1965 Armstrong 500: A Great Race in the Making

In 1965 Barry Seton and Midge Bosworth won the sixth running of the Bathurst 500 in a Ford Cortina Mk.I GT500. Then Barry drove home. In that same Cortina.

The sixth running of what would become Australia’s great race, the 1965 Armstrong 500 was a much simpler, but no less exciting beast. In fact, it has plenty going for it which may give it the edge.

The race was open to Australian assembled or manufactured cars and the 1965 event was the first open to imported vehicles which met a quota registered in Australia. Classes were defined by the purchase price of the vehicle in Australian pounds, making it a real race for the punters.

And the action was intense!

Two Cortinas topped the podium, with one of those cheeky imports – a Morris Cooper S – claiming the final step.

This brilliant classic footage, complete with dramatic ’60s soundtrack and narration, and a massive field of absolutely mad racers, tells the adrenaline-fuelled story of the race. It’s magic, and you should check it out.