I loved the XD; Dad had a royal blue Fairmont that he bought in October 1980 which reinforced it all for me. The XE was such an intimidating-looking thing, and worthy of an adolescent's worship. The Mustang and Sierra were pretty cars, the Mustang in particular was a stand-out, probably because there weren't too many of 'em out racing.
The first time I visited the workshop and laid eyes on the XD was a special occasion. To see such an icon of my youth in living colour, regardless of the rough and dog-eared appearance was very special. The XE's original unmolested condition (down to the different-sized XMO headlight decals from practice at Bathurst 84) makes it significant, as does its status as the last of the champion big bangers. It'd be great to see the XD restored to her original glory, but I imagine this wouldn't be a high priority within a working race team such as DJR.
The EB... well, 94 was my only visit to the Bald Hills. I camped between the big reservoirs near the gun club, drank the best part of three bottles of scotch on my first night there (had a VERY steady Friday), took four days to blow up my air mattress (finishing on the night before I left for home), spent the last hour of the race behind the DJR pits wasting Dyno's time and chewing his ear (sorry mate), wore a stupid hat all week that the boys got me in Orange when I asked for a beanie... man, what a time! We camped next to a pair of slaughtermen from Wyong who drank more grog than I had ever seen gathered in one spot; our camp included a couple of panelbeaters in a red VR rent-a-car with pumped guards, lurid decals, and Simmonds wheels. The only reason I have never been back is that I couldn't afford to drink like that anymore, and I saw more of the 95 race on TV!
Still it made the EB a special car for me too!
The first time I visited the workshop and laid eyes on the XD was a special occasion. To see such an icon of my youth in living colour, regardless of the rough and dog-eared appearance was very special. The XE's original unmolested condition (down to the different-sized XMO headlight decals from practice at Bathurst 84) makes it significant, as does its status as the last of the champion big bangers. It'd be great to see the XD restored to her original glory, but I imagine this wouldn't be a high priority within a working race team such as DJR.
The EB... well, 94 was my only visit to the Bald Hills. I camped between the big reservoirs near the gun club, drank the best part of three bottles of scotch on my first night there (had a VERY steady Friday), took four days to blow up my air mattress (finishing on the night before I left for home), spent the last hour of the race behind the DJR pits wasting Dyno's time and chewing his ear (sorry mate), wore a stupid hat all week that the boys got me in Orange when I asked for a beanie... man, what a time! We camped next to a pair of slaughtermen from Wyong who drank more grog than I had ever seen gathered in one spot; our camp included a couple of panelbeaters in a red VR rent-a-car with pumped guards, lurid decals, and Simmonds wheels. The only reason I have never been back is that I couldn't afford to drink like that anymore, and I saw more of the 95 race on TV!
Still it made the EB a special car for me too!
