About Us

Heritage Touring Cars are the Legends of Bathurst – the Group C & Group A cars that take us back to a golden era of Australian touring car racing, a period that saw the rise and consolidation of Australian motorsport legends such as Brock, Moffat, Johnston, Richards, Grice, Bond and countless others, driving their unmistakably raw and exhilarating Toranas, Commodores, Falcons, Mazdas, BMWs, Jaguars, Nissans and more.

Group C touring car regulations were current from 1973 to 1984, and Group A regulations ran from 1985 to 1992, which in turn made way for the V8 Supercar formula that we know today.

During these halcyon days it was still possible for a privateer team to take on the might of the factory based outfits, and the diversity of classes and makes and models at each event gave rise to the concept of a “race within a race” and provided a truly wide spectrum of appeal to motorsport fans.

The famous “Big Bangers” nickname is linked to the promotion of the 1984 James Hardie 1000 at Bathurst, as, “The Last of the Big Bangers”, which heralded the end of the raucous, winged, flared, and wide tyred era of Falcons, Commodores and RX7s, and ushered in the internationally recognised and more showroom aligned Group A Touring cars including Jaguars, Mustangs, Volvos Sierras and BMWs.

The all conquering Nissan Skyline R32s signified the end of the Group A period, with the “Godzilla” Nissans sweeping all before them in 1992.

Today, the Heritage Touring Cars – The Legends of Bathurst compete under the CAMS 5^th Category Historic Regulations for Group C and Group A respectively.

These regulations ensure that the Heritage Touring Cars that you see racing on the track today are the bona fide original racing cars that competed in the era of 1973 – 1992, now back in their period correct livery and mechanical specification. Replicas are not permitted under the CAMS regulations.

The annual Championship is administered by the Group C Touring Car Association Limited (the Association), a not-for-profit limited company that represents the owners and fans of Heritage Touring Cars across Australia.

Apply to join the Association here.

The Association was formed in 2000 by a small band of dedicated enthusiasts who were inspired to see these cars back on the track, entertaining crowds across the country once again.

Prior to the formation of the Association there were few opportunities for these once famous racing cars to compete, with many converted to sports sedan specifications, whilst others were simply stored at the back of sheds under tarpaulins, largely ignored and forgotten.

Today there are more than one hundred ready to race log booked Heritage Touring Cars across Australia  that compete in the Championship and other feature events such as the AGP and V8 Supercars support races.

With nostalgia induced memories of sponsor names and liveries of days gone, the sensory overload provided by the huge flares and spoilers, the rumbling open exhausts and the distinctive AVGAS aroma, it is little wonder that motorsport fans are flocking to events that feature these significant race cars of yesteryear.