Banger Racing
The BMC Farina dominated Banger racing throughout the 70s and early 80s. The first properly recognised Banger World Champion, "Blondie" Melbourne (93) was crowned in 1974 driving an A60. The cars won the Championship a further 5 times with the last victory coming quite some time after they were truly competitive; when Sean Gallagher (112) became the 1986 World Champion in a Wolseley 6/110.
The cars are the very reason Banger Racing flourished. Often a whole field would be nothing but A60s because they were so much better than anything else for the job in hand, creating destruction and spectacle, noise and glory, but due to their inherent strength and lack of power, rarely injury. If Colin Chapman had designed a car specifically for banger racing he would have designed the A60!
Some people now say that Banger Racing killed all the Farinas, but as time has marched on all those family cars of the 1950s and 1960s have faded away. The 1100/1300 range was the most prolific British car of that time and yet there are still very few left - no use for Banger Racing, they have simply succumbed to rust and the scrapman's axe - as the Farinas surely would have too had they not been seemingly built for destruction.
Farinas were cheap, plentiful, strong, easy to prepare and would often run with out water or oil for long periods! Granadas and Jaguar XJs are currently the banger of choice but the A60, A110 and derivatives will always have a special place in the heart of anyone involved in Banger racing.
For generations of banger drivers at least, no other cars will be as much loved...
