Not
only is the 40th Anniversary Event of the Leyland P76 occurring in June
2013, but another exciting arrival is expected that same month - Top Gear,
makers of Trax diecast model cars have announced that they will be
releasing a 1/43 diecast model of the 1974 Evan Green/John Bryson
Leyland P76 WRC entry. For those who will be attending the 40th Anniversary of the Leyland P76 Event in June, Top Gear
will have a stand at one of the events on that weekend and have offered
some merchandise to the organising committee that will be awarded to
Concours winners.
This
car is famous for winning a stage of the 1974 WRC rally, the famed
Targa Florio section. Ultimately the car ran 13th outright. A
spectacular achievement for a car with limited factory support and in a
car that had never been rallied or raced before. The majority of
entrants dropped out along he way, their cars failing to withstand the
rigours of rallying.
The famous book 'A Bootful of Right Arms'
was written by Evan Green about the rally, and it's a must read for
rallying and automotive enthusiasts, as well as Leyland P76 fans. There
is a great deal of information on preparing and modifying a car for
rallying, and the repairs that they performed exposed some areas of the
Leyland P76 that the factory would have upgraded if the car had made it
to a Mark II version.
The rally ran from London to Munich via Africa, as you do.
The
original world rally car still exists in unrestored condition. Evan
Green has sadly passed away, but John Bryson is still with us. Most
recently his son Matt Bryson and Gerry Crown have rallied a Leyland P76
in the United States and have entered that car in the Peking to Paris
rally that is about to start (the Leyland P76 is on its way to Peking
right now).
It
is very exciting that Trax are producing this car in diecast model
form. Its a great celebration of Australian motoring history and will be
keenly sought after by Leyland fans and rally fans. Order yours today at the Top Gear website.