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Location:
Sydney, Australia
Registered:
December 2002
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Bathurst ST162 Celica
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Tue, 18 January 2005 09:49
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I'm pretty sure that in 1986 a privateer by the name of Peter Williamson raced a St16# model Celica at Bathurst. Williamson drove Toyotas for over 10 years at Bathurst and was most famous for being the first person to carry an in car camera in his car at the mountain in 1979 also in a Celica. I have attached the only picture i have of the car. It is a smashed up one though as Williamson crashed during practice for the 86 event. I think it looks like a 162 model.
Does anyone know anything about this car? I would really like to know more about it but i can not find anything on the net about it.
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
May 2004
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Location:
Sydney, Australia
Registered:
December 2002
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Re: Bathurst ST162 Celica
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Tue, 18 January 2005 10:02
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Location:
Sydney, Australia
Registered:
December 2002
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Re: Bathurst ST162 Celica
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Tue, 18 January 2005 10:04
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yeh it does sound like it. damn.
i was hoping it would be an st162 so i cud do mine up getting some ideas off the bathurst car for wheels and body kit.
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
May 2004
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Re: Bathurst ST162 Celica
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Tue, 18 January 2005 10:07
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Hard to confirm anything from that picture though 
That car is cactus.
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
May 2004
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Re: Bathurst ST162 Celica
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Tue, 18 January 2005 10:12
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OR it could be one of those Celica XX things.
Which i think is essentially the same thing ??
Someone will correct me I am sure if the above statement is incorrect... 
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Location:
Sydney, Australia
Registered:
December 2002
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Re: Bathurst ST162 Celica
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Tue, 18 January 2005 10:13
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Yes it's understandable why they didnt start. Althought i'm not sure if they had the TAFE smash repair crew there in those days.
I dont know the MA Supra's that well so i dont really know what they look like. The car was also used in the 87 Bathurst. Toyota's official team used AE92 Corolla GT's.
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Location:
Sydney, Australia
Registered:
December 2002
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Re: Bathurst ST162 Celica
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Tue, 18 January 2005 10:20
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I dont know about Celica XX's i'll have to do some research.
A 6 cylinder Celica though? i think the MA engine was something like a 7MGE and then later 7MGTE . Again i'm sure someone will correct ME if i'm wrong.
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Registered:
November 2002
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Re: Bathurst ST162 Celica
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Tue, 18 January 2005 12:21
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The only ST162 Celica raced at Bathurst was the Group N spec (near std production spec) Modern Motor magazine 'Search for a Star' type competition car. It raced in the old Bathurst 12 hour production car races, not held in October. My memory is poor about the exact year - but I think it was 1989.
That car in the photo is the ex-Win Percy TTGB Group A MA61 Supra with the 2.8L 12 valve 5M-GE engine, which produced a claimed 240 ps. (I have the press release sent out by Peter Williamson.)
Willo bought the car from Win after a fire in the wiring loom completely burnt out the interior, and had it shipped from GB to Aust and rebuilt to race in the Group A Touring Car class here.
No notable results for it happened, its best effort a third on the grid at a round of the Championship at Oran Park, and it crashed heavily at Bathurst in qualifying, the nose lifting off the deck at full noise at the end of Conrod Straight, back in the days when it was a straight and not with this whimpy Caltex Chase thingo installed.....
Willo got a badly broken jaw from this and eat thru a straw for months afterwards, when the fire extinguisher bolted to the trans tunnel came loose in the accident and hit him there. He wore a open face helmet in order to talk to the in-car camera. A full face helmet would have seen him OK. He effectively retired from racing then, came out many years later when Toyota Australia had a Landcruiser race series at Parramatta Speedway using the 4.5 litre petrol engined FJ80 utes.....just for a bit of fun....
Willo raced an RA23GT, then a early RA40 GT (round headlights) followed by an update RA40GT (square lights) before the MA61.
History lesson ends....
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Location:
Toowoomba, QLD
Registered:
January 2005
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Re: Bathurst ST162 Celica
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Tue, 25 January 2005 12:37
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Hi,
A friend saw this and asked me to register/reply. Willo's old car is an MA61 Supra, and yes it is one of the cars Hughes of Beaconsfield built for TRD. My understanding is that it was the back up car for Win Percy for late 83 early 84, which he used in a couple of races, and was raced at the Spa 24hr race in 1984 where it was 5th. It was then shipped out to Australia in late Jul 84 in time for Sandown and the Castrol 500 in 1984 where it finished 1st in Group A and 6th outright, thus being the first Group A winner in Australia. The car did have quite a few good finishes, including many class wins (3rd outright and 1st in class at the Castrol 500 in 85 for example) but was involved in a few crashes, especially at Bathurst. It was involved in the start line incident in 1984 (when Walkinshaw stuffed the clutch on Goss's Jag), then rolled at Oran Park, then the crash mentioned above which was during Thursday practice at Bathurst in 1986, the car locking the rears under braking at the end of conrod.
But yes, the car still exists! It went to New Zealand in 1987, then came back to Australia to do a bit of hillclimbing, and currently sits in our garage waiting restoration. We will be racing it in historic Group A, but it will take a year or so to get it right. As far as we are aware, two of the original cars still exist although the other (still in the UK) hasn't been seen for a while. Body isn't perfect as you could imagine, but it is straight and has been repaired extremely well.
Spec wise the car is a work of art especially underneath, everything is rose jointed and adjustable, and custom made to the Group A rules. Engine is a 5MGE, running forged pistons, Carillo rods etc and Peter says it used to have 285hp although not anymore after 20 years use. Brakes are AP 4 spots up front with 310mmx28mm floating vented/slotted AP disks, rears are single piston sliding calipers with vented/slotted rotors. Gearbox is Quaife straight cut close ratio dog engagement gears in a Supra casing, diff is a standard Supra housing with a mini spool and oil circ pump and cooler. Fuel system is amazing, three pumps, two filters and the return from the fuel rail is routed through a cooler at the front before it goes back to the tank, car is noisy just with the ignition on, let alone running! ECU was built by GEMS in England, but as per the Group A rules the car still runs the original inlet and exhaust manifolds. Air jacks etc as you would expect, 16"x8" and 9" Simmons P4s, 120L tank with dry break fittings, and bugger all interior again as per the rules.
It was also the first car that Mark Skaife and Thomas Mezera drove in the ATCC, Willo liked to give good up and coming drivers a chance. Unfortunately, Mark only got to practice at Bathurst, had to wait another year to drive.
Hope this adds a bit.
John
[Updated on: Tue, 25 January 2005 12:40]
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