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One
quiet Sunday morning in July 1972, a young Touring Car fan picked
up the Sunday paper. It was something I looked forward to getting
because there was always good motor sport reporting in the Sydney
Morning Heald.
My smile and good nature immediately took a
downward slide when greeting with those HUGE headlines, '160 MPH Supercars'!
"What wally wrote this", was my initial reaction. |
Alas,it's
the well respected Evan Green, the gentleman of motorsport journalism!
It was a huge scoop for a journo but...... Unfortunately, the
resultant knee jerk reaction of our Polies (so typical) was to threaten
and act to ban everything.
Accordingly, us petrol heads were robbed of
our opportunity to witness the ultimate clash of three automotive
titans on the mountain. |
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Bugger,
what a race that would have been!
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Australia’s three
major car-makers are about to produce “super-cars” with top speeds
of up to 160 miles and hour.
But NSW transport Minister Milton Morris said
yesterday he was appalled at “Bullets on wheels” being sold to ordinary
people.
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The
automotive “big three” – General Motors-Holden, Ford, and Chrysler
are building the cars for a head-on confrontation in Australia’s most
important motor race, the Hardie Ferodo 500, at Bathurst on October
1.
The cars will be available to the general
public for use on the open road.
The new models, developed from family saloons,
are among the fastest and most powerful cars available in the world. |
Bitter controversy
Their
introduction is sure to arouse bitter controversy,
The “super cars” are:
- A
V8 Holden Torana, which will replace the six-cylinder XU1 as
GM-H’s top competition car. With its light body and big
engine, it is potentially the fastest car ever built in this
country, with a top speed in excess of 160 mph.
- Australia’s
most powerful car, the 380 bhp Ford Falcon GTHO Phase Four,
which is capable of sustaining a maximum speed of 152 mph –
but is expected to go faster on the downhill straight at Bathurst.
- An
uprated version of the Chrysler Valiant Charger with a high
performance six-cylinder engine developing almost 300 bhp, and
a new four-speed close ratio gearbox.
The
new Chrysler is already in production. Two of the four speed
Chargers – known as the E49 series – will be racing at Oran Park
today in the models competition debut. The latest Falcon GTHO
and the new Torana V8 have yet to go into production.
In
fact no details have been released officially, for the cars are
still under company security wraps. All three cars owe their
existence to a modern phenomenon in the car sales world – the
immense prestige of a win at Bathurst. The 500-mile race
is for standard production saloons. There is no other race
like it in the world.
And it has now bred three cars unlike any
others produced anywhere – family cars that have developed into
sporting saloons with the performance of a Ferrari or Lamborghini.
Under
the rules of the Hardie Ferodo 500, at least 200 basically identical
units must be sold in Australia before a locally made car can
qualify for the race. Therein lies the problem.
“I
don’t mind expert drivers handling such machines on enclosed racing
circuits,” Mr Morris told me. “But the thought that ordinary
motorists of varying degrees of skill will be able to purchase
these bullets on wheels and drive them on public roads is alarming.”
“I am horrified at the prospect of young and inexperienced drivers
getting behind the wheels of such machines.”
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“This
is a specially the case when the cars reach the second-hand market,
and their braking and suspension systems have deteriorated.”
“If manufacturers are making these super cars available to the general
public because this is a condition of eligibility for the Bathurst
500, then I think it is imperative that the organisers closely examine
the rules.”
While
the new cars appear certain to draw salvoes of criticism because
of their ultra-high top speeds, they are soundly engineered cars
with a strong emphasis on safety features. They will introduce
new standards of handling and control among the ranks of locally
made high-performance cars.
The
Torana will use the five-litre-plus Holden 308 V8 engine.
This engine, one litre bigger than the motor fitted to a Jaguar
XJ6, develops 240 bhp in standard trim. Weight of the V8
Torana is believed to be only 65lb greater than the six-cylinder
XU1, although power has received a 50 per cent boost. The
engine has been fitted further back in the body-shell and handling
is reputed to be superior to that of the XU1. The car has
a close ratio gearbox (with 120 mph possible in third!) and wide
allow wheels.
The
Torana V8 heralds a “boots and all” approach by GM-H to end the
recent domination of the Bathurst race by Ford. It is believed
that GM-H nay use the new car to spearhead an intense export campaign.
After Bathurst, the Torana V8 could compete in races and rallies
in Asia, Africa and even Europe. Harry Firth, who manages
the Holden Dealer Team and is deeply involved in the development
of the machine, would give no details of the car or its program
when questioned during the week. “All I can say is that
it will be the best handling, safest car on the road”, he said.
The
new Falcon is a refinement of the GTHO models that have won the
past two Bathurst 500-mile races.
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Easier
Driving
The engine may,
in fact be slightly less powerful, because the compression ratio
has been dropped on the 351 (5.7 litre) V8. This however,
will give the motor a broader power band, and make it easier to
drive. The car will go faster because the XA Falcon is better
streamlined than the previous model. |
A
wider track and longer wheelbase also give it a natural advantage
in roadholding. Fifteen-inch alloy wheels overcome two major
problems with earlier GTHO Falcons. They allow the fitment
of wider, low profile racing tyres and give much improved brake
ventilation. |
Car
Ban threat
Sir Robert
said that manufacturers eagerly sought government contracts for
thousands of cars. He said 160 mph cars would set back efforts
to reduce the road toll by many years. “I strongly support
the Transport Minister, Mr Morris and his officials in their attitude
on these cars,” Sir Robert said. “They have been conducting
a non-stop campaign for years to reduce the road toll.” He
said that speed was proved a major cause of deaths and accidents.
The
three major car companies were considering Sir Robert’s statement
this morning. Each is expected to issue a reply later.
On Monday Chrysler (Aust) Ltd announced it was making the most
powerful six-cylinder car in the world. It is the 200 Charger
R/T E49, powered by a highly refined engine producing 302 brake
horsepower. Chryslers Managing Director, Mr D. H. Brown
said his company was not aware of any six-cylinder passenger car
in the world with equivalent power. Other features of the
car include the recently introduced 4-speed gearbox. It
will also have cast alloy wheels, special ratio steering and specially
designed differential and suspension.
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Holden’s
super car is a V8 Holden Torana, which will replace the XU1 as GM-H’s
top competition car. With its light body and big engine, it
is potentially the fastest car ever built here. It could have
an estimated top speed of 160 mph.
Fords
“bullet on wheels” is the tremendously powerful GTHO Phase IV,
capable of sustaining a maximum speed of 152 mph. The Big
Three are preparing their cars for a clash in Australia’s most
important motor race – the Bathurst Hardie-Ferodo 500.
The race will be run on October 1.
All
three super cars will be available to the General Public.
The latest Falcon GTHO and the new Torana V8 are still under tight
security wraps. Under the rules of the Bathurst 500, at
least 200 identical cars must be sold in Australia before the
model is eligible to run. Sir Robert is ill with sciatica.
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