Ken Miles in Australia 1965 info?

PDHse · #1 (**permalink**) 10-01-2002, 02:38 PM

Hi guys, trivia time again, does anybody know or have any details about Ken Miles being sent to Australia in 1965 in a cobra 427 on a promo tour including racing at various raceways. All this is very interesting.

ac andy · #2 (**permalink**) 10-02-2002, 01:29 AM

PDHse, I know that Ken Miles did drive at Lakeside in Queensland in November 1965. Car was No.4 with white sidepipes and low cut racing windscreen. Thats about all I know about Miles in Oz from that time, i also have a picture of Ron Thorpe driving a No.3 hardtop Cobra at Warwick Farm, probably from the same sort of time ( looks to be a 289).

750hp · #3 (**permalink**) 10-02-2002, 03:52 AM

Guess what? Ken Miles raced against Bill Gates at Lakeside in Queensland!!! Not THE Bill Gates, but a local racer driving a Lotus Elan Lightweight.

My father was there, along with the "thousands" of others who have since claimed to have been at that event. Funny isn't it, how 10 times more people now claim to have been at meetings that subsequently went down in history as significant motoring events.

Anyway, Dad was thoughtful enough to take his trusty 8mm video camera with him that day, and we still have what might be the only video footage ever taken of Ken Miles in his thundering big block Cobra at Lakeside International Raceway. Motion pictures, but no sound.

The photo that I've attached was taken in 1966. It shows the track snaking down towards the Shell Bridge (later the Dunlop Bridge). Ken had the Cobra in a beautiful 4 wheel drift as the suspension went light upon hitting the dip leading up to the apex of the corner. As he drifted it through the corner and under the bridge, there's a third gear left handed uphill sweeping corner called "Hungry Corner" - famous for it's appetite for eating up cars....

lLuckily, the Cobra emerged unscathed! Dad remembers the Cobra as being the first car that really pounded on your chest as he drove past - such was the sound from that glorious big block

Ahhh, I wish i was there!!!

ac andy · #4 (**permalink**) 10-02-2002, 06:44 AM

AHHHHH! The sound of a big block!

snakeeyes · #5 (**permalink**) 10-02-2002, 08:12 AM

One of the issues of the short-lived "Cobras" magazine had some discussion of Miles at this race. I believe in a subsequent issue a reader wrote in to talk about the race and sent along a picture or two of Ken on track. I think the car was CSX3002. The Registry may bear that out but I don't have it in front of me.

Bob

PDHse · #6 (**permalink**) 10-02-2002, 11:59 AM

Thanks guys ,interesting reading i believe Ken Miles also drove a cobra in Canada and he came over to Great Britain to compete in the Goodwood T.T. in 1963. Unfortunately in that event the cobra fell foul of the scrutineers and he did not race.

computerworks · #7 (**permalink**) 10-04-2002, 03:04 PM

On eBay...for $50...you can get some b/w glossies of Miles in Australia...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=1865249185

or use these