Seventies supertest: A9X vs Z1-R

What was the fastest thing on the road in 1978? Modern Motor mag decided to find out by pitting a Torana A9X against a Kawasaki Z1000 Z1-R – the world’s quickest motorcycle at the time. The A9X used in the test not only survives to this day but it shares a garage with a Z1-R just like the bike the Torana took on a quarter of a century ago.

Story: Steve Normoyle

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In summary

Modern Motor's April 1978 Supertest pitted the Torana A9X, driven by John Harvey, against Mick Hone's Kawasaki Z1000 Z1-R at Calder Raceway.
The Kawasaki won overall, storming the standing 400m in 11.9 seconds thanks to a power-to-weight ratio of 3.67kg/kW against the Torana's 8.0kg/kW.
More than 40 years on the A9X not only survives, but also still carries a ding from the Kawasaki's blinker lens after on-track contact with Harvey.

SUPERTEST: Australia’s fastest car meets the world’s quickest motorcycle. The coverline accompanying the speed-blurred image on the cover of the April 1978 issue of Modern Motor magazine lays it out in simple terms: Torana A9X vs Kawasaki Z1000 Z1-R, in a contest of pure performance.

To determine the winner, Modern Motor settled on a Decathlon-style series of tests consisting of handling, braking and acceleration comparisons, a slalom and race track corner section tests, top speeds, chassis dyno tests and even noise and fuel consumption.

To make sure neither car nor bike left anything on the table during the tests, the magazine enlisted motorcycle racer Mick Hone and Holden Dealer Team ace John Harvey for the respective bike and car.