The Maybach Generation of Australian Built Racing Cars

The Maybach generation of racing cars is considered by enthusiasts to be the most successful series of
racing cars to have been built in Australia.
In 1946, Charlie Dean the then manager of Replex, the electrical division of Repco, decided to build
himself a high performance sports car. Based on a 6 cylinder 3.8 liter overhead cam engine taken from a
WW2 German Halftrack vehicle which had been captured in the Middle East, he built a tubular steel
frame, fitted a Studebaker front end and Lancia rear axle. The Maybach motor was mated to a Fiat 525
gearbox. To test his car, still in bare chassis form, Dean entered a Vintage Sports Car Club trial and
achieved better than 100 mph. Following this, George Wade from Repco Engineering Division persuaded
him to convert the Maybach to a racing car.
Further development work on the car took place, including lightening the body frame, replacing the twin
marine Amal carbs with a bank of 6 Amals and converting the front to independent suspension of Deans
own design. Frank Hallam of later Repco-Brabham engine fame was the then engineer in charge of piston
and ring design at Repco. In his spare time he hastily built a body from sections of aircraft belly tanks and
the car was a completed to a stage when it was decided to enter it in the 1947 Australian Grand Prix at
Point Cook. Despite running at 105 mph, the Maybach retired after five laps due to magneto problems.
In 1949, two 4.2 Maybach motors were obtained, and one of these was built up using the development
parts from the 3.8 motor, as well as a Roots type supercharger from a G.M. diesel. Early problems with
the aircraft type carburetor being used caused a hole to be burnt in one of the piston tops, resulting in a
fuel explosion in the sump while the car was travelling at 130 mph. Very spectacular, as the car was
enveloped in a cloud of smoke, but fortunately no great damage was done and the car was raced at
Fishermans Bend in 1949. Again the car had problems, this time with overheating, brakes and gasket
failures.
The 1950 Australian Grand Prix, at Nuriootpa in S.A. suffered rear wheel adhesion; however the
Maybach was to retire again with overheating and braking problems. A limited slip diff from a 1922 truck
was fitted into a modified Lancia housing, the cooling system was sealed, and the rear brakes were
changed to a leading/trailing hydraulic system. With these modifications the car was able to break the
Mount Tarrangower Hill Climb record on Easter Monday, 1950.
The news that the 1952 Australian Grand Prix was going to disallow supercharged motors larger than 1.5
liters meant that a rethink to the Maybach. The supercharger was removed, replaced with three marine
Amal carburetors, the compression ratio raised to 9 to 1, and the rear suspension was changed to trailing
quarter elliptical springs with radius rods. To do this, three feet had to be removed from the rear of the
chassis frame. At the Rob Roy Hill Climb in January 1951, the Maybach achieved fastest time of the day.
At the Easter 1951 Bathurst meet, the car came a close third behind a P3 Alfa Romeo and a Talbot Lago.
Soon after this, Dean sold the car to Stan Jones (father of Alan), but agreed to continue maintaining it.
Jones replaced the 3 Amal carburetors with 3 SUs, and the car proved successful in a number of races
over the next few months. Meanwhile Dean was in England and visited the SU factory, where he obtained
three 2 3/16 in carbs originally designed for the Talbot-Lago. These were fitted before the 1952 Bathurst
Australian Grand Prix, however as a consequence of the engine producing more power, the rear tyres were
failing. Despite lapping faster than the winning car, the Maybach finished second due to the time
accumulated with tyre related pit stops..
Olympic Tyres then produced special tyres for the Maybach, and with these fitted the car won races in
Queensland, N.S.W., Victoria and South Australia. After these successes, Jones was invited to run in the
first New Zealand International Grand Prix, at Ardmore. After setting fastest time in practice, a conrod
broke and this also damaged one of the cylinder sleeves. Dean then wired Melbourne for spares, but due
to the Royal tour the parts never arrived. In desperation, Dean machined down Bedford truck components,
and fitted them to the Maybach. Despite being limited to 4,500 rpm due to vibration from the unbalanced

Bedford parts, Jones went on to win the race, demonstrating his driving skill and Deans engineering skill
against a field of international competitors.
The car returned to Australia, and in 1953 was then significantly modified including fitting a new single
seater chassis and body. The result was then referred to as the Maybach 2 and was then raced successfully
until the November 1954 Australian Grand Prix at Southport, Queensland. Because of the roughness of
the track and the need to run with a full tank, Dean fitted washers to raise the rear end to stop the rear of
the Maybach bottoming out, This worked well while the fuel tank was full, but as it emptied the rear end
started to bounce, causing Jones to spin off while going through the Esses at 110 mph, before striking a
tree and then tearing off the front end, before finally coming to rest after demolishing three more trees.
Fortunately, Jones stepped away from the wreckage with no more than a slight graze on the chin, but
Maybach 2 was a write-off.
Prior to the accident Jones had been comfortably leading the Grand Prix which confirmed the belief that
up until its demise Maybach 2 was the fastest car in Australia.
The damage to Maybach 2 was so extensive that the chassis and most of the running gear was scrapped
with only the mechanicals and the engine scavenged from the wreck and used in what was Dean'
s next
generation of racing car for Stan Jones, now referred to as the Maybach 3.
Maybach 3 evolved into a completely redesigned result, with the motor set at an angle of 60 and fuel
injected. The tail shaft and diff were offset to the right of the driver, enabling a more modern lower body
style to be adopted. Unfortunately, the car was heavier than before, and the engine was down on power.
Despite Stan Jones best driving efforts, Maybach 3 was not competitive against the newer overseas
vehicles, and finally, in January 1956 at Orange, it threw a rod and demolished the engine.
For two years the Maybach sat in a corner of Ern Seeligers garage, and finally Jones handed the car over
to him to do what he wanted with it. Maybach motors were by this time hard to get hold of, so Seeliger
fitted a modified Corvette V8. He also widened the track, lightened the chassis, and modifying the
suspension. In this form it ran in the 1958 Bathurst Australian Grand Prix, and despite being one of the
slower cars, reliability and good driving by Seeliger saw the Maybach gain second place. Now referred to
as Maybach 4, Stan Jones then took the new car to its first victory, in the Easter 1959 South Australian
Trophy Gold Star event, beating Cooper Climax F.1 cars and a Maserati 250 F.
In the 1960s Jack McDonald acquired the chassis from the 1st generation car and the Maybach engine
mechanical components from the Mk.3, with which he reconstructed the early two seater version of the
car. That car is now owned by Robert Harborow, a Melbourne businessman who has gone to great lengths
to detail the car back to its pre 1954 form.
The task of recreating Maybach 2 was commenced by John Sheppard in 1999 using only Dean'
s drawings
and specifications; period photographs; and the very few items that still remained of the original car
including the radiator. The standard of workmanship and the attention to detail in the car is simply
amazing and is an absolute credit to John'
s commitment and dedication to preserving an important, if only
short lived, part of Australia'
s motor racing history. (note: A far more comprehensive description of John'
s
achievement in rebuilding the car is given in a VHRR article that can be accessed by simply "Googling Maybach 2.
Photo captions:
1 - John Sheppard first time out after rebuild
2 - On the dummy grid with Maybach 1 (no 7)
3 - On the starting grid at Phillip Island.