Historic SVG Holden restored to iconic Bathurst colours
10 Bathurst-winning cars were on show at Adelaide Motorsport Festival
2020 Bathurst-winning colours restored to Triple Eight chassis
Famous Holden won two Great Races, two championships
The Triple Eight Race Engineering-built record-breaking Holden chassis has been restored to its famous 2020 Bathurst-winning colours, as it hit the track in Adelaide.
This year’s Adelaide Motorsport Festival welcomed an array of Bathurst-winning cars as part of the weekend’s celebrations.
There was a distinct Supercars flavour to the event, with James Courtney taking Formula 1 personality Guenther Steiner for hot laps in a Gen3 Ford Mustang.
The celebrations included chassis 888A-054, also known as ‘Chastitii’, which was driven to historic success by Shane van Gisbergen between 2020 and 2022.
Van Gisbergen won two championships, two Bathurst 1000s and 39 races in the car, which was retired after the 2022 Adelaide 500, and taken to Bathurst's National Motor Racing Museum.
It was in Adelaide where van Gisbergen officially won his third title in December 2022, with the car brandishing the champion’s #1 and carrying Holden tribute colours.
Van Gisbergen famously completed a monster burnout in the car, celebrating his 2022 crown and sending off the famous Holden nameplate in style.
The Commodore was the last Holden to win the Great Race and a Supercars championship, and is now owned by PremiAir Nulon Racing team owner Peter Xiberras.
The car remained in its 2022 Adelaide Holden tribute livery until now, with the 2020 Bathurst-winning colours restored on the car, complete with ‘Thanks Holden Fans’ messaging.
The two oldest cars in the Bathurst category were the 1965 Ford Cortina, raced to victory by Bo Seton and Midge Bosworth, and the Bob Morris/John Fitzpatrick 1976 Holden Torana.
The 1993 Larry Perkins/Gregg Hansford Commodore, 2006 Craig Lowndes/Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Falcon, and 2016 Will Davison/Jonathon Webb Tekno Commodore were also on show.
The 1982 Peter Brock/Jim Richards Commodore, which has also been restored, joins 888A-054 as two of three chassis to have won Bathurst twice.
The 1991 and 1992 Nissan Skylines, owned by Tony Alford, were also on show, as was the 1997 Perkins/Russell Ingall Castrol Commodore.
A number of other prominent cars, such as the 2006 Rick Kelly title-winning Toll HSV Commodore, also took to the shortened Victoria Park loop circuit.
Supercars will return to Adelaide in November to conclude the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, with the season resuming at this weekend's MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint.
