[woodcote]

   

The 2022 Aussie-only releases were announced today - with a welcome surprise of brand new tooling for a Torana LJ XU-1 which will appear in two liveries. There's also an ATCC livery on the new-for-2022 '65 Mustang, a Falcon XJ police car and the 2020 Bathurst-winning Commodore of Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander. Here's the line-up...

• C4361 Holden ZB Commodore 2020 Bathurst 1000 Winner - Shane van Gisbergen / Garth Tander
  
• C4362 Holden LJ HU-1 Torana 1974 ATCC Winner - Peter Brock
  
• C4363 Holden LJ HU-1 Torana 1973 Bathurst 5th Place - Bob Forbes / Dick Johnson
  
• C4364 Ford Mustang 1965 ATCC - Ian 'Pete' Geoghegan
  
• C4365 Ford XY Falcon Victoria Police Car
  
• C4366 Ford XB Falcon 1974 ATCC - Allan Moffat
  

       

The 1972 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU1 was race-prepared version of the standard LJ road car. Developed by the Holden team, the GTR XU1 became the most successful touring and rally car to come out of Australia. Allan Moffat took the GTR XU1 to it's first win at Bathurst in 1972 - the first of his nine victories. It was the sole Bathurst win for the GTR XU1, but a string of Aussie Manufacturers' Championship and ATCC titles would follow for Holden. My hunch is that this will continue the trend for an inline slim-can (FF) motor - it's what the Aussie distributor asks for, apparently. I'm sure we'll find out more soon.

       

Ian Geoghegan's Mustang is certainly a 1965 car, but was raced in this livery at the 1966 ATCC. In 1965, Geoghegan drove a Lotus Cortina. The Mustang was back in 1967 with green stripes - and equally nice livery, which I'm sure will appear at some point as an Aussie or worldwide release - adding to the UK and American liveries on the '65 notchback. Geoghegan's wasn't the first Mustang to appear down-under... In early 1965, Norm Beechey imported one of the brand new Mustangs into Australia and dominated the local tin-top racing - it is reported that Beechey recorded the Mustang's first ever race win anywhere in the world. Both Geoghegan and Bob Jane went to the States and brought back their own 'Stangs. Geoghegan recorded four straight ATCC titles from 1966 to '69 with his Ford pony cars.

Great to see new tooling - plus some great liveries. As in 2021, Weevils Slot Cars will be bringing these cars to the UK. No news from Pendles yet, but Gary from MRE helped them source the Aussie exclusives last year too. My prediction that one or other of the 2021 cars would be released by Scalextric as Club exclusives didn't happen... so these imports will be the only way of getting these cars.

[GT40Racer]

" In early 1965, Norm Beechey imported one of the brand new Mustangs into Australia"

Scalextric has to release this car - they have done the Neptune Raciing Mini and Cortina so the Mustang is a must do addition to the set.
(and please do it with the white steel wheels it raced with)

cheers
DM

[woodcote]

Here's some fabulous extended highlights of the 2020 Bathurst 1000...



Surely the best Touring car race anywhere in the world - and in 2020, a popular first win for Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen and a fourth for Garth Tander. 'Gizzy' is the current Aussie Supercars champion.

   

The race-winning Commodore ZB is another great addition to the Scalextric Supercars stable, a series that makes a very manageable collection - or some great racing! Adrian Norman has pics of most of the Scalextric Commodores on this SlotCar Portal: https://slotcarportal.com/holden/holden-commodore/

[Nonfractal]

Falcon XB!
Mid seventies Street Muscle is not  USA-only  territory 
Although the mechanics will be bin worthy, the body may well be suitable for a classic Trans Am class of racing.
I hope someone somewhere is already scheduling a 3D retrofit chassis for this car
   

[woodcote]

It's certainly not the first XB - or even the first '74 Allan Moffat XB - and it's a beat of a Scalextric car and a race-winner at WHO/digital in its stock form. Olifer produced a Slot.it pod compatible 3D chassis for the XB and XC a few years ago and is available on their Shapeways store here.

   

Canadian-born Aussie racing legend Moffat developed the XB GT 'Hardtop' for 1974 when the factory cars were withdrawn at the end of '73. He'd been a Ford man since his early days - including the first season of Trans-Am in 1966 - so much of the car was built and developed with factory support in the States, the 5.7-litre V8 prepared in Australia by Allan Moffat Racing chief mechanic Ray Cutchie. Much of the engine testing was done in Moffat's Falcon road car, before joining the XB 'Project B52' in the States for some serious shake-down runs in Ohio. This was the multi-million dollar, state-of-art Transport and Research Centre, where Moffat's Trans-Am pal Mark Donohue was testing for the Penske F1 program at the same time.

After this massive - and incredibly expensive - development program, Moffat's XB missed the Sandown 250 race, arriving in Australia in time for a disastrous Bathurst. Starting the weekend with an (unsuccessful) protest from the Holden team, the car was plagued with oil pressure and electrical issues. At this point, the car was painted in the dark blue #33 livery modelled by Scalextric as C3402. During the season, the car appeared in the white and green from this new release, in which he won race 2 at Oran Park. The car was repainted red for 1975, carrying the #25 number and released by Scalextric as C3491. The very similar Scalextric Falcon XC has appeared in a number of different 1976 and 1977 liveries.

The Scalextric car is sidewinder and is enormous fun to drive...

       

[Journey Man]

In your write up about the Holden Torana GTR-XU1 you wrote that Allan Moffatt won the 1972 Bathurst 500 in the Torana.That is incorrect as it was Peter Brock who won the race in the GTR-XU1 Torana.Moffat drove a Ford Falcon GTHO in that race

[woodcote]

Thanks journeyman! Moffat in a Holden? Don't know where I got that from 

[BARacer]

Just placed a pre-order for one from Down Under, and then noticed Pendle have them as well!

Fingers crossed, but it doesn't look like I will be paying too much over the odds by going direct...

[woodcote]

Pendles have them listed for pre-order here: https://www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/brand.../2022.html

No pricing at the moment.

[GT40Racer]

Thanks journeyman! Moffat in a Holden? Don't know where I got that from 

Well he did drive a holden on a few occasions. He was a guest driver for a Holden Dealer Team in 1980 driving in one race and then in 1986/87 he drove a Commodore with Peter Brock in the European Touring Car Champs and Aussie Endurance races.