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.

Super affordable supercar

The owner of this 1978 GTV, Stephen Perry, with only a skerrick of wishful thinking, says through half-closed eyes, “It is not dissimilar to the Maserati Khamsin”.
The nose is particularly trim and elegant from all angles, featuring cut-outs for the headlights echoing Alfa’s own exotic Montreal. The body is unfussy, lean with lots of glass, and the roofline shows a faint family resemblance — although on a much more angular car — to the curved waistline of the earlier 105s. The slightly hunched rear means there’s much more space in the rear seats than in the cramped rear of 105s — very much a 2+2 — and a generous boot. These more severe lines are not quite as endearing as the 105’s but they are still classy and clearly European.