Diffferent

[TonyJZX]

I also find it highly skeptical that our roads are that much worse than the roads in europe - all this talk of 'tough local conditions' has me rolling my eyes because it makes it sound like the US and EU have got billiard table smooth roads when in reality, the avg. suburban Aussie road isn't like a Afghan goat track

[edo]

Well, I did read that in an interview in Wheels magazine with Mr Hanenberger (sp?) who was over here with Holdens as a suspension and body engineer when they were doing the RTS mods to H and L series cars and developing the V series. I believed him at the time (seeing as he did the design work).

cheers

If you think about it he couldnt really say that he got hold of the Euro product & basically had to build it cheaper could he?
I would have believed him too, but having actually owned & worked on the bloody thing I know that the whole story of Holden making the fragile little European tough enough for us hard arse Aussies is just bullshit.

No idea if the ford story is true, but mustangs have those triangle strut braces & they are pretty much a falcon themselves...

Tony, No doubt that Aust has some of the rougest roads in the world, we also have a fairly major propensity to drive on them, much more so in the past perhaps & much more so than the Europeans.
That does not, however, mean that European cars cannot handle Australian conditions...early around Australia rallies were totally dominated by Euro cars (mainly peugeots & VWs) & it wasnt until 79 that an Aussie car did well in them...coincidentally Brockie et al in the VB commo...

[GTSBoy]

No idea if the ford story is true, but mustangs have those triangle strut braces & they are pretty much a falcon themselves...

Yeah, that's where they got them from. The Mustangs needed them because of the extra weight from the big V8. Was an easy mod for Ford AU.

[Sturmovik]

Didnt an XW or XY GT come 3rd in the around the World rally or something?

[GTSBoy]

Didnt an XW or XY GT come 3rd in the around the World rally or something?

Pertinence?

[Sturmovik]

Pertinence?

Edo mentioned something in regards to Aussie cars not doing well in rallies until Brocky in a VB

[edo]

London to Sydney 1968...but was beaten by a Hillman Hunter & an Austin 1800...so ummm...my point is proven yes?

[GTSBoy]

Edo mentioned something in regards to Aussie cars not doing well in rallies until Brocky in a VB

Sorry, skimmed that.

[edo]

I could actually go on to say that other than the 2 round australia events Aussie cars havent won dick in international rallying.

That though is more a product of what people choose to run, & these days any rally car really only bears a passing resemblence to its road car cousin.

Back in the bad old days a lot less was changed.

[edo]

Oh, If you want to get real nostalgic, one of the 3 falcons (know as KAG cars cause that was the first 3 letters in all their numberplates) still runs in the TWE rallies all over the world.

Cool huh?