quote:Originally posted by Poita
I have been told that it will be the Mustang if he decides to take up the offer to have a drive.
Makes sense: probably the "least" valuable historic DJR car in the Bowden COllection, and a vastly underrated vehicle. THose crusty old ones among us will remember Bathurst 1985 as an opportunity gone wanting: the mid-year homologation concessions for the little hatchback made it an enduro weapon. Dick was running away with the Oran Park enduro before she shed a wheel, and did good things at Sandown before a gearbox broke... Bathurst brought out her best: she was quick, potentially the quickest thing there, and handled and braked brilliantly.
Allan Moffat had seat time in most of the competing marques, and rated the Mustang as the car to have, after punting the older spare car around for a handful of laps. Suddenly it was on: Moffat and Michele Delcourt were touted to drive #18 in the race: Moffat had been on the sidelines, and Delecourt's Starion was dying in the pits. Doug Jacobi from Motorcraft and Ross Palmer - the sponsors - agreed to underwrite the extra cost and potential cost of the car should anything go wrong... and Larry Perkins put an end to it, feeling that running the second car would dilute the effort to get #17 home in front. His "official" objection was that the exhaust system on the second car was a non-homologated "development" system... so Moffat went back to the commentary booth, Delecourt went back to the Starion... and #17 was hobbled by a spilt oil cooler and poorly-fitted front left wheel... and still came home seventh.
So much that could've been, but a great little car nonetheless. As much as I'd like to see Dick demo the Falcons, the Mustang is liekly the only one he'll drive in anger... and that'll be good enough for me.