Muscle Man
Robbie Francevic is well known to Australian touring car racing fans for his short but highly successful spell here in the mid ‘80s at the wheel of a Volvo 240T Group A car. He arrived in Australia as if from nowhere, and almost immediately proceeded to ruffle the feathers of the local touring car stars. But Francevic was much more than simply the only non-resident to win the Australian Touring Car Championship. So much more, in fact, that there’s too much to the colourful Kiwi’s career to fit in one issue of AMC. Here is part one of our Robbie Francevic Muscle Man feature.
Early days
Robbie Franičević (he dropped the ‘i’ early in his career, see Q and A breakout) was born in Point Chevalier in suburban Auckland in 1941. A third generation New Zealander of Croatian descent, he grew up in Wellsford, just over an hour north of Auckland. However, it wasn’t long before the family moved back to the big smoke, as he reminisced to AMC recently.
“When I was 10, my mother said there was nothing for my sisters in the country, so we shifted back to Auckland and I grew up there. My dad and his best mate (they were married to two sisters) had a fish shop in Karangahape Road, Auckland. Dad served in the army during the war but due to a previous injury he didn’t travel overseas. My grandfather came from Croatia in the 1800s, owned 600 acres to the low watermark in Stanmore Bay, but had to sell and bought a fish shop. He saved money to go home and bring out his family. My father was 12 years younger than his siblings. He was born in Auckland and educated at Auckland Grammar.
“I shared an interest in cars with my dad. He had a ’35 Chrysler and travelled around the country a lot. I would be in the back seat and every time he lit up a cigarette I would reach over and steer. I was seven at the time. When I was 10 he would skite to his mates about letting me drive, which he would once he was off the main road on our way to Orakei to visit his parents. How did I drive the car? First, I pulled out a knob for the throttle, grab the steering wheel, jump off the seat onto the clutch and then change gear (it had a floor shift) and then pull myself back on to the seat and while kneeling a would drive the car with the throttle!
Francevic trained as a mechanic and worked for a Mr Wood in a garage at Point Chevalier. The family car at the time was a Humber 80 – a NZ-assembled car better known as the Hillman Minx in Australia. The humble 80 would become his first competition car.
“I received my international licence in 1962 and raced in the support race for the NZ Grand Prix at Ardmore. We practised the 80 and I leaned the main jet of the Stromberg carburettor to go faster. But I leaned it too much. We were sitting on the grid and it overheated. That one got away.”
According to his recollections, Francevic believes another Humber 80 was purchased, this one painted a garish orange and white. It was used mainly in hillclimbs and sprints, plus the odd circuit race. He remembers
