Australian Muscle Car

Australian Muscle Car is a fresh, proudly Australian publication dedicated to preserving the legend of the unique ‘Australian made’ Ford vs Holden muscle car heritage. From 1960s classic Bathurst muscle to the super sophisticated Falcon and Commodore performance cars of the new millennium and everything in between.

Steve Normoyle

Australian Muscle Car

Favourable conditions

The magnificent six

Auction update

No Royal command performance

Cars of the ‘60s

Paul Newby

AMC BEST LETTER

Red hot • Sixty years ago Holden tried to win the first Bathurst 500 with its new EH model. The EH Holden S4 - and the S5, which has mostly been kept secret until now - failed to deliver on the Mountain, but it was just the start for the EH model’s all-new, bigger, more powerful 179 ‘Red six’ engine,

‘63 Bathurst • On race day the S4 came up short but, with Holden having no presence in the contest and Ford fielding a full works entry, second outright for a privateer S4 entry was more than respectable.

Road and track • The EH was the ideal cheap performance car in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. It almost won the ’64 touring car championship, and it helped launch the careers of future stars Dick Johnson and Garry Rogers. And of course, the 179 Red six was where it all began for Peter Brock.

World’s fastest EH • In 1975 it was dubbed the ‘World’s Fastest EH Holden’ – and with 5.0-litre Repco-Holden V8 power in an EH engineered and driven by Ron Harrop, it surely lived up to the hype. But this EH Sports Sedan went onto a second life, with a red Holden six back in place of the V8 – but with a turbo hanging off the side. Wayne Mahnken’s ex-Harrop EH turbo was a wild, flame-spitting beast of a machine that tested not only the limits of late ‘70s turbo technology but also the venerable 202 Holden Red six, which was being asked to cope with as much as 600 horsepower…

1983 James Hardie Bathurst 1000

The Big Banana • He is one of Supercars’ rising stars but it would seem Todd Hazelwood is caught in a time warp, given the cars he enjoys when he is not at the wheel of the CoolDrive Racing Ford Mustang.

Barn-find Monaro! • You don’t often see as nice an example of classic Aussie muscle sitting in a shed waiting patiently to be dusted off and returned to the road, but the story of this HQ Monaro shows that they’re still out there.

Big Red • It’s not quite a one-owner car but this Fairmont GS has been part of the family for more than half a century.

Playing the long game • They may not have hit the heights in practice and qualifying at Bathurst, but Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway were fast when it mattered - in the race. Van Gisbergen is now a triple Great Race winner, while Stanaway has achieved what must be the most amazing comeback performance in the entire history of the race.

Forever young • At 87, George Wegener says he’s going to continue racing until they stop him.

Call Me Shag Part 2 • The second installment of our Graeme Lawrence Muscle Man feature takes in his time in tintops both in NZ and his seven starts in the Great Race, plus the Lola Formula 5000 years and Lawrence’s post-driving career as an openwheeler team owner running budding young would-be star F1 drivers - which included the father of current World Drivers’ Champion, Max Verstappen.

Slot car addiction

Muscle Stuff • Essential products for the Australian MUSCLE CAR enthusiast.

Mini Muscle

White hot

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