MotorSport Legends Issue 26 by Supercar Xtra Magazine

MOTORSPORT LEG E N DS #26

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ISSUE #26

ONE MAN’S TRIBUTE TO A HOME-GROWN ROCKETSHIP RACE DRIVER PART “ROCK STAR” BROCK STAR! PART PETER BROCK LIVED LIFE TO THE FULL MSL26 p01 Cover.indd 1

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Contents ISSUE #26

NEWS

WEBB OF INTRIGUE

Australia’s longest-running historic event is also one of the country’s most popular. A SHOW OF MUSCLE

THE FOGES FILES

Show-goers were salivating at the incredible array of muscle cars on show at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building.

SHEPPARD’S PIE

Sheppo is back behind the typewriter ready to tell the stories no one wants told…

Mick relives the days when a mechanic used spanners, not software.

Were the ’60s and ’70s really the glory days of motorsport or is our man Foges simply living in the past?

WINTON WONDERLAND

MUSCLE MANIA

Bill Pye’s stunning new TCM Camaro has returned some of the most famous racing colours to the track. SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

The Ferrari Race Day at Eastern Creek showcased some of the world’s most desirable Prancing Horse machines.

It’s a long time since Valiant Chargers first took to Australian race tracks but they certainly left a lasting impression on this passionate Chrysler fan.

ADELAIDE ALIVE!

BROCK STAR

MARANELLO COMES TO SYDNEY

A wonderful celebration of Adelaide’s glorious grand prix days.

Part race driver, part celebrity – Australia’s most loved driver was a superstar on and off the track. MUSTANG’S 50TH B’DAY BASH

US Ford fans celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the world’s most popular muscle car. FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

Forget socks and jocks, we’ve got gifts Dad will really love! CATALONIA & MOTORSPORT

Looking for a way to spend the kid’s inheritance? Then a trip to the Spanish Grand Prix could be just the ticket!

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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pole position EDITOR

BIGGER BETTER BOLDER

Darren House Email: darren@motorsportlegends.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGN Craig Fryers craig@motorsportlegends.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Glenis Lindley, Paul Marinelli, Grant Nicholas, Brian Zana, Mark Fogarty, John Sheppard, Mick Webb PHOTOGRAPHERS Autopics.com.au, John Doig (Torque Photos), Glenis Lindley, Brian Zana PUBLISHER Allan Edwards – Pole Position Productions PO Box 225 Keilor Victoria 3036 Phone: (03) 9372 9125 Fax: (03) 8080 6473 Email: admin@motorsportlegends.com.au Website: www.motorsportlegends.com.au ADVERTISING MANAGER Jennifer Gamble Phone: 0431 451 470 Email: jennifer@motorsportlegends.com.au DISTRIBUTORS Network Services Material in Motorsport Legends is protected by copyright laws and may not be reporoduced in any format. Motorsport Legends will consider unsolicited articles and pictures; however, no responsibility will be taken for their return. While all efforts are taken to verify information in Motorsport Legends is factual, no responsibility will be taken for any material which is later found to be false or misleading. The opinions of the contributors are not always those of the publishers.

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS ENTERS A BRAND NEW PHASE AS WE CELEBRATE THE HISTORIC MOTORSPORT LIFESYLE.

otorSport Legends has exited the pits, with a new set of tyres, a full tank of gas and a new driver behind the wheel. Of course that is a terribly clichéd way of saying the magazine has entered a new phase, with broader coverage, more pages, greater distribution, a brand new look, and yours truly appointed as editor. Publisher and former editor, Allan Edwards, has thrown me the keyboard as he applies more of his time to the managerial side of his growing publishing empire. As these changes come into being, I am reminded of the brave step Allan took in establishing Motorsport Legends after running the idea past me over a few quiet beers at Racecourse Hotel in Malvern East.

As part of our expansion we are very pleased to welcome our newest contributor – race engineering legend, John Sheppard, who reprises his muchloved Sheppard’s Pie column. In his first piece for MSL, Sheppo proves he has lost none of his wit, nor his ability to stick it up ‘em – qualities that ‘endeared’ him to readers of the original series of Sheppard’s Pie. We’re also delighted to feature Classic Stonie – original cartoons from the ’70s and ’80s by legendary Australian motor sport cartoonist, John Stoneham, while regular contributor, Mark Fogarty, also moves into a columnist role. And that’s just the start of it, as you’ll see when you flip through the pages. On a sadder note, my first ‘official duty’ as editor was to attend the funeral of Harry Firth, and less than a month later came the news of Sir Jack Brabham’s passing. Sad times indeed. It’s a sobering reminder that we are all getting older and no one knows what tomorrow will bring, so – without wanting to sound morbid – I urge you all to get to the many wonderful historic meetings around the country (and world) and let the heroes of yesteryear know how much you appreciate their amazing achievements. Now, without further ado, it’s on with the show… we hope you enjoy the new look, greater value, MotorSport Legends. – Darren

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news

NEW JAGUARS E-TYPE AND F-TYPE SET TO POUNCE Jaguar is to build six perfect reproductions of the original, race-bred Lightweight E-type, which was created in 1963. The new cars are the ‘missing’ six vehicles from Jaguar’s Lightweight E-type project, which originally started in February 1963, with the objective of building 18 Special GT E-type Cars. Jaguar’s first ever ‘re-creation’ project, the all-aluminium cars will be assigned the six remaining chassis numbers which were

originally allocated in 1963 Customers will also be able to specify a range of bespoke options for their individual cars. The first new Light-

weight E-type will make its public debut later this year. The new cars will be handbuilt in-house by Jaguar’s finest craftsmen. Each car will be constructed to the exact specifications of their original 1960s forebears – including the 3.8-litre straight-six engine. Meanwhile, F-TYPE Project 7, the latest model in Jaguar’s acclaimed F-TYPE sports car range, made its debut at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

F-TYPE Project 7 is the first Jaguar performance vehicle from Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Operations team, and will be produced in an exclusive, limited edition run of up to 250 units. Its distinctive roadster body pays tribute to one of the most famous and iconic racing Jaguars: the three-time Le Mans winning D-type, which in 2014 is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary. F-TYPE Project 7’s name pays homage to Jaguar’s seven outright Le Mans wins. Power comes from Jaguar’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, now in 575PS/680Nm form, enabling the all-aluminium-bodied car – which weighs 1585kg – to achieve acceleration from 0-60mph in 3.8-seconds (0-100km/h in 3.9-seconds) and an electronically-limited top speed of 186mph (300km/h).

HOLDEN MONARO HG GTS 350 White (1:32 scale)

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Prior to his sudden passing in May this year, Sir Jack Brabham was presented with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) prestigious Engineering Heritage Award in a special ceremony at this year’s Australian Grand Prix. Established in 1984, this award celebrates excellence in mechanical engineering, and includes previous recipients like the Channel Tunnel, London’s Tower Bridge, the Jaguar E- Type and the Rolls Royce RB211 Engine. Brabham is the most successful Australian to race in Formula One, achieving 14 Grand Prix victories. Only a handful of Australians have ever made it to the top, including Alan Jones who managed one world championship; Mark Webber who almost reached that pinnacle; and current driver, Daniel Ricciardo.

SYDNEY RETRO SPEEDFEST On the first weekend of May, Sydney Motorsport Park was the venue of an historic motorsport event, the inaugural Sydney Retro Speedfest. The event is seen as an alternative to the popular, but expensiveto-run, biennial Tasman Revival. It is also intended to be modelled along the lines of Goodwood with a mix of racing, demonstration laps and displays designed for the spectator to explore and enjoy. It brought together an impressive collection of historic machinery, everything from an excellent roll up of Formula One racing cars to classic and big banger sports cars. There were also the ever-popular Heritage and Historic Touring Cars and many of the usual historic categories and cars. In between their allotted track time, the cars were easily accessible in the pits and paddock for closer examination. This joint promotion of the Historic Sports and Racing Car Association of NSW (HSRCA) and the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) had an inauspicious beginning. “Turning back the clock to the Golden Age of Racing” was the catchcry and it sounded appealing. But Sydney’s weather change at the start of the weekend, with a chilly blast signifying the first signs of winter, definitely affected attendances.

Photo Peter Schell

SIR JACK’S LAST AWARD

“From a competitors’ point of view, the entries were very positive. But from spectator numbers it will take a little time to evaluate where we go there,” said HSRCA’s Peter Schell. No doubt the main attraction was the healthy number of F1 cars. Included in the group that were out to do demonstration lap sessions was the Williams FW07 that won Alan Jones his 1980 World Drivers’ Championship. Jones’ last endeavour in F1 was also there - the turbo-powered Beatrice Lola Hart. Other notable Grand Prix cars included the Benetton B186 driven by Gerhard Berger, a 1996 Benetton BMW, the Tim Schenken-driven (1972) Surtees TS9B, a Cooper BG Bristol, the Matich SR4, and a March 741. Car owners like Paul Faulkner, Nigel Tait, Les Wright and Joe

Calleja were united in their praise of the meeting and appreciated the opportunity to drive their fabulous machines at speed. On the racing front, organisers managed to get through the 28-event program despite several red flags, the worst incident being an in-cockpit fire in Damon Hancock’s Group O Brabham BT23C that gave its driver superficial burns. There was a host of thrilling duels across the categories. None more so than the Heritage Touring Car trophy for Group A and Group C cars which Bill Pye (Ford Mustang), Carey McMahon (Nissan Skyline) and Bill Cutler’s BMW duelled for. Eventually McMahon won outright (and in Group A) from Pye, Cutler and the VL Walkinshaw Holden of Norm Mogg. – Garry O’Brien

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news

FANS RUSH FOR FINAL GT After announcing the final FPV model would have the most powerful and advanced engine ever built by FPV, with a 351kW version of its famed supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine, dealers were swamped with requests to secure the 351 build number. To support as many customers as possible, Ford offered FPV customers the opportunity to request their preferred build number through their dealer. The large majority of these requests were fulfilled, much to the delight of many customers. However, when it came to perhaps one of the most iconic numbers 351, Ford decided to conduct a random draw to allocate this prized build number. Gold Coast dealer, Sunshine Ford, drew FPV GT F number 351 in the ballot, and quickly allocated that car to a very happy customer, who wishes to remain anonymous. “We could probably have got a lot of money for the car on the open market, but we are

absolutely about rewarding loyalty, to the brand and to the dealership,” Sunshine Ford general sales manager, Ross Tanner, said. Sunshine Ford sold its

allocation of eight FPV GT F sedans and two Pursuit utes in just three days. Customers have rushed dealers Australia-wide to secure the celebration run of

FPV GT F sedans and Pursuit utes. Just 500 of the FPV GT F sedans will be built for the Australian market, each one individually numbered. 50 have been allocated to New Zealand, each with their own specific NZ build number. Alongside the GT F sedans, a refreshed FPV Pursuit ute will also be released, with just 120 units scheduled for production. The GT F sedan has a Manufacturer’s List Pricing of $77,990 and the FPV V8 Pursuit Ute is $52,990.

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news Formula One star Peter Revson and NASCAR legend Richard Petty competed in the US IROC (International Race of Champions) series during the ’70s.

IROC PORSCHE HEADS TO AUSTRALIA A new series based on the original American IROC series that used classic Porsche 911s will be introduced to Australia later this year. The brainchild of Harman Autosport’s Rowan Harman, the IROC Challenge Series will allow drivers to compete in a controlled specification category that addresses affordability, parity, serviceability and reliability in a structured race series. According to Harman, the series will cater for competitors who raced in the original Porsche Owners Association’s (PORA) Porsche Cup but were forced out of competition when that category evolved. “The PORA Porsche Cup was very successful and evolved into the Australian Porsche Cup and ultimately Carrera Cup. As the professionalism grew, so did the budgets and many of the original 70-plus PORA competitors drifted away,” 10

said Harman. Unlike the Porsche Cup, which catered for all types of Porsche cars and used complex formulas and regulations to balance parity, IROC will be restricted to 911s that conform to CAMS 2B – Marque Sports Cars, coupled with IROC regulations. As Group B, the IROC specification Porsche will also be eligible for a variety of racing disciplines, not just IROC. “The IROC specification is not intended to reproduce a 911 that meets the FIA

Historic Group 4 regulations, nor to produce an accurate 3.0 RS clone,” explained Harman, “The IROC specification allows widely available and affordable components, many of them off-the-shelf, to be incorporated into a 911 race car that, visually, will replicate the iconic Porsche race car of the 1970s IROC 3.0 RS.” In keeping with the history of the American IROC series, cars must be presented in one of the original 15 colours (plus gun metal grey/silver). A maximum of three vehicles

per colour will be allowed. The original colours are Bright Yellow, Grand Prix White, Gulf Blue, Pistachio Green, Light Green, Bright Green, Aubergine, Acid Blue, Mexican Blue, Indian Red, Orange, Sahara Beige, Strawberry Pink, Carman Red and Black. Competitors will be required to have an IROC Entrants Agreement (licence), with a maximum of 36 agreements available. The first 20 agreements will not incur a fee, while the remaining 16 agreements will carry a fee of $3300. Harman said 2014 will be a formation year for IROC as competitors source their cars. A six round series is scheduled for 2015, utilising a mixture of special interest, state and national level meetings. Preliminary discussions have taken place with the Shannons Nationals Series and the Bathurst Motor Festival.

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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at the auctions GOODING & CO AMELIA ISLAND 1967 DATSUN 1600 SPORTS $50,600

Californian auctioneers Gooding & Company may well have achieved a world record price for a Datsun 1600 Sports (SPL 311). Often seen as the poor cousin of the similar Datsun 2000 Sports (especially in Australia), big prices are usually reserved for the larger capacity cars, so it is pleasing to see these very under-rated 1600cc versions gaining popularity, Appearing in its original colours of silver grey metallic with smart red vinyl bucket seats, this car was meticulously restored in 2013.

Originally purchased in Arizona, the Datsun was quite original at the commencement of the restoration and is what might be called a survivor. The car was totally disassembled, the body stripped, repainted and

then finished to replicate the original presentation. All components were inspected and refurbished to the original specifications. Several upgrades were made to the car during restoration, including the

installation of a Datsun 2000 Sports five-speed manual transmission and hidden radio amplifier. The car has accrued approximately 42,000 miles and only 1,000 since the completion of the restoration.

automatic transmission and De Dion rear suspension carried out from 2009-2012, Shannons described the DBS as one of the finest they have seen come to auction. Expected to sell in the $78,000-$88,000 range, the

DBS eventually passed hands for $83,000. Other standout sales at this auction included a 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Sedan offered in outstanding, restored condition, which made $50,000, a 1952 Bentley

Mk VI saloon that had in excess of $50,000 lavished on it by its current owner of 33 years that sold for $45,000, and a modified 1955 Ford Victoria Coupe that went for $42,000 after being pursued by several enthusiasts.

SHANNONS

MELBOURNE 1971 ASTON MARTIN DBS V8 $83,000 An estimated 200 people from around Australia and overseas watched the Shannons Melbourne auction live on their computers, with the large number of online bidders out-spending floor and telephone bidders for nine of the lots on the night. The star of the auction was a stunning 1971 Aston Martin DBS V8 Coupe, finished in black with a cream leather interior. Supported by a strong service history, which includes major mechanical upgrades to the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5340cc V8 engine, three-speed 12

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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SHANNONS SYDNEY 1969 HOLDEN MONARO GTS $61,000

Classic Holdens punched above their weight at Shannons Late Autumn Auction in Sydney, led by beautiful matching numbers, and substantiallyoriginal 1969 HT Monaro GTS 253. Thought to be a threeowner car, the Monaro made an excellent $61,000. Other classic Holdens to pull impressive money were a beautifully restored 1958 FC Special Sedan fitted with numerous NASCO extras that attracted floor, phone and internet bids before selling for $31,500, while a 1963 Holden EH 179 Sedan made $15,000.

Other notable results included the $55,000 achieved by an increasingly collectable 1964 Mercedes-Benz 220SE Cabriolet, while a 1963 Mercedes-Benz ‘Pagoda series’ 230SL – both from private collections – sold for $50,000.

Replicas of collectable classics also did well in the auction, with a beautifully-presented replica of a 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby Fastback attracting a lot of interest before selling for $52,000, a very correct replica of a 1965 Ford Cortina Mk I GT

500 sedan bringing $22,000 and a largely faithful replica of a 1970 Mini Cooper S Mk II making $15,000. Meanwhile, a rare righthand-drive 1963 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint sold with no reserve for $30,000.

Previously owned by Russ Meyer, a famous cartoonist from the Southwest, who later sold it to a buyer in Oregon for $250,000, it was eventually seized by authorities there in a drug investigation and sold

at auction for $405,000; both prices were unprecedented at the time. The buyer subsequently commissioned a restoration by highly regarded Mopar restorer, Julius Steuer, of

Los Angeles, California, who completed the work in approximately 2000. A few years later it was traded for a number of vintage Corvettes from the current owner’s prestigious collection.

MECUM

SEATTLE 1971 PLYMOUTH HEMI CUDA $3,500,000 Documented as the only matching numbers four-speed convertible in existence, the well-documented and fully restored example of this most coveted of factory muscle cars, this 1971 Hemi Cuda convertible is one of just two four-speed versions delivered in the US. Its factory broadcast sheet confirms that it was equipped at the Hamtramck, Michigan assembly plant with the New Process four-speed transmission, Dana 60 rear end with 4.10 Super Track Pak, 26-inch radiator and power brakes.

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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PHOTO: JAMES SMITH

events Words GARRY O’BRIEN

MARANELLO COMES TO SYDNEY Ferrari owners and fans were in their glory when Sydney Motorsport Park hosted the extravagant Ferrari Racing Days. For the first time, Australians were able to witness the official Ferrari track and pit stop show first hand, and all that went with it. Despite a relatively low spectator attendance, the organisers were pleased and want to bring the event back again. “We are here to celebrate the Ferrari brand and everything it stands for. Ferrari is more than just a car, it is a dream,” said Ferrari Australia CEO, Herbert Appleroth. “It has been a significant investment and we could not have done this without government assistance and Destination NSW. It’s been a 14

huge logistical exercise with 60 containers brought in, larger than the grand prix in fact, and cost well in excess of $2 million.” Appleroth said similar shows could occur on a biennial basis, with a smaller event held on alternative years. The event kicked off with a spectacular cavalcade of 150 new and classic Ferraris, valued at around $70 million, travelling en masse from Glebe Island, via the Harbour Bridge to the track on Saturday morning. It was claimed to be the largest gathering of the marque in Australia and several entrants took in the ensuing Ferrari Australia Sports Drive and Enjoy Drive sessions over the weekend. Essentially the event was non-competitive, apart from the Ferrari Challenge,

although other cars were still driven at speed. The XX Programme featured two Ferrari FXXs and three 599XX (improved, trackfocused iterations of the Enzo and 599GTB respectively), with novice drivers instructed by professional race drivers who sat alongside. The F1 Clienti sessions allowed several of Maranello’s finest grand prix cars to post fast laps. Now privately owned, the fleet included two F60s, two F2007s, a 412T1 from 1994, and the two 1985 F156s owned by Guido Belgiorno-Nettis. V8 Supercars driver, Tony D’Alberto, had laps in the Ferrari 333 SP – the sports prototype car unveiled in 1993 to mark Ferrari’s official return to sports car racing. A weekend highlight was

Marc Gene at the wheel of one of the Ferrari F60s in the track and pitstop show. The car raced during the 2009 season, where Kimi Räikkönen led the World Drivers’ Championship assault, (together with Phillipe Massa), until he was hurt in Hungary. Räikkönen was replaced by Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella for the ensuing rounds. Italian Max Blancardi won the Ferrari Challenge, beating Hong Kong’s Philippe Prette and Australian Steve Wyatt twice. “The track is simply fantastic with the blind corners and undulations we do not normally experience,” said Blancardi. David Tjiptobiantoro (Indonesia) repeated his novice class Sepang round one wins, with two more in Sydney.

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CELEBRATING SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S RICH MOTOR SPORT HERITAGE, THE INAUGURAL ADELAIDE MOTORSPORT FESTIVAL FOCUSED ED ON THE WONDERFUL AUSTRALIAN F1 GRAND PRIX YEARS OF 1985-1995.

he festival began on Saturday with an 1100m hill climb on a section of Belair Road, Lynton, ending just past the Windy Point lookout. Competing cars in the hillclimb were required to be road registered or placed on a permit as they had to travel on public roads to get from the pits to the start. One hundred and twenty four entries were received, with cars ranging from Andrew Mitchell’s 1925 Amilcar GS to Mitsubishi EVOs, Subaru STIs, Nissan R32s and R35 Skylines, and Kevin Weeks’ Lamborghini Gallardo tarmac rally car. John Bowe was a crowd favourite, driving Joe Calleja’s booming 1967 Corvette Stingray. There was a delay early on to retrieve a damaged Subaru WRX that had hit a guard rail before Sebastian Lip’s Nissan Skyline R35 brought proceedings to a halt when it tore out a section of guard rail two corners from the start, which could not be repaired on the day.

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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Yasser Shahin’s McLaren MP4 /12C leads Julian Newton’s Nissan GTR R35 in the Supercar category.

“SPECTATORS M ING LE D ITH TH E COM PETING CARS, RANG ING FROM W VETE RAN TH ROUG H SPE E DWAY AN D C LASSIC MOTOR MODE R N EXOTICS...” CYC LES TO

Paul Faulkner in the 1980 ex-Alan Jones Williams FW07.

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After a meeting of drivers and officials it was decided (not unanimously) to continue the event over a shortened course, starting uphill from the damaged fencing. A little more than half the field had run before a competitor lost control and crashed after the finish-line, hitting a rock face and injuring a photographer. The vehicle remained on the road whilst the impact was assessed, making it unfeasible to continue the hillclimb, forcing the event to be cancelled. On Sunday the festival moved to the Victoria Park loop of the Australian Grand Prix/Clipsal 500 circuit for a series of super sprints. As well as spectators being able to mingle with the competing cars, the former horse racing track featured large displays of vehicles, ranging from veteran through speedway and classic motorcycles to modern exotics. Formula One cars competing included Paul Faulkner’s Williams FW07, Peter Brennan’s Warsteiner Arrows A1B, Joe Calleja’s March 741 and Ian Ross’ Beatrice Lola Hart, which had been the first F1 car on track at the Australian Grand Prix back in 1985. These cars were joined in their events by a couple of early Formula 5000s and some quick Formula Atlantic Lolas, Chevrons and Ralts. An earlier Formula One car was present, the original Lotus F1 – Mike Bennett’s Lotus 12 – as well as cars with great Australian history, such as Frank Moore’s 1950 AGP-winning Black Bess Ford V8, John Gillett’s MG K3, accompanied by a horde of TC racers, and Nigel

Above: John Bowe, in John Calleja’s booming Corvette on the Windy Point Hillclimb. Left: Veteran driver Ron Townley on the dummy grid in his Talbot Lago T26.

The former dancing flagman, Glen Dix, shows his style.

Tait’s Matich SR4 Repco, the dominant car on the domestic scene during its era. Historic touring, racing and sports, tarmac rally, V8 performance, supercars, and Porsches through the ages had their own sprints. Each of the groups had three runs during the day, along with spirited demonstrations of classic racing motorcycles. In total there were 109 competitors. Bowe was fastest in the Calleja’s March with a time of 44.47sec, followed by Daniel Munro’s Radical SR8 0.37sec and then Simon Gardiner’s Lola T460/560 Formula Atlantic. John Beasley’s Mitsubishi EVO IV was the fastest tin-top, in fourth position outright. Whilst the open wheelers proved most popular with the crowds, the dices between Yasser Shahin’s McLaren MP4/12C and Julian Newton’s Nissan GT-R were also very entertaining.

Frank Moore at the wheel of Black Bess, which won the 1950 Australian Grand Prix in Doug Whiteford’s hands.

Nigel Tait’s Matich SR4 lines up on the dummy grid alongside Max Pegram’s Gemini Formula Junior. MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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events Words & Photos DARREN HOUSE

A SPECTACULAR ARRAY OF HISTORIC VEHICLES ASSEMBLED AT WINTON IN CELEBRATION OF MORE THAN 110 YEARS OF AUTOMOTIVE EXCELLENCE.

he nation’s longest-running all historic race meeting – and one of the most popular on the calendar – Historic Winton, celebrated its thirty-eighth running with a massive entry at the rural Victorian track Run on the facility’s traditional layout, the cars spread well into the new pit area as the promoter, the Austin 7 Car Club, battled to accommodate everyone who wanted to be a part of the event. On a sad note, the meeting had to contend with the passing of Jack Brabham and Harry Firth, though everyone in attendance embraced the event in the way they knew Sir Jack and

Trevor Montgomery hustles his Alfa Romeo 6C into Turn One ahead of Alan Telfer’s Bugatti 37/35B. 18

Darryl Hansen’s Ford Mustang leads the Mini Cooper S of Jason Armstrong.

Harry would have wanted. In addition to mourning, there was reason for celebration as well, with the acknowledgement of significant milestones for many much-loved marques – 110 years of Hispano-Suiza. com, Rolls Royce, Rover and Crossley, 100 years of Dodge, Willys-Knight, Aston Martin and Maserati; 90 years of Bentley Le Mans victories, Bugatti Type 35, Frazer-Nash; 80 years of Simca, Citroën Traction Avant, Chrysler Airflow, Lagonda Rapier, Austin 7 Ruby; 60 years of Borgward Isabella, Ford Thunderbird, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, and 50 years of Ford Mustang and Sunbeam Tiger. As always, the meeting wasn’t just

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about cars, with a large number of motorcycles and sidecars providing great racing throughout the weekend. The oldest vehicle appearing at Winton was Stuart Brown’s original Dodge Tourer that competed in Regularity Group 1, and for fans of the Dodge brand there were other fine examples on display in the Shannons Classic Car Park. An interesting car that also competed in Regularity Group 1 was Graham Facey’s 1938 Morris 8 Special. Graham built the car in 1957 when he was just 19 years of age after deciding he would convert his Morris 8/40 tourer into a sports car. The vehicle lay dormant from 1980 until Graham re-purchased it in 2006, at which point he undertook an extensive six-year restoration. The car has since competed at Phillip Island, Eddington and Myrniong Sprints and Rob Roy hillclimb. One of the highlights of the meeting was an epic battle between the Ford Mustang of Darryl Hansen and the Mini Cooper S of Jason Armstrong. By meeting’s end, the score was 2-1, in favour of the big Ford. Another great performance was observed in Formula Ford, where David Hardman – driving the ex-John Bowe Elfin, seemed oblivious to the age of his car by winning all three races against the much newer Van Diemens. With a pause in racing, fans were treated to a couple of display laps, the first in tribute to Sir Jack by a group of dedicated Brabham owners. This was followed by a massive display of cars that had entered the ever-increasing Shannons Classic Car Park. Among the very diverse machines were a delicious group of Aston Martins, old and new, Monaros, Porsches, hot rods, Mustangs and Volkswagens along with a Vauxhall Vagabond, a ’57 Chev and even a Reliant Robin. All-in-all it was a great weekend of automotive celebration, something we’ve come to expect from a meeting that is always a ‘must-do’ event on the historic racing calendar.

Elfin driver David Hardman leads the Formula Ford field during Race Three.

A fierce battle between Glenn Campbell’s MGB GT; John Geist’s, Datsun 2000 Sports and Barry Cockayne’s Austin Healey Sprite.

The Shannons Classic Car Park featured a display of Wahgunyah Speedway Holden 48-215s. MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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events Words & Photos DARREN HOUSE

IT TAKES EIGHT MONTHS OF PLANNING TO PIECE TOGETHER THE ANNUAL GASOLINE MUSCLE CAR EXPO AND IT’S CLEAR, TO EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED, JUST HOW THOROUGH THE PLANNING WAS FOR THIS YEAR’S SHOW.

eld at Melbourne’s historic Royal Exhibition Building, there was something for everyone, with a wide range of Australian and US muscle cars, musclebased movie cars, and some much-loved motoring personalities. “The cars here are very high quality,” said event director, Michael Curson. “There is a good variety here as well, not too many Holdens, not too many Fords, not too many Mopars – people like a variety. If you just had one brand here you wouldn’t get half the crowd.” The large crowd proved the enduring popularity of ‘60s and ‘70s muscle cars

and Michael said the movement shows no sign of diminishing. “Some of these guys here, when they were younger, had these cars, so they can relive their childhood dreams and look at the cars they had when they were worth nothing. Now they are worth a fortune. Cars that you would buy for two or three grand back in the ’70s or ’80s are worth $50,000 to $60,000 now. They are getting rarer. “Most of these owners look after their cars and they are nice and tight car to drive. You hop in a new car and they are really advanced and the creature comforts are right up there, but with

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these things, you don’t even need a radio, the engine is the music. Turn the V8 on or the hot 6, or whatever you have got, go for a cruise and listen to the music.” Significantly, it wasn’t just a show for the older demographic, with many younger couples in attendance, along with children who attended with parents and grandparents. “Most of these young guys are into their Japanese things, four cylinders, but yeah it’s good to see the young crowd getting into these classic machines.” In addition to the usual pristine show cars, the expo also featured a number of rare barn yard finds. “They are very hard to find,” added Michael. “The barn finds are pretty rare because most people grab them and fix them up.” Among this array of motley cars were an XY Falcon GS, an HT Monaro GTS and an HQ Holden SS. Motor racing celebrities were also out in force, with Murray Carter, Drag Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Paul Rogers; former HDT mechanic, Ian Tate; and former racer, classic car enthusiast and star of The Footy Show, Sam Newman. All delighted the crowd with entertaining anecdotes of their careers during interviews on the main stage and happily signed autographs and chatted to the crowd afterwards. Cars from Adrian Bennett’s Silverton

Mad Max collection were also popular, with four of the screen cars on display, along with special guest appearances from stuntman Max Aspin (Mad Max 2), actors Paul Johnston (Cundalini, Mad Max 1 and Nic Gazzana (Starbuck, Mad Max 1), and motorbike stuntman Dale Bensch (Mad Max 1).

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behind the wheel

SIMPLY STUNNING EXHILARATING PERFORMANCE, REAR-WHEEL-DRIVE AND A KEEN PRICE TAG, MAKE THE HOLDEN COMMODORE SS V REDLINE AN AMAZING ROAD AND TRACK MACHINE

Words DARREN HOUSE

everal years ago Holden blurred the line between its everyday performance Commodore, the SS and the Club Sport produced by its high performance arm, HSV. Well if the line was blurred back then, it’s now so out of focus that it’s almost invisible. Quite simply, the road and track version of the SS – SS V Redline – is so competent and exhilarating to drive that it’s very difficult to justify forking over another $9,000 for the Club Sport. Available in three body styles – sedan, sportwagon and ute – SS V Redline introduces a host of new

SS-V REDLINE ANCAP

technology and features, including an updated sportstuned FE3 suspension package to enhance its performance credentials. The result is a luxury performance sedan suited to everyday driving, with track-capable characteristics for weekend club events. Power comes from a 270kW/530Nm 6-litre V8

that produces scintillating performance and a glorious exhaust note. Redline’s chassis set-up gains new, lightweight, aluminium components – including the biggest stabiliser bar ever fitted to a Commodore – which improves lateral acceleration, grip and limit handling.

Larger bore struts with rebound springs and new damper tune offer super sharp vehicle response, a significantly reduced roll angle and great body control. The new damper tune also reduces the propensity for damper fade during track use and delivers consistent performance throughout a track day. New electric power steering is fitted and for trackwork, Redline’s Competitive Mode calibrates full biase towards ultimate sports performance handling. This provides a greater emphasis on steering input and feedback at higher speeds, which enhances driver feedback during high lateral ‘g’ cornering. Larger, high-performance Brembo front brakes with four-piston, aluminium front calipers and 355mm front

ENGINE

6.0 litre V8 Petrol P OW E R

270kW @ 5600rpm TO R Q U E

530Nm @ 4400rpm TRANSMISSION

6-speed manual DRIVE

Front engine, RWD CONSU M PtION

9.3L/100km BODY

Four-door sedan PRICE

$51,490 WEBSITE

www.holden.com.au 22

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rotors are fitted. The front calipers provide increased stiffness to reduce fluid displacement and caliper deformation without adding weight and contribute to enhanced braking feel and overall vehicle dynamics. A new staggered wheel and tyre package, with ultra-high performance Bridgestone 245/40 R19 front tyres and 275/35 R19 tyres at the rear – the widest wheels and tyres ever fitted to a mainstream Holden – provides additional grip, while manual transmission models gain launch control to improve take off performance when Competitive Mode is selected. It’s not all about the track, however. Inside a 220 Watt Bose audio system – standard on Redline sedan – employs nine speakers, including sub-woofers, to produce a pure, neutral tone balance from one end of the sonic spectrum to the other. A head-up display projects important cluster information on the windscreen, allowing the driver to view it without looking away from the road. The transparent, coloured display features four screens, selectable by the driver, which show information such as digital speedometer, tachometer, infotainment and turn by turn navigation. Sensor Key with push button start is employed, while automatic transmission cars can be ordered with a smart remote start system. This not only starts the vehicle but also activates the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, which will operate at the ‘last known’ fan and temperature setting.

THE START OF SOMETHING SPECIAL The SS V Redline carries on the tradition of great value performance motoring established by Holden’s HQ SS V8 in 1972. However, with a 253 V8, loud colours and stripes, the HQ SS was more show than go, which is in stark contrast to the VF’s mild looks that belie its amazing performance. The HQ SS was a low-priced, limited-build special that was no doubt created, at least in part, to test the market’s reaction to a four-door Monaro GTS. Using the bottom-of-the-range Belmont model

as a base, Holden added a number of options and special features into a package that offered customers little scope for change. All cars came with what Holden described as “a high performance V8 engine”, four-speed gearbox, and low rear axle ratio. The body was customised with GTS front vented guards and headlight bezels and blacked-out grille and sills, along with twin bonnet stripes, a rear deck stripe and special SS decals. Inside, the car gained GTS full

instrumentation and steering wheel, together with GTS hounds-tooth seat trim (fitted to fully reclining seats, if you don’t mind!) and a fully-carpeted floor. Buyers also received a twin exhaust system, radial ply tyres on GTS steel rally wheels, and sports suspension, complete with Holden’s then infamous plough understeer. The HQ SS was available in just three colours, each one typically ‘70s in both hue and name – Infra red, Ultra violet, Lettuce alone.

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webb of intrigue

RACING TAXICABS AT BATHURST

MICK WEBB RECALLS THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF RACING ‘SET AND FORGET’ TOURING CARS AROUND MOUNT PANORAMA. autopics.com.au

n my era of touring cars, the car could only be set up one way. We didn’t have any electronics, there was no data, and you couldn’t easily change things. These days they have all the roll bar settings inside the car and they can change their shock settings really easy in a pit stop. We didn’t have the facility to do that. That makes it difficult in endurance racing, where you have two drivers for each car. When I was with Allan Moffat Racing, Allan was the boss so the car was set up for him. His teammates drove it his way. We could scream and yell and tell him to do something, but Allan did it his way. Even the driver’s seat position was locked in. One bloke might be three inches taller than another guy and things like that, but they just had to deal with it. We didn’t know about seat inserts, you would just wack a pillow behind the driver’s back if someone was a bit shorter. We changed Bondy’s car in the end to the way he wanted it, but you could never change it on a race weekend or anything like that.

The Falcon GT of Allan Moffat and Ian Geoghegan leads the Peter Janson/John Harvey Torana L34 onto Conrod Straight during the 1975 Bathurst 1000.

It’s a lot simpler these days and today’s drivers don’t realise how hard it was to drive touring cars in the old days. To my way of thinking, the older blokes are the real heroes of motorsport; the guys of today probably couldn’t drive the cars of yesteryear. Of course some of Moffat’s co-drivers – such as Vern Schuppan and Jacky Ickx – were used to thoroughbred race cars and they had to adapt to these ‘taxis’ with race engines and drivelines. Even

in that era, thoroughbred race cars had proper race tyres, and proper racing shock absorbers and springs. Their brake pedal assemblies were beautifully setup, whereas touring car ones were made out of a pressed bit of steel and the pedal hung down from under the dash. There was flex in the pedal, flex in the steel mounting bracket and flex in the firewall. We were forever trying to stiffen up the firewalls and putting braces on the firewalls so the brake pedal

“TODAY’S DRIVERS DON’T REALISE HOW HARD IT WAS TO DRIVE TOURING CARS IN THE OLD DAYS. TO MY WAY OF THINKING, THE OLDER BLOKES ARE THE REAL HEROES OF MOTORSPORT...” 24

had a firm feel. You would bleed the brakes and have a fantastic brake pedal when the thing was cold, sitting in the workshop but after five laps the thing would get hot, the pedal would start to sag and after 25 or 30 laps the firewall would start to flex like bending a bit of wire getting hot. In the old days we communicated with the driver using pit boards. We would write messages with chalk and point it at the track, hoping the message was big enough for the driver to read. It was always hit and miss. In reality, once the race started, you were in the hands of the gods and hopefully the driver would monitor the gauges. Often you wouldn’t know

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when a driver was coming into the pits. Hopefully you would have someone standing on top of the team truck to keep an eye on things and yell, ‘He’s in pit lane’. When I ran a race team, I regimented all of the crew to be ready every lap and you just had to stand there. We look at Formula One today and the guys just sit there, suited up, ready for anything at all times. I tried to teach all our crew that from very early days. One incident that always sticks in my memory is when we did the Spa 24-hour race in 1987, with Moffat and John Harvey. We had a bunch of mates come over to give us a hand – they weren’t all professionals because of the tiny budget we had.

autopics.com.au

Mick Webb is a championship-winning, race engineer and engine builder who has worked with Jim Richards, Allan Moffat, Peter Brock, Frank Gardiner and the Stillwell Racing Team. He currently works with Jim Richards and Bill Pye in the Touring Car Masters series.

The Gregg Hansford/Garry Waldon Mazda RX-7 leads the sister car of Allan Moffat/ Yoshimi Katayama though The Dipper during the 1983 Bathurst 1000.

The drivers were doing shifts of three hours on, three hours off, and we had taken some deck chairs to lie down on because sometimes the crew needed a rest during those shifts. Doing a 24-hour race, trust me, is a bloody long time. At one stage John came

in for a fuel stop (it wasn’t a driver change), and the entire crew was asleep in the pits. So John unbuckled the seatbelts, got out of the car and started slapping us in the moosh saying, ‘Come on guys, wake up, check the oil, check the water and do the windscreen’.

John keeps ribbing me about it to this day. Even with in-car radio, Bathurst is one of those places where communication was always very hard. The radios of today are a lot better, but in the early days of in-car radio you could only get in a few words here and there. Most of the time we only spoke to Allan going up Pit Straight or the start of Mountain Straight and then we would lose communication. The noise of the car always made hearing anything very hard, too. But we had spotters at different places around the track to say, ‘Quick, he’s got a left hand rear flat tyre’, so we would be ready. – Webby

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the foges files

YESTERDAY’S HEROES SEEN-IT-ALL WRITER MARK FOGARTY ARGUES THAT THE ’60S AND ’70S WERE THE GOLDEN AGE OOF HERO DRIVERS…

ore drivers from the 1960s and ’70s are revered as legends than from any other era. Those two decades stand out as a golden age of racing that was as diverse and colourful as it was dangerous. I wonder if the best of today’s generation will be as venerated in 40 or 50 years. Let me explain. The drivers who starred in the Swinging Sixties and Sexy Seventies were daredevils

who tamed unruly cars on unforgiving tracks. Their personalities ranged from introspective to outrageous, but they were all heroes who excelled at a perilous pursuit. They lived life to the limit because they could never be sure they would leave the track alive. The ’60s and ’70s claimed more lives among leading racers than any other period because the capability of cars, especially top-level open-wheelers (or singleseaters, as we called them

back in the day), increased dramatically as the circuits remained largely unaltered. The tracks were lined with hazards that caused devastation when the fast but flimsy cars crashed. The risks in racing were so great during this time, before the safety campaign of the ’70s finally forced life-saving improvements to the cars and the tracks by the end of the decade, that drivers were regarded as gladiatorial figures.

“IT WAS A PERFECT STORM OF DANGER, GLAMOUR AND EXCITEMENT AMID SOCIAL REVOLUTION THAT ESTABLISHED THE CHAMPIONS OF THE ERA AS ENDURING SUPERSTARS WHO ARE STILL LIONISED TODAY...”

Kevin Bartlett in typical ‘Devil may care’ style, driving his Mildren Waggot in the 1970 Tasman Series at Surfers Paradise. PHOTO: AUTOPICS.COM.AU 26

It was a perfect storm of danger, glamour and excitement amid social revolution that established the champions of the era as enduring superstars who are still lionised today. Those who survived that era are feted for their bravery as much as their deeds and feats. The living legends in this category include, in no particular order, Sir Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi and Richard Petty. Some of their careers extended into the 1980s and even early ’90s, but their fame was forged in the two decades before. In Australia, it’s the likes of Norm Beechey, Allan Moffat, Bob Jane, Colin Bond, Frank Matich, Kevin Bartlett and John Goss whose achievements and influence are still celebrated. The departed drivers who still cast substantial shadows over the sport are Jim Clark, Graham Hill, James Hunt, Gilles Villeneuve, Sir Jack Brabham, Frank Gardner, Harry Firth, Lex Davison and, of course, Peter Brock. These are by no means exhaustive lists of the drivers whose names and accomplishments have transcended time. But they represent the breed of men who did so much to

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Mark Fogarty is motorsport writer for Fairfax Media and editor-at-large of Auto Action magazine. Foges has been covering racing for more than four decades.

Dan Gurney (Yamaha Lotus Ford), at the 1965 Indy 500. PHOTO: IMS

autopics.com.au

popularise the sport. They were all exceptionally talented, extremely versatile, often larger-than-life characters and sometimes the epitome of playboys. Many were hell-raisers and womanisers who flaunted their hedonistic lifestyles in a way that 24/7 news cycles and social media don’t allow any more. Adding appeal for hard-core fans was that they raced and won in all kinds of cars. Formula One stars of this golden age also competed in F2, sports cars and touring cars, while the Indycar aces of that era also excelled in midgets, sprint cars, stock cars and Trans-Am sedans on

dirt and tarmac, and ovals, road courses and streets races. Mario Andretti’s fame and lasting popularity is directly related to his virtuosity. Success in the Indianapolis 500, Indycar championships and the F1 world title enshrines him as one of the greatest of the all-time greats. That treble has only been matched by Jacques Villeneuve, a rare ’90s throwback to cavalier, devil-may-care racers. True enthusiasts also idolise the men who raced when motor racing was dangerous and sex was safe because of the diversity of the machines in which they performed their

feats of derring-do. The sheer variety of the cars adds to the romance of the participants. To my mind, fewer drivers since the ’70s have etched themselves into the consciousness of motor sport enthusiasts. There are, of course, exceptions. Dick Johnson, Alan Jones, Alain Prost, late greats Ayrton Senna and Dale Earnhardt Snr, and even Michael Schumacher emerged from the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s as all-time legends. Locally, definitely Craig Lowndes and possibly Mark Skaife will be immortalised, but I really wonder if Jamie Whincup will be remembered so fondly half a century from now. Whincup’s achievements by the time he’s done with V8s will undoubtedly warrant deep respect, but – like Skaife – he’s not really popular or loved. Same goes for Sebastian Vetel. The current generation of F1 drivers, with the possible exception of Fernando Alonso, aren’t at all Left: John Goss was famous for lighting up the tyres of his GT-HO during the late ’60s and early ’70s.

characterful or heroic. In other major motor racing categories, like IndyCars and NASCAR, I’m struggling to think of candidates for canonisation. The only one that jumps to mind is Helio Castroneves for his sheer exuberance and three Indy 500 wins (he’ll be a certainty if he captures a recordequalling fourth 500 or stands alone with five or more). Okay, maybe I’m drawing a long bow here. You could argue that the fascination with icons from 40 or 50 years ago is sustained by enthusiasts of a certain age – those who grew up in those hazy, crazy days. But the aged greats still attract incredible interest and respect from younger generations, suggesting much broader appeal. I’m not seeing so many stars of the ’80s and ’90s, which saw the insidious sanitisation of the drivers and the technical rules, being as worshipped in the future. No, I think my generation saw the glory years of racing personalities. – Foges MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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16/07/14 6:33 PM

sheppard’s pie

RACE PSYCHOLOGY 101 IN HIS FIRST PIECE FOR MOTORSPORT LEGENDS, JOHN SHEPPARD PROVES HE’S LOST NONE OF HIS WIT, NOR HIS ABILITY TO STICK IT UP ’EM!

fter being ‘off the air’ for so long, it’s hard to get started, but as time goes by, I’ll remember some of the nice people that I need to give a ‘fix’ and some of the funny stories that need telling. In my time as a ‘race mechanic’ I have been very lucky to have worked with many smart people and hopefully some of that has rubbed off on me. Tom Geoghegan’s description of a ‘dumb dumb’ was, “He couldn’t tip piss out of a boot with the instructions wrote on the sole!” I like it! In future, I’ll try to be more topical, but given that I’m not

all that quick witted, I was very happy with a smart alec remark I made to Norm Beechey at Lakeside many years ago when I was with Pete. Norm came up to me (presumably to psych me out) and said “I’m going to beat you this weekend Sheppo.” I don’t know how I thought of my response so quickly, but I said, “I’ll tell you how to do it too, Norm (bear in mind it was Saturday) – start now!” I responded which took care of that! IN MY WISDOM, I took on an appointment as an Historic Driving Standards Officer (not ‘observer’) and I need to say that I don’t believe that

“HE COULDN’T TIP PISS OUT OF A BOOT WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS WROTE ON THE SOLE!” role is to tell people how to drive, but how to behave! One of the things I am pushing for is ‘Demerit Points’ so that in addition to any penalties imposed, people who behave badly, more than once, could have a meaningful additional sanction applied at the end of each calendar year. Perhaps even a ‘holiday’. If you’d been cheating (and that’s what it is) over the years, would you brag about it and laugh about ‘pulling the wool’ over CAMS eyes?

To the victor goes the spoils – no wonder Norm Beechey wanted to beat Pete Geoghegan.

It seems to me that such behaviour taints any success you may have had! And ‘no’ I won’t say who. WHO’S THE V8 Supercar driver who made a PR announcement as a volunteer driver and who’s name never appears on the roster? IF ANYONE CARES these days, this is why I sacked one of our drivers in the 80’s! When I took over a certain team with Swedish connections, we bought a car from the ‘factory’ race team and built one here in Australia. We gave the number one driver (and you can’t get much lower than one!) the choice of Australian or European cars. He elected to have the latter, but when we finished the Aussie car, it was better than the RAS car, so when we arrived at Sandown ‘numero uno’ decided he wanted the much better Aussie car. When he was told NO, he did a dummy spit and refused to drive the RAS car because it was not fit to race. The end result was that he became a pedestrian for the weekend and I didn’t have to tolerate his weird behaviour anymore!

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John Sheppard is a championship-winning team manager and race engineer who led the Bob Jane Racing Team, Holden Dealer Team and Volvo Dealer Team.

While thinking about what to write and the meaning of the word ‘columny’ (do you know Jim?) I started wondering who to stick it up and whether I might be a vindictive person, but I came to the conclusion I’m not – as soon as I get even, I forget all about it! I was talking to Brian Smith recently and he said “you must have a wardrobe full of team apparel.” As an indication of how smart I am, the answer to that was that I have almost none! Speaking of collectables, it’s amazing how much stuff has ended up in people’s sheds. The sad part about some of it is that some folks have so much of it that a helluva lot

of it will never see the light of day again. Unfortunately we are all growing older and will not have time to finish most of the things in storage. It’s reasonably easy (if you’ve got the money) to gather things

around you but we eventually get buried by it. I’m lucky that I haven’t got the room or the bugs bunny, so my garage is still clear enough to work in. I remember saying to Bob Jane once that he could

allow some of his bits and pieces to get back into the Historic scene. His response, “I’m a collector, not a seller,” and that about sums up the situation! – Sheppo

Can you blame Sheppo for ditching his red MHDT pants?

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S R A C S E L T BAT

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Still a crowd favourite, Murray Carter was in great demand with autograph hunters at the recent Muscle Car Expo.

IT MAY NOT HAVE WON AUSTRALIA’S GREATEST RACE, BUT MURRAY CARTER’S GT-HO PHASE III CERTAINLY CAPTURED THE PUBLIC’S ATTENTION DURING THE 1972 HARDIE FERODO 500. Words DARREN HOUSE Photos AUTOPICS.COM.AU

t was enough to bring tears to the eyes of even the most hardened Ford supporter – a smashed GT-HO Phase III Falcon being hacked apart in a wild, tomahawk frenzy. The time was October 1972, the place, Mount Panorama, Bathurst – the GT-HO’s natural habitat – but unlike a proud lion under attack from illegal hunters in Africa, this Falcon was under friendly fire from mechanics. The Falcon’s driver, long-time Ford campaigner, Murray Carter, had just limped his wounded Falcon into the pits, having hit the fence at the end of Conrod Straight (approaching the appropriatelynamed Murray’s Corner), following a burst front right tyre. MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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Carter steers his wounded GT-HO into the pits for urgent attention.

“I was probably in third place at the time and it was just unfortunate that I had over extended our reliability process,” Murray told Motorsport Legends. “We blew the tyre and that caused the car to run off the track and plough into the fence at the end of the main straight under severe braking. The tyres were probably getting to the end of their best performance but that was something you had to manage in that sort of race. “The mechanics at Ford (factory team) came down from their pit and cut and hammered the damaged guard away from the wheel and helped change the tyre, which enabled me to continue the race.” Despite hitting the guard rail, Murray said he never considered his race was over. “I never accepted that theory. It was simply another situation and we needed to finish the race. I just thought alright, we will put another wheel on it and let’s get going again. As it turned out, the steering wasn’t damaged, it was just the guard.” The car completed the event without further issue, finishing in tenth position, ten laps down on winner, Peter Brock.

According to Murray, all of the year’s previous races were treated as a development exercise designed to eliminate unreliability in the one race that mattered – the Bathurst 500. “We ran those cars basically as they were sold to us, we weren’t allowed to do a lot of upgrades to it, so all of our race meetings throughout the year were a development programme to see if the car would last at Bathurst. Knowing that we had a race of that duration (500 miles), we had to come back from our qualifying time for reliability, so that we could go the distance at a reasonable speed,” he explained. “Brakes, of course, were a problem. There were a number of issues that wouldn’t have survived the distance if we ran it at our maximum lap times.” Though Murray had good Ford connec-tions, in those days he did most of the development work himself. “I got an engine dyno and we did some development just to try and maintain a consistent lap time for the duration of that race. I always used to fiddle with different areas of the car to simulate a

condition, and ensure we didn’t have any problems. I enjoyed the development work.” He did, however, unexpectedly benefit from Ford’s decision to axe the XA GT-HO Phase IV project following the notorious ‘supercar scare’. “Ford had built a car that wasn’t acceptable for road registration. The government said, ‘No, you made a race car, and it’s not going to be eligible for road car registration’ and Ford decided not to use it.

“I NEVER ACCEPTED MY RACE WAS OVER. IT WAS SIMPLY ANOTHER SITUATION AND WE NEEDED TO FINISH THE RACE. I JUST THOUGHT ALRIGHT, WE WILL PUT ANOTHER WHEEL ON IT AND LET’S GET GOING AGAIN...” 32

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“(Ford team manager, Howard Marsden) rang me and he said, ‘Come out to our workshop, I want to see you’. They had one of these cars there and he said, ‘See that car? You can have whatever you want out of that car,’ so we stripped it. That was nice on their behalf. “I knew Howard quite well – even before he went to Ford – and we had a lot of association with Ford over the years that followed because they weren’t officially involved in racing. I was doing it because I was an independent, I did all the work myself, I funded it myself and they gave me some support out the back door unbeknownst to anyone. For a while there (in 1974) I was the only one racing a Ford and I got more support from race organisers and promoters at different circuits because of it. Even some of the Holden guys said, ‘Perhaps we should be sponsoring you to run a Ford.’ They wanted to have someone like me racing a Ford to compete against.” Another issue Murray had to contend with in the 1972 Bathurst 500 was the weather. Race morning dawned to rainy skies, a condition that favoured the smaller, lighter and more nimble Toranas GTR XU-1s rather than the big, heavy Fords. The wet conditions put paid to the leading Ford entry of Allan Moffat, which left the track early in the event after a

dogged pursuit with Brock’s XU-1. While the conditions were less than ideal for the GT-HOs, Murray remained philosophical about the challenge ahead. “Oh well, you just have to accept it, that’s how we used to run the car regardless of the conditions,” he said. Like most of the leading competitors in those days, Murray elected to drive the race solo. “I didn’t mind because it gave me a lot of feedback as to what have we done – have we built a car that was going to be reliable, and whatever lap times we could establish, could we do that for the duration of the race?” explained Murray. “If you put someone else in the car, who hadn’t had that education as to what to be cautious of, you could have problems, so no, I preferred to do it all on my own.” The following year Murray again embarked on his 10-month testing program (which for the first time included the Australian Touring Car Championship), and he changed his Falcon’s colour from red to yellow in response to a request from sponsor, Shell. “I got Shell sponsorship and they said, ‘We would like you to have it all yellow’, and I was more than happy to oblige because getting support made what I did so much more enjoyable,” said Murray. “We were able to do more development

and the costs weren’t crippling.” It wasn’t long before the car was involved in another part of Australian touring car folk lore. On the night before round six of the ATCC at Adelaide International Raceway, thieves stole the factory Falcon of Allan Moffat from the BS Stillwell Ford dealership, where it had been garaged. Murray could easily have been in the same boat had he decided to leave his car there overnight as well. “We were also working at Bib Stillwell’s workshop on the Saturday night but I took my car back to the motel and they left theirs there overnight, when they came back the next morning it had been stolen,” said Murray. “So, Howard came to me the next day and I said, ‘Howard, to save you any embarrassment, you are quite welcome to borrow mine’. He said, ‘Great’.” The factory team fitted their own wheels and tyres to Murray’s car, and made some checks and adjustments in the brief time that was available. Allan finished the race in second place, driving through the field after starting from last place on the grid and surviving problems with a dragging exhaust. The works Falcon was recovered shortly afterwards, found abandoned in the Adelaide Hills after it ran out of fuel.

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Like most original GT-HO Falcon owners, Murray is surprised at the prices these cars now command (particularly those with race histories), though at the time there was never any thought of retaining the car as an investment. “I never gave it a second thought. I sold them to get the next model and I was always grateful to get almost what I paid for the car. I was with the guy who owns that car now when he got a phone call from someone offering $1.9m for it. He said, ‘It’s not for sale.’ I would have sold it!” Murray came into contact with the current owner when the latter invited him to attend a Ford event in Western Australia. “He said, ‘I am going to Western Australia for a function and I would like you to come.’ So, I went to this event in an area of Perth where all the old Fords

Carter leads the similar car of second-place finisher, John French, through The Dipper.

were on display. I was signing autographs when he said, ‘We are going to Barbagallo race track on Sunday’, and I said I would love to come along. “So we go down there and as they are getting this car ready to go out on the

track, I said, ‘Are you going to wear a crash hat or something?’ He said, ‘No, you’re driving.’ So I went out and did four laps, and when I came in everyone in the grandstand rose to their feet, cheering and clapping, I thought it was great.”

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OUND THE RACE TRACKS AR G IN AR TE RS GE AR CH T AN IBUTE. OWERED VALI FOND MEMORIES OF HEMI-P IS CHRYSLER ENTHUSIAST TO BUILD A CHARGER R/T TR OF AUSTRALIA PROMPTED TH

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Right: Joe Butta power sliding his Charger at Warwick Farm, October 1971.

ohn Chandler has been a Chrysler man ever since he first laid eyes on the SV1 (S-series) Valiant way back in 1962. The impressionable young man was immediately smitten with the Valiant’s smooth, flowing lines, and he owns two of them to this day. So it’s no surprise to learn John is also a fan of Chrysler’s beautifully-styled Valiant Charger. “In my youth I admired the look of the S series because of their very distinctive shape, and the Charger also has a very distinctive shape. It was a young person’s very desirable two-door car. That’s what attracted me to them in the first place.” John’s Chrysler obsession doesn’t end there – he recently acquired a 1957 Chrysler Royal and his wife gets around in a new Chrysler 300C. That’s not to say he can’t appreciate the products of other marques. “I’ve got a Ford ute and we have had Holden cars here. If I came across a ’69 Mustang, I would probably grab it, and I’ve got a soft spot for Pontiacs as well; compact Pontiacs, not the big ones. I sold a Pontiac Firebird convertible to pay

for the Charger.” John’s passion for Chargers was further fuelled by fond memories of the red hot cars competing on the great race tracks of Australia. “I was right into Bathurst at the time, and I used to go to all of the local Victorian meetings, particularly at Sandown Park,” he said. John decided to revive the great memories of his youth when he saw this Charger (the second one he has owned) advertised on eBay almost six years ago. “I picked the car up from Colin Paynter. Colin is one of those guys who knows a lot about the Chrysler products.” “I wasn’t particularly hunting for a Charger at the time but I saw it, the price was good and it seemed in reasonable condition. Colin was very helpful; he put the car on the back of his pick-up and drove it down here for me. I am still friends with Colin. He comes down here quite often for a chat and a drink. “When you look for one of these, it’s more a case of, how good is the metal? You can find plenty of Chargers with very thin and rusty metal. When you find one that is as well metalled, as this car was in the important places like the floor pan and the chassis rails, and the price is right, you take the opportunity because they are not making any more. “Having said that, the car was in a bit MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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of a mess when I got it, the thing was already painted orange, the colour it is now, but it had a different coloured bonnet. This car is actually an XL and it originally came with the smaller 245 motor but it had a massive V8 put in it at one stage.” John drove it around for about a month on the remaining registration and had so much fun he decided to turn it into a nice, useable vehicle. “As soon as the registration ran out we put it in the garage and pulled it all to pieces,” said John. “When we started, it already had the motor that it’s got in it now – a 265 – and it already had modifications like extractors and things like that on it, but when I pulled the engine apart it wasn’t in good condition, so I reconditioned it totally.” It was at that point John decided to turn to the car into an R/T tribute. “When you talk about ‘R/T’, it stands for Road & Track, so it was the idea that you could buy a car for doing shopping on Friday, then on the weekend you go to the track and race the damn thing! “The dedicated race cars didn’t have any of the luxuries; there was nothing in them except the honking, great motor and fourspeed gearbox. The dedicated race ones

were still called an R/T, but I don’t really think they are an R/T, more just a T.” The first step in that process was to track down a set of the famed original R/T triple Weber carburettors, complete with the correct R/T linkages, which John found via the local Chrysler community.

“In the R&S club there are a couple of guys that dabble in Chrysler restorations and repairs and they had two sets of triple Webers that they were prepared to sell. I paid $3,000.00 for them.” A mechanic by trade, John did all of the engine work himself.

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John’s Charger was “a bit of a mess” when he purchased it. The car was totally stripped so that accident damage could be repaired and rust removed before the shell was refinished in gleaming new paintwork, tasks he entrusted to Transmend Body Repair Shop.

“The basic engine block is no different to all the 265s, all the internal moving bits are upgraded in an R/T so I gave this particular engine the right gear, the right camshaft and those sorts of things. They are a very torquey and very racey engine, 302hp from of a six- cylinder motor back in 1971. You don’t need a lot of road to get this thing up to 100mph (160km/h). “The performance has a lot to do with the fact that there isn’t quite so much weight in a Charger as the GTHO – the Falcon has that big boat anchor of engine in the front, though they were more suited to the Bathurst circuit. The Charger never came anywhere near them at Bathurst. “The gearbox is an E49 R/T four-speed Borg Warner unit, which we overhauled, but it didn’t need a lot of work, it was

pretty clean inside. It looked like it had been rebuilt recently. The diff is also a Borg Warner with a limited slip centre.” With the mechanicals sorted, John turned his attention to the body. “It must have had a couple of accidents because we had to straighten out a fair bit of the body work to get it to the condition it’s in now. I started cutting out all of the rusty bits and straightening out the bent bits and discovered that it was a little bit beyond my capability, because I am basically a mechanic, I am not a panel beater,” explained John. “I did as much as I could and took it to Transmend Body Repair Shop. Those guys straightened everything else out for me and replaced all the rusty bits with new metal and that’s also where the paint job came from.

“It spent a bit over 12 months at the panel shop. With these restorations, it’s not real bread and butter for panel shops to restore a car. When you ask for a restoration job like that, they put it in a corner and when they are not busy with their modern cars, they do a bit of work on your car. It wasn’t that bad.” It was then time to locate the missing pieces – including genuine wheels – a task John didn’t find too difficult. “The Charger was a very popular car back in its day and it (temporarily) saved Chrysler from extinction. Because so many people are now trying to revive these cars there are about three or four parts remanufacturing companies that are building parts for these again now. It wasn’t all that difficult if you had enough money. MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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“When I bought it, I wasn’t aware that I was going to be spending upwards of $20,000.00 on a car. I just bought it with the idea that it was just another nice car, I drove around for a while and fell in love with it. “The only thing that isn’t Charger on the car is the steering wheel; I made that myself. I have always liked the wood-grain steering wheels and the Chargers didn’t have them, so we cut the ring off an original Charger wheel and put the woodgrain ring on it. The other parts, as much as I could hunt up, are all Charger bits.” With the rebuild completed you might expect John would be out on the road every weekend stretching the Charger’s big legs but instead the car lives a charmed life.

“I’ve only got it on a club permit anyway so I am only able to drive it for 45 days of the year at this stage. I don’t want to wear it out now that it’s in new condition. It’s only done 2,200 miles since I finished building it 12 months ago. “It’s been to Chryslers on the Murray once and Chryslers on The Bay in Geelong, and a few other shows around the place but I really don’t want to do a trip around Australia in it. I don’t want to use it every weekend. If there is a Chrysler show in the vicinity I usually give her a clean up and take her for a run.” As you might expect, John’s Charger is crowd pleaser wherever it goes, so he needs to build in plenty of ‘chat time’ whenever he takes it out on the road.

“Whenever you go somewhere, everybody wants to talk about the Charger – even the local shop; the last time I did that I didn’t get away from there for about an hour.” While John eventually sold his original Charger, don’t expect this Valiant to reappear on eBay anytime soon. “Eventually there is going to be something that you build that you don’t want to let go. You don’t want to forget,” explained John. “Some of my sons have asked me, ‘who is going to get the Charger when you can’t keep it?’ I say, ‘Well, if they ever take my licence off me, whoever can afford it can have it.’ It’s not in the will.”

The Chargers of Joe Butta (#42) , Graham Ryan, and Bob Forbes monster the Falcon GT-HO of Bob Morris at Warwick Farm 21st November 1971.

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he Touring Car Masters series evokes memories of the halcyon days of touring car racing, and no vehicle does that better than Bill Pye’s stunning new 1969 Camaro. Finished in classic Hugger Orange paintwork and sporting the same sponsorship logos that were seen on the

Jane car (though these varied over time), Bill’s Camaro is a fitting tribute to one of Australia’s most famous race cars. So imagine how the team felt when the brand new, Mick Webb-built Chevrolet was crunched front and rear at its very first race meeting during the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, earlier this year. All had started well, with Bill qualifying

in fifth place, a position he maintained to the chequered flag in race one. “It was looking very good,” said Mick. “Being a brand new car, Bill was driving very conservatively but said it had heaps of potential; it was absolutely fantastic. He cruised around in fifth position for the first race and then said, ‘Now we can start attacking in race two’.

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INSPIRED BY ONE OF THE TOUGHEST, MEANEST AND FASTEST CARS OF ITS TIME, BILL PYE HAS RETURNED THE FAMOUS RACING COLOURS OF THE BOB JANE RACING TEAM TO THE TRACK.

“The second event was a reverse grid race and we were on row two with two basic novices in our series on the front row. The pole sitter was Jason Gomersall (Torana SL/R 5000) and the guy in front of us was Carey McMahon (Torana SL/R 5000). They accelerated down the front straight to start the race and Carey hit the brake pedal when going for the clutch to

change from second to third gear, so Bill tapped him in the back. Behind us Brad Tilley (XY GT Falcon) had his Ford wound right up and he hit us in the back.” The despondent crew subsequently missed round two at Winton and round three in Darwin, but now the mighty Camaro is fully repaired and ready to return to the track, thanks to some

beautiful restoration work by the Hillier brothers – Troy and Clayton – of Tenterfield, New South Wales. Having previously raced a different Camaro during the last couple of TCM seasons, Bill decided a new car was needed for this year in order to keep pace with the improving competition. “With the evolution of TCM, the cars MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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“THAT’S IT! LET’S DO IT THE SAME AS THE CASTROL BOB JANE CAR.” are getting better and faster,” said Mick. “I think Jim Richards’ Javelin really set the standard and a lot of people were envious of these new cars arriving on the scene, and Bill spoke to me about building a new car. While the ’69 Camaro we had been running was capable of winning – it was always a top five finisher in its day – we could improve with a new car. We have been able to upgrade the build quality on the new car, so the overall performance has got to be better. We have got a better fuel system, the interior is better and it is a brand new car – there is nothing better than driving a brand new car.” Improvements incorporated into the new car include a later model gearbox, which is lighter and faster in shift change. The weight distribution has also been improved; Mick saying the previous car was nose heavy so some weight has been moved further back on the new car in an attempt to achieve a 50/50 balance. Roll cage design is critical in modern race cars, so Mick entrusted this aspect of the build to Marty Brant at Independent Race Cars. “It’s a chrome moly roll cage and it’s a lot more advanced than the cages these type of cars ran in the day,” said Mick. “When I look at those original cars, the cages look like they were done by a couple of blokes in their backyard.” As a result of the roll cage’s additional strength, Mick said there is no need to seam-weld the bodyshells like they did old days. “We do it in just a couple of little spots here and there. A Camaro has an independent sub-frame that the body bolts to. On a standard road car they use a rubber mount, whereas we have locked the chassis more into the roll cage so it is a lot stiffer car, and the stiffer we can make it, the better the suspension works.” New TCM rules allow car builders to subtly widen bodyshells, and in Bill’s case, 44

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this further adds to the Jane Camaro illusion. Of course the greatest cue is the Hugger Orange paintwork, which became a Bob Jane Racing Team trademark. “Orange has been Bill’s racing colour for a long time – his Porsche is orange and a couple of other cars he has owned have been orange and he always wanted to do a clone of the Bob Jane Camaro,” explained Mick. “When we were looking at photos of Bob’s car he said, “That’s it, let’s do it the same as the Castrol Bob Jane car.” To facilitate the transformation, Mick sent the bare shell to master painter, Trevor Davis, of Trevor Davis Auto Refinishers in Dandenong. The car returned with paintwork that would look at home on any award-winning show car. To add the finishing touches, Mick went to Pete Smith of East Coast Mustang and Camaro in Lilydale for all of the trim pieces, together with the body panels, badges and lenses required to fix the crash damage. Powering the Camaro is the same 350 Chevrolet unit that powered Bill’s previous TCM car. “It is an engine I built for Bill two years ago and we gave it a birthday last season,” said Mick. “We rev the thing to 7500 and it will do its eight races without needing a rebuild. It makes good power, too (630hp), though engine torque (530 ft/lbs) is the big secret. That is why it is so nice and easy

to drive, and it puts the power down really well.” Though he won’t reveal all of his engine secrets, Mick started with a Dart block, adding an Auscrank from Crankshaft rebuilders, Carrillo rods and JE custom pistons. The cylinder heads are TCM-mandated Dart units, featuring Jesel roller rockers. Fuel is supplied by a modified Holley 750 double-pumper carburettor, mounted to an Edelbrock Victor Junior manifold. Ignition comes from a TCM-controlled MSD unit that incorporates a 7500 rev limit, while the exhaust is a custom designed system, built in Queensland by Custom Exhaust Systems to Trevor Campbell’s specification. Castrol’s finest

lubricant is circulated throughout the engine by a Johnson dry sump pump that works with a Mick Webb fabricated aluminium oil pan. The front belt drive is from Jesel. Gary Rowe of Motorsport Electrics built the custom wiring loom, while Norm Hardinge at Aussie Desert coolers fabricated a special radiator to cope with the heat these big old V8s experience in Adelaide and Darwin. Two Carter lift pumps transport fuel from an ATL Nascar ‘bullet-proof’ kevlar fuel bladder (mounted in a Mick Webb fabricated aluminium box) into a swirl pot, with a Magnafuel main fuel pump sending the fuel from there up to the big Holley.

Mick Webb stands proudly with his latest work of art. MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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TCM rules allow a limited selection of four-speed gearboxes and Mick chose a unit that was developed for NASCAR road racing – a G-Force GSR box that has a 1:1 top ratio. Mick is the Australian Quartermaster clutch distributor, so there are no prizes for guessing the type of clutch fitted to this car. A nine-inch diff is also employed, featuring a light-weight chrome moly housing and an aluminium centre. There is no restriction on final drive ratios. In regard to the suspension, Mick fitted King Springs and Penske shock

absorbers, adding he worked really hard with Bill McKenna from Penske to produce a great handling car. Big stopping power comes from Brembo brake calipers fitted front and rear, along with AP Racing discs. “They are basically the same as a current NASCAR,” explained Mick. “We are restricted in disc diameter because we have to use 15-inch wheels, which are a Minilite copy (15x8) from Performance Wheels in South Australia, wrapped in Hoosier control tyres supplied by Hoosier distributor, Max Dumsney.” Inside the sparse cockpit is a Momo steering wheel, a Cobra seat and an array of Autometer gauges. “We have analogue instrumentation in keeping with the period,” explained

Mick. “The only digital gauge we use is a Motec lambda gauge.” The basic instrumentation consists of a shift light tachometer, oil pressure, oil temperature, water temperature and fuel pressure gauges. An amp gauge is also included, as Bill likes to keep an eye on battery condition. While we have mentioned Mick’s name many times during this story, he is very quick to point out that the build hasn’t been a one-man-show. “It’s not just a Mick Webb build. Lots of people have helped me with the car,” he said. “In addition to those I have already mentioned, I have to thank Wayne Coleman, who really helped me put the whole thing together.” No doubt all of the people who had a hand in constructing this beautiful and fast example of a classic muscle car are eagerly awaiting its return to the Touring Car Masters series in round four at Sydney Motorsport Park on August 22-24.

alone worth US$4160. Jane described the car as a professionally built supercar rather than a mildly modified sedan. It was built on a plate, and featured Harrop brakes and a Holinger gearbox. The engine was said to produce more than 448kw and 814Nm. The Camaro won the 1971 Championship, a feat which was repeated the following year despite CAMS forcing Jane

to switch to a 350ci engine. In 1973 Jane converted the car to Group C specifications, but only competed in one 1973 ATCC race at Calder. Jane won but was later excluded. James Smith then purchased the car and ran it as a sports sedan before selling it to drag racer, Mike Tyder. The car has been rebuilt and is now displayed at historic car events.

BOB’S BEAST

Bob Jane’s famous Camaro is a rare 1969 ZL-1, one of two he purchased from a dealership in Melbourne, Florida, USA, operated by two-time Indy 500 winner, Jim Rathman. Just 69 ZL-1s were built, the model created when Illinois Chevrolet dealer, Fred Gibb, ordered 50 cars through General Motors’ Central Office Production Order system. Another 19 were ordered by other Chevrolet dealers. Also known as COPO 9567 and primarily intended for drag racing, ZL-1 came with an aluminium 427 cubic inch big block that GM had developed for Can Am sports car racing. Rated at 317kW – but thought to produce in excess 373kW – the V8 was GM’s most powerful publically-available engine. The car cost more than US$7200, with the engine 46

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NEW CAMARO A TRIUMPH OF DESIGN Take one look at the new Camaro and you’ll see a strong link to the 1969 model. But put the two together and you’ll see they are vastly different cars. According to the man who led the team charged with turning Chevrolet’s concept car into a production vehicle – Chief Designer, GM Holden – Richard Ferlazzo – that ability to link the past with the present makes the new Camaro a triumph of retro design. “All (a modern retro design) has to do is evoke memories of the original car,” Richard told Motorsport Legends. The subliminal cues make it instantly recognisable, and that is the triumph of the Camaro.” While the Camaro is an iconic American car, the new vehicle owes its existence to Holden’s Commodore. “At the time we were the home room for the Zeta platform – rear-drive, frontengine, which the American’s didn’t have,” explained Richard. “They were always saying, ‘I wish we could go back to the old days of Camaro’, and they saw our architecture and said, ‘there’s a great donor’. So they built a concept car and displayed

it at the Detroit Auto Show. It got rave reviews and it had credibility because it was loosely based over our affordable architecture.” Given the Camaro is built on the Zeta platform, and that Holden’s design and engineering teams are world class, it’s not surprising that Chevrolet asked Holden to bring the car to life. “That demonstrates our credibility and experience because this is a halo car for General Motors, and that is not an easy thing to give away,” said Richard. “The brief was clear – don‘t mess with it too much.” While you might think all

of the design work was done by GM, consider that none of the concept car’s surfaces are transferable to the production model. “Look at the concept and the production car side-byside and you will find they are different. There again it’s the triumph of the productionising. We had to put in correct headroom, correct safety, correct this, correct that – you kind of morph it and manipulate it until it is producible. It’s a good example of concept-to-reality without too much watering down of its intensity. “We brought across the lead designer so that he could

maintain control over the development but collaboratively, we developed the car.” Once the design was finished it was up to Holden’s engineers to complete the work. The result is an impressive, world-class muscle car that – on top of its great looks – has won universal acclaim for its ability to go, handle and stop. “Camaro outsold Mustang for the first time in history. It is a good car,” said Richard proudly. “It does what it is meant to do and it sells well in a tough market, and it was done here with our people and our VE sedan underbody. That is a good story.”

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K C O R B STAR MEN WANTED TO BE LIKE HIM AND WOMEN WANTED TO BE WITH HIM – PETER BROCK HAD THE CHARISMA OF A ROCK SUPERSTAR AND HIS ABILITY TO CHARM CROWDS WAS UNMATCHED. IN PART ONE OF OUR PETER BROCK FEATURE, GLENIS LINDLEY LOOKS BACK TO THE SAD DAY WHEN BROCK WAS KILLED AND HOW HIS DEATH AFFECTED THE LIVES OF THOSE CLOSEST TO HIM Words GLENIS LINDLEY Photos GLENIS LINDLEY, AUTOPICS.COM.AU

omeone as good as Peter Brock just doesn’t slam his car into a tree. How could such a terrible thing ever happen? Most motor racing enthusiasts in Australia have their own special memories of the late, great Peter Brock, a man affectionately called ‘Peter Perfect’, and who is also referred to as ‘King of the Mountain’ whenever Bathurst enters the conversation.

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Brock’s accidental and untimely death sent shockwaves through the motoring community. I will always remember the chill that ran down my spine when I answered the phone that fateful Friday – September 8, 2006. “Hey, did you know Brocky’s been killed in a rally accident in Western Australia?” my brother said in disbelief, conveying some of the horror he was feeling. My husband and I were visiting the Yarra Valley (near Melbourne) and hadn’t heard

the mind-numbing news, which left me stunned. Having never previously sustained a serious injury in motor racing – his sudden death was a difficult concept to grasp. The next call came from the late Harry Firth, long-time friend, former team manager and mentor to this famous motor racing personality. Harry was understandably, even more distressed. “I can’t believe Peter’s gone” he declared, a thought echoed by so many other sad hearts. MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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Peter Brock first drove at Bathurst in an HDT Monaro GTS 350 that he shared with Des West.

Word spread rapidly; phones ran hot as friends, family, fans and fellow competitors shared the devastating news and unthinkable tragedy. The national outpouring of grief and emotion for the legend that had become a popular household name was unprecedented in Australian motor racing history. Only Formula One driver Ayrton Senna’s unfortunate death rivaled Brock’s premature passing, but in a different way, as Brocky was our own homegrown hero. Losing his life

like that was incomprehensible. As one of Brock’s former co-drivers and close friends, Jim Richards said, “He was Australian motorsport.” Even our then prime minister, John Howard, led the public tributes for this much-loved sporting hero declaring, “Brocky will be very sadly missed. It’s a terrible loss for motor racing and sport.” Bev, Brock’s partner of more than 28 years – but who had recently split from the love of her life – said the news “Left a hole in her heart”. She also revealed,

At Surfers Paradise with Formula One legend, Sir Jackie Stewart. 50

“Peter had a fear of growing old. He always wanted to stay young in people’s minds.” At 61, the father of three, an undisputed touring car superstar and crowd favourite was granted his wish. Julie Bamford, Peter’s new girlfriend, was also understandably deeply affected. “I am left shattered” she declared, as she professed her love for him forever. A touching state funeral in St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne, followed by a public memorial service at Sandown a few days later, were a fitting farewell for the highly-respected racing rival, talented competitor and charismatic champion. An estimated dedicated crowd of around 10,000 came to mourn and pay homage to their beloved hero at one of his favourite circuits. Former Holden teammate, Mark Skaife, said “Peter just lived for driving and being behind the wheel more than anyone I’ve ever known”. At the moving memorial, Skaife also said, “I can visualise Peter now arriving in Heaven. His first question would be, ‘Which way does the track go and what’s the lap record?’” And who could ever forget Allan Moffat’s tearful tribute. In their early racing careers, these two rivals were top of their game – Brock, the Holden hero, and Moffat standing tall for Ford.

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In 1970 Brock and the HDT switched to Holden Torana GTR XU-1s.

An emotional Craig Lowndes dedicated his 2006 Bathurst victory to Brock, his friend and mentor.

At Bathurst with wife, Bev.

Surprisingly, some years down the track, they joined forces, becoming teammates as well as very good friends. Moffat’s words summed up everyone’s feelings, “I am shocked beyond belief.” As if Brock’s unimaginable death wasn’t enough to shake the motor racing world, much dirty laundry was soon to be aired. A public feud between the two ladies in his life and children, James (Jamie), Robert and Alexandra erupted. Uncomplimentary words, disputes and messy legal wrangles over the validity of Brock’s will (or lack thereof) had all the intrigue of chapters from a best-seller.

Revealing newspaper stories, TV and radio interviews, magazine articles and books gripped the public’s imagination, capturing their attention and keeping everyone amused or bemused. However, through thick and thin, Brock’s loyal legion of fans stood rock solid beside their hero.

“I CAN VISUALISE PETER NOW ARRIVING IN HEAVEN. HIS FIRST QUESTION WOULD BE, ‘WHICH WAY DOES THE TRACK GO AND WHAT’S THE LAP RECORD?’”

Having dominated motor racing for close on four decades, he’d won the hearts of most for his professionalism, passion, perfection, charming personality and public accessibility. He was a real people-person, not just a ladies’ favourite (but his rock-star, stunning good looks helped in that department). BATHURST MEMORIES & COMPARISONS In the lead-up to the 2006 race, thousands of mourning fans flocked to Brock’s beloved Bathurst to farewell this MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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fantastic icon, signing tributes, leaving messages of condolence and laying wreaths at Brock’s Skyline, affectionately remembering their King. On race-day there was an emotioncharged Champions Lap of Honour, featuring eight of Brock’s Bathurstwinning cars and five of his co-drivers – Jim Richards, Larry Perkins, John Harvey, Peter McLeod and David Parsons. The atmosphere at Bathurst on that weekend was like nothing I have ever experienced before. A special perpetual Peter Brock Trophy was crafted, honouring this great driver and his extraordinary achievements. Having captured nine Bathurst 1000 (and nine Sandown 500) victories, plus six Bathurst poles, along with three ATCC titles during his celebrated career, it’s highly likely this outstanding tally will remain on the record books for many years to come. Brock also notched up several New Zealand endurance wins; won the 1979 Repco Round Australia Reliability Trial;

was Australian Rally Cross Champion – 1970 to 1972, plus Sports Car Champion in 1969; and grabbed victory in the Bathurst 24-Hour event in a seven-litre Monaro. Today’s Holden star is Jamie Whincup, who amazingly never raced against the legendary ace. With four Bathurst wins and a record-equaling five V8 Supercars championships already, and with age on his side at only 31, Whincup is on the way to matching or surpassing Brock’s record in future years. Appropriately, it was Whincup’s name engraved on the Brock trophy for the first time – along with teammate Craig Lowndes, Brock’s protégé. Understandably, Lowndes was emotionally affected by the loss of his hero. After their fairytale triumph, tears flowed freely on the podium as Lowndes’ usual smiling face fondly remembered this great man, dedicating victory to his friend and mentor. As a promising young driver, Lowndes was struggling to master the hallowed

The King of the Mountain, two-wheeling his Commodore through The Dipper during the 1983 Bathurst 1000.

At Calder, driving Bob Jane’s Chevrolet Monza in the 1982 Australian GT Championship.

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“BROCK SAT DOWN WITH LOWNDES AND HELPED HIM GET UP TO SPEED, SHOWING THE WILLING STUDENT HOW TO POSITION HIMSELF SO THE CAR FLOWED ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN AND THROUGH THE CORNERS...” Mount Panorama circuit on his first daunting attempt in 1994. It was Brock who sat down with ‘The Kid’ and helped him get up to speed, showing the willing student how to position himself so the car flowed across the mountain and through the corners. Somehow, I can’t imagine too many of today’s big names being prepared to offer the type of valued assistance and advice that Brocky did, but that’s the sort of person he was. “He talked me through every bump and crack on the road, showed me the correct lines, and told me which gears to use”, said the appreciative young talent who soon rose to join the motoring greats himself by claiming five Bathurst 1000 wins, plus this year’s 12-Hour race, and equaling Brock’s three touring car/ V8 Supercars championships. Lowndes has also re-written the history books, becoming the most successful

all-time race winner (1997). It’s true to say, in the popularity stakes, Lowndes learned his trade well from Brock, far out-stripping any of today’s current batch of drivers. Memories of Brock at Bathurst didn’t stop in 2006. Two years later, a lifesized memorial statue of the man and his machine (the 1984 winning VK Commodore) was unveiled in front of the National Motor Racing Museum beside the raceway. This permanent, half-tonne bronze tribute allows those deeply saddened by his passing, to forever pay their respects. Again in 2012, the Bathurst legend’s memory was honoured as part of the fiftieth anniversary of The Great Race on the mountain. Lowndes’ Vodafone Holden (#888) was repainted in the familiar black, red and white HDT retro livery that adorned several of Brock’s Bathurst-winning 05 cars. In a spectacular unveiling, the car was carried

to the top of the mountain by helicopter. “To have it (his car) painted in the colours that Peter had, was unbelievable,” said Lowndes, “It was such an honour.” However, with rules preventing teammates driving together, the sentimental favourite couldn’t deliver another fairytale victory that year, and Whincup grabbed glory, but at least Lowndes secured a podium place. Peter Brock was crowned King of Moomba in 1986.

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CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF AN AMERICAN ICON Words & Photos BRIAN ZANA

t all started with a designer named John Najjar and a visionary in the automotive industry, Lee Iacocca. The first prototype of the Mustang I made its public debut on October 7, 1962 at the Watkins Glen racetrack in New York. Less than two years later the Mustang II prototype premiered at the New York’s World Fair on April 17, 1964. In the first day of sales Mustang sold

more than 22,000 units and by the end of the first year of sales there were 418,810 Mustangs on the roads of America. This little car was more than transportation – it was a revolution in the automotive industry. Through the years Mustang has weathered the fuel crisis of the 1970s, the changing smog restrictions of the 1980s and the economic down turns of

the past 50 years to continue to be an American classic. The Mustang is the best-selling automobile in US history and continues to add to its sales numbers today with new technology and a retro style. The new 2015 Mustang is sure to be another amazing addition to the Mustang corral. Mustang’s fiftieth birthday was destined to be one watched by the

Mustangs of all types descended on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to celebrate Mustang’s magic milestone. 54

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entire world. It was such an enormous event that it was held at two venues, The Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Only the world’s largest automotive club, the Mustang Club of America, could take on such an historic event. The festivities started in Norman, Oklahoma, where thousands of Mustang owners participated in the Pony Drive. Some of the drivers headed to the Charlotte Motor Speedway and the others to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Once at their respective events, attendees were treated to track events, vendors, Ford ride-and-drives, historic displays and other off-site events. When I arrived at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the morning of April 17, I knew I was about to witness one of the largest gatherings of Mustangs in the world. The day started with opening ceremonies in the Neon Garage, where the new 2015 Mustang GT held a place of honour next to the stage. As the event coordinators started their festivities, the fighter pilots from neighbouring Nellis Air Force base started taking off for the day’s manoeuvres. The commentator joked that some Chevy fans paid them to interrupt the celebrations opening ceremonies. The noise didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd one bit as they laughed and cheered at the joke. After the video commemorating the 50 years of Mustang was completed, we were led into the garage area, where a showcase of historically important Mustangs was on display. The first car we saw upon entering was the Iacocca family’s personal 1965 convertible Mustang that was on loan for the event. To the right of it was the prototype of the Mustang II. It was showing its age but was an amazing example of how the Mustang changed from what was proposed by designers to what actually made it into the dealerships. There were many other historically important cars in the garage area, like the first pre-production 1964 hardtop car and an Indy 500 pace car. MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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“IT WAS AN AWE INSPIRING WEEKEND WITH SOME OF THE MOST VALUABLE, CHERISHED AND BELOVED CARS EVER BUILT.” As I made my way back out to the front of the speedway, there was a display tunnel set up with Mustangs from every decade. Above each set of Mustangs was a time line showing what was popular in that era’s culture or what historic event was taking place. Among the Mustangs

in this display area was the convertible Mustang I prototype. Its design was so far ahead of the times that it was quickly dismissed for the Mustang II version. The front of the speedway was also where you could find personally-owned Mustangs from every year of production.

As I walked through the sea of Mustangs I was overwhelmed by the sheer number, condition and variety of cars that were on display. I quickly found three 64½ Mustangs next to each other that were proudly displayed by their original owners. One of them had more than 439,000 miles on the odometer! As I continued walking through row after row of classic and modern Mustangs, I started to talk to some of the owners of the cars. I found a couple from Hawaii who had two classic Mustangs on display. The first was a 1964½ blue on blue convertible,

Mustang II was vastly different from the first-generation cars, which ended with the massive 1973 model . 56

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the second was a playboy pink 1964Â˝ hardtop. While speaking with the couple learned that the wife was a breast cancer survivor and that the pink hardtop was done as a present to her when she had found out she had beaten the cancer. Another couple had a 1968 Shelby 350 GT clone. They told me how they had a 1967 Mustang at home that was even faster and more performance enhanced. By the end of the day I was drunk on Mustangs! That evening, the Mustang Club of America held a birthday party for the Mustang at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino. Many of the best cars I had seen during the day had been parked for display on the boardwalk in front of the hotel and casino. There were food, drinks and, of course, cake at the event. You could hear Mustang owners talk about their cars or their experiences on the Pony Drive to the event. The one constant was the fellowship they all shared because of an amazing car that had brought them all together that night.

The famous ex-Larry Knapp 1966 drag car.

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The next day’s events closely followed the prior day’s, minus the opening ceremonies. There were incredible cars to be seen, vendors to visit and stories to be told. As the final day of the event drew near, I could hear people say how fast the weekend had gone and how they

didn’t want it to end. People exchanged emails and social media information and promised to keep in touch. The final day’s events included Easter services at the track, followed by parade laps around the speedway. As the closing ceremonies concluded, the attendees started packing up their

cherished Mustangs and headed for home. It was an awe inspiring weekend with some of the most valuable, cherished and beloved cars ever built. The amount of history, brotherhood and friendship shared on this weekend will be remembered for the next 50 years of the ever classic Mustang.

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lifestyle

FATHER’S DAY GIFT IDEAS WITH JOHN ANTHONY

John Anthony is Prodijee magazine Men’s Lifestyle editor (www.prodijee.com)

KEEP DAD RUNNING ON TIME

In 2014 Pulsar proudly joins the V8 Supercars Championship as the official watch partner. To commemorate, Pulsar has commissioned this limited edition timepiece (1000 pieces). Featuring a distinctive rose gold case, black patterned strap, individually numbered caseback, 100-metre water-resistance and one fifth of a second stopwatch, the PV6010X perfectly reflects the precision and performance of the V8 Supercars. PV6010X RRP$350. Tel 1300 368 546. www.pulsarwatches.com.au

GIVE DAD A BOOST

Octane Supreme a real Tetra Ethyl Lead additive – not a lead substitute! Perfect for high compression engines to eliminate engine knocking and detonation, Octane Supreme also protects and lubricates valves and valve guides. Depending on driving conditions, 25 to 40ml of Octane Supreme (to 10 litres of fuel) offers sufficient lead protection to maintain and lubricate engines designed to run on leaded gasoline. Octane Supreme is available in one litre bottles. Each bottle is sufficient to treat 400 litres of fuel and increase the Octane Rating by 1 Point. Cost $49 per bottle or $504 per carton of 12 bottles. Available from HP High Performance Products, 3a Thornton Crescent, Mitcham, Victoria. Tel 03 9874 1800.

IF THE CAP FITS New items among the Motorsport Accessories for fans of Mercedes-Benz’s motorsport history include the cap in 100 per cent cotton ($36.50). The bill is chequered underneath and sports embroidered laurels on top. Historical Mercedes lettering adorns the rear. The men’s cap comes in grey with green details. The women’s model additionally boasts rhinestones and comes in white with green details. www.mercedes-benz-classicstore.com

ECSTACY FOR THE TASTE BUDS

Levantine Hill Estate is the combination of two vineyards located in the heart of the Yarra Valley. Together, this winery is a testament to what the combination of passion, the work of dedicated human hands, and the kindness of nature can produce. The colour of this Syrah was rich, but not as dark as I would have expected, yet the nose contradicted my eyes with a full bodied aroma boasting currants and cedar. The flavours swirled around my mouth and left my taste buds in ecstasy as this was very smooth, yet extremely complex. Even the aftertaste was mild with just a hint of pepper. Take it from me, dad will love it! www.levantinehill.com.au 60

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lifestyle Words & Photos PAUL MARINELLI

MATCHING HISTORY&PASSION

ules Goux is not a name that you hear about a great deal. He is the French racer whose superb performances in the 1908 and 1909 Catalan Cup races in Spain, laid the foundations for the motor racing fanatics the Catalonian region is famous for. These were the first motor races ever held in Catalonia, at the town of Stiges, near Barcelona. This is where it all started for Goux. He went on to become the first ever Frenchman (and the first European) to win the Indianapolis 500 in 1913. Goux was also successful at Le Mans, winning the Sarthe Cup in 1912. Europe’s involvement in the first World War interrupted his career and after he completed his military service, the French racer returned to the track in 1921. He won the inaugural Italian Grand Prix held in Brescia that year, but his next visit to the top step of the podium didn’t come until a long five years later, when he won both the 1926 French and Spanish Grands Prix. It is surprising that despite not being a Spaniard, Goux’ early and later career successes in Spain and particularly in Catalonia, had set in motion the establishment and success of one of the world’s longest running Grands Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix, which celebrated its centenary in 2013. 62

The Spanish Grand Prix started out as a Touring Car race which was run on a road circuit located in Guadarrama back in 1913. There would be several changes and interruptions due to economic difficulties and the Spanish Civil War, but it would be the region of Catalonia that would herald the return of Grand Prix racing to Spain in 1946, when the Pedralbes street circuit, near Barcelona, played host. In 1951, legendary Argentinian racer, Juan Manuel Fangio, won his first of five world championships at the 1951 Spanish Grand Prix in an Alfa Romeo at the Pedrables street circuit. In 1954, British Ferrari racer Mike Hawthorn took

the victory at the same Barcelona street track. The 1955 Le Mans 24 Hour tragedy – that took the lives of more than 80 people – resulted in new spectator safety regulations and the scheduled Spanish Grand Prix was cancelled that year. It was clear that the pedestrian-lined street track at Pedralbes, like so many others used in that era around the world, would never be used again. In a bid for Spain to return to the world of international motor racing, the Royal Automobile Club of Spain commissioned a new permanent racing circuit north of Madrid at Jarama, while

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Catalonia refurbished their Montjuïc street circuit, once again in Barcelona. One of the greatest drivers of the era, Lotus F1 driver Jim Clark, won the non-championship Grand Prix at Jarama in 1967. The Spanish Grand Prix then alternated between the tight, slow and twisty Jarama and the fast, wide and sweeping Catalonian Montjuic street circuit, which gained its first Formula One race in 1969, with flying Scot Jackie Stewart the winner. Jarama would host the Spanish Grand Prix in even-numbered years and Montjuic alternated with it. The 1970 Spanish Grand Prix saw Belgian Jacky Ickx and Briton Jackie Oliver get involved in a fiery accident, both drivers escaping with burns. The race was won by Stewart and he completed a hat-trick of Spanish Grand Prix wins in 1971. Austrian superstar Niki Lauda won his first of 25 races at Jarama in 1974. The 1975 Spanish Grand Prix at the Montjuic street circuit was marred by

tragedy when the rear wing of Rolf Stommelen’s car broke off after a crash, killing four spectators. The race was stopped, Jochen Mass was declared the winner and half points awarded. This clearly defined the end of the Montjuic street circuit as a Spanish Grand Prix venue, leaving Jarama as the sole Grand Prix venue in Spain.

As depicted brilliantly in the Ron Howard directed 2013 feature movie “Rush”, The 1976 Spanish Grand Prix saw Briton James Hunt take advantage of Lauda’s broken ribs (suffered in a tractor accident) to win, but he was disqualified following the race after his car was found to be 1.8 inches too wide. Hunt’s McLaren team successfully appealed the

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lifestyle

decision. This would prove to be pivotal in helping Hunt gain the world championship that year. The Spanish Grands Prix of 1977 and 1978 saw Mario Andretti dominate in his ground-effects equipped Lotus 78. The 1980 race was of particular note for

Australian racing fans. On the Friday morning of race weekend, temperamental and controversial FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre announced that the Spanish Grand Prix would not be counted as a championship race, so none of the factory teams (Ferrari, Renault and Alfa Romeo) bothered to compete. Only the independent constructors took part. The race was won by reigning world champion Alan Jones in his Williams, but this victory was not added to his career tally due to Balestre’s last minute decision. Spectacular racer, Gilles Villeneuve, won the Spanish Grand Prix in 1981, hustling his ill-handling Ferrari to keep four much better-handling cars at bay, to take victory on the twisty and confined circuit. It was one of the Canadian’s most memorable drives. Despite the excitement of that event, the Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama was dropped from the world championship, returning five years later in 1986.

In 1985, the Jerez circuit in southern Spain was commissioned for construction to promote tourism in the region and was completed in time to become a part of the 1986 world championship. The inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez was memorable for staging one of the closest finishes in Formula One history, with the furious battle between Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell culminating in a side by side finish, the Brazilian legend taking the win by just a single hundredth of a second. The Brit won the race the following year with Senna winning in 1989 and Prost in 1990 with Ferrari. The 1990 event was the last Spanish Grand Prix held at Jerez, although the circuit returned to the Formula One world championship in 1994 and 1997 as the European Grand Prix. The Catalonian government and its people’s passion for motor racing never waned during the Jarama and Jerez years and construction of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, located close to the

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Paul Marinelli travelled to Barcelona with Qatar Airways, the world’s five star airline. Qatar Airways operates daily flights from Melbourne, Sydney and Perth via the world’s newest and most advanced hub, the Hamad International Airport in Doha with direct connections to Barcelona and many other European and global destinations. www.qatarairways.com

city, was well underway by the late ’80s. In 1991, the Spanish Grand Prix returned to its most cherished home, Catalonia. The undulating and challenging 4.6 kilometre circuit has since hosted 24 consecutive Grands Prix, to date. The 1992 event co-incided with Barcelona’s hosting of the 1992 Olympics, so the race was known as the Grand Prix of the Olympic Games. The Williams team dominated the racing in Catalonia at every event until 1994. Michael Schumacher won the race six times, including his first win for Ferrari in the rain drenched 1996 Spanish Grand Prix. Finnish champion Mika Hakkinen won the race three times and almost made it four when his car failed on the final lap in 2001. Fernando Alonso’s meteoric rise in the sport gave the Spanish Grand Prix an added boost since 2003 with hundreds

of thousands of fanatical local fans visiting the event. It would be his third appearance at his home Grand Prix and his pole position and victory was received by a rapturous track invasion from his adoring fans in 2006. It would be seven long seasons until he won his home race again, in 2013, but the Spaniard gained second place four times in 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2012. The 2012 race saw more history created in Catalonia, with the first ever Grand Prix victory for a Venezuelan driver, Pastor Maldonado, who in the process gave the Williams team its first Grand Prix win since 2004. From 2013, Spain was hosting two Grands Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona and the European Grand Prix at Valencia, located to the south of Barcelona on the Iberian Coast. Valencia hosted five Grands Prix from 2008 to 2012 before

Make mine a Morgan

financial difficulties ended its tenure. This made Catalonia, and its historical city of Barcelona, the sole custodian of the country’s century long Grand Prix heritage yet again.

CATALONIA THE MAGNIFICENT It is steeped in history and full of beauty. It is also as modern as it is classic. It is a metropolis of seven million people that is surrounded by the majestic Pyrenees Mountains and flanked by hundreds of kilometres of magnificent Iberian coastline. This is Catalonia and its incredible capital city, Barcelona, home of the Spanish Grand Prix for the 24th occasion in 2014. Catalonia is one of the most individual locations in Europe. Catalonia’s distinction is expressed through its language and its political tradition, being an autonomously governed community within Spain. Like all Spanish people, they are very passionate about their sport, helped in no small way by the incredible success of the country’s double World Champion, Fernando Alonso, who is from Oviedo in Northern Spain. www.catalunya.com

In a world of mass production, it is still possible to have a new car hand built exactly to customer requirements. The bespoke world of Morganeering starts with the iconic Morgan 4/4, a model nameplate which has been in use since 1936, making it the longest running nameplate currently in use by any manufacturer. Classified as a fuel efficient vehicle in Australia, its price benefits from resultant Luxury Car Tax savings. Greater performance is available from the 2.0 litre Plus 4 model, arguably considered the best all round value for money in the Morgan range. If outstanding performance is mandatory, then the V6 Morgan Roadster, now fitted with the 3.7 litre Ford Mustang engine will exceed your expectations! Then there is the ultimate Morgan Classic experience from the new BMW V8 engined Plus 8 model. Whichever bespoke Morgan you choose, you will be enjoying a classic English sports car, built to your exact specification, just for you. Our website has comprehensive information on the model range and if you’d like to know more we’re always happy to talk about the unique Morgan experience.

All enquiries should be directed to: Chris van Wyk, Morgan Cars Australia Pty Ltd, Level 1, 362 Swan Street, Richmond, Victoria 3121 P: 03 9329 0344 E: chris@morgancars.com.au Please visit our website for more information. www.morgancars.com.au

The Morgan 4/4 illustrated (Note options include Stainless steel wire wheels, overriders and Mohair so top

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