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Author Topic: Harry the Fox RIP  (Read 4735 times)

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Offline Mallory Black

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Harry the Fox RIP
« on: April 28, 2014, 12:56:03 PM »
damn... opened the news to learn that the old fox Harry Firth passed away.

Won heaps of races on his own and heaps more with Bob Jane including Bathurst multiple times
Founder of the Holden Dealer Team
Nurtured the talents or Brock & Bond among others.
The man who interpreted the rules of race car building better than anyone else in his day.

Good on ya buddy, the sport will miss you
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Offline Blackheart

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2014, 07:59:33 PM »
Icon of Australian motor sport. Great driver in many forms of the sport (road, rally) and a canny team manager.
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Offline speewa158

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2014, 08:17:33 PM »
R I P . Harry  You will be missed
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Offline knoath

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2014, 08:53:26 PM »
He was certainly a crafty old bugger! It was a shame GMH didn't listen to him more when He tried to tell them what the V8 LH-X Torries needed to make them bullet proof.
He was ahead of his time in engineering terms.

Met him a few times while with the Torana crowd… still spritely in his late 80's… I heard he was crook not long ago.

R.I.P. "H"
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Offline oldmate

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2014, 08:56:57 PM »
RIP Harry.
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Offline kylarama

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2014, 09:15:26 PM »
Quote from: Mallory Black on April 28, 2014, 12:56:03 PM

The man who interpreted the rules of race car building better than anyone else in his day.


The same man who when he left HDT to become the cams steward, hauled every Toranna he built into scrutineering and pinged them for almost everything.
One car owner was reported to have said "but Harry you built the car and it's as you sold it to me"

Harry wrote the manual on how to build a race car and run a team. No one did it better than him in the 60's & 70's.

RIP Harry.

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Offline DrewXT

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2014, 09:27:30 PM »
my grandfather knew Harry, and one of my school mates old man made exhaust systems for his cars...

last time I saw him, he had just handed a couple of young kids in an SS Commodore their arse at a set of lights on Dandenong Road in Oakleigh...
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Offline Mallory Black

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #7 on: April 29, 2014, 07:24:27 AM »
Still kicking myself when as a young fella I was offered the ex Brock XU-1 from the 73 season in it's full HDT race trim, 58mm Webers, 'stretched' guards, spares, everything for $3,500. 
didn't feel like selling my roadgoing GTR (torana) to fund it. Was only on about $85 p/w at the time as an apprentice
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Offline Jeepers Creepers

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #8 on: April 29, 2014, 05:46:53 PM »
Quote from: Mallory Black on April 29, 2014, 07:24:27 AM
Still kicking myself when as a young fella I was offered the ex Brock XU-1 from the 73 season in it's full HDT race trim, 58mm Webers, 'stretched' guards, spares, everything for $3,500. 
didn't feel like selling my roadgoing GTR (torana) to fund it. Was only on about $85 p/w at the time as an apprentice

Don't fret pet, wouldn't be worth much now..... maybe only a measly couple a hundred..... thousand.....

Can you say BOWDEN'S.
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Offline oldmate

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #9 on: April 29, 2014, 05:49:26 PM »
Quote from: Mallory Black on April 29, 2014, 07:24:27 AM
Still kicking myself when as a young fella I was offered the ex Brock XU-1 from the 73 season in it's full HDT race trim, 58mm Webers, 'stretched' guards, spares, everything for $3,500. 
didn't feel like selling my roadgoing GTR (torana) to fund it. Was only on about $85 p/w at the time as an apprentice

Kicking your self?? you had better shove a micheal jordan size boot for up you know where  ;D ;D
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Offline Mace

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #10 on: April 29, 2014, 05:57:32 PM »
Quote from: Jeepers Creepers on April 29, 2014, 05:46:53 PM
Don't fret pet, wouldn't be worth much now..... maybe only a measly million"

Fixed.
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Offline Watty2975

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #11 on: April 29, 2014, 10:12:31 PM »
Sad news. My father used to run Harry's pit crew and we had "Saggy Sarah" one of the HDT XU-1 torana when I was growing up. Didn't really understand at the time who Harry was. He was the guy that would sit in the garage with dad and chat about cars and race cars!

This thread Prompted me to do a search for the old race car. Found this on a Holden forum:

http://www.gmh-torana.com.au/forums/topic/41627-saggy-sarah-at-sandown-historics/


Posted 10 November 2009 - 08:18 PM
 hi all, had a great time at sandown, got some fantastic feedback from the ex HDT guys as they were keen to see it get a tidy up. i chose the '81/'83 bruce watt paint scheme which joe felice gave his blessing to at the time.
even harry liked the concept and he signed the car as "watty's car", watty was a guy who worked for harry and got on well with all the guys which no doubt led to all the "bits" in saggy.
put some bigger rubber on a few weeks back in anticipation of a lap or two at sandown, well we got one in and it was enough to wet the appetite for some more in the future. the old girl drove fantastic , heaps of mumbo , and really well sorted , a credit to the previous custodian wayne reddy.
missed catching up with the "captain" at sandown but i rang him today. he was very happy with what he saw and looked forward to seeing the car again.
i will paint the rest of the car and will leave suitable areas exposed with signage from the day on the left side as well.

cheers for now laz     
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Offline axle

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Re: Harry the Fox RIP
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2014, 10:33:53 PM »
Some great stories here about a man who leaves us with a great legacy. Even two years ago he was still attending events with the first ever Cortina Nationals in Albury 2012 being one of them. Great story teller and still didn't pull any punches. I never personally met the man but my interest in historic touring cars owes a lot to what he did with those early Cortina GTs and building the first Bathurst Special (Cortina GT500) that was later banned. As has been said perviously no one could use the rules to his own benefit quite like Harry. That's good Motorsport.

RIP
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