In September this year, it will be 10 years since the legendary Peter Brock was tragically killed in a car accident. One of Australia’s most well known and successful motor racing drivers, he was given the nickname of the “King of the Mountain” because of his successes at Mount Panorama, Bathurst.
His 1979 win with co-driver Jim Richards, is perhaps his most famous. In this race he gets pole position, leads for all 163 laps and wins by 6 laps, a record which may never be broken. He also set the lap record on the last lap of the race, a testament to his skill as a driver and the way his team prepared and maintained the car throughout the race.
Steve Harvey from Rockingham, has created a tribute car based on Brock’s 1979 winning vehicle. He has restored an LX Torana hatchback, which he bought as a painted rolling shell in 2014. Harvey explained that as soon as he saw the colour scheme, he knew that creating a tribute car was the right thing to do. “I wanted to pay respect to Peter Brock and Jim Richards and the history that they created in this car”, he said.
His 1979 win with co-driver Jim Richards, is perhaps his most famous. In this race he gets pole position, leads for all 163 laps and wins by 6 laps, a record which may never be broken. He also set the lap record on the last lap of the race, a testament to his skill as a driver and the way his team prepared and maintained the car throughout the race.
Steve Harvey from Rockingham, has created a tribute car based on Brock’s 1979 winning vehicle. He has restored an LX Torana hatchback, which he bought as a painted rolling shell in 2014. Harvey explained that as soon as he saw the colour scheme, he knew that creating a tribute car was the right thing to do. “I wanted to pay respect to Peter Brock and Jim Richards and the history that they created in this car”, he said.
Harvey’s passion for Torana’s began young with his first car being a 2 door LJ Torana Coupe. He has owned 8 Toranas during his life, but was most excited when he bought the LX hatchback. Spending every spare moment he had on the project, the restoration only took 12 months to complete and the vehicle now has a 308 All Aussie M21 4 speed motor, with a 9 inch diff, 10 inch hot wires on the back and 8 inch on the front. Harvey said that “it was a blank canvas to work off, the paintwork was already done, but I had all the stickers made to replicate Brock’s car.”
The final touch out of respect for Brock and Richards lap record, is the number plates on Harvey’s tribute car which read “SIX LAPS”.
The final touch out of respect for Brock and Richards lap record, is the number plates on Harvey’s tribute car which read “SIX LAPS”.
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In September last year, Harvey took his pride and joy across to Toranafest, in Maitland New South Wales. His vehicle was on display with 354 other Toranas and he jokingly admits that he won the award for the “Longest Distance Travelled”. On the day before the show he met with many members of Brock’s racing team as well as some of his family who signed the glove box for him. These included Jim Richards, Brock’s co-driver, Joe Felice, the Manager at HDT at the time, Ian Tate the mechanic, Bev Brock and her son James Brock. Steve was also honoured to have Bev Brock accompany him on a car cruise on the day.
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Following this event he headed to Bathurst and along with 20 other classic muscle cars, drove a parade lap on Saturday afternoon before the main event started on the Sunday. Harvey said this was a “tribute to the race drivers of the day and shows people that these cars are still out and about”.
"SIX LAPS" is the rear car in this photo taken at Bathurst in 2015
Harvey is bringing his tribute car to the Brookton Old Time Motor Show on 19 March. This year the show theme is All Things Aussie, with a feature display celebrating the upcoming 50 years of the Holden Torana. The Toranas along with other classic vehicles and machines will be on display but they will also fire up twice throughout the day in order to participate in the grand parade.
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