A story I stumbled across about the EH S4.
Motorsport in 1964
The 179 EH came about thanks to Victorian Holden dealers Bill Patterson and Bib Stillwell, who reckoned that the Armstrong 500 would make a good competition debut for the EH. They obviously had friends at G.M. H.'s Fishermen's Bend plant, who understood that a competition version of the EH was necessary – and it would be preferable if it were to include such additions as discs, a floor change four-speed box, bucket seats, larger fuel tank, etc. The 179 cu. in. engine had modifications including improved breathing and exhaust . But Holden were keen to stress that their decision to build the necessary number of cars to make them eligible for racing should not have been misconstrued as an official entry into motor sport. But as you would expect, nothing was further from the truth. At the time of the EH, GMH were duty bound, as were the entire GM global conglomerate, to abide by the agreement among American manufacturers (Ford excepted) not to support motor racing.
At the time GM were far and away the world's biggest automotive corporation, and many considered that, had the organisation have backed motorsport, they would have steamrollered all opposition, and the sport would have suffered. So, while GMH were not officially into motorsport, they were following their successful pattern in the States, where you could buy a Chev or a Pontiac in various stages of time and with various extras. The EH 179M, judged historically, can be seen as nothing more than an attempt to gauge the extent of the growing market of pseudo-racers. But such was the demand for the 179M that the General was soon to release the (officially designated) EH 225 M-S.4 with its 179 cu. in. engine. It was identical to the EH 225 M except for a rear axle ratio of 3.55:1, a PBR servo brake unit, small clutch changes which included a different lining, a slightly modified steering column gearshift mechanism, a .25in. increase in the tail shaft diameter, and a 12 gallon fuel tank which was been achieved by enlarging the lower half. Other changes included a modified carburettor, float chamber, larger clutch housing, which also made it necessary to revise the exhaust pipe attachment bracket, etc.
Since the race rules permitted competition brake linings, the car was fitted with sintered iron linings on the front and Mintex on the rear. Sintered iron linings had already gained a good reputation, thanks to Norm Beechey's racing Impala, and many considered them as effective as discs. A fire-extinguisher, a lap belt and a laminated screen are required for competition, were also fitted to the EH. Armstrong shocks were naturally a must for the race, and the Holden used competition Armstrongs all round with adjustable on the rear. Some 120 of these cars were produced and sold to the public for A£1160. There were some cases, it was alleged, of dealers selling these cars at inflated prices - and it was obvious that, with 600-odd dealers, GMH couldn't give one to each. This gave rise to the rumour that the cars were not available to the public and that the ARDC, the Armstrong 500 organisers, should have considered refusing their entry. No doubt realising that the race would fall flat without new cars, the promoters (Armstrong) and the ARDC had a second and more realistic look at the new cars, which without doubt complied with the race regulation. They could have only been rejected on that loophole clause which allowed an organiser the right to refuse an entry without stating a reason.
Apart from the 120 "produced and sold" cars, the factory produced for the Victorian dealers three cars to be driven by Bib Stillwell - John Youl, Bill Patterson - Doug Whiteford, Lex Davison - Brian Thompson, in the Armstrong 500, another one for Scuderia Veloce for the same race, and a couple for themselves as test cars. The Victorian cars were soon given over to the Police Forces in Victoria and South Australia when the ARDC originally banned the cars. It was a shame, as the handling of the 179M, aided by the shock absorbers, was quite remarkable - flat and firm, yet never uncomfortable. Shod with Goodyear G8 tyres, adhesion was good. Sedan car racing in Australia underwent quite a change in 1963 and 1964. And the biggest shake-up came in the up to 1600cc. class. The man who started the new trend was rally-cum-track expert, Harry Firth. He introduced the Ford Cortina to circuit racing here, and the cult caught on so fast - boosted along by the advent of the GT model - that Cortinas took over in popularity from the long-in-the-tooth 2600cc racing Holdens. Not only were the Cortinas faster than most of the ageing machinery of nearly twice the capacity, but the Lotus-modified cars were exhilarating.
A case in point came from Neptune team driver Jim McKeown of Victoria. McKeown's Lotus Cortina began as a 103 bhp road model. The engine was opened up to just under 1.6 litres and worked over extensively to give more than 150 bhp. Naturally, handling was improved to suit the car's extra performance. The Victorian Lotus was not only a consistent class winner, it re-wrote the record books, and put a scare into the big bore sedans, especially on tight circuits like Warwick Farm. The EH Holdens, particularly the Armstrong S4 cars, also showed a lot of potential. Norman Beechey proved that the Holden could be made to go really hard, but his car was a bit too brittle. Sydney's Brian Muir had a similar mount - and almost as fast - but it was more consistent mechanically. Em Abbott's Valiant lost its good nature when it found more horsepower - 300-plus was the figure claimed - and a lot of work had been put in to find reliability.
The South Australian Valiant of Clem Smith had seemingly satisfied its appetite for crankshafts. Most consistent car of the lot was the 4.1-litre Jaguar of ex-Australian champion Bob Jane. It chalked up more than 30 successive wins, a truly impressive total. Jane hadn't "bought" his titles through having expensive equipment. The white Jaguar had had some formidable opposition, including the Beechey Impala and the equally vast and explosive Ford Galaxie. Further down the scale, the Geoghegan brothers got back into touring car racing with a GT Cortina, and showed the same polished - and winning - style that took them to the top in open-wheelers and sports cars. Ian Geoghegan winning the 1964 touring car championship. Among the tiddlers, the two outstanding drivers were Peter Manton and Brian Foley, both BMC works drivers. Manton was called the Mini king, and it was a well deserved title. He held the lap record at most of Australia's main circuits, and he lapped Sandown quicker than the Holdens of Spencer Martin and Bruce McPhee, and only a shade under four seconds slower than the Jane Jaguar and the Galaxie. Foley was an accomplished sports car driver as well as a top Mini man.
