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

The HO and the Hoax

Seven’s greatest hits

GENTLEMAN JIM • THE OFFICIAL RACING HISTORY OF JIM RICHARDS BOOK

Auction update

What goes up...

Vale Charlie Smith 1928-2022

Johnson wins Bathurst

Herne the hero

Marathon re-enactment

AMC BEST LETTER • amceditorial@chevron.com.au | Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards NSW 1590

Spoiler alert The birth of Supercars: Part 2 • Arriving at the final specs of the new-breed Gen3 Mustang and Camaro has involved a long and somewhat arduous journey. But it’s been a picnic compared to the fraught process that gave us the original Commodore VP and Falcon EB racers 30 years ago. As we prepare for the start of the post-Holden Gen3 era, here’s how it all began – this is how the first V8 Supercars were born.

Testing times • What better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Falcon EL GT than to dust off the original prototype and take it for a drive with the two men – engineer Steve Hoinville and John Bowe – who developed the car in the first place? Bruce Newton went along for the ride.

Godzilla! • Hate is probably too strong a word. Let’s just say it was not exactly a touring car racing fan-favourite. It came to be known – not affectionately – by the name of the fictional Japanese movie character ‘Godzilla’, a destructive prehistoric sea monster reawakened by nuclear radiation. But there was nothing prehistoric about this Godzilla; it was bristling with cutting edge technology, the like of which had never been seen in Australia before. Like the movie monster, it destroyed everything in its path; such was its superiority on the track that it even helped bring about the end of the entire Group A racing category – destroying itself in the process. The animosity some felt about the Nissan GT-R in the early ‘90s will have eased with the passing of time, but those still harbouring any resentment should think of this: without Godzilla, we might not have had Holden-vs Ford V8 Supercar racing – the GT-R’s total dominance was the catalyst for the creation of what we know 30 years on as Supercars.

A star is born • It seems strange to consider now but there was a time when Jim Richards was unknown in Australia. One car changed all that. The Sidchrome Mustang transformed Richards into a genuine star on both sides of the Tasman and served as the launchpad for a Hall of Fame career in his new homeland. This excerpt from his upcoming biography by Will Dale and Aaron Noonan, Gentleman Jim: The Official Racing History of Jim Richards, details how the Mustang came to be.

The First Lieutenant • Harry Firth regarded mechanic Ian Tate and driver Peter Brock as the sons he never had. There was plenty of tough love along the way, but Tate became a pivotal member of the Holden Dealer Team and was one of the sport’s most accomplished spanners, with seven Great Race victories to his name.

Slot car addiction

Driving Quest • The XB was an ex-electrician’s work ute, and it’d had a hard life. But it did have a reconditioned engine, so it was pretty strong in a straight line. Less so in the corners: with the lack of weight over the leaf-sprung rear axle, traction was an ever-present issue. That car probably spent as much time going sideways as it did in a straight line. Forty years on I don’t wish to condone such irresponsible driving, but in some ways it’s still the most-fun road car I’ve ever owned. And it only cost $500…

Ford family affair...