It is sad to advise that Sydney engineer and racer Bruce Mansell passed away on 18 January 2026.
Bruce was a long-time member of the HSRCA. He was a brilliant racer…. and his skill in rebuilding Lotus cars is well known.
His son Nick wrote about Bruce few years ago: “He took on the world from the 1980s, manufacturing Rapid label presses here in Australia and exporting them to 54 countries. He was a familiar face at international trade fairs, flying the Australian manufacturing flag and has earned the respect of customers and friends on every continent.”
The funeral for Bruce will be held at 1:30pm on Thursday 29 January 2026 in the Camelia Chapel at Macquarie Park Crematorium. The AMHF extends its sincere condolences to Bruce’s wife and family.
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In July 2020, Alan Page and John Murn interviewed Bruce Mansell. This is the record of that interview.
Bruce grew up in Waverton and North Sydney on Sydney’s lower North Shore. He became interested in cars when he was 8, his neighbour at the time was well-known Cooper agent John Crouch, who drove a Delahaye.
Bruce left school at 16 and got his learner’s permit as soon as he could. The first car he ever drove was a friend’s Sunbeam Talbot 90 Convertible. Having watched his father drive, Bruce knew what to do and got his license with ease, driving an FE Holden. He surprised his instructor, who queried whether he had driven before; it turned out he was a natural. He then bought his first car, a Ford Prefect 100E. After getting his driver’s license, Bruce decided he should get a pilot’s license. Having flown many times in small planes as a passenger, on his first lesson his flight instructor was surprised when he took control of the plane and flew it so well. The instructor asked Bruce if he had a pilot’s license previously. Another example of his natural ability.
A friend arranged an interview for Bruce with Dunlop Tyres and he secured a cadetship. He was sent to Macintosh Tyres in Chippendale and was given a job in the office for 6 months to learn about the tyre business, this included learning about re-treading tyres.
After leaving Dunlop, Bruce moved on to Muir’s Motors Ryde and there he was to learn about buying and selling cars. Bruce had several cars in his early years. After the Prefect, he bought an MG TD, a Vauxhall VX4/90 (a sporty version of the Victor), a Simca Aronde and a Triumph TR3A. Bruce restored each car he bought and sold each at a profit. When restoring the MG TD and the TR 3A, Bruce removed each panel and painted them individually.
The VX4/90 had twin carburettors and a high compression engine giving 91bhp. Bruce removed the stainless steel trim framing the side flashes and added some wickerwork and refitted the trim giving the car a more individual look. The Simca Aronde needed a re-work before he traded it in for a second Triumph TR3A with wire wheels. The TR3A did not suit Marion; so just before their wedding he bought a Sunbeam Rapier to tow a borrowed caravan and go on their honeymoon to Queensland. After their wedding they stayed at the Shore Inn in Artarmon, but next morning the Sunbeam wouldn’t start as the Lucas “Prince of Darkness” had struck, the starter had failed. With assistance from the hotel staff they were able get a push start and Bruce drove the car straight to Crows Nest Auto Electric. The car was repaired by lunchtime and off they went.
Bruce was a self-made man and has been a successful businessman, starting the Rapid Packaging Company in the 1970s to meet the needs of the packaging industry for short-run labels. Bruce invented a new type of printer that had double the output of most current printers of the day and the company expanded quickly. With Bruce’s natural engineering expertise, the company developed into a world-leading printing engineering company. Manufactured in Chatswood, it developed printing machinery products that sold worldwide.
Bruce also has carried out a number of sports and racing car restorations over the years for himself and for customers. He has restored five Lotus Elites, one of which won the 2005 National Concours of Elegance.
Bruce owned the following racecars:
1964 Brabham BT9: This car arrived from Austria, in a number of boxes and was restored to racing condition. The car is fitted with a 1558cc twin cam Lotus Ford motor; the car has been painted an immaculate red with a green nose.
1961 Lotus Elite
1966 Costin-Nathan Spider: Designed by Frank Costin, an aircraft designer (brother of Mike); this car has timber bodywork and a Hillman Imp motor with a Jack Knight gearbox.
1962 Lotus 22: Believed to be an ex Jo Siffert car.
Bruce’s first races were driving the MG TD and the Triumph TR3A at Silverdale Hillclimb run by the North Shore Sporting Car Club. After that experience he decided to get into track racing in sports cars and open wheelers. The first season driving the Lotus 22 he came second in the State Formula Junior Championship.
Bruce said he developed his driving skills on the road and believed that motor racing had taught him to be a better driver on the road. He described his driving style as “self taught” and he tried to be smooth and also believed he has a competitive nature. I asked Bruce when he was racing what kept him coming back? The simple answer: It became an addiction.
The highlight of Bruce’s driving career was in mid 2013 prior to his accident, he was invited to co-drive a borrowed Lotus Elite in a one-hour endurance race at the annual Silverstone Historic Race meeting. It was at short notice; Bruce paid the £2,000 entry fee and had only two laps of practice.
He started in 54th position in a grid of 58 cars. The co-drover drove the car for the first two laps and Bruce drove the rest and crossed the finish line in 34th position and coming second in the under 1500cc class.
Bruce joined the HSRCA a long time ago encouraged by his good friend John Cummins (Cummo). Bruce was severely injured in a road accident in 2013 while towing a trailer delivering a restored Lotus Elite, tragically he lost his sight. Remarkably – and typical Bruce – he drove a few laps at the 2019 Wakefield Park 25th anniversary meeting in the family Lotus Elite with son Nick alongside. Whilst working full time he had little time to serve on the committee and retired after the accident and offered himself for election to the HSRCA committee. He believed he could make a contribution. Bruce will continue to offer himself for election to the committee until such time as he considers he can no longer make a contribution.
