Mini Muscle
Earlier in the magazine you’ll have read all about the 1990 Bathurst 1000. I had a yack with editor Normoyle about this a while back and he reckoned the Sierras lost the race by beating each other, leaving Holden to pick up the pieces. Be that as it may, it was a legendary win for the VL Commodore, very much against the odds. It was also a hugely popular one: Chevron’s Bathurst 1000 ‘Great Race’ book for that year is still in high demand, as are models of the winning car.
Allan Grice and Win Percy drove the car at out all day, overcoming a tardy start to keep the pressure on their turbocharged opposition for the entire race. Anyway, you should know about all that now (if not, read the cover story!).
Oddly, there aren’t all that many models around of that year’s cars. Oh, the winning car, of course, has been modeled for all it’s worth. Biante released it in 1:18 and 1:64 scale. The big ones sold out very quickly, as you’d expect for a model of such a popular winner.
The 1:18 one is on Ebay as
I write for up to $990. For a model that originally cost $250-odd! There are some cheaper ones, but the market is one for the sellers right now. The smallest, 1:64, ones are between $20 and $40, which is much more reasonable.
There’s also a Dinkum Classics version available, in 1:24 scale, at $475 as I write. I’ve never seen one, so can’t comment on quality, but the Biante ones in the big scale had heaps of detail and opening doors, boot and bonnet.
Of course the 1990 Bathurst 1000 was also the year of the Skyline R32’s debut. The all-wheel drive, all-wheel steer twin-turbo ‘Godzilla’ was reasonably untried at the time of Bathurst, and a couple of delays saw the car nish well down – but not before it obliterated the lap record. The 2m15.46s record Mark
Skaife set in the GT-R was some three seconds faster than the best lap of the race winning Commodore! It kind of forewarned of what was to come in 1991…
Biante made this car in 1:43 and Auto Art in 1:18 and they’re around on the used market – nowhere near as expensive as the Holden, either!
And if you want a small one, well, Hot Wheels has done a long run of a Skyline. Although it’s a wide-body, with ared guards. However, Mini GT has announced a 1:64 scale model with the right body kit for $20 US – google it. Looks nice, too. Once you have either of these models you can head over to Patto’s Place (www.pattosplace. com) and order yourself some decals. Mini GT are available from Biante – check them out at www.downies.com
Also from Biante was the Peter Brock Sierra. Brock in a Ford is almost as likely to get you a fat lip as Dick Johnson in a Holden, but both these things happened, despite the bloke in the high-vis yelling the contrary. Brock Sierras in 1:18 range in asking prices on Ebay from $300 to $900. Someone’s dreamin.’
Oddly, Biante has done no DJR Sierras from that year. Plenty of 1989, 1991 and ‘92 versions around after a very quick look – I’d assume ‘87 and ‘88 as well, for that matter. Biante have done Allan Moffat, Tony Longhurst, Colin Bond and Texaco/
Eggenberger cars, so there’s heaps out there – and customising is up to you.
Trax did both a road-going VL Walkinshaw and a Texaco-liveried Sierra, both in 1:43 and both available on their website – www. urtradinginternational.com
Matchbox did a Ford Sierra XR4i. OK, the rear wing isn’t quite right but only a nerd like me will pick that. You can nd them for $10 or so in Texaco livery. Patto has lots of decal sets available for them – once I nd a few donor cars I’m going to be all over this!
Bathurst wasn’t only outright cars, of course. Unlike in today’s Supercars, there were small cars there, too, adding spice to proceedings. And here’s more opportunity. OK, the factory BMWs were gone, but John Cotter and Peter Doulman ran an ex-works car. Katcode3 Model Cars have done a decal sheet for this car – they’re on Facebook. For a donor car, there are lots of opportunities, as the E30 M3 has been widely modelled by a range of manufacturers. But if you’re cheap, there’s Hot Wheels – its M3 is a 1992 version, but in this scale the differences are very small.
Finally, a car that often ies under the radar – Toyota’s AE86 Sprinter. A favourite of drifters – but more importantly a bloody great little rally car! – there were heaps of them at Bathurst over the years – or was it the same few cars with new paint every year? Either way, there’s a Hot Wheels donor car – go for it!
1965 Ford Cortina GT500
From the very early days of the Bathurst race, when the cars were very close to standard (OK, we’ve all heard some wonderful stories of fudging the rules, but that’s a story for another time). The 1965 Ford Cortina GT500 is considered one of the very rst homologation specials for the Great Race. With extra fuel capacity and some other Harry Firth tweaks, like a smaller crank pulley to stop that Ford Kent drama of cavitating water pumps, a twin-choke Weber carby, carefullyselected pistons and fatter valve springs, they were the car to have. And Bo Seton and Midge