The 2008 Red Centre to Gold Coast Trial has been run and won, with a 38-year old Mitsubishi Galant finishing first.
Crewed by David and Kate Officer, the elderly Galant -- purchased five years ago for just $50 -- ended the event 6 minutes, 8 seconds ahead of runners up, Graham Alexander and David Stewart in a 1975 Datsun 260Z. Third place went to Mike Batten and Steuart Snooks 4 minutes and 7 seconds behind the 'Z', driving another Datsun, a 1971 P510 (better known in Australia as the 1600).
Of the 70 pre-1986 vehicles that entered the 11-day event and set out on September 8, just 27 finished. The 7600km route comprised 39 special stages, some of which were as much as 100km in length.
Prepared for durability more so than performance, the winning Galant was powered by a 1.8-litre engine that produced 84kW of power at the drive wheels.
"We knew the car would have the strength, but never thought we'd have the speed to really challenge for the lead in this event," said David Officer.
"However we drove it hard and kept the maintenance up and here we are -- delighted!"
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