Big Bertha at Thruxton would have been May 1974 ;)
@@GregorMarshall96Thanks Gregor, it’s only taken 2 years for me to reply. Nice to know a date. I can’t remember anything else about that day - so Big Bertha must have been awesome to the 8 year old me!
@@glennturnbull8568 it was also the launch race of the Vauxhall Firenza Droop Snoot, 20 cars on one race if you rememebr that? We were back at Thruxton a few weeks ago to celebrate the 50th anniversary 🙂
I’ve realised I’ve seen this before. It was during a Vauxhall day at the Vauxhall sports ground. An annual fair in Luton and yes my dad worked there. Remember this was being shown on a cine projector in one of the white marquees.
Very probably, it was one of a few Vauxhall and Castrol made films and Dad used to go round the dealer netwrok doing film nights, showing the films, drinking beer and doing Q&A sessions. Would definitely been shown at Vauxhall employee days, plus we didn;t live far from Luton either
06:42, what a fantastic edit. Thanks for uploading this.
No problem, glad you like ;)
I always thought Gerry was like a pub landlord who did a bit of motorsport at the weekend and was very good at it 😂 a great character well remembered
Haha, I'm not sure if Dad would've liked to have been a pub landlord, he certainly requented enough of them and supported many friends with pubs!! 😁
@@GregorMarshall96 including the Kentagon at lunchtime whist I was there. Syd Fox, Tony Lanfranchi, Divina G et al :)
I met Gerry on holiday at Lands End Cornwall in 1970, a true gentleman.
Hi Paul, thanks for the commnet - i never knew Dad had been to Lands End - he used to visit Carlyon Bay as a child, but interesting to know he went there. Can you remember who he was with? My two sisters would've been born then, so I wonder if he took Mum and them away or if it was just a car-related trip.
@@GregorMarshall96 we were staying in Static Caravans, but he did have a car on a trailer, I think it was the Viva GT, not sure though. I was only 5 and car mad, so my dad took me over to see it. That how we met your Dad. Never forget it.
@@paulpobsanderson6219 Viva GT would've been in 1970 and DTV had a Group 2 spec car that they raced over Europe in 1970, so maybe there was a boat crossing at Lands End? Really interesting - any idea what time of year it was?
@@GregorMarshall96 it was the summer for sure, I remember getting badly sunburnt on my back. June of that year was really hot, but records show it got to 32 in the Uk that year. I’m guessing June/July. We drove down from North Wales in a Vauxhall Cresta PB.
Met Gerry at the track when we were racing a formula ford 2.0... he was racing a dollie sprint... borrowed a battery off us
I hope he gave the battery back 🤞
@@GregorMarshall96 he did....he was a gentleman Gregor and a brilliant driver.... had real balls. I worked at a vauxhall dealer at the time.
@@chaz2wellsgood to hear 👍
@GregorMarshall96 I'm a big vauxhall fan ... I was there when the droop snoots, sports hatches, etc...wish I had invested in something but now specialise in old mercs
Sounds like great times - I race a Snoot & recently borrowed Vauxhall's own Snoot to go to Thruxton where we celebrated the Snoot's 50th. Theres a video of the weekend on TH-cam. I wish Dad had have kept a Snoot or a Sportshatch.
I love the fact that they could design and build their race cars freely save for certain perimeters like minimum weight and engine size etc.
Different set of regulations back then - I suppose similar to a GT3 car these days
Thank you so much for sharing this video. What a treat 😊👍
Glad you enjoyed :)
@@GregorMarshall96 I’m going to Brands this Sunday to get a flavour of those great days 🤞
@@tonylockhart1963 I tested my Vauxhall Firenza there on Friday, lots of happy memories.
@@GregorMarshall96 wow wow wow 😯
My Dad sat next to Frank Costin at de Havilland. He annouced that he didn't have any time left for his 'hobby' when he left de Havilland!
You are better than Lewis Hamilton if you can keep this big beast on the track. RIP Gerry. 🇬🇧👍🏆
Great stuff 🏁
Did it come from the General Motors stables? Looks like a Holden statesman crossed with an hq
Yes, in the UK it was a Vauxhall Ventore FE shell and the engine was the Australian F5000 Repco engine
I see the Monaro was not the first Holden to sport a Vauxhall badge. In Australia, that was a Holden HQ Kingswood. In New Zealand some of them came stock with a 350 Chev motor.
The Australian equivalent of the FE Victor / Ventora was the LH Torana . Which was available from the showroom with a five litre V8. It was turned in to a formidable race car and went on to win Bathurst several times. The FE shared underpinnings with the then current Opel Rekord D. Holden obviously paid particular attention to these cars when developing the new for 1974 LH Torana.
Awesome stuff!Can we have some more of the Big Fella please:)
Hi Paul, glad you enjoyed and if you check out my channel you'll see loads of footage of Dad - enjoy!!
fond memories of seeing Gerry at Silverstone first in Big bertha then baby Bertha. watching from those incredibly draughty and uncomfortable stands.
I can imagine both Berthas at Silverstone were quite a sight and sound 🏁
The aerodynamics legend Frank Costin there helping to close the door, and helping to identify the throttle and handling problems.
Frank designed pretty much the whole car but unfortunately it was too heavy and therefore flexible & Frank maybe wasn't at his best ☹️
Iirc there was a smaller version using the Vauxhall Magnum/Viva/Firenza. A good bit lighter and more agile.
Yes, there was a Firenxa called Baby Bertha, which was built using all the running gear from this car (Big Bertha) after it had been damaged in a wet race at Silverstone.
@@GregorMarshall96 Back in 1979 I bought a Viva 2300, I really miss that car...
@@mikehunt8968 Great car, very rare now
Superb...thanks for sharing
Great footage of a great car,from the long gone glory days of motor sport, although the touring cars of the mid nineties were excellent!
Thanks - if you were a fan of Car and Car Conversions in the UK Dad did a track test of the Triple 8 run Super Tourer Vauxhall Vectra 😉
@@GregorMarshall96 Yes,l used to buy Cars and Car Conversions,and l remember the track test mate.He was a quick lad,your Dad!
Motor racing is definitely different these days.Saw your Dad a lot,back in the day.Used to do most of the circuits back then.Cadwell,Oulton, Silverstone etc
@@melvyncox3361 Glad you've read it, was a good article. Thanks and yes, it is different, but still some fun to be had - the Gerry Marshal Trophy Series I run with the HRDC is great 😁
@@GregorMarshall96 I'll bet it is Gregor.l'll bet it's pretty fun to watch.Echo's of the seventies/eighties 👍
As an Aussie, I nedd to ask- whatcrye gell was that thing??? What category did it race in? It was similar to our Touring Car Championship in the late 70's when they were racing Group C. It almost looks like it had been channeled and sectioned! It really looks similar to our HQ - HZ Holden Kingswoods and elements of our LH - LX Holden Toranas with the design of the glass and belt line- that's a very cool looking race car
scarry fast in the wet, how was that possible with so much torque and power ?. I am very impressed
absolutely love these cars bertha, strawson capri etc.....
i have read that the capri was equipped with a 7 litre chevy and for braking gt40 brakes where used
It was pretty impressive for a first outing, especially with the standing water.
The ex Mick Hill and Tony Strawson Boss Capri used a lot of GT40 running gear. There is a very good Car and Car Conversions article from 1974 that details all the cars at the time.
'Strawberry' Capri had 289ci/4.7 litre Gurney-Weslake Ford V8.
@@judgedread-q4t my mistake, as Tony changed the Capri quite a bit when he bought it from Mick Hill, Lola T70 suspension and brakes, Gurney-Weslake 4.7 with IDA Webers, Indy rods, TWS pistons, steel crank, 400+ bhp. E-Type gearbox, dif, etc, so engine was probably GT40, but nothing else.
@@GregorMarshall96Thanks. I wonder if that Capri still exists, it was quite a beast!
@@judgedread-q4t all the Carpis and Escorts from back then seem to have disappeared unfortunately 😕
Great footage and the noise. Gerry could tame the beast a super driver. A true gent just look at all the comments.... RIP Gerry 🙏
Thank you for the kind words about Dad Barry
@@GregorMarshall96 not at all Gregor thanks for sharing the clip. I would a drive in the Big Bertha but on the other hand i may if i survive a lap drive into the pits shaking 🙈🥵
Frank and I carried the original shell into his Kettering garage for him to work on :)
Hi David. Did you work at DTV?
@@GregorMarshall96 Hi Gregor, great to hear from you :) - just spotted your reply of 4 mths back on the Old Nail thread and replied - Re Big Bertha, no I had no connection with DTV unfortunately, I knew Frank as a family friend - he phoned me up and asked me to give him a hand unloading the original std shell into his private Kettering domestic garage to get all the measurements etc from
Frank was a true eccentric - I remember him giving me a lift in his Daff Variomatic 33? - I could clearly see the road beneath my feet through rust holes big enough to allow you to do a Flintstone impression of propulsion! - He was a CVT fan at the time :)
Another time he turned up in an a development Amigo to give my sister a lift- When we chatted about it, he told me about the test driving in rural Wales where the car was so low that nobody saw it coming over the low stone walls, giving rise to potential collisions...in Frank's practical way of engineering solutions...he added a fluorescent coning tower to it!!
@@davidstuart4915 That definitely sounds like a Frank type solution!!
Looks like the love child of a HQ Monaro and an LH Torana
What a great British legend. 👍
Thanks Simon - hard to think this was over 50 year ago and dad will have been gone 20 years next year!!
3rd place man Robinson was a neighbour of mine.
fantastic
What Lovely MUSIC
Very Roman Polanski-esque!!
the body roll on that is bloody frightning but i suppose it was early in its development
It was something it always suffered from - you could lift up a corner a few inches and it would not move the opposite corner, the body just flexed :(
@@GregorMarshall96 are there any drawrings of big bertha so that by any chance she could be recreated?
@@MrGaryjames1 there would've been John Taylor design drawings and then Frank Costin engineering drawings, but all seemingly long gone unfortunately. There is a chap in Ireland making a replica at the moment though.
Unfortunately Big Bertha fell between too many stalls, Baby Bertha took all the learnings and improved.
Looks very similar to an Australian Holden Torana Sports Sedan . 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
I would say it's almost identical to the Torana LH, barring small differences at the front
That car looks awesome with that suspension and rims. Is it the equivalent of an Opel Rekord? That V8! something out of NASCAR?
It did look awesome. It was more comparable to an Mk1 Opel Commodore and the V8 was actually Australian, designed for a F5000 car.
Thank you for your reply! Yes now say Commodore, it was a Ghia design if im correct actually by Giugiaro when he worked for Ghia. Read somewhere later its a Repco Holden engine. What a car! And feel honored i get an answer from you! Great heritage man
@@delahayenator No problem, great the you're interested 😀
Love motorsports, cars, bikes, scooters. Anything with an an engine to be tinkered with hehe. And love the shapes from that era. Am a big Alfa Romeo fan myself and ended up on youtube in 80s southafrican race series with big racemonsters, and through there to the special saloon class in the UK. As a Brabham F1 fan also know a bit about that history and their Repco connection. So now that circle is round also 😂
Given that the track was wet and the driver was Gerry Marshall I'm slightly surprised by how little Big Bertha was drifting in the test!
Whenever Dadn was trying, he was always very smooth, the sideways stuff was to put on a show 😎
Well I'll be jiggered 'it looks like an HQ Holden 'I wasn't aware of this model of Vauxhall ' which one was made first ?
This was called a Ventora and was due to be a V8 and was based on the Vauxhall Victor FE series that came out in 1972 until 1978. Unfortunately the Ventora V8 wasn't officially released in the end due to the fuel crisis.
The Holden HQ looks very similar to FD Victor that was built 1967 to 1972, as the FE and FD were similar side on.
@@GregorMarshall96 Here in New Zealand we had lots of those FD Victor's 'they are good looking cars ' a friend of mine had one with a 3.3 and triple side draughts ' and later on fitted it with a 327 Chev motor . I have to say that the race car in this video doesn't so much look like a Victor ' side on especially it looks unmistakably the HQ shape. So' was this Ventora a prototype body design that was planned to go into production but didnt happen? It sure sounded hot with the Repco v8 'the same engine that Bob Jane used in his highly modified Torana in Australia. So you're Gerry's son ? 👍. Many times Iv'e watched the Viva versus Camaro and Escort's race at crystal palace 1971 .
@@barrycuda3769 They did want to launch a V8, bt the fuel crisis over here killed it, so it never officially launched and the 3.3 was the biggest engine you could get. Big Bertha was a Vauxhall Ventora FE, just with flared arched and widened a little. I don't know the HQ that well - just googled and I suppose it does look more like the FE, than the FD.
In the full video of the above, you can see the Ventora's being built and then discussions in the Design Studio - the designer was Australian, so might explain a lot.
The Repco was supposedly the same engine they used in F5000 cars and again came from Australia.
Yes, for my sins I am his son :) Glad to hear you've watched the Crystal Palace race - Dad actually wins the race, as the car in front get penalised for a jump start!! Dad loved his visit to Bathurts, was just disappointed Peter Brock messed him around - I've put some clips of that on TH-cam too. Cheers.
@@GregorMarshall96 yes the Repco V8 was really Jack Brabham's engine ' also used by Frank Matich in his Can Am car' if you can find anything about Bob Jane's Holden Torana ' it's worth having a look at 'with the Repco v8 ' ultra lightweight small car ' and a high rear wing that provided enormous down force . I suppose the crystal palace track is long gone ? What part of the country was it ? Thank you for your info.
@@GregorMarshall96 I've been looking at photos of fe Victor's ' they have the body shape ' and look to be the same size as a Holden Torana ' I'm not sure 'but Gerry's car looks larger and more resembles an HQ Holden.
Awesome FE
There's someone in the back filming ain't there 😂😂😂😂😂
There is indeed, must've been some ride!!
That's the way a Race Car should Sound. "Like Business."
Fantastic sound!!
Ah...the days when the driver and the pit crew permanently had a cig hanging from their lip 🚬 😂
And Dad would have a cigar too 😜
It looks like a Kingswood
... I had a Metallic Green Vauxhall Victor 2.3L... Went like 💩 Flicked off a Stick... Greetings from Bradford West Yorkshire England 🏴🌄
Lovely car, do you wish you still had it? Hope Bradford is good - my Droop Snoot Firenza is up there at the moment 😉
Vauxhall's finest, bar none.
Thanks Robert, Dad would be very proud to hear 🙂
This car india called hindustan motors Contessa. I love this race version of the vaxhual
I still have a history of tvr book with a photo of him stood on the roof of a vixen i think to demonstrate how strong it was because gerry was allegedly 16 stone-----.
Hi John - that'll be a TVR Griffiths, MMT7C and back then he would've been 16 stone and may have been a little heavier in later life 🙃
@@GregorMarshall96 thank you 😊 my late father got a pre offical publication copy of the book from martin Lilley and as soon as the article came up on my phone feed it triggered the memory of the photo which I thought was great 👍 my dad was friends with martin through rotary club .martin once lent him the keys to a gritthith Road car at home hill and it scared me dad senseless-----his daily was a vw beetle at the time-----.
@@JohnButler-iq8rl I think that sounds like the Peter Filby book? The Griff would certainly be a lot more bonkers than a VW Beetle 😁
@@GregorMarshall96 yes that was the one-----forget the title but it went up to 76 and the introduction of the m series turbo. Brilliant book.
@@JohnButler-iq8rl Peter has done a couple of TVR books
Cheers!
I think part of the strategy must have been to frighten the living daylights out of the competition with the V8 thunder.
Big and then Baby Bertha sounded awesome - such a shame the original engine is no longer around.
On second listen, is that a Chevy Big Block ?
It's a 5.0 Repco Holden engine, built for F5000.
@@GregorMarshall96 Amazing power and sound. I've never heard anything like that here in the States. Thank you for sharing !
@@GregorMarshall96 It sounded more than warm. Reminds me of what were called OSCA's in the 70s here in NZ. MKIII Cortina's, Capri's n Vauvhall Victors were some used with big donks
Did they have a Ford engine in a Vauxhall?
Not a Ford, Repco Holden, so Australian 👍
@@GregorMarshall96Still basen on either Buick or SBChevy engines....
Repco actually used the all aluminium 215 CID Buick as template for their racing engines...
What the hell kinda racing formula has mutant Vauxhall sedans with Ford Windsor engines* fitted, racing against Minis?
* The only reference to Ventoras powered by V8 engines, is with GM Murrrca's popular 350c.i. 'small block'.
Why swap that for the blue oval's 289?
It's a GM/Repco engine, not Ford. It was going to be a rodcar in the 1970s but was canned due to the fuel crisis
what DTV running a Ford V8?!
It was a Repco Holden V8, similar to an Oldsmobile or Buick V8, but not a Ford
Bill Blydenstein could get a lot of horses out of those Vauxhalls
He was a great engineer and driver too, plus a real gentleman 👍
Did the commentator say Ford V8? In a GM car???? I don’t think so!!