Stuart Bowes' magnificent Mercedes Benz 450SLC.His beautiful 450SLC has been built specifically for long distance classic gravel rallies and comes complete with air conditioning!
"There was no point building another Datsun 1600 or Ford Escort. I was never going to beat the fellas who've been doing it for years, so I decided to go down an alternative route and select a car for comfort, however, the performance improvements soon crept in."
The car was completely stripped to a bare shell before welding in the hand-crafted roll cage. Minimal strengthening was required - remember Mercedes twice won the Ivory Coast Rally in pretty well standard trim, and finished on the podium in Kenya, Argentina and New Zealand rounds of the World Rally Championship.
The engine was improved, AP Racing brakes all round, Murray Coote suspension, ATL fuel cell, Hollinger 5-speed gearbox (the 3-speed auto was a 'shocker'), Motec, all new wiring, etc. And three years later the car was wheeled out of Garry's workshop.
"The finished job has exceeded even my high expectations, and I can't wait to hit the roads in the mid north of SA next year.
"Classic rallying is booming around the world. I've looked at a number of events overseas and it's where the growth in our sport is coming from.
“The older cars and drivers need a home too and classic rallying is it. As much as we all love the action of the WRC, participation is now pretty well out of reach. It's become an exclusive club. I have no issue with that, it's what makes it desirable and marketable, but equally so, there are plenty of us who would just like a 'spirited drive in the bush' and events like Rally of The Heartland are just the thing,” Bowes added.
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