2013 Phillip Island Classic Motor Races

[Steve Holmes]

More Sports Car action

[Steve Holmes]

The pretty MRC Repco Brabham

[zombie289]

I bleed ford blue but I reckon those VH Gp C cars looked amazing, still hold up today.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks you guys. Reading through the comments on the RS500 owners forum, Sala actually painted the interior, engine bay and underside B&H yellow, to show its former history as a Longhurst car. But when he raced it in period these areas were still in Wolf base colours, which is how Longhurst also raced it. Even still, it looked great in 1991 when Sala first raced it.

[Steve Holmes]

The Sala RS500.



And leading the Forbes GTR.

[Steve Holmes]

Another from the Group C/A races, this is the Torana L34 raced in 1974 and '75 by brothers Rod and Russ McRae. Great looking colour scheme for the time! Prior to the L34 they'd raced an XU-1.

[Bondy]

Another from the Group C/A races, this is the Torana L34 raced in 1974 and '75 by brothers Rod and Russ McRae. Great looking colour scheme for the time! Prior to the L34 they'd raced an XU-1.

Thats the second L34 mate, the first one landed in the trees on Conrod Straight in 74

[Steve Holmes]

There are few things in the world that confuse me more than Schnitzer run BMW M3s, and this car is no exception. They retained essentially the same paint scheme from the original 2.3 litre cars in 1987, right through to the later 2.5 Evo cars, and into their involvement in the 2.5 DTM era. Additionally, they ran at least two cars per event, sometimes more. However, with this car featuring Bob Jane decals on the bumper, I'd hazard a guess its one of the cars that contested the 1987 WTCC, and which appeared at the Australian WTCC rounds at Bathurst and Calder (and Wellington in New Zealand).

Now, furthermore, many of the cars were also cross-entered, so this appears to be the car entered at Bathurst in 1987 driven by Markus Oestreich/Roland Ratzenberger, but also with Emanuele Pirro/Roberto Ravaglia entered as drivers. I assume this was to allow the lead BMW drivers to jump in this car if their own car failed.

[conrod]

There are few things in the world that confuse me more than Schnitzer run BMW M3s, and this car is no exception. They retained essentially the same paint scheme from the original 2.3 litre cars in 1987, right through to the later 2.5 Evo cars, and into their involvement in the 2.5 DTM era. Additionally, they ran at least two cars per event, sometimes more. However, with this car featuring Bob Jane decals on the bumper, I'd hazard a guess its one of the cars that contested the 1987 WTCC, and which appeared at the Australian WTCC rounds at Bathurst and Calder (and Wellington in New Zealand).

Now, furthermore, many of the cars were also cross-entered, so this appears to be the car entered at Bathurst in 1987 driven by Markus Oestreich/Roland Ratzenberger, but also with Emanuele Pirro/Roberto Ravaglia entered as drivers. I assume this was to allow the lead BMW drivers to jump in this car if their own car failed.

For someone who claims to be confused, you have a pretty good handle on this car Steve! Yep, this car was one that contested the 1987 WTCC, and was actually crashed heavily at Bathurst.(the origin of the Bob Jane decals) Schnitzer stripped the car while in Aus, and donated the shell to the Bathurst Motor Museum. It was subsequently sold,and rebuilt with whatever parts were avalable,(including a late 2.5 DTM engine, which is now in my car) then sold, and bought by its present owner Bill Cutler in 2007, who stripped the car back to a bare shell, and rebuilt it with the period correct parts. He has been racing it for a few years now in the GpA and GpC category.

Conrad

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Conrad, fantastic description! So where did Schnitzer get their replacement car for the reamaining Australasian races following the Bathurst shunt? I think from memory several of the European based M3s endured some pretty big hits at Bathurst that year, including in practice. At least two of them started the race from pitlane.

[Steve Holmes]

Peter Brock/Bob Morris XU-1 from 1970 Bathurst.

[Steve Holmes]

Another shot of the superb replica (?) of Allan Moffats 1979 XC Falcon hardtop. In this guise Moffats hardtop didn't enjoy success, but it looked fantastic! Surely one of the best paint schemes ever seen at Bathurst.

[Steve Holmes]

Perhaps someone could explain to me the significance of this car? I'm a bit confused by it. The name on the door says Colin Bond, but it has the race number 7, with its class designation next to the number. Class designations were only displayed in Series Production until the end of 1972, and were dropped for Group C in 1973. Also, in Series Production, car numbers were based on the class they competed in, working upwards from Class D. So a Series Production Class C car wouldn't normally have such a low number. It'd usually be in the 20s, at least. However, the non-factory Mawer wheels suggest Group C, as these wouldn't be allowed in Series Production. Help! This is too confusing for my tiny brain.

[Muscle Car Events]

Perhaps someone could explain to me the significance of this car? I'm a bit confused by it. The name on the door says Colin Bond, but it has the race number 7, with its class designation next to the number. Class designations were only displayed in Series Production until the end of 1972, and were dropped for Group C in 1973. Also, in Series Production, car numbers were based on the class they competed in, working upwards from Class D. So a Series Production Class C car wouldn't normally have such a low number. It'd usually be in the 20s, at least. However, the non-factory Mawer wheels suggest Group C, as these wouldn't be allowed in Series Production. Help! This is too confusing for my tiny brain.

Steve, just to confuse things even more this car belongs to John Anderson (based in Queensland) and is a rebodied Series Production car driven by Bond in 1972 AS 24C...it had a double double life and in the last few years has been displayed as the 72 Bathurst car (with Mawer wheels??>>??) forgive me I don't know why.
It spends considerable time at Ian Tate's workshop and at the wheel you'll find Stephen Tate (son of) who was campaigning the car in (from memory) regularity at this years Phillip Island event with number 24 being obviously already taken. The 'C' has just been left on instead of being removed for Regularity..I have the 40C car as pictured above...... while i'm on to you - what's the update on the Cossack Warrior has/is the restoration underway of my hero car when growing up over there in NZ....Cheers TM.

[Steve Holmes]

Steve, just to confuse things even more this car belongs to John Anderson (based in Queensland) and is a rebodied Series Production car driven by Bond in 1972 AS 24C...it had a double double life and in the last few years has been displayed as the 72 Bathurst car (with Mawer wheels??>>??) forgive me I don't know why.
It spends considerable time at Ian Tate's workshop and at the wheel you'll find Stephen Tate (son of) who was campaigning the car in (from memory) regularity at this years Phillip Island event with number 24 being obviously already taken. The 'C' has just been left on instead of being removed for Regularity..I have the 40C car as pictured above...... while i'm on to you - what's the update on the Cossack Warrior has/is the restoration underway of my hero car when growing up over there in NZ....Cheers TM.

Oh, brilliant! Yes that absolutely makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.

Re the Cossack Victor, I'm not too sure where Craig is at with its restoration. He is currently in Queensland, where he'll be racing his AMC Javelin at Lakeside this weekend, with the Historic Muscle Cars/Australian Trans-Am combined races. But he is a member on here, and will hopefully update us when he gets back.

[Steve Holmes]

Peter Brocks 1973 XU-1 Torana

[conrod]

yes a fantastic colour scheme, I wonder where the inspiration for that came from?

[Steve Holmes]

Yep, most definitely, and his Monza got the same treatment, although metallic brown replaced the black.

[Steve Holmes]

[Steve Holmes]