Issue 72

Muscle News
Paul Gover reports on the latest from Port Melbourne and Broadmeadows. The 35-year veteran comments on the impending death of Aussie-built Holdens. Suggested song to play in your head while reading this section: ‘Say Goodbye’ by Hunters & Collectors.

Muscle Maniac
This edition Muscle Maniac James Cockington recounts Goss Racing’s black brick ritual, recalls early V8 ‘supercar’ events at Albert Park and returns to the Flinders Ranges Grand Prix. Theme song: Michael Sembello’s ‘Maniac’ from Flashdance, JG’s favourite movie.

Muscle Mail
AMC readers recall RAAF base racing in the 1980s, punting prized Pacers, holidaying on the Hume Highway and get excited about excellent XJSs and XJ-Ss. Note the hyphen. Theme song: Anything by Cat Stevens.

Columns
Fred Gibson previews Gibson Motorsport’s historic racing season. Meanwhile, we would like to apologise for what Phil Anders writes in his 13 rules of muscle car ownership column. Theme song: AC/DC’s ‘Breaking The Rules’.

1974 Torana SL/R 5000 & L34
The SL/R 5000 and its L34 variant turn 40 in 2014. With extra incentive now to celebrate Aussie classics, AMC presents 40 reasons to love the SL/R 5000 and L34. Theme song: ‘40’ by U2.

Solving an L34 Riddle
Pinpointing the racing history of an ex-Holden Dealer Team Torana SL/R 5000 L34 is no easy task, but we’re helping one owner find out his car’s racing identity. Theme song: ‘Looking for Clues’ by Robert Palmer.

Sacred Sites
From this issue we look back at the racetracks which hosted some of the greatest muscle car stoushes – and check out what remains. We start with the most recently departed, Oran Park. Theme song: ‘Don’t Tear It Down’ by Spy vs Spy.

Poster
AMC now features a regular double-sided poster. This time we salute Kevin Bartlett’s Channel Nine Camaro and one of the race it won, Oran Oran Park’s 1982 ATCC round. Theme song: ‘Camaro’ by Kings of Leon.

Harris Collection
Check out the Harris collection, now known as Garage 88, to learn more about the history of its predominantly Group C and V8 Supercar-era Fords. By Aaron Noonan. Theme song: ‘Do You See What I See?’ by Hunters & Collectors.

R-Rated
Introducing a new section for mature, open-minded readers only. Contains strong thought-provoking content and debunks myths. No nudity. Written this edition by Ben Stewart, who delves into why Holden killed off the HG Monaro GTS 350 early. Theme song: Anything off Rihanna’s ‘Rated R’ album.

V8 Sleuth
Another new section, this time by Channel Seven commentator and chassis historian Aaron Noonan. He kicks things off with the story of the Brock VK Commodore that still lives in Japan. Theme song: ‘Turning Japanese’ by the Vapors

The Pacer in Racing
The Pacer can’t claim a long list of outright race victories, but two years of Series Production racing showed how good a hot six cylinder-powered Aussie four-door sedan could be. We recall some of the key memories. Theme song: Yul Brynner’s ‘Russian Gypsy Song (The Pacer)’.

VH Pacer styling
AMC asked Chrysler’s stylists about the unseen shots we published for the first time last edition. Theme song: Johnny Cash’s ‘I Got Stripes’.

Punter Pics
Bathurst’s Easter 1972 ATCC round has rightly gone into legend. Very few still images exist of the fabled race today, especially of the start. That’s why our eyes were like dinner plates when Max McKay’s email lobbed. Theme song: ‘Hot Cross Buns’.

Muscle Man
Legal eagle Jim Keogh will tell you that motor racing needs solicitors. Yet, in the long-time Bathurst privateer’s case, the opposite was true. He’s profiled by Paul Newby. Theme song: The Cruel Sea’s ‘Better Get A Lawyer’... better get a real good one.

MIA FOUND
We’ve tracked down what’s left of the trio of 3-series Sports Sedans/GT cars raced by the iconic JPS Team BMW in the 1980s. Theme song: The Velvelette’s ‘Needle In A Haystack’.