Group E Series Production Touring Cars

Although production car racing in Australia had gained momentum with the running of the first Armstrong 500 endurance race at Phillip Island in 1960, no national guidelines for this type of racing existed until 1 January 1964 when the Group E regulations were introduced by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as part of a major review of Australian motor sport categories.

Vehicles racing in Group E had to be one of at least 1000 units which had been produced in 12 months and could compete only with strictly limited modifications.

[1] The rules were framed to cater for cars such as those that had been contesting the Armstrong 500 (which had moved from Phillip Island to the Mount Panorama Circuit at Bathurst in 1963), although that race continued to run under its own regulations which at the time limited the field to Australian built cars only.

[5] The annual Hardie Ferodo 500 endurance race at Bathurst continued to be run under regulations differing from Group E, with the former still being more restrictive in terms of permitted modifications.

[8] By this time the eligibility rules had been changed again with a vehicle now accepted if it was one of 200 manufactured or assembled in Australia or if it was a recognised FIA Group 1 Touring Car of which at least 100 units had been sold in Australia.