Also, probably one of the worst and most polluting Environmentally unfriendly "sports" ever.

Fords Rule — But Success Depends on Your Point of View

I enjoyed your story, particularly the memories of Dick Johnson and the dramatic Bathurst finish. There’s something undeniably satisfying about a last-minute victory, especially when it involves Ford.

But success takes many forms, and not all of them require a chequered flag, a corporate sponsor or an expensive racing machine.

Take my own modest contribution to the Ford tradition. Over the past decade or more, I’ve sacrificed five cheap old Ford Falcons to the elements, parking them at home, barely 100 metres from the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean. There they quietly rust away in the gutter, saving me the expense of buying a new car.

They have their little quirks, of course. One particular nuisance is sticking valve lifters, but even that can sometimes be remedied by adding 300 ml of transmission fluid to the engine oil at change time. A bit of mechanical ingenuity can go a long way when you’re not trying to win Bathurst.

There’s a certain irony in all this. While millions watch expensive racing machines battle for supremacy, I’m quite content to let my old Falcons surrender gradually to the salt air, having extracted years of service and considerable savings from them.

Of course, I wouldn’t suggest my rusting collection could compete with Brodie Kostecki’s Mustang on the Mountain. Nor would I pretend that saving money on cars solves the nation’s economic problems.

But perhaps there’s a lesson here. Success isn’t always about being first past the post. Sometimes it’s about knowing what you need, making the most of what you have, and resisting the temptation to spend money simply because something newer and shinier is available.

So yes, Fords rule — at Bathurst, in the memories of racing enthusiasts, and occasionally in the driveways of those of us who appreciate a bargain.

Though I suspect my five old Falcons have contributed more to the Pacific Ocean’s supply of rust than to Ford’s trophy cabinet!

And that, too, is a kind of motoring history