Tony Jefferies does not remember exactly when he sold the car. But it seems most likely in 1964 or 1965. By 1966 Jefferies was driving John Love’s old Cooper T55 Climax formula one racer. He drove this car for two seasons in Southern Africa: 1966 and 1967. He also drove other interesting race cars on the circuits in Southern Africa, and he also spent a year driving for Ken Tyrrell’s team. John Love passed away in April 2005. I spoke to him about the car and the six hour endurance race in 2004.

Although little is documented of this period, SB1619 was continuously raced until the early 1970s. A picture from 1971 or 72 shows the car in a new body colour: blue with the original yellow fenders. The second picture shows the car when stripped down before its first restoration.

The owner who carried out the rebuild decided to shoehorn a Volvo B18 engine in to SB1619. The operation involved a few modifications, among them altering one of the top front cross members on the frame to allow the water pump and fan to go clear of the frame. Another was to make a new hole in the skin on the right hand side to let out the exhaust pipe. The result can be seen in a picture taken in 1972 or 73. In this picture one can also see the special louvers on the bonnet that Tony Jefferies had made before the Rhodesian Six Hour Endurance race in 1963.

SB1619 was primarily used on the road after the rebuild, but made the occasional appearance on Donnybrook race track outside Salisbury – for drag racing. The word is that the car held the track record for quite a while. The problem was to get the power from the Volvo engine to stick on the ground. A larger fuel tank and placement of the battery in the back of the car apparently helped create more traction.

In 1974 or 1975, SB1619 had a rough encounter with a minibus in Salisbury. The impact was extensive and demanded a new rebuild.