Touring cars are primarily a European phenomenon. The Aussie Supercars were too far removed from the road car they represented and the one time there was a touring car series in the States, the only positive things that came out of it was Randy Pobst’s career and a lesson on how to make a first-generation Dodge Stratus palatable. The European sector, on the other hand, nails it. You get cars that are hopped up, sure, but there is still a very strong visual tell of street car to it. They aren’t street cars, though…these highly strung family sedans pounded tracks…and occasionally each other…at circuits, their engines spinning to upper-reach RPMs while cornering as if glued to the track. You could write off the tacked-on rear wings as necessary for the speed they carried and the large wheels as needed for the brakes…at least most of them were center-locking for that added cool factor. Nothing here came from exotic roots: the Ford Mondeo you better knew as the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique, the forgettable replacement for the Tempo/Topaz. The Renault Laguna and Alfa Romeo 156 are cars we never saw in the States, and the Audi A4 Quattro needs little introduction…think of it as the family man’s rally machine, tuned to the street and you’ve got the idea. Just make sure you can rip through the gears, both up and down, in quick succession and trust that the brakes will clamp down like a vice, and you’re set.
The Australian Touring car Championships from 1985 until 1992 were run under FIA Group A rules and was won by BMW x 2..Volvo x1..Ford Sierra x 2 and Nissan GTR x 3.. From 1993 until 2002..( when our V8 Supercar series started) the Championship was won by Holden Commodore and Falcon 4 door sedans that were very close to the road going specials they were based on.. The only thing the current V8 Supercars have in common with their road going equivalent are a few badges…. but that\’s progress , I just hope they don\’t TECH it to oblivion..