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THE PERKINS’ TALE

The Larry Perkins Tale

By Bruce Williams

The Larry Perkins Tale

The Larry Perkins Tale

Australian motor racing legend Larry Perkins had not long returned to Australia after his overseas exploits in Formula 1 when he decided to embark on the historic Repco Reliability Trial of 1979.

Teaming up with his brother Garry as co-driver, the pair hoped to follow in the footsteps of their father, who was a previous winner of Australian trials under the various guises it ran under in the 1950s.

A Volkswagen Beetle was their weapon of choice as both felt it suited the rough and rugged outback terrain better than most vehicles.

“I wanted the VW, I wanted a deadest low-cost entry and the way the rally was advertised, it was the right vehicle for what was going to happen,” Larry told AUTO ACTION.

“Garry helped me with the preparation of the vehicle and it was just a simple low-cost thing.”

The Perkins’ brothers did modify the Beetle to keep it competitive and early in the rally the #33 Volkswagen showed a lot of promise and speed in the twisty stages of the Adelaide hills but was hampered by a lack of power in the straights.

AUTO ACTION’s DAN MCCARTHY spoke to Larry Perkins about the event and the rally itself as well as the adventure that was his own 1979 Repco Reliability Trial.

Perkins spoke about driving his famous Beetle that he and his brother drove around the country. He also revealed some interesting insights into the camaraderie of competitors, which had teams help each other out illegally.

All of that can be found in the 14-page Repco Reliability Trial feature in the latest issue of AUTO ACTION in issue #1767 on sale now.

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