Lex Davison and the fearsome Holman-Moody 427 Ford Galaxie

“The big bitch nearly killed me!” screamed Lex Davison after the multiple AGP winner narrowly escaped serious injury following a big crash in Sir Gawaine Baillie’s 7.0 litre Ford Galaxie at the 1964 Sandown International Six Hour race.

Davison’s outburst has become almost as famous in Australian motor sport folklore as Jim Richards’ equally emotional “you’re a pack of ****holes!” podium response to booing spectators after Nissan’s controversial win at the 1992 Bathurst 1000.

Local racing hero Davison was renowned for his bravado behind the wheel of purpose-built single seater racing cars. 

Therefore his Sandown outburst gave fans a new appreciation of the courage and commitment that had been required to race such a huge and powerful touring car, capable of ballistic 140-plus mph (230 km/h) speeds on Sandown’s long straights that were way beyond what its feeble brakes could handle at the end of them!

Why this ferocious American muscle car was created and how it ended up on the other side of the world in a six-hour touring car race is a fascinating tale that captures the highs and lows of the Ford Galaxie’s short, spectacular racing career in Australia.