Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 87 i Australian Muscle Car

Bathurst crystal balling A nd so we arrive at a fascinating point in Australian motor racing history. How things unfold over the next decade, particularly at the sport’s Mecca, will be absolutely intriguing. Before I outline my bold prediction for Bathurst’s future, I first should set the scene, now that a third endurance event has been added to Mount Panorama’s racing calendar. Easter Sunday 2016 saw the Bathurst 6-Hour classic held for a big field of production cars. It was run and won after this edition of AMC closed for press. The fact it attracted 53 fully paid entries shows that a willing competitor base has been crying out for a two-driver race for production-based sedans, hot hatches and entry-level sporties (Toyota 86s, etc), in the style of the earliest…

Top-shelf American muscle delivered impressive results at Shannons Sydney Autumn Classic auction in March, with two Fords each bringing six-figure results. A 1969 Ford Torino Talladega 428ci coupe in left-hand-drive was the show-stopper, selling for $112,000. Based on the Torino, just 754 of the road-legal Talladega were built at Ford’s Atlanta plant in January 1969 to homologate the car for that w year’s NASCAR season. The model featured an extended nose with a flush grille for better aerodynamics on ovals, such the Alabama super speedway it was named after, adding six inches in length. These were fabricated by the Holman Moody shop in Charlotte then trucked down to Atlanta and fitted on the assembly lines over the weekends. It was sold in just three colours – Wimbledon White, Royal Maroon…

AMC Reader: Hilton Trigg Muscle car: 1972 VH Charger XL Hometown: Port Lincoln, South Australia What is it? “A stock standard and original 1972 VH Charger XL, powered by a 245 Hemi with a 3-speed manual gearbox. All matching numbers. The brilliant Sunfire yellow colour is typically early 1970s. The only updates have been visual with the addition of period-style mags, and audible via an exhaust system delivering a mellow torquey tone.” When did you buy it? “November 2014. I first saw it on consignment in an Adelaide yard a couple of months earlier, and after many weeks researching noticed it was still available, due not to the price (which was realistic), but the owner’s stipulation that the vehicle remain intact and not be used as a donor…

No figure is more closely associated with Ford’s Australian muscle car heritage than Allan Moffat. The blue oval’s fans treasure memories of his four wins in the Bathurst endurance classic aboard V8 Falcons and the countless Mustang sprint race victories. Many of these same ‘blue bloods’ have also opted to delete from their memory banks Moffat’s time racing rotary-powered Mazdas! While the Hiroshima screamers didn’t feature a rumbling Cleveland Ford 351ci motor under the bonnet, these sleek little “rice burners” (as Dick Johnson described them) sure packed a punch. Love them or hate them, the Peter Stuyvesant-backed RX7 had a massive impact on the local racing scene. With this issue’s ‘preserving the touring cars of the greats’ theming, it was only right that we included a surviving Moffat Mazda in…

“Those laps when he was unwinding himself from being a lap down on Moffat … he had that look in his face, it was an unbelievable drive” Tate on Brock It’s the car that features in one of the most replayed incidents in Bathurst 1000 race history – Peter Brock’s #1 Holden Dealer Team LJ Torana GTR XU-1 that ran out of fuel with co-driver Doug Chivas at the wheel in the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 at Mount Panorama. The black and white Channel 7 vision (and colour documentary vision that also captured the moment) is vivid in the memories of motorsport aficionados across the country. It’s the stuff of Bathurst legend. In an instant it’s easy to conjure up the sight of Chivas, tired and worn from a long stint…

It seems our recent feature on slot cars (AMC #85) put the itch back into some tired trigger fingers. The good news is that this will be the first of a regular column on slot car racing in AMC. We’ll be going through how to get started, simple ways to make a trick home track, fun ways to get deadly serious and updates on latest releases. The bad news? Uhh, maybe also all of the above. Take it from someone who bought a Can-Am model about 12 years ago, not knowing it was a slot car, this is a hobby that can quickly get out of hand. That inadvertent purchase has led to a collection of about 550 cars, a four-lane race track and mini dyno in the attic and…

In 1966, Harold Holt was PM, St George took the last of its 11 consecutive premierships and St Kilda won its one and only VFL flag, while at Bathurst the diminutive Mini Cooper S herd blitzed the Gallaher 500. 1966 was also a year when Ford Australia president, Bill Bourke proclaimed Aussies would never buy Japanese cars because they would be too embarrassed to park them in the RSL car park! Little did he know... Interestingly, the 54-car field at Bathurst that year contained 12 Japanese cars, including three Isuzu Belletts. NSW Bellett distributor Griffon Motors, under the aegis of Bruce Fraser, and Victorian equivalent Canopus Motors, both offshoots of VW distributor LNC, were keen to run the Bellett 1500 in class B of the 1966 Gallaher 500. “Bruce Fraser’s…

1975 Sandown 250 Winner: Brock/Sampson Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 The 1975 Sandown 250 race was important in Australian motorsport history, given that it was the first-ever where Brock’s car was adorned with the now famous ‘05’ race number. The number was issued by the Victorian Road Safety & Traffic Authority in recognition of Brock’s work in campaigning for road safety and creating awareness of the .05 blood/ alcohol limit. The Sandown 250 was also the only race in Brock’s career where the ‘point’ was featured before the ‘05’. Just released by Biante is this 1:18 scale diecast model of the Gown-Hindaugh team Torana that Brock drove to the first of seven consecuive Sandown victiories. This model forms part of Biante’s Peter Brock Collection and is limited to just…

Holden Design, based in Fishermans Bend, is continuing to crank out some of the best looking cars in the world of General Motors, including the Opel GT that starred at the Geneva motor show. Holden has one of only two full-fabrication prototype shops in the GM world and is often tapped for construction of show cars, in addition to its regular design work. The GT – which could easily join the European new-car roster at Holden if it makes production in Europe – was designed in Germany under a team led by Mark Adams, before being built in Melbourne. It’s a well-proportioned, front-engined and rear-wheel drive coupe that takes its inspiration from a similar Opel in the 1970s. The car is similar in size to the Alfa Romeo 4C but…

Last issue’s cover story focused on Allan Moffat’s mid-1970s Sports Sedan endeavours, which included driving the famed Cologne Capri RS3100. Moffat has mostly fond memories of the sweet-handling Capri, despite the fact that one of the ugliest incidents of his long career came while driving the German-built beast. This was at the Hume Weir circuit on June 15, 1975, when a glass bottle struck the Capri’s windscreen after Moffat won the Sports Sedan feature race. Over four decades on, Moffat retains vivid memories of this day. “It was on the cool down lap and some ignoramus in the crowd threw a beer bottle at the car and it hit the windscreen,” he told AMC. “It gave me the fright of my life! “Like all good cool, calm and collected racing…

Moffat’s five-card trick Congratulations on the latest AMC (issue #86). I’ve been a collector since day one, and thoroughly enjoyed the story on the Moffat challenge for the Australian Sports Sedan Championship. However, Moff’s whole year in ’76 was actually a five-card trick when you think about it. In addition to the two sports sedans, he raced his original XB hardtop, the Goss hardtop after the Adelaide fire and then the Project Phoenix hardtop. This must have stretched his resources to the limit. I’ve been thinking, and there are three cars that I’d love to see full feature stories on as I believe that they are significant cars that essentially changed Australian sedan racing. They are: 1) Moffat’s 1980 XD. I know that this car received some coverage in the…

Here’s an old touring car that proves immortality is not necessarily tied to Bathurst success. It never won a big race in its heyday; had a remarkably short career as a team’s frontline racer; and was punched from pillar to post during periods of its life. Nonetheless, it’s one of the most popular machines on the Historic scene today. Its fame stems from its connection to a Group C era great, a quirky nickname splashed on national television, its unique striped colour scheme and surviving that long list of bingles and bash-ups. It’s Elvis – so named because it had more hits than the paunchy Memphis crooner in the white sequined jumpsuit. Elvis the Commodore’s history is in stark contrast to other machines featured this edition, so-called ‘time capsules’ like…

Pete Sturgeon is the proud custodian of two very special historic BMW touring cars. The New Zealander owns the Johnny Cecotto/Gianfranco Brancatelli BMW M3 from the 1987 Bathurst 1000 and the JPS BMW 635 CSi raced in 1985 by Neville Crichton. Each is an excellently presented example of a fine BMW Group A model. Or rather was, because the 1985 Crichton 635 Group A car has just undergone an exercise in time-travel that’s seen it revert to its original 1983/84 guise as a Group C machine. At this point the question might be asked: why go to the trouble of taking a historic Group A JPS BMW 635 CSi back to Group C specs? It’s not as though the Group C version was an outstanding success over the model’s three-and-a-half-seasons.…

It was a case of convenient timing that led to a legendary lark. Back in 1994, Victorian premier Jeff Kennett announced that all taxis being licensed in the garden state would be painted yellow. On the plus side, it would make it easier for those (possibly inebriated) people seeking taxi transport in a crowded area, but the cabbies found resale into the private world a far more difficult proposition… Fast-forward a couple of years, to HSV’s most outlandish special edition vehicle since the ‘Batmobile’ VL Group A: The VS GTS-R. Like the ‘Walkinshaw’ VL, 1996’s GTS-R was inspired by the race track. Unlike the VL, it was not a homologation special, though it’s undoubtedly rarer with only 85 examples produced. This breaks down as 75 for the Australian market, another…

Baskerville Raceway is Australian motorsport’s hidden gem, unknown to a large slab of people who consider themselves race fans. It’s a Hobart institution. A local hero loved by Tasmanian racing enthusiasts who care not one zot that it lacks a national profile. Baskerville is short, sweet and oozing in character with its blind crests, fast downhill straight and banked sweepers. The 2.01km track is also steeped in history. In fact, it’s the oldest continually licensed full-time racetrack in Australia. Only Mount Panorama, which falls somewhere between temporary and dedicated circuit, has been around longer. Australia’s most famous racing drivers of the 1970s and ‘80s competed there at one stage or another. World Champion Alan Jones, who raced there less than 12 months after winning his last Formula 1 race, called…

Some muscle cars are bought by loving owners who pamper them like members of the family. Other muscle cars, though, aren’t so lucky. Some get stolen, smashed or thrashed. Some get parked and lost under a layer of dust in an old shed, others get left outside to brave the elements and slowly rust away. Sad, but true. We eyeball plenty of beautifully maintained and/or fully restored muscle classics in AMC, but as serious car pervs we have to admit there’s few things more intriguing – or exciting – than spotting an old classic in a paddock, or a shed, or under a shady tree, that’s seen better days and in need of some TLC. Some are beyond saving, but they all have a story to tell. So, get out…

The end of the Falcon will be celebrated with the fastest Australian-made Ford in the company’s 91-year history. The limited-edition XR6 Turbo Sprint comes with 325 kiloWatts and 576 Newton-metres of torque and those numbers jump to 345 and 575 for the Falcon XR8 Sprint. Just 1400 cars will be made for Australia and New Zealand, virtually ensuring the Sprint’s position as a future classic. The cars are priced from $54,990 for the auto-only XR6 – which is a massive hike of more than $10,000 against the standard car – and the showroom sticker for the XR8 is $59,990 or $62,190 for the automatic version. The Sprints go on sale in May. There are a number of bonuses beyond stickers and badges, as the cars get the biggest brakes in…

Monza motza The colours and shape are familiar – just not in the Touring Car Masters. Former full-time V8 Supercar driver Greg Ritter dominated the opening TCM round in Adelaide in Tony Hunter’s Chev Monza, evoking memories of Allan Moffat’s exploits in a DeKon version 40 years earlier. Defending series winner John Bowe (Torana) finished second and Eddie Abelnica (Falcon hardtop) third, but neither could do anything about Ritter who charged to a pair of race victories. The weekend’s reverse grid race was won by Adam Garwood (Torana). Adelaide was the last TCM meeting for series stalwart Andrew Miedecke, who will be refocusing on racing with son George in the Australian GT Championship. The next TCM round was scheduled for the Shannons Nationals at Sandown, over April 1-3. New HTC…

While Allan Moffat’s Chev Monza is back in its country of origin, the USA, another DeKon Monza that raced in Australia still resides here. In fact, for the first time in two decades this car is for sale. This is reportedly DeKon Monza chassis #1001 (the ex-Moffat car is #1005) raced in Australia by a long list of drivers. As the chassis designation suggests, #1001 was the first of the Horst Kwech- and Lee Dykstra-built machines, debuted in Kwech’s hands at Road Atlanta in ‘75. That first ever event for the DeKon Monza series of cars didn’t go to plan, with Kwech crashing out of the lead after tangling with lapped traffic. Once repaired it was purchased by American Maurice Carter. The Monza was soon brought to the antipodes by…

Our friends at Autopics.com.au have just released a new signed poster commemorating the 1991 and ’92 Bathurstwinning Nissan GT-Rs. The poster has three signatures, drivers Mark Skaife and Jim Richards, plus the other star of the show, team boss Fred Gibson. Limited to just 100 worldwide, it comes with a Certificate of Authenticity showing all three signing the poster. The poster size is 675 x 450mm (26 x 17 inches) and is available unframed or (black) framed. Prices for a framed version are $295 plus delivery and $95 plus delivery for the poster sans frame. To order, go to autopics.com.au, ring David on 0407 869 680 or email info@autopics.com.au…

Car-riculum Vitae The year 1958 has its own special place in my motorsport history. That was the year when yours truly got his driver’s licence! It was pretty much the start of a long life’s involvement with cars, but there’s one aspect of that life that may strike you as a bit unusual. A lot of racing drivers have made their road cars a reflection of what they do on the track. Think Steve McQueen and his Porsches, if you want a glamorous example. Guys who go racing often like their ‘company car’ to be an extension of their racing machinery. That’s never really been my way though. I got my first competition car while I was doing my apprenticeship with the Electricity Commission of New South Wales. At that…

Falcon coupes have not been frequent flyers in Historic racing. In reality, the chances of spotting a hardtop competing in the popular Heritage Touring Cars class have been slim. How slender? Akin to photographing a TAA plane on Pacific film while standing in Denmac Ford’s showroom... Two-door Fords were rare racing birds in the first place. Only a small number of hardtops raced, relative to their Holden opposition, through the Group C era of the 1970s. The few XA coupes with period touring car history soon became extinct, while natural attrition also accounted for several XB and XC examples. In any case, fewer hardtops competed than many fans might imagine, with Allan Moffat racing the same chassis in four consecutive Great Races, 1976 to 1979. Others had multiple Bathursts in…

November 4, 1984. Surfers Paradise International Raceway hosts the final round of that year’s Australian Endurance Championship, the Motorcraft 300. It’s the last points-paying race of the ‘Big Banger’ Group C era. Peter Brock steers the #05 dayglo Holden Dealer Team VK Commodore to its third victory from as many starts. The win is not enough to secure Brock the AEC driver’s title, as a zero points haul from the first two rounds proves insurmountable. No big deal. Five weeks earlier Brock won the race that really mattered, Bathurst’s James Hardie 1000. Allan Moffat’s second place gives him endurance championship honours, as well as handing the manufacturer’s crown to Mazda. Dick Johnson deflates his big contingent of homestate supporters when the #17 Falcon retires with another drive-train failure. Instead of…

Peter Brock won The Great Race in 1987. Everyone knows that. Yet, it was an unknown Belgian, driving a car that’s become one of the most infamous in Australian motorsport history, whose car was first to the chequered flag at Mount Panorama that year. Pierre Dieudonne shared an Eggenberger Motorsport Ford Sierra with Steve ‘Soperman’ Soper and now, for the first time in nearly 30 years, he is going on the record with his side of one of the biggest Bathurst controversies. Dieudonne says he never suspected his Texaco Sierra was illegal, thought Brock was grandstanding with his lurid slides on the greasy track, and was stunned and humbled by his Bathurst experience. And he says he still has the Rookie of the Year trophy tucked away at his home…

How on earth do you improve on perceived perfection? Good question! When Gary Bridger and I wrote the original version of our book, Hey Charger, untold hours were spent in massaging the minutiae of each chapter. This was in addition to the 10 years or more I had personally spent gathering information, interviewing the few surviving Chrysler executives, sourcing images – the few that have survived – and arranging to take portrait shots of well-kept and restored examples of the car. From my selfish point of view there were a couple of issues with the original Hey Charger as published and bought by car enthusiasts beginning in 2004. Firstly, it was soft-covered where I wanted hard-cover but I was overruled by the accountants who insisted that the book’s retail price…

Craig Poole Countless Aussie businesses got off the ground and spread their wings using a long line of Holden vehicles as workhorses and mobile billboards. A good example is South Australian firm Thomas R Poole & Sons (started in 1948!) which later morphed into TRP Ductwork. The sheetmetal fabricating company will live on as a local manufacturer long after Holden. AMC reader Craig Poole, grandson of the founder and an L34 Torana owner, sent us these amazing images of some of the earliest Poole fleet, for both work and pleasure. Love the LC GTR. Michael Strudwick We dedicated last issue’s Punter Pics to Michael’s touring car pics from Surfers Paradise. This issue, as a full-stop to his amazing images, we present some 1977 Australian Sports Sedan Championship action from Surfers’…

When it comes to blighted Bathurst campaigns, it would be hard to imagine one more doomed than that of Ross Bond’s JBL loudspeakers-backed Torana in 1977. The Whaddyaknow page in issue #84 highlighted a number of 1970s Hardie-Ferodo assaults that mysteriously failed to make the grid for Sunday’s big race. We asked for info about why a number of cars – including this bright blue A9X sedan – fronted for practice and qualifying but went MIA before the Australian flag fell to send the field into Hell... Corner that is. We have now tracked down this ‘other’ racing Bond to find out why his one and only Bathurst 1000 ended with premature evacuation. On paper this looked like a solid entry. An experienced lead driver in Ross Bond and a…