1937 Australian Grand Prix

{{Use Australian English|date=January 2024}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox Grand Prix race report

|Type = CUST

|Description = handicap race

|Grand Prix = Australian

|Country = Australia

|Image =

|Location = Port Elliot-Victor Harbor CircuitFront cover, Official Programme, SA Centenary Grand Prix, 26 and 29 December 1936
near Victor Harbor, South Australia

|Date = 26 December

|Year = 1936

|Course = Temporary road circuit

|Course_mi = 7.8

|Course_km = 12.55

|Distance_laps = 32

|Distance_mi = 240 .

|Distance_km = 386.16

|Weather = Sunny

|Pole_Driver =

|Pole_Country =

|Pole_Team =

|Pole_Time =

|Fast_Driver = Tom Peters

|Fast_Team = Bugatti

|Fast_Time = 5:47

|Fast_Country = AUS

|First_Driver = Les Murphy

|First_Country = AUS

|First_Team = MG

|Second_Driver = Tim Joshua

|Second_Country = AUS

|Second_Team = MG

|Third_Driver = Bob Lea-Wright

|Third_Country = AUS

|Third_Team = Terraplane Special

}}

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 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 in April and no succeeding event had been planned. Eventually the Australian Grand Prix would be revived in April 1938 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."Recognition" of the race as an Australian Grand Prix had occurred prior to the running of the 1948 Australian Grand Prix as a list of AGP winners published on page 11 of the Programme for that race includes an entry for "1937 – Victor Harbour – L Murphy".

The race was the first road race for cars to be held in South Australia, 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 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 and promoted by Centenary Road Races Limited of Adelaide.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17262868 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 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-based special. Fifth placed finisher Ossie Cranston, driving a Ford V8-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

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