For me, Moffats Mustang didn't look quite as good when it was in the silver and green of Brut 33, and I really love silver race cars. But it was just as staunch as ever, as captured here.
For me, Moffats Mustang didn't look quite as good when it was in the silver and green of Brut 33, and I really love silver race cars. But it was just as staunch as ever, as captured here.
Another shot of the Moffat Mustang in Brut colours, this time on the back of the Ford transporter. Is this the same truck the Bowdens have in their collection?
Formula Sierra! 1987 was a difficult year for any team trying to get a handle on the new Sierra Cosworth/RS500, but by 1988, it was pointless turning up at the track with anything else. Eight of the ten fastest qualifiers at Bathurst in 1988 were RS500s. Dick Johnson was running the fastest Group A touring cars in Australia by this stage, if not the world. He turned up at Bathurst with three cars after having dominated the ATCC and outrun the top RS500s at Silverstone. The other teams must have been quaking in their boots at Bathurst, but the DJR effort was a bit of a disaster. The Johnson/Bowe car was leading comfortably when it blew a rear tyre down Conrod and spun wildly, amazingly without actually hitting anything. But there was plenty of damage done as a result of the shredded tyre and high speed spin. This car was retired after 22 laps. The #28 DJR car was out four laps later with a mechanical problem. Johnson was quoted as saying "We might need to bring five cars next year", tongue in cheek, but he did expect to win this race. The sole-surviving DJR car, in which Johnson himself did a driving stint after his own car retired, finished second behind the Tony Longhurst/Tomas Mezera RS500.
This race was actually run under FISA rules, and therefore, was required to be a rolling start, the one and only time this has happened at Bathurst.
More Sierra's. This looks to be a VERY early photo of the two Dick Johnson cars. Looking closely, these aren't even the homologated RS500 models, they're the original Cosworths, so this would be earlier in 1987.
After Peter Brock split with Holden, he struggled through much of 1987 with no money. He raced Commodores throughout 1987, but the writing looked to be on the wall for this model, with more potent machinery being purpose-built in Europe and homologated for Group A. Jim Richards won the 1987 ATCC in one of two beautiful black JPS sponsored BMW M3s, run by Frank Gardner. After the Gardner team closed at the end of the season, Brock bought the two M3s, and teamed up once again with Jim Richards, who drove the second car, both with Mobil backing. But it wasn't to be a fruitful season, the M3s were now comfortably outpaced in Group A, Brock ran the cars for just one year, before doing the unthinkable, and switching to a Ford for 1989.
Former motorcycle racing ace Graeme Crosby decided to get into touring car racing in the mid-80s, after his two-wheeled career had ended. He started out racing an elderly BMW 635CSi, before purchasing in early 1986 the beautiful black and gold AC&B Brock built Commodore previously raced by Ray Smith and Denny Hulme. Croz ran much of the '86 ATCC, initially without any backing, until Bob Jane T-Marts offered some help. The Commodore looked terrible with its interim paint scheme, remnants of the Ray Smith colours, but it was treated to a fresh coat of Bob Jane orange later in the year.
I spoke with Crosby about his brief period in Group A, and it was a time he'd rather forget. He poured a couple hundred thousand of his own money into it, and had little financial support. Bob Jane didn't actually give him any sponsorship money, rather just free tyres, although that certainly helped reduce the costs. Croz had a short and colourful career in Group A, but was gone again by the end of 1987. However, he left a lasting impression. His old Commodore has been restored in recent years, and painted in his orange Bob Jane T-Marts colours. High praise, considering the owner could have restored it to the gold and black AC&B colours in which it was raced by NZs only World Champion.
Welcome to the Thunderdome, folks. Bob brings Nascar to Australia. Unfortunately, Nascar never actually held any of their events at the Calder Thunderdome. During the late 80s and 90s, stock car racing took place here, with locally owned teams. Too bad Nascar didn't want to venture to Australia, could have been something special.
John Goss and his lady friends, promoting Aunger Wheels. Thats Goss' Falcon hardtop Sports Sedan in picture, not his Group C car.
Nice shot here of Bob's '68 Shelby Trans-Am Mustang, during its brief period in Aus with original blue paint before getting sprayed in Bob Jane orange.
A really interesting car this, and I reckon if it weren't for the caption at the bottom, many people would have no idea who this is. Kingsley Hibbard was the second owner of the famous Pete Geoghegan Super Falcon when he bought the car in 1973, but prior to purchasing this car, he owned another Falcon, that was itself pretty awesome. This is Kingsley in 1972, in the Falcon he had built up at great expense for the final season under Improved Production rules. It certainly looked the goods but apparently Hibbard wasn't very happy with it. I'd heard Ron Harrop built it, but I'm not sure if thats correct or not. Someone else here may know? Where is it now?
This was an interesting car for several reasons,I think it only ran a couple of times but famously had an engine blow up on Con-rod straight at a reportedly 182 mph! Hibbard then sued the engine builder and this saga dragged through the Victorian courts for many years before being resolved. I think Hibbard may still have the car.
Regards Pete.
Another grainy B/W shot but once again demonstrating the awesome power output the top engine builders from Australia were extracting from 351 Clevelands at this early stage in their life.
Regards Pete.
Wow, what a evil looking car! Would love to know the in & outs of this one.... Was Kingsley a successful racer?? He seems to not have an understanding of throttle control ;p
Thanks for that info on the Hibbard Falcon Pete, and the extra photo. I've not seen that one before. Was it a big horsepower motor? The car was reportedly a big dollar machine at the time, but, as you say, didn't do many racing miles, and was rarely mentioned. Pretty tough looking machine with those big bubble flares.
Hibbard apparently debuted the car at Calder, Round 2 of the 1972 ATCC where he started off the rear of the grid after missing qualifying. Its possible thats where both of these photos are taken? Bathurst was Round 3, thats where the engine went. Was it seen again after this?
Actually, going through the results in my ATCC history book, Hibbard picked up points at Round 4 of the ATCC at Sandown. Looks like he finished 4th behind Moffat, Jane and Beechey.
Pauly, Hibbard did some production racing in the mid-60s, but seems to have gone a little quiet in the later part of the decade, before appearing with this car in 1972. But I've not seen him in any other ATCC results prior to this. He then bought the Pete Geoghegan Super Falcon in early 1973 and raced it as a Sports Sedan.Originally Posted by zombie289
No understanding of throttle control......please....tyre smoke, that is generally what happens when you have the kahunas to exploit an engine thats got some real horsepower.... even if it`s a Ford.
After the engine blow up at the 1972 Easter ATTC round I believe the litigation began which was not finalised until many years later and apparently the car never ran again after Sandown. It would appear the car only ran in three rounds of the 72 championship so it was a very costly exercise. Does anyone have a colour photo of it?
It must have had horsepower approaching the factory Super Falcons. a real shame so little is known about this wild car.
Regards Pete.
Kingsley missed the start of the Sandown ATTC round and had to start from the back but stormed through the field to take fourth.
Regards Pete
Great work Pete, this is a really interesting and dramatic race car for sure. I'd love to know what sort of condition its currently in. You have to assume if its never been torn apart then it should be quite original, as Hibbard bought the Geoghegan car to race in 1973 as a Sports Sedan. He had the firewall moved back in the Geoghegan car and fitted perspex windows etc, to lighten it up. These were fairly typical modifications for the period, but otherwise this car was apparently not changed greatly from when Geoghegan had it. So Hibbards '72 Falcon must have just sat in the corner while he concentrated on the Geoghegan car.
Although this photo from Old Race Photos www.oldracephotos.com lists this car as ex-Geoghegan, I suspect it could be the Hibbard car, as the rear flares look like his, whereas the rear flares on the Geoghegan car were much more subtle. It has silver kidney bean mags, whereas the wheels on the Geoghegan car were painted green when the body was painted Grace Bros yellow. Also, it looks like a brighter yellow than the Geoghegan car.
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