Rex Flowers: A Story of his 1961 Gemini Mk3A-09 Cosworth-Ford FJ – Part 1 of 15
Rex John Flowers, then of Lower Hutt, New Zealand, was born on 15th February 1941. Rex said his father had a small transport business named ‘Flowers & Perry Ltd’ and the company, with four trucks, were advertised as ‘Heavy Haulage Experts’ and based at 81 Thorndon Quay, Wellington, New Zealand. The company also delivered wood and coal as the Wellington distributor of Anthracite coal and they had depots at Paraparaumu Transport and Pahautanui Transport, both located north of Wellington.
Rex said he enjoyed a brief four years (1962-1965) of single seater racing before he gave up racing when his father died suddenly and Rex together with his brother, Brian, assumed control of the company and expanded it from the four trucks to over 100 trucks.
But back to the late 1950s where Rex completed his apprenticeship with the Ford agent in Wellington to become a qualified motor mechanic. In 1959 he purchased an orange/red coloured Jaguar XK120 sports car and joined the Hutt Valley Motorsport Club where he enjoyed his first taste of motorsport in club-level events.
In late 1960 Rex purchased the ex-R.E. (Russel) Buckthought 1956 Lotus 6 Ford 10 side valve 1098cc powered sports racing car, and he had his first race meeting in this car at the Levin circuit on 25th November 1960. As car number 25, a number he was to favour on his later race cars, he scored a fine second place in the under 1500cc class in his first race with the Lotus 6, finishing behind seasoned driver Johnny Windelburn in his Lotus 11 Climax 1100cc; at the same meeting Rex was third in a 6 lap handicap race behind an Austin Healey and a Triumph TR2. In 1961 Rex raced the Lotus 6 at Levin in race meetings held on 14th January, 15th April and 25th November where he drove with consistency to pick up some 2nd or 3rd placings at each meeting. He also raced at Ohakea on 25th February, being placed second in class in Event 6 for Racing & Sports cars.
In 1961, at the age of 20 years, Rex decided he would like to own and race a Lotus racing car, so he approached George Palmer, father of the successful ‘young Jim Palmer’ who in 1961 was racing a Lotus 18 Cosworth-Ford Formula Junior single seater. Jim had earlier raced sports racing cars including a Buckler Mk 6, a Lotus 11 Climax 1100cc in 1959, before in 1960 moving up to a Lotus 15 Climax 2-litre. Rex said George Palmer, as the apparent Lotus ‘agent’ in New Zealand, did not consider the approach from Rex to be a ‘serious one’ and so he ‘declined Rex’s request’; evidently George thought Rex to be “too young and inexperienced”! Rex said that noted Christchurch Ferrari race driver, Pat Hoare, overheard the conversation and, having first asked Rex if he was serious in his request to buy a racing car, phoned some two weeks later to ask Rex to fly to Christchurch in order to discuss with him the purchase of a 1961 Gemini Mk3A Cosworth-Ford Formula Junior racing car. As Rex’s wife Joan commented in 2019, “As for funding the car, before he purchased it, he understood that NZIGP financially assisted one driver. However, when he enquired about this, he was told this had all stopped, so Rex funded it himself 100%.”
A brand new Gemini Mk3A FJ was duly ordered by Pat Hoare and Rex from the manufacturers (the ‘works’) being Graham Warner’s company ‘The Chequered Flag Ltd’, of 492/6 Chiswick High Road, London W4. As Mike Beuttler, Company Administrator/’Gofer’ for The Chequered Flag recorded in his three-part article in ‘Motor Racing’ magazine, Part 1 of which was published in February 1962, construction of the first ‘works’ prototype rear-engined Gemini Mk3 began in July 1960 and the car was first raced for The Chequered Flag by John Whitmore (in 1962 he was knighted to be Sir John Whitmore) on 7th August 1960 in the Bank Holiday meeting held at Brands Hatch.
With some changes to the original ‘prototype’ Gemini Mk3, the first ‘production’ Gemini Mk 3A racing car made its debut race appearance on Boxing Day 1960 at Brands Hatch – Mike Parkes scored third placing in the Mk3A and Peter Ashdown was fourth in the Mk3, with fastest lap. From early 1961, a further four Mk3As were produced to fill customer orders and these cars were completed at the ‘works’ by around March 1961. The Chequered Flag team then concentrated their efforts to further develop and race their own two ‘works’ Mk3A cars. Two other Mk3A cars were built in about September 1961 to fill new customer orders, including what is believed to be the final Gemini Mk3A car, chassis number 09, for Rex Flowers in New Zealand.
The first race meeting for Rex’s Gemini – Silverstone 7th October 1961 – Before his Gemini Mk3A-09 Cosworth-Ford was shipped to New Zealand, Rex was totally unaware that ‘The Chequered Flag Ltd’ had already used his car as a ‘works’ entry in two race meetings in England. On Saturday 7th October 1961, Gemini ‘works’ driver W (Bill) Moss driving Rex’s Mk3A-09, as car number 69 with a ‘works’ 1098cc Ford engine installed, won a 10-lap Formula Junior (FJ) race held at the ‘First Clubman’s Championship’ meeting at Silverstone. Some 37 FJ cars were entered, comprising 14 Lotus cars, 8 Coopers, as well as other makes such as Alexis, Ausper, Emeryson, G.M.B., Gwyniad, Hillwood, Kieft, Lola, Terrier, Mallock U.2., Vagabond – and Rex’s Gemini.
In the race, Bill Moss in Rex’s Gemini Mk3A was first, beating #62 Peter Proctor who was driving an Alexis FJ 997cc, and #66 Frank Gardner who was third in a Lotus 20 Ford 1098cc. Bill’s winning time was 17 minutes 45.8 seconds and his average speed was 98.87 mph; his fastest lap was in a time of 1min 44.8secs at an average speed of 100.54mph – the fastest lap of the day of all cars at the meeting, plus the first over-100mph lap at Silverstone by a Formula Junior car.
[Continue with Part 2 ]
Bob Donaldson Cambridge New Zealand
Posted at 00:57h, 15 OctoberNew Zealand single seater race drivers still lead in small numbers to show how to really bring lasting truth of great days here in nz