The 1937 Australian Grand Prix is a name which has been applied retrospectively to the 1936 South Australian Centenary Grand Prix, a motor race held on the Port Elliot-Victor Harbor road circuit in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

on Boxing Day, 26 December 1936.John B Blanden, A History of the Australian Grand Prix 1928-1939, page 129 The 1935 Australian Grand Prix had been held at

Phillip Island Phillip Island ( Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria. The island is named after Governor Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, by explore ...

in April and no succeeding event had been planned. Eventually the Australian Grand Prix would be revived in

April 1938 The following events occurred in April 1938: April 1, 1938 (Friday) *The Battle of Gandesa began. * Upper and Lower Silesia were reunified into the Province of Silesia. *''L'Osservatore Romano'' stated that the Vatican had not been consulted by ...

at Bathurst. The stature of 1936 South Australian Centenary Grand Prix, the largest such race held in the three-year gap, saw it later renamed and redated to become the 1937 Australian Grand Prix. The race was the first road race for cars to be held in

, with special amendments to the Road Traffic Act required to allow the roads to be closed for that purpose. A 7.8-mile (12.55 km) course was laid out specifically for the race on sealed public roads between the seaside towns of

Port Elliot Port Elliot is a town in South Australia toward the eastern end of the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is situated on the sheltered Horseshoe Bay, a small bay off the much larger Encounter Bay. Pullen Island lies outside the mouth of t ...

and Victor Harbor. It was only used for racing on this one occasion. The race, which had 27 starters, was held over 32 laps for a total distance of approximately 250 miles (400 kilometres). Like most major Australian motor races of the period, it featured a handicap start, with the slowest cars starting first and other cars starting at timed intervals according to their predicted performance. The race was organised by the

Sporting Car Club of South Australia The Sporting Car Club of South Australia, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. ...

and promoted by Centenary Road Races Limited of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

.''Centenary Grand Prix - Regulations for SA Event'', The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday, 21 August 1936 page 7
As retrieved from trove.nla.gov.au on 12 March 2013. It was open to factory built and catalogued racing cars and sports cars, irrespective of engine capacity, however other entries not meeting that description were also considered. The race was won by pre-race favourite Les Murphy, driving a

MG P-type The MG P-type is a sports car that was produced by MG from 1934 to 1936. This 2-door sports car used an updated version of the Wolseley Motors-designed and made overhead camshaft, crossflow engine, used in the 1928 Morris Minor and previously ...

off a handicap of 40 minutes.John B Blanden, A History of the Australian Grand Prix 1928-1939, page 132 He finished over ten minutes clear of Tim Joshua driving a similar car with Bob Lea-Wright thirdJohn B Blanden, A History of the Australian Grand Prix 1928-1939, page 147 in a

Terraplane The Terraplane was a car brand and model built by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, between 1932 and 1938. In its maiden year, the car was branded as the Essex-Terraplane; in 1934 the car became simply the Terraplane. They were ...

-based special. Fifth placed finisher Ossie Cranston, driving a

Ford V8 Ford engines are those used in Ford Motor Company vehicles and in aftermarket, sports and kit applications. Different engine ranges are used in various global markets. 3 cylinder A series of Ford DOHC 12-valve inline-three engines with Twin Ind ...

-based special off a handicap of 5 minutes, completed the race in the fastest actual running time of 3 hours 20 minutes and 17 seconds.John B Blanden, A History of the Australian Grand Prix 1928-1939, page 148

Classification

Results as follows. The entries of McDonald, Anderson and Abbott were "flagged off",John B Blanden, A History of Australian Grand Prix 1928-1939, pages 148 to 150 having exceeded the time limit rule.

Notes

Winner's average speed:

References

External links

Grand Prix won at 68½ mph, The Mail, Adelaide, 26 December 1936, trove.nla.gov.au
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Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

Australian Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix