The New Superformance GT40 Mk11 and Robbie Senekal

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 03:05 AM

The new Hi-Tech Automotive/Superformance GT40 Mk11 is progressing well and production is due to commence shortly.

As mentioned in previous posts the project is headed up by Robbie Senekal.The surname Senekal is derived from the French Huguenot surname Senechal.When old Louis X1V revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685 the Protestants had to duck out of France in a great big hurry. By 1688 a whole bunch of them, including my forebears, arrived at the Cape. The Dutch government of the time went out of its way to stamp out the French culture and consequently over the years some French surnames were changed to sound more Dutch. The one thing the old Dutch boys couldn't do was to stamp out the French wine making skills and thanks to the new arrivals the Cape is one of the world's premier wine making regions. Even old Napoleon ordered his wine from the Cape! Anyway, wine and GT40 don't go too well together!

Robbie was born near Johannesburg in 1945 and grew up on a dairy farm close to the present day Johannesburg International Airport. After school he served an apprenticeship as a tool die and jig maker, whilst attending technical college.

After leaving school Robbie and school friend, Rory Byrne, today Ferrari's chief F1 designer, used to modify and tune Ford Anglias which were extremely quick off the mark. The little Fords would produce close to 100 bhp, rev to about 8500 rpm and be clocked at 109 mph, (with std diff and gearbox) quite fast for those days. The Jaguar E-Type was the one to beat at the time and the Anglias were just as fast from O to 100km/h. The two friends also built free flight gliders and in this sport Rory, at age 17, won his first of two World Championships, possibly why his Ferraris are so fast! Rory qualified in Chemical Engineering at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) and in the early 1970s moved to the UK where his career as race car designer was launched.

After gaining wide experience in the engineering field, as well as engraving, metallurgy, metal casting, plastic injection moulding and plastic vacuum forming in the Johannesburg area, and after a stint with the Atlas Aircraft Corporation, in 1973 Robbie started his own pattern shop and a small metal pressing business which did all the tooling and pressings associated with rear window louvres for Ronnie Rosen, today the Superformance agent in Ohio.

In 1984 Robbie, his wife and two children moved to Cape Town. Robbie joined the department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town as Chief Technical Officer. For the next 15 years he was involved in a variety of developments and experiments including the manufacture of high pressure autoclaves and reactors used in the manufacture of catalysts, for the manufacture of synthetic fuels.

In 1999 he became chief engineer for CAV and his first job was to design and manufacture jigs and tooling and other components, for the space frame chassis supplied by GTD. In March, 2002 he became general manager and chief engineer on the new Hi-Tech Automotive/Superformance GT40 Mk11 project.

Robbie's hobbies are building live steam locomotives and model engineering. He also loves building scale R/C aircraft and tugs and to date he has built four steam locomotives from scratch as well as a model of ¼ scale combustion engine. In the 1980s he became involved with the breeding of Bull Terriers producing one show champion.

As a young man in Johannesburg Robbie was seconded to the Witwatersrand Rifles Regiment, a Scottish Lowland Battalion and was promoted to Warrant Officer 2nd Class 1n 1973. Later he was transferred to 54 Medium Workshop Squadron, a Technical Unit and held the post of Squadron Sergeant Major (RSM). In this position he saw service in African bush wars, an experience he would rather forget. He was decorated with the John Chard medal.

With this disciplined background the new GT40 project is in good hands. Robbie's military background dictates that he starts work at 6 am.

The attached pic shows Robbie and secretaries, Candice centre and Lana right (lucky fella!). They are well trained...er....in GT40s! In his right hand Robbie is holding a quarter scale Halibrand spinner that he engraved. Would make a great key ring holder and then of course his son Rob, jnr, runs a spincasting business right next to his dad's car factory.

More pics follow.

Quality!
Andre 40

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 03:10 AM

The first car with the team.

The roof section is fibreglass and is part of the body panels that Jimmy bought in the US. The reason for this is to get a car on the road ASAP for testing whilst the tooling for the steel sections is still being made

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 03:25 AM

Rear suspension

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 04:56 AM

The CAV space frame chassis jig that Robbie built.

In the pic with Robbie is Norman Lewis.

Given that one finds of the best specialist car builders in the UK I went over in 1987 to look for a partner. I stumbled across one Norman Lewis and persuaded him that moving to Darkest Africa might be a good idea. Not long after Norman arrived in Cape Town with his wife and two children.

Norman was indeed a lucky find for not only was he a top class car builder he was an aircraft and auto electrician as well. He was formerly with the RAF where he and his colleagues would wire an English Electric Lightnings with 14 miles of wire. The RAF maintained and serviced the Queen's Flight and Norman and a small selected group were the only ones allowed to lay hands on Her Majesty's flying machines.

In 1990/91 Norman and I built a KVA-type GT40 (he hands on and me in charge of admin and parts sourcing). It was this car that laid the foundation for a deal with GTD seven years later.

Norman has since built several cars - beach buggies, Cobras, Speedsters, Lotus Sevens, Rickman Rangers, GTD Lola T70 and Jaguar SS100.

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 05:13 AM

A steam locomotive built by a friend of Robbie. The four that he built were similar.

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 05:30 AM

I have had difficulty in posting these pics. Even though the files are all well below 100 000 it would get a message cannot proceed files to big and then they would be posted in any case.

Here is the one of Robbie and the girls in the office,

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 05:33 AM

Junior school soccer team.

An angelic (hard to believe!) Robbie, lefr front. Rory Byrne top right. The kid with stern expression had no idea at the time that he would one day be a race car designer in a foreign land.

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 05:38 AM

Problems!

On a few occasions I would get the message CANNOT PROCEED FILE ALREADY EXISTS and it would be posted anyway.

No doubt why the pics and captions are mixed up.

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 07:41 AM

Not my day! Photos and I aren't friends.

I asked my wife's secretary to reduce the file sizes on disc and somehow numbers were duplicated or mixed up..

The pic of Robbie and the girls in the office shares the same number as the one of the team around the car. CONFUSION!

Anyway, here goes again with the pic of Robbie and the girls

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 07:48 AM

NOT MY DAY! Photos and I aren't friends.

I asked my wife's secretary to reduce the file sizes on disc and somehow numbers got mixed up and duplicated. The pic of Robbie and the ladies in the office shares the same number as the one with the team around the car. CONFUSION.

Anyway here goes again with the office pic.

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 07:50 AM

Even though the steam engine pic is 68 KB it didn't opne fully the first time.

Here goes again.

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 07:53 AM

The soccer team pic is 71 KB - Should go through this time

Lee · 01-15-04, 08:52 AM

Andre
Your determination shows through. If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again.
Well done

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 09:53 AM

Someone asked me today if I did the recent UNREGISTERED posting of the black and white monocoque pics.

Not me! Not guilty. I always post under my own name.

A mysterious monocoque somewhere. Must say it looks good.

Andre 40

Hershal Byrd · 01-15-04, 11:08 AM

Andre,
As always, fascinating stuff.

Hersh [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

PATGT40 · 01-15-04, 01:12 PM

Andre,
Thanks for keeping us all informed. There is no doubt that Superformance has developed an extraordinary vehicle. I would not even call it a replica as it seems to be an exact copy. It might not be an original, but to me it is the real thing, or at least a clone of the real thing. So, how about a ball park figure on how much it is going to cost?

pbo · 01-15-04, 01:29 PM

I sent Bob Olthoff (NC Superformance Dealer) an e-mail fishing for info. I bought a Cobra from them and have interest in a GT. I'll follow up when I receive a reply.

Ron Earp · 01-15-04, 02:55 PM

pbo, I did the same but never got a response. Maybe things have changed in the last months.

Ron

Andre40 · 01-15-04, 05:22 PM

Hi pbo and Ron,

Perhaps I'm talking out of turn but there's a health problem. Keep trying, old Bob is tough old survivor. Racing drivers are. Remember old Nikki who got very very peed off when he heard the priest reading the Last Rites when he was nearly barbequed at the 1976 German Grand Prix. He felt that the man with strong Vatican connections should have helped him stay on this mortal coil rather than sending him up to old St Peter at the Pearly Gates. In March, 1977 the tough Austrian, with head and ears not in good condition, arrived at Kyalami for the 1977 South African Grand Prix and what did he do - he won it. Excuse the expression but that's BIG BALLS! Keep talking to Bob.

Andre 40