AMC BEST LETTER

Congratulations on an excellent magazine! I was delighted to receive my copy of issue #101 and read the ‘Holden V8 Til 98’ article featuring photos of the beautiful Bermuda Blue HSV VT GTS.

I have a car that’s almost identical (build number 326) and the only difference is that my car is an auto and doesn’t have the performance brakes. However, it does have

the premium audio with 10-CD stacker. [ ED: CD stackers, we remember those!]

I love the VT GTS as it is the perfect mix of old school and new school. Also a great looker with all those curves!

I have owned my car for two years and enjoy taking it to car shows around the South Island of NZ and on the local Holden club’s runs. Ross Bailey Motueka, NZ

Mad about Max’s omission

Ijust wanted to point out a very, very glaringly obvious omission from the top 25 of NASCAR/AUSCAR list, Max Dumesny. Multiple Australia champion in many forms of motorsport including NASCAR champion 1992/93 and a competitor in the V8 series for a few years with the John Sidney prepared Valvoline Falcon who also is ano-her motorsport icon in Australia with his engine building business. Jon Collins Email

Mustang’s entry not welcome

Issue 101 contained the welcome news that Ford were not going to race the Mustang in Australia, only for issue 102 to immediately reverse this and say it will be raced after all. As a long-term driver of old Mustangs on both road and track this is bad news indeed. The reality is that Ford race teams will stop racing tubeframe specials with arti cial Falcon panels and replace them with tubeframe specials with pretend Mustang panels. If the Mustang special is faster than the Holden special it will be penalised; if slower, it will be given an art cial leg-up. Where’s the interest in that? If Ford had refused to enter the so called Supercar category and followed the excellent example of Mercedes, Volvo and now Nissan, there was a good chance this class would fold up and be replaced by real races for real cars, including real Mustangs built by Ford. Sadly, this has now been postponed and we’ll have to go on ignoring this class and focus on the categories listed for the Muscle Car Masters. Long live Group N and Heritage racing, real cars with real variety! Rob Switzer Email

This Bud’s now a dud

Iwas in rural SA picking up an XB GT for a restoration project and while we were being shown some other vehicles (future projects) by the owner, I saw a little bit of signage on a car that was being made in to a drag car. When I asked what the car was I was told it was a 2000s era Mustang that was being prepared for racing by John Bowe but the funding fell through. I was quite shocked as I am a Bowe fan and had never heard of it. Maybe you guys can chase up a pic? It would have been good to see the car complete not just as the patches you see now. Steve Dangerfield Email

Henry II not Edsel II

In the story of The Factory Poverty Pack, there’s a sidebar titled ‘When Barry knocked back Harry’. In this sidebar, the story mentions the infamous XP Falcon 70,000 mile durability test. It also mentions that this test was held in the presence of Edsel Ford.

Although my entire car magazine and book collection is in storage at the moment because I’m moving house soon, the original Edsel Ford died in 1943, and Edsel Ford ll would’ve been a young kid, so I’m pretty sure that this test was actually graced by a visit from Henry Ford ll, who was astounded by the crazy Aussies. Phil Minns Email ED: Phil, you are quite correct. We got our Ford descendants mixed up.

Brock/Larry VN replica

Wondering if you can help; I’m building a replica Brock/Perkins VN SS Group A Commodore racecar and I’m keen to get photos of the cars back in the day. There’s a particularly good shot of the cars, in exactly the livery that I like the best, in the big ‘The Final Assault’ feature you did in issue #43 showing Brocky with Larry Perkins close behind.

Also, any tips on where I might buy some old VN or VP 17x11” ( ve-stud) Dymag race wheels (as run on the Group A cars) to suit the car?

Really appreciate any help you can give, and thanks again for a great magazine. Tony Johnson Fairlie, NZ tony@lvvta.org.nz

FG’s Mini replica in France

I’m French and would to know more information about the #17 Morris Cooper S Class C car that raced in the 1966 Gallaher 500, driven by Bill Stanley and Fred Gibson.

If you have more information/photos/videos or other, I’m interested to have it because I’m building a Morris Cooper S for Historic car competition in France with the same colour and characteristics as the #17 car from 1966. I’m not sure if it’s possible to nd ‘Vaughan and Lane’ stickers? Matthieu Perrot France matthieu.perrot.1275@gmail.com ED: Matthieu, Fred Gibson was chuffed when we passed your email and photos onto him. Who would have thought that someone in France would replicate his Bathurst ‘66 ride. What we don’t understand is why you chose the runner-up and not the winner?

Track and topography

Great shots of the Bathurst track and topography in issue #102, particular the Shutter Speed two-page shot of cars heading downhill from Skyline through the Esses. I note that one guy has already hit the deck in that crowd. And yes, like the comment made in the magazine implied, I doubt that there has ever been a better spectator turnout than in ‘68. I know that it promised the major confrontation between GMH and Ford and this was a great drawcard. That’s why yours truly was there.

Also in that edition, it was great to get Bob Morris’s guts on Adelaide’s ‘79 ATCC decider. The underdog prevailed, with lesser gear, over the mega-bucks team. How I wish this stuff was in the record book, so that when people talk about how great Joe Blogs was as a driver, based purely on his win statistics, that they might reassess their opinions based on reality.

Regarding the My Muscle Car section, there is great potential in this segment for good human interest yarns. The story on the 307 GTS Monaro out Liverpool way was a good example, telling it as it was back then. And magic stuff that the car is still with the original owners. Eric Waples Albion Park, NSW