Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 127 i Australian Muscle Car

By the time you read this, the December 2021 Bathurst 1000 will have been run and won. And on the Friday before that, the new Gen3 Supercars rules for 2023 will have been unveiled. Whatever the future holds for Gen3, one thing is certain: with the arrival of Chevrolet’s Camaro to take on Ford’s Mustang, it will mark the final end for Holden in top-level touring car racing and at Bathurst. Seeing all this unfold reminds me of how much things have changed in 30 years – and, sadly, not all for the better. Let’s not be too quick to reach for the rose-coloured glasses, though, because things actually weren’t all that good in 1991. The touring car racing scene back then was about as dysfunctional as it could possibly…

Elsewhere in this issue is part two of our McGee dynasty feature. Hedley McGee was a master engine tuner and an important pioneer in the Australian high performance aftermarket scene in the 1950s and ‘60s – for road and race. When it came to the latter, Hedley dabbled in hillclimbs and racing at Mount Druitt in a humpy Holden, although by all accounts his talents were better served back in the workshop than behind the behind the wheel on the track. When his wife, Lillian, had a go in the Holden and promptly went quicker than her husband, Hedley decided it was time to quit driving… Then again, Lillian McGee must have been a fairly decent driver. In early 1954 she won at Mount Druitt – and the following weekend…

Last issue’s Punters Pics section featured reader Michael McLennan’s sequence of Murray Carter’s XD Falcon giving Kevin Bartlett’s Camaro the old heave-ho in a touring car support race at the 1981 Australian Grand Prix at Calder. We wondered what on earth had gotten into the normally mild-mannered Murray for him to have so brazenly despatched Big Rev Kev’s Chev, but since then it’s been brought to our attention that we’d already found the answer when we featured Murray as our Muscle Man. Carter crew member Joe Sullivan that weekend recalled what happened when the veteran astounded on-lookers with a rare flash of racetrack aggression: “Murray had lost what sponsorship he had and he was racing Kevin Bartlett’s Camaro,” remembers Sullivan, who is still part of the motorsport scene today, working…

The legend began with XW Paul Newby quotes ex-WHEELS editor ‘Robbo’ as not reconciling now as to why the then Oct’ ‘71 issue of the magazine did not feature the Phase III on the cover. Maybe this is a typical case of not remembering the context of the design of that third iteration of the ‘HO’ model portrayed at the time, compared to the previous two. Speaking as one who was a 28 year-old ‘tradie petrol head’ back then, and who had witnessed the prior release of the initial Windsor powered ‘HO, (at the time not classified as a Phase anything), followed by the hot-rod ‘Cleveland’ Phase II, I could only say that the release of that›= first 1969 XW model quickly created the high profile for all the GTHOs;…

The Ian Geoghegan Monaro would play a role in the evolution of what today is the powerhouse racing team known as Garry Rogers Motorsport. Garry Rogers bought the car in 1977, to replace his previous Sports Sedan, a Ford Escort with twin-cam BDA power. While the rapid little Escort was a step up from the early-model Holden Sports Sedans Rogers had raced on and off since the mid-‘60s, the Monaro was in another league. As a driver, it elevated Rogers to the national stage, and it helped pave the way for his move into touring car racing, with a Torana A9X. Rogers sold it the Monaro to Phil Lucas in 1979, who teamed up with another Phil (Ward) with another John Sheppard-built Monaro (the ex-Bob Jane car). Lucas raced it…

Think of the most sought after, the most loved Holden muscle cars – the high-performance models built with winning Bathurst in mind. The Torana A9X probably tops the list for most people. Then there’s the L34, and of course the mighty little LC and LJ XU-1s, maybe a Monaro or two, and some of the Brock Commodores. Then there’s the VL Commodore SS Group A SV ‘Walkinshaw’ – although that car would likely have gone down in Holden history as the least-loved of all had it not been redeemed by that unexpected 1990 Bathurst win. The VL’s successor, the VN Commodore SS Group A SV, did not win Bathurst – and in fact did not win very much at all in its short 18-month spell as Holden’s front line touring…

For our Kiwi readers the name Leo Leonard needs no introduction. He is a living legend of New Zealand motorsport. For Australian AMC readers he has featured in many articles over the years but never the headline act – which suits the quiet and modest South Islander.Yet on his day he was the absolute equal to legendary racers such as Allan Moffat and fellow Kiwi Jim Richards. His drives in memorable cars like the E38/E49 Valiant Chargers and the iconic PDL Mustang I and II are remembered by Kiwi enthusiasts to this day. His record in the Pukekohe 500/1000, New Zealand’s equivalent to our Bathurst 500/1000, is unequalled. Seven victories in total, eight if you include his final victory (that was part of a series and not a standalone), in…

Al Turner died away on November 3 at age 89 in Florida, USA. Al Turner’s time here in Australia was only brief, but his legacy is huge. He presided over a hugely successful period for Ford’s motorsport effort in Australia in the early ‘70s, but more importantly was instrumental in the development of what even 50 years on are still regarded as the pinnacle of Australian Ford muscle cars. It is not overstating things to describe him as the father of the Falcon GTHO. ‘Big Al, as he was affectionately known, was neither a qualified mechanic nor engineer; all of what Turner knew about cars and high performance had been self-taught in a lifetime of driving, racing and tinkering with them. He was the perfect man for the job, which…

Our cover story in AMC issue #120 featured the Holden Dealer Team LC Torana GTR XU-1 (with KSA-302 Victorian rego plates) which Peter Brock raced at Macau in 1971. Our story also covered the return and restoration of the car, under Todd Martin’s ownership. However, information has since been brought to AMC’s attention that shows we were in error: Todd Martin’s restored LC Torana XU-1 is not in fact the ex-HDT Brock Macau race car. Vicroads archival records show that Todd Martin’s car was first registered in 1970 on KRT-513 plates, not KSA-302. The records also confirm that it is a genuine LC Torana XU-1, built on August 18, 1970 (chassis no LC16500, VIN 82911CL158049). It was sold as a new car by Shilton Holden in Donald, Victoria. The HDT…

Long-time AMC readers might recall the name Kerry Turley. He’s the Broken Hill-based businessman and car collector who saved and then restored the XB Falcon which John Goss and Kevin Bartlett shared at Bathurst in 1975. That ’75 Goss Hardtop was our cover car back in 2008 in issue #39. He’s also the man who has brought the former Ian Geoghegan Craven-Mild HJ Monaro GTS Sports Sedan back to life. And as it happens, it was the cover of an earlier issue of this magazine that prompted Kerry to acquire the Monaro in the first place. We first featured this car back in 2005 (issue #21). When Kerry saw the Monaro on the cover, with its menacing low stance, those pumped out guards, fat Bridgestone tyres, and the trademark GT40…

These days any Falcon hardtop in pretty much any conditions is a thing of some value. They’re celebrated by Ford fans for the classic Aussie muscle that they are –although they weren’t always viewed with such fondness. In fact, how the XA-B-C two-door Falcon Hardtop series Hardtops are cherished today is something the Ford execs in the late ‘70s couldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams. Back then, they were struggling to give the things away. In 1978 the Hardtop coupe was in its seventh and final year of production. A new era was dawning as the ‘80s approached. Big coupes were out of style as the automotive market embraced the trend to the smaller, more angular lines of the European car makers. Holden’s all-new VB Commodore was a case…

If you looked up the word adventure in an illustrated dictionary there may well be a photo of Bruce Hodgson alongside the listing. After almost eight decades on the planet Hoddo saw and experienced his fair share of motorsport adventure but unfortunately Hoddo left us in October after a long battle with cancer. For those in the rallying know, Bruce ‘Hoddo’ Hodgson is one of those characters widely admired for his speed, tenacity and car control, whether it was winning the 1971 Rally of New Zealand, throwing a Phase IV GTHO XA Falcon around the forests or piloting one of the three Ford factory team XT Falcon GTs to the teams’ prize in the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon. It was somewhere in Turkey in the middle of the night during that…

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! The last few months have been a bumper time for releases of Australian slot cars - some terrific models have been hitting the shelves and its worth spending time to review them here. Kicking off the party was the Goss/Hahne TWR Jaguar, the Bathurst winner from 1985, followed shortly after by the R-Motorsport Aston Martin GT3 of Kelly/Dennis/ Dixon from the 2020 Bathurst 12 Hour. The Jaguar had been highly anticipated and a very popular seller, especially for those in the UK desperate to get one – bravo to all involved in making it happen. The Aston Martin flew under the radar, but the colourful Castrol livery is very attractive and initial stocks sold out quickly. After a quiet start to the year, the bulk of the…

It wasn’t just in drag racing that the McGee quad-cam but was stymied. As early as Easter 1976, the McGees were approached by Steve Arntz, a cashed-up Californian building contractor who was promoting a project for a Shelby Cobra lookalike. He wanted an engine that would make 800 horsepower on two carburetors and pump fuel. He was offering to buy 20 engines, and his appearance brought all other work – including racing – at the McGee workshop to a halt. “We didn’t realise it at the time,” says Chris, “but he had vendor problems with building the cars. “Dad and I put together an engine that ran on a dyno at Edelbrock’s for two weeks to prove that it could do the job,” Phil told us. “Arntz brought an unfinished…

The Monaro started life as a HJ model with 5.7-litre Chev power in 1975 but reverted to HQ trim at the end of the year. The reason for this change was because the car had fallen foul of the Sports Sedan rules which imposed a 5.1-litre limit on engine capacity unless the road car was available with an engine of more than 5.1-litres. Unfortunately for the Laurie O’Neill team, Holden had dropped the 5.7-litre V8 option with the HJ, which meant the car did not comply with this rule – even though the HJ and HQ bodyshells were identical. Incredulously, not even the QC legal eagle O’Neill hired could convince CAMS (Motorsport Australia) of the seemingly obvious fact that the HJ was a facelift of the HQ – which would…

Generally speaking, when a restorations and repair workshop builds a ‘show car’ to help promote the business, the idea is to produces something bright, shiny and immaculate. For Geoff and Laura Luck of Gold Coast-based GC Restoration, the concept of producing something immaculate on one side and full of retained grotty patina on the other – inside and out – has certainly done the trick, quickly attracting huge amounts of interest. If Facebook hits are your way of measuring success in that area, GC Restoration’s HZ Holden ute ‘2 Face’ got a remarkable 1.34 million of them worldwide in just five days during early November. The car is named and registered ‘2 FACE’ after the Batman comics villain character Harvey ‘2 Face’ Dent with his half-disfigured face. Not surprisingly known…

The original McGee drag racing engine concept was radical and sweeping. “Phil proposed to dad and me that we build what was originally intended to be a one-piece crankcase with two 270 cube Offy speedcar blocks as a V8,” Chris McGee explains. “But the more we got into researching it, it became obvious that there was far superior technology, with valve angles and chamber designs, in Indianapolis and F1 engines, so it all changed. Had Phil proposed the idea of a whole engine I doubt that it would have happened, but the smaller project grew into a big project.” The core idea for the V8 with a girdle was to contain a Chrysler 426 billet steel crank. This latter seems presciently significant, with Phil explaining in a 1974 interview that…

Elsewhere in this issue, in the ‘Word from our sponsors’ page, you’ll see a series of ads from back in the day for McLeod Ford Horn Cars – here’s another one right here. A brand new XA or XB Hardtop dressed up in lairy stripes and sitting on a cool set of aftermarket wheels would have been a pretty attractive proposition for any Ford fan in the mid-’70s – especially when it came with the personal seal of approval of none other than John Goss! These were the good old days when dealers could fit non-genuine accessories, at least to an extent. So for its ‘Horn Cars’ McLeod added items like front and rear spoilers and cloth seat inserts, in addition to the aftermarket alloys (or even wire wheels) and,…

Ford XA Falcon RPO83 in Lime Glaze Another trip the well of the XA-XC mould, and why not? This Lime Glaze Falcon looks great. The boot interior looks just like the original, with rubber floor mat, filler pipe, boot hinging plates and jack instruction decal on the inside of the boot lid. The heart of the beast is the 5.8L V8. Sitting on top is the air cleaner with high performance sticker. The bonnet hinges are etched metal for realism and smooth operation. You have to like the detail parts in different (and correct) colours – parts like the distributor, windscreen wiper motor and various other fittings are not just black or grey plastic. Interior includes XA sports steering wheel, full dash instrumentation and components, driver and passenger side rubber…