Aussie Muscle!

...This grainy old video from 2010 I have watched and enjoyed far too many times. This was when the 5.0 Miami V8 was released in the FPV GT, race driver James Courtney give some jurno's a couple of wild laps of Bathurst. Just listen to the supercharger wail...............


Such an awesome track. And good noise. :dblthumb2:
 
Such an awesome track. And good noise. :dblthumb2:

This lap by Scott McLaughlin, who is now racing in IndyCar, is absolutely spine tingling. The noise, the intensity and sheer talent of the driver is why I have watched this lap many, many times.



This is a favorite of mine too. The Ford teams all used the same basic Ford Motorsport 5.0 OHV V8 engine, but teams were able to build and spec them their own ways. These FPR version of the time had a very particular wailing howl to them at the top end.




Even better on a street circuit where that scream echoed off the walls.................



The early 2000's HRT Holdens were similar................that 6th to 4th to 2nd bwaaaaap was Mark Skaife at his best.




And this final lap of the 2013 race was fabulous to witness as a Ford man. Frosty carrying Wincup wide in the run up the mountain was "THE MOVE" of the day............

 
I watched the first video and it was awesome! You could actually see the determination just watching it!

The V8 sound is always awesome but that gear sound from the trans inside though

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I assure you; this is not a po.n star name.............. Dick (Richard) Johnson battled it out next to Peter Brock during those years. No doubt, Peter had the money and talant to be more successful, but everyone likes "battler", and Dick was the quintennial battler for many years.

This video is significant for two reasons; just listen to that 351 Cleveland! I mean, I challenge anyone to not get a woody out of that! But also, because it was one of the worst crashes in Bathurst history...................



There are plenty of videos on Bathurst crashes, but one of the most hideous was this one from 2015................


That car was the fastest to that point in the weekend and would have been a high chance of winning. This is graphic, but if you watch the onboard footage, you can see Chaz's leg snap on the gear shifter and then left wobbling around as the car ricocheted across the track. The category actually changed the cars because of that, adding a support bar to avoid contact with the driver like that.

That car was a complete write off. I actually spotted it sitting on a shipping container at FPR a couple of years later, not nice. I also think those Pepsi Max Falcon's were one of the best-looking Ford race cars ever..............blue on blue...................





I'm going to say that I can't watch the sport now, it's just too fabricated. The drivers are puppets to the media company that allows them to go racing for "entertainment". I get more enjoyment looking back to the older days where teams had more freedom to innovate and the cars sounded meaner.
 
I assure you; this is not a po.n star name.............. Dick (Richard) Johnson battled it out next to Peter Brock during those years. No doubt, Peter had the money and talant to be more successful, but everyone likes "battler", and Dick was the quintennial battler for many years.

This video is significant for two reasons; just listen to that 351 Cleveland! I mean, I challenge anyone to not get a woody out of that! But also, because it was one of the worst crashes in Bathurst history...................



There are plenty of videos on Bathurst crashes, but one of the most hideous was this one from 2015................


That car was the fastest to that point in the weekend and would have been a high chance of winning. This is graphic, but if you watch the onboard footage, you can see Chaz's leg snap on the gear shifter and then left wobbling around as the car ricocheted across the track. The category actually changed the cars because of that, adding a support bar to avoid contact with the driver like that.

That car was a complete write off. I actually spotted it sitting on a shipping container at FPR a couple of years later, not nice. I also think those Pepsi Max Falcon's were one of the best-looking Ford race cars ever..............blue on blue...................





I'm going to say that I can't watch the sport now, it's just too fabricated. The drivers are puppets to the media company that allows them to go racing for "entertainment". I get more enjoyment looking back to the older days where teams had more freedom to innovate and the cars sounded meaner.

Just like what happened to NASCAR. A shame.
 
This documentary will be an interesting deep dive into the massive rivalry that went on between Ford and (GM) Holden in Australia. This rivalry was more than skin deep, often dividing families and friends alike, you were one or the other! If you were a Holden family, you wouldn't even be allowed to consider a Ford, and vice versa. This was not just a race-track thing, but it permeated the whole of Australian culture, there are even songs written about Ford and Holdens.

Sadly, this fierce rivalry has waned since Holden was killed by GM and Ford departed local manufacturing.

Narrated by Shane Jacobson, Ford v Holden is a feature-length documentary that explores the decades-long competition between two of Australia's most iconic car brands: Ford and Holden. From the early days of the automobile industry to the present, FORD V HOLDEN delves into the history, technology and culture of these rival companies and their impact on the Australian psyche and automotive landscape.

FORD V HOLDEN is in cinemas across Australia from 19 October 2023. Catch it early with special previews NOW at Bathurst Metro and selected cinemas.


 
Seeing some of the videos you've been posting makes me ask: What is the future of the V8 Supercar Series?

The Camaro ends production this year which leave the Mustang as the last man standing in the pony car world regardless of what engine is under the hood. You still have other coupes like the M4 and Lexus RC which run in GT3 and GT4 specs, but nothing that really brings the spirit of the V8 Supercars...not to mention the RC F is the only one with a V8.
 
Seeing some of the videos you've been posting makes me ask: What is the future of the V8 Supercar Series?

The Camaro ends production this year which leave the Mustang as the last man standing in the pony car world regardless of what engine is under the hood. You still have other coupes like the M4 and Lexus RC which run in GT3 and GT4 specs, but nothing that really brings the spirit of the V8 Supercars...not to mention the RC F is the only one with a V8.

V8 Supercars Category Management..........................



When GM euthanized Holden, sponsorship of the category drew to a close also. There is some under the table parts assistance, but the category had to pay GM for the rights to use the Camaro design IP on the new-gen cars. Now that GM teams have committed to the Camaro, they will be running an obsolete model for a number of years to come. The same happed with the Commodore and Falcon, running far beyond their discontinued road-car cousins.

The only remaining car company sponsoring the sport is Ford. No other car company want a bar of the category for fear of being associated with the "wrong" sort of people. You would think the category management would recognize this but, no, they have made sure to bite the hands that feeds them. The lack of parity this season has been a disgrace, there being only a remote chance of a Ford winning a race, but the management are ignoring Ford's now quite vocal protests, even a couple of key GM teams have agreed something needs to be done. Ford reacted a few months ago by pulling the pin of providing support vehicles, but even that didn't enact a proper response.

I think the likelihood of Ford stepping away from the sport would be a mere formality now. I am certainly not expecting Ford to be handed race wins on a silver platter just because they are the only car company actively involved in the sport. However, the last time there was an imbalance in parity, this time the Mustang held a significant advantage, the sport acted very quickly to bring the Ford's back down to allow the Holden's a chance to catch up. And yet, when the situation is reversed, it's crickets. This scenario has played out many, many times over the decades.

As such, I'm done with the sport, and I'm not the only one. I would once watch every race, every commentary, every qualifying session. Now, I'm over it. Even the drivers have had enough.
 
Well, that is disappointing...

I'd read about the whole performance imbalance this season and thought it was odd nothing had been done to provide a little more balance. I'm all for low-oversight motor racing, but when it leads to boring racing due to a huge imbalance in performance and your only active sponsor and the company who builds one of only two possible vehicles threatens to walk away, something needs to be done.

I really hope the series organizers catch on to the fact they are sitting on a sinking ship before the bow goes under the water. V8 Supercars is an iconic series and the world will be a much less interesting place if it goes away.

Maybe Lexus needs to drag one of their IMSA GTD Pro RC F's down there and see how it does. That would be interesting if for no other reason that to see a totally foreign car on the grid.
 
Well, that is disappointing...

I'd read about the whole performance imbalance this season and thought it was odd nothing had been done to provide a little more balance. I'm all for low-oversight motor racing, but when it leads to boring racing due to a huge imbalance in performance and your only active sponsor and the company who builds one of only two possible vehicles threatens to walk away, something needs to be done.

I really hope the series organizers catch on to the fact they are sitting on a sinking ship before the bow goes under the water. V8 Supercars is an iconic series and the world will be a much less interesting place if it goes away.

Maybe Lexus needs to drag one of their IMSA GTD Pro RC F's down there and see how it does. That would be interesting if for no other reason that to see a totally foreign car on the grid.

Supercars have tried to lure different brands, but very few want to be part of it.

Back in the mid 2000's, Nissan rejoined the category, sponsoring one team and ran four cars. I think they won two races in all the years they tried, but only because a Ford or Holden had bad days. Volvo got brought in at the same time, the local Volvo Australia wanted to be part of the series, but not Volvo HQ. Again, they won a couple of races, but only because the driver was at the beginning of a peak and was that would lead him to driving and winning Bathurst and championship in a Falcon, and then Mustang. Volvo HQ eventually got their way and left the team high and dry, ultimately returning to Holdens. Mercedes Benz was dragged into the sport kicking and screaming, Mercedes did not want their cars associated with a bunch of bogans cheering on a taxi's and police cars. In the end, the effort was fully funded by the team owner, won a single race and went back to Holdens when they realized they were wasting money.

I know the category was desperate for Toyota to join the party, they also made large sedans in Australia, so it sort of made since for them to have Toyota represented. But again, Toyota had bigger fish to fry than wasting money on taxi racing. History will prove that worked out well for them, Toyota have been the number 1 selling brand in Australia for 20+ years now, Ford are the Ranger-Car-Company, and Holden no longer exists.

In my opinion, most of the problems with the sport stem from management with a GM/Holden history, and therefore bias. Why this still exists is beyond me, its not like in the past where they were kneeling down in front of Holden to keep them happy and the money flowing. Holden are dead, the Camaro is dead.
 
Supercars have tried to lure different brands, but very few want to be part of it.

Back in the mid 2000's, Nissan rejoined the category, sponsoring one team and ran four cars. I think they won two races in all the years they tried, but only because a Ford or Holden had bad days. Volvo got brought in at the same time, the local Volvo Australia wanted to be part of the series, but not Volvo HQ. Again, they won a couple of races, but only because the driver was at the beginning of a peak and was that would lead him to driving and winning Bathurst and championship in a Falcon, and then Mustang. Volvo HQ eventually got their way and left the team high and dry, ultimately returning to Holdens. Mercedes Benz was dragged into the sport kicking and screaming, Mercedes did not want their cars associated with a bunch of bogans cheering on a taxi's and police cars. In the end, the effort was fully funded by the team owner, won a single race and went back to Holdens when they realized they were wasting money.

I know the category was desperate for Toyota to join the party, they also made large sedans in Australia, so it sort of made since for them to have Toyota represented. But again, Toyota had bigger fish to fry than wasting money on taxi racing. History will prove that worked out well for them, Toyota have been the number 1 selling brand in Australia for 20+ years now, Ford are the Ranger-Car-Company, and Holden no longer exists.

In my opinion, most of the problems with the sport stem from management with a GM/Holden history, and therefore bias. Why this still exists is beyond me, its not like in the past where they were kneeling down in front of Holden to keep them happy and the money flowing. Holden are dead, the Camaro is dead.
I enjoyed it more when they had the other brands in the mix, I quite liked the look of the Volvo, Nissan, and especially the Mercs. It's such a shame it went nowhere in the end.

Go back a little further, and I was a huge fan of the R32 Skyline GT-Rs, and I was a Holden owner and fan, but they were special, they were the future, but no, the pack of R-soles won, and they changed the rules.

I wasn't always a Holden man though, it was complicated . My Mum's first car was a 1970 Ford Capri, I loved it when Ford went 1-2 at Bathurst in 77, I was 7 at the time. But when I was looking for my first real car, after getting my full licence, Ford's were too big and ugly for me, so I got a VB Commodore, and then 3 more Holdens, before getting a Nissan Pathfinder, which had an AWD system developed from the one used in the GT-R, before going back to 3 more Holdens, and then ending up in the FJ, my favourite so far.

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I enjoyed it more when they had the other brands in the mix, I quite liked the look of the Volvo, Nissan, and especially the Mercs. It's such a shame it went nowhere in the end.

Go back a little further, and I was a huge fan of the R32 Skyline GT-Rs, and I was a Holden owner and fan, but they were special, they were the future, but no, the pack of R-soles won, and they changed the rules.

I wasn't always a Holden man though, it was complicated . My Mum's first car was a 1970 Ford Capri, I loved it when Ford went 1-2 at Bathurst in 77, I was 7 at the time. But when I was looking for my first real car, after getting my full licence, Ford's were too big and ugly for me, so I got a VB Commodore, and then 3 more Holdens, before getting a Nissan Pathfinder, which had an AWD system developed from the one used in the GT-R, before going back to 3 more Holdens, and then ending up in the FJ, my favourite so far.

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Probably the most famous line in Aussie racing history came out of those GT-R's..........................


The unedited version, skip to 4.20min for the moment -


While I think Skaife tends to blurt out some rubbish as a commentator, you can't deny his ability during his prime, he was an animal.
 
I enjoyed it more when they had the other brands in the mix, I quite liked the look of the Volvo, Nissan, and especially the Mercs. It's such a shame it went nowhere in the end.
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The Volvo's sounded amazingly different to the OHV 5.0 Ford's and Holdens.



Meanwhile, at this point I will confess my man crush for Scott McLaughlin..........



This lap NEVER gets old, listen to that Windsor scream..............

 
This video was made by the now defunct Motor Magazine from back when the XR6 Sprint and XR8 Sprint were new...................can't believe its been that long since these cars hit the road.


The XR8 of course is the crowd favorite for noise, but there is a certain appeal to the turbo inline 6, which was the last evolution of an engine that could trace roots right back to the 1960 original. Where the OHV 144 cid / 2.4 Lt engine in the first Falcon produced 90 hp at 4200 rpm and 138 lbs-ft at 2000 rpm. This Sprint edition 4.0 DOHC engine produced 325 kW / 436 hp at 6000 rpm and 425 lb-ft / 576 Nm at 2750 rpm.

These turbo 6's have a very distinctive exhaust note in stock form, with FG-onwards versions having a spark cut "fart" on upshift. I can actually hear them and know what it is before I even see it.

I absolutely hate aftermarket exhausts on this engine (both the N/A and turbo versions), in no way do they "improve" the sound, instead they just produce more noise, most of it unpleasant. Try telling that to the 18-year-old boys who call such a thing a "sports exhaust", when in fact all they did was make it sound worse.
 
Unfortunately to all young blokes, loud = good. I was driving next to an XR8 this afternoon, young guy with all the windows down, big flashy wheels, loud exhaust, bright orange paint, it was reading 39C/102f on the external temp gauge, I stopped next to him at the next red light, put the window down and asked him how his air con was, he laughed and said broken, I told him to buy a Toyota, his answer was to rev the sh1t out of it, I laughed and put my window back up. Toyota does great air con, too cold even.

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