The Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst is holy ground to Australian race fans and has a long history dating back to the late 1930s. Since that time, it has hosted motorcycle races, sports car enduros and various lesser-known competitions, but it is best remembered both locally and internationally as the home of the 'Big Race' every October. The Six Hour Classic in 1962 was followed by the Armstrong 500 a year later, and that event became the Bathurst 1000 following metrification in 1973. It continues today as the highlight of the V8 Supercars calendar.
The National Motor Racing Museum started as a temporary display behind the Bathurst pits. It was opened in 1988 by the late Peter Brock, but for the past 30 years it has been housed in a purpose-built facility adjacent to Murray's Corner, the track's final left-hander.
On arrival at the entrance to the museum, you are greeted by a life-sized statue of the legendary Brock, who won here nine times, standing atop one of his victorious Holden Commodores. As you step inside there is a wellstocked gift shop (best left until departure), and visitors are recommended to spend five minutes in the 'Immersive Room', where the surrounding screens present the sights and sounds of races past to get you in the mood.
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
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Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring
