40 years on: How Jaguar broke Ford and Holden’s Bathurst stranglehold

Ford and Holden are the two dominant players in the history books of the Great Race at Mount Panorama, but occasionally other brands have been able to get on top of the traditional local rivals at Bathurst.

Between them, the two local giants won every Bathurst 500/1000 from 1967 to 1984 via a range of Falcons, Toranas and Commodores.

But that streak ended 40 years ago this year in 1985 as Jaguar’s roaring V12-powered XJ-S conquered the Mountain to claim the first win of the Group A era in the hands of local ace John Goss and German Armin Hahne.

For Goss the victory was his second Bathurst 1000 success, however it came after five long years of developing his own XJ-S racer to Group C specifications that ultimately didn’t deliver at Mount Panorama.

His locally produced ‘Big Cat’ failed to finish in 1980, 1981 and 1982 and skipped the big race in 1983 before re-appearing in 1984 in its ultimate Group C spec with Scot Tom Walkinshaw arriving in Australia to co-drive.

Famously the car stalled on the grid when the lights went out and was hit from behind, triggering a track-blocking, race-stopping, multi-car wreck that prompted a complete restart.

Walkinshaw returned the following year with a vengeance, complete with his own, three-car line-up backed by JRA Australia.

The team boss stormed to pole position and dominated the race but the car he shared with Win Percy was delayed by oil system dramas in the latter stages, opening the door for the #10 Goss/Hahne car to take the lead and go on to victory.

“We had to deal with all sorts of things, not the least of which was a broken seat, which my crew bolstered up with wooden blocks and tie-downs,” Goss told Motorsport News in 2005 upon the 20th anniversary of the Jaguar win.

“The day dragged on, we came up hour by hour and we managed to hang on and win.

“It is difficult to say where the win stands among some that I have had.

“Winning the Australian Grand Prix was important and was an emotional victory. But after what I went through for five years (with racing Jaguars), I do not think that I can say what it means … I was driving for a works team, in a role of extreme responsibility. I will never forget the celebrations after the race.”

Goss was able to carry the car home despite floating within the cockpit due to the broken seat, seeing off the challenge of the chasing BMWs and Commodores.

Peter Brock’s Mobil Holden held second place in the dying stages but the single row timing chain in his Commodore cried enough with a few laps to run, letting the BMW of Roberto Ravaglia and Johnny Cecotto through to take second place.

The recovering Walkinshaw/Percy Jaguar took third, three laps down on the winning XJ-S.

While Jaguar won the first Group A Bathurst 1000, Ford and Holden went back to their winning ways at the Mountain from 1986 until Nissan claimed its first victory with the GT-R in 1991.

Other manufacturers have won the race since, including BMW and Volvo in the Super Touring races, and Chevrolet in the Gen3 era, but it’s safe to say that Gossy’s 1985 Jag will be the only V12 to win the Great Race for a long time to come.