NOT ONLY WAS the Monaro racing off showroom floors, it was also racing to victory in Australia’s biggest race, the Hardie Ferodo 500 where Bruce McPhee and co-driver Barry Mulholland won and gave Holden its first Bathurst win.
Before the 500 nine Monaro GTS 327s lined up at Sandown Park, Victoria in September for the 3-Hour Datsun Trophy race, the Bathurst curtain raiser.
Two Victorian rally aces Bob Watson and Tony Roberts, both new to circuit racing and on provisional race licences teamed up and won.
It was the pairs’ third ever circuit race and three weeks later, armed with full competition licences they headed to Bathurst for the Hardie Ferodo 500, as one of eight starters in a GTS 327 Monaro and finished third.
We caught up with Bob to ask him about those times.
Bob Watson began working at Holden in 1958 undertaking an engineering cadetship and by 1968 had moved into the experimental area working on chassis development, initially on the Holden HR suspension and disc brakes then onto the HK program. “Fairly early on Holden decided they
wanted to run a car at Bathurst,” Bob said “So senior managers John Bagshaw and Peter Lewis-Williams went to Detroit and sourced a powertrain, the 327 engine and Saginaw gearbox and it went from there.
“John Finlayson was the senior guy and he and I did all the ride and handling work on the Monaro. We’d go to Holden’s Proving Ground at Lang Lang every day, put our helmets on and played racing drivers (laughs). John was very knowledgeable on shock absorbers and that sort of stuff. We had a 289 Falcon GT to benchmark ourselves on, and soon realised we had a better car.”
This story is from the Issue 482 edition of Unique Cars.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 482 edition of Unique Cars.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
SHANNONS HOT LAPS AT NÜRBURGRING
SHANNONS latest promotion has something any car enthusiast can only dream of.
READER RIDES
HAS THERE EVER BEEN A CONCEPT CAR SO UNLIKELY TO REACH PRODUCTION? THIS AUSSIE-BASED PLYMOUTH PROWLER IS PROOF THEY TRULY EXIST
GM'S JEWEL
ROB HAS DISCOVERED THERE’S MUCH MORE TO CADILLAC’S EARLY HISTORY THAN V16 ENGINES, TAIL FINS AND ELVIS PRESLEY’S PINK FLEET
UNDER THE WEATHER
RUST NEVER SLEEPS, SO AT LONG LAST GLENN TORRENS PROTECTS HIS BOMBODORE'S PATINA
CLASSIC CLUBMAN
MARK CURREY FOUND HIMSELF JUMPING IN THE PROVERBIAL DEEP END WHEN HE AND HIS BROTHER CRAIG TACKLED THE RESTO
MUSEUM OF VEHICLE EVOLUTION
NESTLED IN the Goulbourn Valley in Central Victoria, just south of Shepparton, is the Museum of Vehicle Evolution or MOVE for short. Recognised as one of the leading museums in the country.
TAKE A DASH!
DESIGN-FOR-MANUFACTURE GIVES NO THOUGHT TO THOSE WHO HAVE TO WORK ON THE DAMN THINGS
The LITTLE BULL
LAMBORGHINI V12S WERE THE BEDROOM POSTER FAVOURITES, BUT SANT AGATA'S V8 URRACO IS THE LESSER-KNOWN BABY SUPERMODEL
SHELBY MUSTANG MARKET REVIEW
Carroll Shelby created the business model, followed in the early 1980s by Peter Brock, for selling modified versions of popular road cars with the blessing of, but no direct involvement from the manufacturer.
SNAKE CATCHER!
SHELBY AND FORD GO HAND IN HAND, BUT THE 69 GT MODELS WERE THE END OF THE ROAD AS CARROLL WAVED GOODBYE, TO THE BLUE OVAL BRAND