Quote: Is this any good to you?

Ahhh thank you Chris, I wish I knew more about doing this sought of stuff. I really do appreciate it.

Is that a harness hanging out the passenger door?

I love this old photo, it brings back a lot of memories, I"ll give you the prior history (in short) of this car.

I got my P plate license in late 1983, my old man bought my first 1200 coupe in August '83 for $500, we spent the next few months getting it roadworthy, painted etc.

I got the rally bug many years before sitting up watching the original footage on the ABC of the Castrol and Southern cross rallies.

I had my license, car and an idea I wanted to go rallying. A mate and I went and watched a ARC round in S.E QLD which had Murray Cootes famous 1200 in it, thought to myself if he can do it I can do it,( not knowing what was in his 1200).

To give you an idea what the availability of a-series parts were like back in '83, I bought my first 1200 GX motor (I had to choose from about two dozen lying on the floor) for $125 and my first of many 1:1 fifth gearboxes for $115 ( I could choose from about 8 on the shelf, either 1:1 fifth or O/drive boxes)

Got a pre-apprenticeship training course in '84, no money for rollcage or anything so I swindled mum into "lending" me the money under the very positive assumptions from me I would get a apprenticeship.

In early '84 I did my first event (age 17yrs) (I had to get my mother to fill out the parental approval part of entry forms because I wasn't an adult yet) like nzdatman we did well... 1st in class and we finished (field of 53, we were car No. 53)

We did many, many, many events over the next 6-7 yrs (including the '86 ARC which included a lap around the Mt Cootha Quarry)all up the QLD coast to Rockhampton, we one (1st outright) the
Kalpower rally in 1990.

At about 1988ish I re-shelled the coupe, the original was very sad after many years of learning to drive competively in it. The second one I got from Salisbury wreckers for $20 delivered.

In 1993 My newly married wife and I moved to Townsville for her job, finally caught up with someone I'd been wanting to for a few years...Ian Ogilvie.

Funny how thing work out, we arrived in Townsville on the Tuesday the rally car arrived the following Monday and a guy called "Boxhead" who I'd meet once at the rally club (when it was beside Ian's shed) entered me in the '93 Cardwell rally, paid for my entry fee and everything. Had a lot of fun in North QLD with the boys.

Which brings me to this photo, this was taken in the FNQ (Far Nth QLD) rally in Cairns of late '93, my navigator (as they were called back then) was Speedy (Shane Ogilvie, Ians son) we run 2nd outright.

Did quite a few rallies in Nth and central coast QLD, we returned back to Brissy in late '94.Didn't get back into the rally scene in Brisbane till 2002, I did not like the way rallying was in the late 90's with all the modified PRC crap!

After CAMS relaxed a lot of the PRC rules it was time to put all of the good bits I had saved from the last 1200 into another vehicle, I chose a Sunny because they have a more stable and easily modified
rear-end and you could run them up to under 1600cc with fuel injection.

Anyway theres a snapshot from my life.

Gary

so, what is that thing made of foil hanging out the window and over the roof?

great post its wonderful to read about how it was back then (i was born 79 eg little tacker through the amazing 80's)

Ahhhh they were the good old days, life was a lot simpler and so was motorsport, thanks for the memories