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Quite some years ago, to fill a wet holiday afternoon I picked up a book at a remainder stall. It was Steve Simpson's The Real Story of Wizard Smith. This little known facet of Australia's motoring history caught my imagination and I resolved that if the opportunity came my way I would construct a replica of this car. The idea of wind in the face, bark of open exhaust, speed from a vintage car and the recreation of Australian motoring history appealed to me.

Eventually I found a 1922 Essex 4 that had spent it's working life as a market gardener's ute and the research began. This led me to Jim Scammell in Adelaide who had commenced building a replica of the later car around one of the Brookland's engines. With some information from Jim and many hours of research in the libraries of Adelaide, Canberra and Sydney, enough was put together to construct a faithful replica of the Wizard Smith car as it was at the time of the Brisbane to Sydney record run. The Automobile Association magazines held in the Mortlock Library annex of the Adelaide Library were particularly interesting.

The performance is not shattering, but it is better than a well tuned Ford A, Steering, ride and road manners are very good. After a trip in this car you take off the leather gauntlets, heavy coat., goggles and flying helmet--everything but the grin on your face . This car is FUN. Probably the nearest to flying a Tiger Moth I am likely to get. I use Mobil Red Band aero oil in the engine so it even smells a little aeronautical.

Is the car finished? No. I have yet to find a joey box that will give me the 80 plus MPH that Smith got from this stock standard engine and the four single lever Hartford type shock absorbers as fitted to the original car.

I would be happy to hear from anyone with information about Norman "Wizard" Smith and his time as a record breaker in the Essex 4. E-mail > nectarbrook@activ8.net.au <

Read on for the story of the Essex and Norman Smith