Oldest V8Supercar

Falcadore · 20 Jun 2004, 04:23 (Ref:1009132)

There is a claim floating around QR todat that the V8Supercar being driven by Rod Dawson today, an ex-CAT/Waldock chassis is the first V8Supercar ever built, which I categorically not believe.

Anyone else have any other thoughts?

(Mainly because the claimant doesn't believe my word alone and I'm looking for support)

**GTRMagic** · 20 Jun 2004, 05:05 (Ref:1009139)

This is the ex-Speedy Thexton EF/EL yella terra?

Its the 2nd or 3rd car built by Waldock's team so it wouldnt be the first built

That would be the DJR EB that sits in the showroom at DJR as a museum piece...

Falcadore · 20 Jun 2004, 05:07 (Ref:1009140)

Its the car John Bowe drove at Indy a few years ago and is now one of three or four operating out of the Dawson operation, along with Wakefield, and some other Konica competitiors.

**GTRMagic** · 20 Jun 2004, 05:41 (Ref:1009147)

The DJR one is definitely the absolute oldest...

Senna05 · 20 Jun 2004, 08:13 (Ref:1009184)

Well, the EB's/VP's would be, if we are including the original V8's from the GRP 3A. If not, would Greg Murphy's VS that was built at the start of 97, or one of the ford EL's from the same era?

rdmdog · 20 Jun 2004, 08:30 (Ref:1009194)

Morky's first VS, and Im sure he had at least two shells, was originally a VN Group A raced at Bathurst by Graeme Moore and Wayne Gardner in 1992. And I dont think this was this cars first race as it was at Bathurst IIRC 12 months earlier but Darren Stewart and Bob Tindal (?) didnt both qualify in it. It was a Pro Duct car but I might have my years wrong here.

AdrianG · 20 Jun 2004, 08:34 (Ref:1009196)

If you are talking the oldest V8 supercar it would have to be a commodore. Many of the original VP commodores were coverted from VNs, including the cars HRT ran for at least the first two years!!

Just Do It! · 20 Jun 2004, 08:54 (Ref:1009205)

In order to debate this thoroughly, we will require Falcadore to provide detail as to the statistically official start of the V8 Supercar era, otherwise we will be forever arguing the point.

Falc, do your statistising and clarify this for us all please....

**GTRMagic** · 20 Jun 2004, 09:06 (Ref:1009209)

Technically 1992 was the first year of V8 Supercar, with the new-spec EB's and VP's allowed to run in the Sandown/Bathurst enduro series.

Technically the only "brand new" cars at Bathurst that year were the Brock VP and Seton EB, with the HRT VN/VPs resurrected from other shells/cars.

At the media day that year, DJR introduced an EB shell that had been constructed by Neal Lowe that had been nailed together over the preceding 12 months by Lowe and the DJR squad.

So the tossup would be that car, and the Seton EB, given that the Brock VP wasnt finished until very very late in the piece that year....

Gaz170 · 20 Jun 2004, 09:40 (Ref:1009224)

Wouldn't that make the HRT cars the oldest then????

chavez · 20 Jun 2004, 09:50 (Ref:1009228)

I could be wrong, but I think Colin Bond's Sierra was "brand new" for '92 Bathurst. Obviously not s V8 Supercar, but building a car for just Bathurst and the Adelaide GP was pretty keen.

Was the DJR car shown on the media day the car that was built not quite in the spirit of the regulations and never turned a wheel in anger?

**GTRMagic** · 20 Jun 2004, 09:53 (Ref:1009232)

Is a hybrid a pukka Supercar or not?? The HRT cars were VN's. homologated under Group A regulations, with significant tweaks became rebirthed VPs

And you are right Chavez, Bondy built a new Sierra for Bathurstm it did 7 laps or something ridiculous in the race till an oil pump siezed....

The DJR car has been driven since, Kevin Bartlett took it for a burn when comparing the old Tru Blu XD and the DJR EB for a Wheels Magazine comparo... but other than that, and the media day, its likely never run anywhere officially

bondy_racing · 20 Jun 2004, 10:32 (Ref:1009266)

Why wasn't it actually ever raced? Was there something about it being unsafe due to being light? I have heard but i can't remember.

Noonz1 · 20 Jun 2004, 12:46 (Ref:1009423)

May I wade in here? My vote would go to Richard Mork's VS, which began life as Dencar shell number 1 and was the GIO VN of Mark Gibbs to begin with - it debuted in 1991 and became a V8 Supercar later in life. Otherwise, the ex-Tim Rowse VP Perkins chassis 011 debuted in Bob Pearson's hands at the Sandown ATCC round that year - so technically it's the oldest - depends if you count cars that started life as Group As or ones that were built purely as a V8 Supercar in 1993 onwards.

rdmdog · 20 Jun 2004, 13:00 (Ref:1009428)

Its starting to come back to me a little now Noonz, I think it (GIO, Dairy Vale, Chicago Pneumatic, John Henderson, Morky's) was used by Gibsons as their first tester in V8s as well.

**GTRMagic** · 20 Jun 2004, 13:10 (Ref:1009432)

A VN is not a pukka post 1993 V8 Supercar.... any VN had to be upgraded with aerokits, and tricky 4 link front end for the VP conversion.

If you want to get excited about trivia, the engine in PR2 is one of the 4 HRT brought to Bathurst in 1992 for running as VP Chev spec, suitably stroked to 5.7L, but the basis is the same....

hotgemini · 20 Jun 2004, 22:05 (Ref:1010145)

Just to clarify, the EL that Dawson was running is not the ex-thexton EL but rather formerly owned by Todd Wanless.

Gaz170 · 20 Jun 2004, 23:23 (Ref:1010238)

Quote:

Originally posted by bondy_racing
Why wasn't it actually ever raced? Was there something about it being unsafe due to being light? I have heard but i can't remember.

I thought it was more about the way it was built, so totally different to any other touring car with the engine actually forming part of the chassis :confused:
I seem to recall hearing about a single piece machined structure at the front of the motor holding the alternator, water pump, etc.

I'm sure this car was the reason Neal Lowe was let go from DJR.

Dick once made the comment about spending 200 grand on a car that couldn't be raced.

Dingo · 21 Jun 2004, 00:54 (Ref:1010268)

Didn't they plan to race the DJR EB at Bathurst in 1992 until the scrutineers had a look and said it would never be allowed to race as it didn't conform to the regs?

DAVID PATERSON · 21 Jun 2004, 03:11 (Ref:1010306)

"Pedantic langauge alert" The first V8 Supercar built would be DJ's unraced EB or Glenn's '92 Bathurst EB as stated earlier, but the question was, which is the oldest, not which was built first.

The fact that some V8 supercars started life as Group A VN Commodores does not change the fact that they are V8 Supercars now and are of course older than the two Falcons which were the first cars built as V8 Supercars.

Troy · 21 Jun 2004, 07:41 (Ref:1010388)

Here is a photo of the Dawson V8.

anthony81901 · 21 Jun 2004, 08:17 (Ref:1010420)

If memory serves the GIO VN was actually completed at the end of 1990 and displayed at the Sydney Motor Show, although it didn't debut until a couple of rounds into the 91 ATCC.

Five VNs debuted at the opening round of the 91 ATCC, Perkins Engineering cars for Bob Pearson, Brock and Perkins, a HRT car for Win Percy and a Lansvale car for Steve Reed.

The 1st car to hit the tracks in V8 Supercar spec was probably the HRT VN that was used to evaluate the wing package during 1992. Not sure which of HRT's 3 VNs this was, but it still carried Australian and English flags from when Grice and Percy had raced the car in the 91 enduros, making it either the 1st or 3rd built cars.

The 1st car to appear at an official event was the DJR car at the Bathurst Media Day in August 92. The 1st 'built for purpose' V8 Supercar to race was the Seton / Jones car at the Sandown 500, the 2 HRT cars being converted VNs as was the Mobil VP at Bathurst. The 1st built for purpose Commodore VPs appeared at the 93 Winfield Triple Challenge, being the Gibson Motorsport car for Jim Richards and the Perkins Engineering built car for Bob Pearson.

The oldest V8 Supercar still registered would be Bob McDonald's VT which is Perkins Engineering 031 which debuted at Calder in June 98, although I don't think it has been seen on track this year.

Not sure as to which car would be the oldest in the Konica series, but the oldest cars in the main series would be the Tasman Motorsport car which either dates from March or October 01 or the Longhurst VX which dates from July 01.

Falcadore · 21 Jun 2004, 09:33 (Ref:1010502)

Quote:

Originally posted by chavez
I could be wrong, but I think Colin Bond's Sierra was "brand new" for '92 Bathurst. Obviously not s V8 Supercar, but building a car for just Bathurst and the Adelaide GP was pretty keen.

Allan Grice's team debuted a new LX Torana half way through the 1980 season, hows that for keen, it didn't even make it to Bathurst!

Falcadore · 21 Jun 2004, 09:39 (Ref:1010506)

Quote:

Originally posted by hotgemini
Just to clarify, the EL that Dawson was running is not the ex-thexton EL but rather formerly owned by Todd Wanless.

Hot-G: as stated above - the ex-CAT Waldock car.

anthony81901 · 21 Jun 2004, 10:02 (Ref:1010525)

From my recollection there were only 2 Waldock Falcons. The 1st was built as an EB in New Zealand and debuted at the Sandown 500 in 93. It was replaced by an EF for Bathurst 95. The EB shell was sold to PAE Motorsport and formed the basis of the EL built by Les Laidlaw at the end of 98 and campaigned by John Bowe as the 1st car at the beginning of 99. It was sold to Craig Bastian who raced it in Konicas from 00-02.

The EL was last raced by Waldock at Bathurst in 1998 still in EF spec. I think it was sold to Daniel Natoli for a Konica campaign that never got off the ground and was sold to Thexton who raced it in Sports Sedan. It may have been the car Stephen Voight in the Konica race at Bathurst in 03.

The EL that Bowe raced at Indy in 2000 was the John Briggs built EF from 97/98 that was later raced by Bob Thorn in 99.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
V8Supercar Vision	mac	Australasian Touring Cars.	31	2 Nov 2005 02:04
World's oldest driver in Toyota Atlantics?	mandretti39	ChampCar World Series	8	22 Jul 2005 21:59
Your Top 10 V8Supercar Races	00 XR8	Australasian Touring Cars.	14	30 Jul 2004 05:47