Goodyear's Festival of Speed will play host to 'Baby Bertha' this year.
Created by Vauxhall in 1974 to compete in the British Super Saloon Series, Baby
Bertha was based on the Vauxhall Firenza but fitted with a full-race 5.0-litre
Repco-tuned Holden V8 producing 500 bhp.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 6-8) will be the first time Baby Bertha
has run in public since being restored in 1981. Vauxhall's legendary factory
driver Gerry Marshall will accompany his famous car at the ninth annual
festival.
Baby Bertha won more than 40 races, including two Super Saloon Championships.
In three seasons of competition, it retired only twice, finished second once but
won every other race it started (more than 40 races) and assisted Marshall in
winning the Super Saloon Championship two years running. The stock Firenza body
centre section (floorpan, roof and bulkheads) were married to high-downforce
front and rear body sections with space frame chassis that carried unusually
sophisticated suspension for the time (fully independent front suspension with
pushrod-operated spring/damper units, and a de Dion rear suspension with a
Salisbury differential and inboard disc brakes at the rear).
The plan for Baby Bertha grew out of Vauxhall's desire to support the
production launch of the Vauxhall Ventora V8 production car in 1973. A race car
was developed from the Ventora V8, which also had to double as a show car. It
was big and heavy as a result of its show car dual function - quickly inheriting
the nickname Big Bertha from team insiders. The after-effects of the 1973 oil
crisis caused the cancellation of the Ventora V8 road car but not the racer. In
a short career, it won three times in six races (winning every time it finished)
but was heavily damaged in a spectacular crash at Silverstone.
Originally known as 'Big Bertha,' the famous racer was transformed into Baby
Bertha in 1974. As marketing support for the Ventora V8 road car was no longer
needed, the essential parts of Big Bertha (engine, transmission, suspension,
steering) were gathered together as the core of a much lighter, smaller and
nimble race car based on the Astra-sized Firenza. And Baby Bertha was born.
Design and build of Baby Bertha was by Bill Blydenstein, with Frank Costin, and
the car was raced under the Dealer Team Vauxhall banner.
After Baby Bertha was retired from top-line competition in 1978, it passed
through a number of owners (including Marshall) and is currently owned by Joe
Ward. It last raced at Thruxton Circuit in Southern England in November 1981 and
finished second, driven again by Marshall.
Since 1981, Ward has fully restored Baby Bertha to its original condition. At
some time, the Holden engine was removed for use in another race project but
Baby Bertha remains GM Powered, with a 5.0-litre Chevrolet Small Block, tuned by
Alan Smith and still retaining Baby Bertha's original Lucas Fuel Injection. Baby
Bertha will not circuit race again, so the runs at the Festival this July will
represent one of the very few opportunities to see this classic car run in
anger.
