Ray Bell's post of February in relation to Jack Nougher/Eiffeltower/Magic at the Bathurst enduro brought back memories of the era. Jack was (is?) a larger-than-life character who I met for the first time at Bathurst in 1969 when, with a fast solicitor friend, I co-drove a Hillman Gazelle in an unsuccessful effort to beat the Datsun 1600's (510 was the US Model number, I recall) which were the major numbers in the class. Jack and his co-driver, David O'Keefe, were at the event as visitors and offered to help us when our car was not performing up to scratch (it was bloody slow!). Being poor souls we gratefully accepted their offer. Didn't make much difference, though, as the "Guzzle" only lasted 87 laps when the head gasket went (the cylinder head hadn't been retensioned after 500 miles). Our claim to fame on the day was being the second fastest car DOWN the Mountain - only beaten by Ace Kevin Bartlett in an Alfa Romeo GTV 1600. One of the track announcers, Graham Howard, was killing time by comparing times for cars going down the Mountain and noticed we had passed a Ford GTHO on the way down and were only overtaken by it on Conrod Straight.
I digress: Jack's co-driver at all Bathurst races was the aforesaid David O'Keefe, his Sales Manager at Eiffeltower Motors in Dandenong. Jack's choice of nom de plume was indeed, as Ray iterated, to publicise his various business ventures and remain within the CAMS motorsport rules. The "Magic" name came about because, after selling his Eiffeltower Motors business (which I was working for at the time) he became a heavy in the Holiday Magic Make-up pyramid selling racket promoted by a Jeffery Hunter training film. On the strength of Jeffrey's sincere and convincing appearance I became a Holiday Magic Girl! (Make-up didn't suit me, so I gave it to my girlfriend's mother)
I am not sure if Jack is still with us, but David has remained a friend over all the years and lives in Hobart, Tasmania.
Jack's races:
1960 Simca Aronde, Phillip Island, - co-driver L Marsh;
1962 Simca Aronde, Phillip Island, co-driver not known;
1966 as Jack Nougher - Chrysler Valiant V8, Bathurst, co-driver David O'Keefe - class winner and 10th outright (Mini Cooper S's were 1st to 9th);
1967 as Jack Eiffeltower - Hillman Imp GT Bathurst, co-driver David O'Keefe;
1968 again as Jack Eiffeltower - Hillman Gazelle Bathurst, co-driver David O'Keefe - DNF;
1970 as Jack Magic BMW 2800 Bathurst co-driver David O'Keefe 7th in the Ford GTHO class.