FAMOUS SPORTS SEDAN TO BE BORN AGAIN

Famous sports sedan to be born again – Image: Auto Action Archive

One of Australia’s most famous sports sedans of the 1970s, Bryan Thomson’s VW Fastback, is to be re-created – by its original builder.
The car was virtually a Formula 5000 with the VW bodywork.

By STEPHEN DALTON

It was constructed by Thomson’s engineering mate Peter Fowler and its re-creation is being supported by Simon Phitzner, president of the recently Motorsport Australia-approved Historic Sports Sedan category.

Phitzner, of Adelaide and who operates Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes (PPG), has sent Fowler a VW shell to prepare for the extensive conversion.

Phitzner recently acquired another Thomson-Fowler car – the perhaps equally famous Mercedes 450 SLC.

“Simon is an amazing enthusiast, with global connections through his business of providing racing gearboxes to leading rally competitors in the WRC, and back home he is an avid supporter of the Australian do-it-yourself competitor,” Thomson said.

“In 1998 we sold up our property in Murchison (country Victoria), planning to move to Melbourne.

“Stored in the workshop for the past 20 years was the remains of the VW 5000 that was constructed to contest the ’74-’75 Marlboro $100,000 series – the richest race series ever in Australian motorsport.

“The VW was runner-up to Bob Jane in ’74 amid red-hot controversy and again in ’75 due to a mechanical issue with the prototype Thomson-Fowler quad-valve engine.

“Two years later the VW was acquired by a New Zealand collector who was only interested in stripping the car of all the McLaren M10B F5000 components used in the construction.

“The bare bones were offered to Peter Fowler and stored at my farm property.

“When the time came to shift Peter and I discussed what to do with the VW remains and we jointly agreed that we didn’t want to pass it on to someone who would build up a lookalike but lacking all the avant-garde McLaren componentry and present it as ‘our’ car.

“We decided to pass the VW 5000 on into history and rest on its well-earned laurels.

“Regarding the new ‘tribute car’ project, Simon has the technical and engineering credentials required to do it justice.

“Peter and myself have agreed to support the project and preliminary engineering of McLaren components, Hewland gearbox and Chev F5000 is now well underway.

“Peter, now retired from his engineering business, has built a new extension to his comprehensive home workshop especially for the build.

“Fortunately, my archives contain a day-by-day photo record of the original build, so the combination of the engineering skills of the original constructor and PPG’s technical resources will produce a fitting tribute to this iconic sports sedan.”

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