Motor History

Description

The Daytona Competition that stands here is a famous Australian car. Though it was converted into ‘Comp’ spec, it has been in this guise for most of its life, and it has travelled the world. Significantly, as a weight in the argument that cars should ultimately be restored to the specification in which they left the factory, this car supports another theory, in that it has served as a reflection of the wishes of each of its owners. The history is nearly entirely documented, and that it is happily back here in Australia, where it started its life – is the most important part.

Whilst the car has worn more different paint colours than most in its life, it has recently been returned to Pino Verde, the colour in which it was delivered new from W.H Lowes to its first owner, Ivan Butterworth on March 24th, 1974.

It wasn’t a long ownership for Butterworth, and the car changed hands in the late seventies, and then ended up in the hands of its third, Noel McDermott. Whilst this transaction was taking place in Australia, back in Europe a funny thing was happening; the Daytona, which had been criticized for being old-hat on its debut, in the light of Lamboghini’s shocking of the world with the Miura, was making a name for itself as a fairly successful endurance racing car. Not overwhelmingly different to the road car in engine spec, the 4.4 litre unit was tuned to produce a solid 400 bhp, but on the outer, a significantly more aggressive look was the result of preparations for competition. Aero-fences sat atop the front guards, for the purpose of preventing ‘air-spill’, wide wheels with centre locks for automatic guns, and commensurately wider guards to cover them. Examine the plexi-glass covers on the headlamps and the chin spoiler, the riveted-on ‘fences’ and wide guards, and one can image that many a competitor would’ve promptly moved out of the way when seeing a Comp car looming in the mirrors.

McDermott and his brother converted the car to competition spec and then 17609, as we affectionately refer to it, was painted red after it was Green, it has been yellow, ivory and even dark blue. It has lived here in Australia, in the US, Japan and it has been all over Europe. Its owners have all been enthusiastic ‘users’ of the car and it has a history that has seen it used for exactly what it was built for; to be driven, and most of that, one would hope – was in anger.