Bingham Renault Gordini Race Car

350manx

350manx

Member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
May 13, 2005
Messages
99
Location
Kiewa Valley, North East Victoria.
Does anyone know much about the Bingham Renault Gordini race car? I had to chance to buy it, and didn't, it's still available and it seems to be haunting me a bit. It was built in the late 60s I think and has a state hill climb record or two to its' credit. Absolutely georgous to look at and still in the French Blue but in need of a full restoration. The sound of that Gordini engine is music to the ears. Is there much out there about it?
 
It seems to be a fairly well publicised car, with various reports in the contemporary press of Murray Bingham winning again in his Renault.
 
Simon said:
It seems to be a fairly well publicised car, with various reports in the contemporary press of Murray Bingham winning again in his Renault.
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Yes the current owner has a couple of magazines articles along with the CAMS log book and other bits and pieces and I believe Murray Bingham is still with us in NSW somewhere.
 
Murry is going and has a house in coffs harbour. At pressent he is travelling the country in a mobile home.If you change your mind on the car i'd love a chance at owning it.as i'm the vice president of his old club Grafton sporting car club. cheers peter kent :adrink:
 
Peter J Kent said:
Murry is going and has a house in coffs harbour. At pressent he is travelling the country in a mobile home.If you change your mind on the car i'd love a chance at owning it.as i'm the vice president of his old club Grafton sporting car club. cheers peter kent :adrink:
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Peter,

It's still in the mixing bowl. As I have gotten older I have unfortunately become practical (dull!) and search for a reason to own something such as this whereas years ago these decisions were determined by passion (hasn't that gotten us into some trouble in the past?) and the heart. I would love to buy it, have the resources to do so - just need to take the step. Will let you know.
Cheers David.
 
renweave said:
Which model Gordini is it? Dauphine or R8?
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It has an R1134 motor bored out to be about 1400c.c.

Colin Starke had a look at it last week.

Robert
 
Any photos?

alpinesau said:
It has an R1134 motor bored out to be about 1400c.c.

Colin Starke had a look at it last week.

Robert
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Would it be rhat there are some photos and tech info on this car?
 
Originally posted by 350manx
Mmmmm Thought I had captured a couple and uploaded them...obviously didn't they're a bit large apparently. Bit of a ludite really I'll have to work on that!
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Send them to me and I'll fix that for you... raybell@ramojan.com

I actually bought something from the Murray Bingham stable myself... the trailer on which he carted the Porsche-chassised device around. This car was fitted with a Chevy V8 from a F5000 and won even more for him. He towed it around with a Rambler.

That trailer carted more Peugeots than you can count... man it did some work!
 
Bingham Renault

Was it this Renault that was around the Newcastle area in the late 60's -70's. I can remember seeing a highly modified Renault 750 being tested at the Mt.Sugarloaf Go Kart circuit, from memory it was light green , huge wheels , flared guards and I thought it had a holden motor mounted midcar, may be wrong on this. I know the marks it left on the main straight remained there for a long time. Love to see some photo's.
Welcome back Ray.
 
Thanks...

In the report on the Robertson Hillclimb in early 1970, Peter Finlay wrote:

"Murray Bingham has finally clothed his indecently fast Renault platform device in a Manx Mirage body. This 1500cc machine scurried up the hill in 33.56, an absolutely fantastic time and fifth fastest car on the day. Second [in the sports car classes] was Ted Proctor's Manx with a blown Climax engine on 34.08. Ray Strong's Elfin Mallala was third with 34.91 - all very close together. Ian Hume resurrected the old Hamilton 1500 to score a very good 36.13."

I found no mention of Murray through the 1969 series at all, so (as he was running with the outright racing cars, which were fastest at the above climb with the winner scoring a 30.14) I guess he was lost in the melee of also-rans.

Murray won the sports car title in NSW that year, even competing at the final hillclimb round at Silverdale on the same day as he won the final round of the NSW Motorkhana Championship at Bungool picnic grounds... if I'm not mistaken, that's down Dapto way and about 100kms from Silverdale. He ran one run at Silverdale early, then returned late in the day for a final try, taking the class easily though still about five seconds off the winning run for racing cars.

Along the way he had actually won one event outright... the Grafton round, where it seems that the very fastest had stayed away. All the same, it was an incredible performance, as he was only just shy of beating the outright climb record held by Colin Bond.

Though he didn't win the sports car category per se in the Australian Championship (a single event at Mt Cotton, Brisbane), he did take the Group A sports car class just two tenths slower than Glynn Scott's best in a Lotus Elan. But he had an excuse... he had to run a 'near-stock' 1100cc Gordini engine because his 1500 had died on him. All the same, in his class he beat 'Porky' Chapman, visiting from the USA with his Mk 6 Merlyn fitted with a Ford twin-cam.

This was his last appearance in the Bingham Renault... from then on he ran the Porsche-chassised car, first with Ford power (289 IIRC) and then with an ex-Gary Campbell F5000 Alan Smith Chev.
 
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Then it's is remarkably original... the only thing I wouldn't be sure of is the roll bar... that looks like an addition, which would no doubt be because the rules changed about 1972 that sports cars had to have full width roll bars.
 
Bingham car

Ray Bell said:
Then it's is remarkably original... the only thing I wouldn't be sure of is the roll bar... that looks like an addition, which would no doubt be because the rules changed about 1972 that sports cars had to have full width roll bars.
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Looks like the sort of car that a Renault nut shold own AND USE! Is it available or is one of you guys going to do something?
 
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