The ultimate reward for a race-car builder is seeing your engineering project come to life and successfully take to the track.
For Mosgiel’s Colin Wallace there’s been a couple of extra bonuses. Firstly, he has been able to get behind the wheel of the 800hp Chevrolet Monza muscle car that he’s spent two years helping to build. Then there’s watching his son Michael drive this ‘‘pretty fast car’’ to victory in several Mainland Muscle Cars races at Teretonga Park and Highlands Motorsport Park.
Michael had raced in the New Zealand V8s series for about 12 years before enjoying retirement for the past seven years. However, the desire to return to the track prompted the Wallaces to buy the Monza and transform it into the fire-breathing racer.
‘‘I was reasonably impressed with the car when it got going, but more impressed with the driver. I thought he’d be a bit rusty, but he wasn’t,’’ Colin said of the first outing.
Many hours had gone in beforehand as the Monza underwent its transformation under the watchful eyes of Colin and Auckland car-builders AV8 Motorsport.
An acid bath to remove all paint and rust started the process, then all the road-going trappings were removed. A roll cage was installed and further modifications made.
The distinctive Monza kit came next, with the fibreglass bonnet, mudguards, front bumper and rear spoiler installed.
A Hendrick Nascar engine was built over a year and the mounts to house it, with the pick up points for the suspension, also completed.
Colin said he was happy to pour untold hours into this labour of love.
‘‘I’m just one of those people — I’ve got to have a project to do. I couldn’t sit around doing nothing.’’
He, who describes himself as an ‘‘old-school engineer’’, says building cars is ‘‘something he just picked up as a hobby’’.
Freshly painted in its new season livery, the Monza will be on display at next Saturday’s annual Autospectacular before it gets packed into a container for a trip across the Tasman where Michael will be driving it at Mt Panorama in the Touring Cars Masters support class for the Bathurst 1000 from October 11-13.
Colin, naturally, plans to be track-side to oversee his engineering triumph and watch his son in action.
‘‘Motorsport is something we’ve always done as a family,’’ he said.
The Colin Wallace-built 800hp Chevrolet Monza muscle car will be on display at the Autospectacular at the Edgar Centre from 9am-4pm next Saturday. Admission is $10 for an adult and $2 for children aged 5-13. Under-5s are free. Family passes (2 adults and 2 children) are $20.
- by Catherine Pattison
Photo: Peter McIntosh
