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Friday, 9 December 2011

Rare shot of Broadspeed GTS found

Look at that! It's a rare picture of the Broadspeed GTS in action. The only works race car based on a Broadspeed GT made it over to The Netherlands in the late 1960s where it was raced by Tonio Hildebrand, a bit of a charachter in both society and motor sports circles (more here). Hildebrand raced it in Dutch events and in every picture I have seen of it, it appears to have underwent a colour change! This recently unearthed picture was taken by Hans Hugenholtz at the Welschap track - an airfield course that was used only from 1969 to 1971. The car was sold twice more after Hildebrand's ownership, after which it languished for decades in Amsterdam, very close to my home. When I tipped off a Broadspeed fan about its whereabouts in 2007, he immediately went over to collect it.

Hildebrand and the Broadspeed GTS in action at the Welschap track
Picture courtesy Hans Hugenholtz

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7 comments:

  1. Nappe19 December 2011 at 12:15

    I have found 3 more shots of G.T.S., which 2 from same car. British Racing Green colored racing in some dutch raceway late 60's and light blue/green colored pictured during some ETCC weekend in Zandvort in early 70's. (I'll try to find these when I am home)

    But the interesting fact is that Australian license builder did one G.T.S. as well, you can find notes about it here and there. Here's some information about it: http://www.theminimag.itgo.com/Jul9908.html

    - Lasse 'nappe1' Kärkkäinen

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  2. Anonymous10 December 2011 at 10:14

    Ellen Sminia didn't make that picture the copyright is of somebody completely different.
    The GTS wasn't based on the GT it was developed along side the GT and racing was intended for it from the start.

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  3. Maximum Mini10 December 2011 at 16:51

    @Lasse: thanks very much for that! And, yes, you are right about the Brian Foley GTS.

    @Anonymous: Please let me know who took the picture so I can credit him or her correctly. Of course the GT and GTS were different cars but their base was similar.

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  4. Anonymous21 December 2011 at 04:58

    I took that photo.....
    In 1966 I drove this car for a test when I was 16 yrs old; Tonio Hildebrand allowe me to drive it at Zandvoort. I had been trying to buy the car in the '90s when it wasn't for sale. When I started looking again in 2007 it was just sold....
    Hans Hugenholtz

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  5. hans hugenholtz21 December 2011 at 05:00

    This Broadspeed GTS was Broadspeed maroon coloured at the start and later bronze.

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  6. Hans Hugenholtz21 December 2011 at 05:08

    Who owns it now????

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  7. Maximum Mini21 December 2011 at 08:05

    Thank you very much for coming in, Hans. I have now changed the credits to the picture. The car is currently in the UK with Chris Wooden.

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