The famous Ford, chassis DJR6, was badly burned during the George Begg Festival at Teretonga after a fuel line fitting failed.
South Island businessman Lance Coupland of Coupland’s Bakeries was driving the car when the incident happened, and thankfully escaped any serious injuries.
The car will soon be ready to race again, thanks to a restoration – albeit, not in time for the upcoming Skope Festival at Ruapuna in January.
“Everything plastic under the bonnet and at the front end of the took a bit of a licking – but the metalwork is surprisingly salvagable,” said Coupland
Although the front end of the car got seriously hot, the original dashboard survived the fire. The passenger side features Dick Johnson’s signature.
The car has been stripped and catalogued by DC Autocare in Hawkes Bay, repainted by Moselle Panel and Paint in Auckland, and completely rewired by DTech in Tauranga.
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A new Steve Weeber-built Ford YB Cosworth engine has also been installed.
Coupland is hoping to have the car ready to test by March, with plans for it to feature at the Supercars round at Ruapuna in April.
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