All diecast 1:43 scale cars that have raced and placed at Bathurst

Thanks to 'Tim' I am able to offer a complete list of all existing 1:43 scale diecast cars raced at Bathurst since 1963 that have achieved a podium place. If it's raced there, had a placing, and is in 1:43 it should be in this list!. Tim supplied the original list in a spreadsheet format, but I have converted it to a PDF document. It's an impressive piece of research. 

All 1:43 scale diecast cars that have raced at Bathurst

If you see an error, or know of a car that should be there - please leave a comment below. 

That list is a little long and complex, hence the PDF. I also have a much shorter list of 1:43 scale 'castings' from various diecast manufacturers of cars that have raced at Bathurst. I did not create this list, and found it at the Biante forum. 

1:43 scale castings of cars that have raced at Bathurst

1960 - Vauxhall Cresta - Vanguards 

1961 - Mercedes 220 - Australian Motoring Minatures

1962 - XL Falcon - Australian Motoring Minatures

1963 - Cortina - Australian Motoring Minatures

1964 - Cortina - Vanguards / Classic Carlectables

1965 - Cortina - Classic Carlectables / Dinkum

1966 - Mini - Vanguards / Biante 

1967 - XR Falcon - Classic Carlectables / Trax

1968 - HK Monaro - Biante (Autoart) / Trax

1969 - HT Monaro - Biante (Autoart) / Trax

1970 - XW Falcon - Biante 

1971 - XY Falcon - Biante / Classic / Trax

1972 - LJ Torana - Dinkum / Trax

1973 - XA Falcon - Biante (Autoart) / Dinkum

1974 - XA Falcon - Dinkum

1975 - LH Torana - Biante (Autoart) / Dinkum

1976 - LH Torana - Biante / Classic / Dinkum

1977 - XC Falcon - Biante / Dinkum

1978 - LX Torana - Biante (Autoart) / Dinkum / Australian Model cars / Automodelli

1979 - LX Torana - Biante (Autoart) / Dinkum / Australian Model cars / Automodelli

1980 - VC Commodore - Dinkum / Classic

1981 - XD Falcon - Biante (Autoart) / Dinkum

1982 - VH Commodore - Dinkum

1983 - VH Commodore - Classic / Dinkum

1984 - VK Commodore - Dinkum / Biante 

1985 - Jaguar - Biante / Dinkum 

1986 - VK Commodore - Biante / Dinkum

1987 - VL Commodore - Biante / Dinkum

1988 - Sierra - Dinkum / Model Cars Australia / Automodelli / Apex (Coming)

1989 - Sierra - Dinkum / Model Cars Australia / Automodelli / Biante (Coming)

1990 - VL Commodore - Biante / Dinkum

1991 - Skyline - Biante / Dinkum 

1992 - Skyline - Biante / Dinkum / Apex (Coming)

1993 - VP Commodore - Dinkum / Galaxy

1994 - EB Falcon - Dinkum / Galaxy / Biante(Coming)

1995 - VR Commodore - Dinkum / Galaxy

1996 - VR Commodore - Classic / Dinkum

1997 - BMW 320 - Onyx 

1997 - VS Commodore - Classic 

1998 - Volvo S40 - Onyx 

1998 - EL Falcon - Classic 

1999 - VT Commodore - Classic 

2000 - VT Commodore - Classic 

2001 - VX Commodore - Biante 

2002 - VX Commoore - Biante 

2003 - VY Commodore - Biante 

2004 - VY Commodore - Biante 

2005 - VZ Commodore - Biante 

2006 - BA Falcon - Classic

2007 - BF Falcon - Classic 

2008 - Hogster - Classic 

2009 - VE Commodore - Classic 

2010 - VE Commodore - Classic  

Trax 8021 - Ford RS Sierra - Dick Johnson

When CAMS decided to do away with the exciting Group C formula, they went for the international Group A formula, intending to internationalise and expand the Australian racing scene. It didnt really work. No local cars were really up to scratch when Group A was first introduced, and it took several seasons for the Group A Holden Commodores to become competitive.

The Ford Falcon simply had no chance. From driving one of the most exciting Group C cars ever fielded, to non-competitive overnight. It was hard for the Ford drivers. Dick Johnson, at that time one of Fords most iconic drivers, switched to the Ford Mustang, running a 5.0 litre V8, but it struggled to be competitive.  In 1987 and 1988, he switched to the turbocharged Ford RS Sierra.  Some drivers switched to other manufacturers such as BMW. In the Sierra, Johnson won the 1988 ATCC with six race victories.

Trax dont bring out many contemporary race cars any more. That market is now dominated by Biante and Classic Carlectables. But they did bring out this car back in the day with the famous no 17 on the side, in 1:43 scale. Unusually for Trax, this was not designed in Australia and manufactured in China. This model was manufactured in Portugal by a company called Trufoe.  Trax confirm this is the only model that they have had designed by an outside company. Made in several different racing liveries, the model is not commonly seen and was not as I understand enormously popular. Dinkum also produced a version of this car in 1:43. Biante have a version of this car in 1:18 which is very nice.

The RS Sierra model is fairly average, even for the time. It is not overly detailed with simple mouldings representing taillights and grilles, instead of separate pieces. The interior is not detailed at all. This car is really just a simple repaint of a road car, rather than a model of a racing car. 

A common problem with this model is the lower rear spoiler. It has come adrift on many, and this is often not mentioned in Ebay listings. Make sure you ask, or look closely at the photos if you intend to buy one.

The 1:43 spoiler is not accurate either, with the black rubber edge of the upper spoiler missing. The clear headlights on this model are also inaccurate, with the real car having red covers with Shell emblems on them, over the headlights.

Packaging is very basic, certainly nothing like the quality seen in recent years, at this stage they were still packaged like expensive toys. Often the clear plastic is damaged and torn. I think it is simply deteriorating with time, rather than a sign of neglect though. That is plastic foam on the inside, holding the car in place. This seems to be holding up well.

The baseplate is very basic, and the wheels and tyres are more toy like than most Trax models. The real car had Simmons wheels, the Trax wheels do not resemble the Simmons remotely. Paint is uniformly good, better than some early Trax, although this leads to my main concern. My biggest issue with this model is the deterioration on the racing livery paint. You can see on the 'S' and 'h' on the bonnet, and also on the '17' that the white paint is discoloured. This is also due to age and not mis-handling or neglect. I've looked at several, and it is a common problem. Additionally, the racing livery is more representative than accurate, with a lot of the sponsors missing, such as Shell emblems, Palmer Tubetek, Australian Airlines etc.

Now we come to the rating. This is mainly in my collection due to it being a Trax and a Dick Johnson car. I think cars designed by Trax are generally better presented, and this car is more a toy than a model.

Trax 8021 - Dick Johnson Ford Sierra Cosworth

Quality  6

Design    7

Colours   5

X-factor  3

Rating: 21/40

Into the garage - VY SS Ute, Moffat XB GT, Superkings Transporter

After selling a few diecast cars on Ebay, I decided to restock the garage. Two purchases occurred at Fisher Discounts, and one from Ebay.

The first purchase is a Classic Carlectables, 1/43 Holden VY SS Utility - with Canopy (factory). Effectively, a VY SS Panelvan.  I have only seen a handful of these on the road, and was quite taken with the 1/43 version.

The casting is very good, and the fine detail is captured accurately. None of the doors open, but this is rare in 1/43. The interior is very good, with multicoloured and patterned seats, and a nice dash. The body colour is called 'Phantom'.

The wheels are nicely cast, not too 'chromey' and capture the sheen of the real cars rims accurately. You can also see tiny brake calipers on the disc brakes if you squint. Best of all, this car was on special - and cost $25. As one of only 1250 produced, this is quite a scarce model. I am not a big Commodore fan, but this is a nice example of design, and is a little different to your normal Commodore.

The second car was a very attractive Biante/AutoArt 1/43 Ford XB Falcon GT, as raced by Allan Moffat in the 1976 Bathurst 1000.

This is a beautifully rendered version of the XB Coupe. The body shape is accurate, the colour scheme is accurate, and the racing wheels and interior are accurately represented. This was also on special at Fisher Discounts, at $45.

The limits of my photographic skill dont truly capture how well presented the interior of this car is. You can see a racing seat and various racing modifications which are different from the road version. In this scale, its impressive.

The underside is also different. The front wheels actually turn! The suspension and underbody look accurate, and notice the racing pipes. Apart from the fact its clean, and there is a dirty big hole that a screw goes into to hold it on a baseplate, it could be a real car flipped on its side.

This shot nicely shows the beauty of the racing paint scheme. I wish more people would paint  their road cars in more interesting paint schemes than the factory monocolour offerings. After driving a car painted in flames for 20 years, its definitely easier to find your car in a parking garage, among other advantages.

My final photo. Those are tiny clip on plastic covers over the headlights. On the real car, there were little angled curves on the inner edges, directing air into the radiator. Its the only inaccuracy I can find. Dont XB Coupes look good from the front ? Rhetorical question.

Final purchase, from Ebay, was this Matchbox Superkings K7 Racing Car Transporter. I already own one of these, but it was in 'much played with' condition, and I lost the racing car when I was a child. Box ? Also gone. I have no idea what the scale of this vehicle is. It could be 1/87.

A total fantasy design, not based on any real car, this was a childhood favourite. I saw this on ebay and even though it was without its box, i decided to bid anyway. It is in excellent condition with only a few very small chips, and the plastic car cover is unmarked. There was also a white version of this model produced. I've never seen it though.

This model came with the No 24 'Team Matchbox' 1:75 F1 Racing Car. Also in excellent condition. The stickers are in excellent condition. As a toy and not a model, like the other cars reviewed in this post, the paint quality is different, and it has thick stickers, not tampo printed or decals for detail. The paint colour screams 'Shell' to me. but it has 'Firestone', 'STP' and 'Team Matchbox'.

I like the gullwing doors. The rear door lowers, and the tray that the racing car rides in also pulls out to form a ramp. The design itself dates from 1972. Im not sure when this actual model was produced. By entering the garage it replaces the much played with version. I plan to update my Superking collection piece by piece. Id prefer boxed versions, but an unboxed version in this condition is fine by me.

Ratings

Classic Carlectables 1/43 VY SS Ute with Canopy

Quality   8

Design    8

Colours   8

X-factor  6

Rating: 30/40

Biante/AutoArt 1/43 Ford Falcon XB GT Moffatt-Schuppan 1976 Bathurst

Quality   9

Design    8

Colours   9

X-factor  9

Rating: 35/40

Matchbox Superkings K7 Racing Car Transporter

Quality   7

Design    9

Colours   6

X-factor  9

Rating: 31/40