Legendary: The 4Guys Autobarn Legends of Bathurst Festival

22 March, 2018

 


 

Any true Kiwi car lover will have fond memories of their hero cars and drivers lapping Bathurst, but never did any ever imagine that Bathurst would come to New Zealand

Maybe it’s not quite true that no one would ever have expected the legends of Bathurst to come to New Zealand, as, with Tony Quinn in charge of Hampton Downs, we’ve become to expect the unexpected. 

The 4Guys Autobarn Legends of Bathurst event took place over the weekend of January 13–14, and saw not just some of the hero cars from days gone by assemble at Hampton Downs but also many of the legendary drivers — names such as ‘Gentleman Jim’ Richards, Allan Moffat, Fred Gibson, John Goss, Steve Richards, and Paul Radisich.

In case you missed out, here’s a video recap for your viewing pleasure.

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.

NZ Classic Car magazine, May/June 2025 issue 399, on sale now

Who would have thought it would become such a worldwide motorsport star when Ford introduced the humble Escort in 1967?
Its popularity, particularly in Mark 1 form, is now of iconic status. Our cover story for this issue is on a 1968 Ford Escort Mark 1, Alan Mann Racing Tribute. We talked with the owner of this very special Escort, finished in tribute also to the owner’s father.
“Most children love speed, and motorsport typically comes courtesy of a parent, and Elliott is no different. His engineer father, Mark, had a love for motorcycles and going fast; however, when children came along, he swapped two wheels for four, in the form of two Ford Escorts.
Little did Mark know it at the time, but the humble Escort was about to weave its way into the family fabric once and for all.
After emigrating from London to New Zealand, Elliott recalled one evening when he was 14 being invited to tag along by his father, helping a friend convert an Escort road car into a racing car. This was the pivotal moment when Elliott remembers the motorsport bug taking over. He knew he had to have his own one.”