Historic Racing is possible with both sedans (touring cars) and sports cars, But ND is a proposed new group for touring cars only. Cars that Motorsport Australia have already classified as a Sports Car will not be eligible for Group ND Racing.
The vehicle used for ND Racing must have been available for purchase by the general public during the date ranges specified above but the actual car or body shell used can have a build date outside of the date range, subject to some conditions, but cannot be a modern replica shell.
Run on models
The body used can be from beyond 31 December 1984 but the exterior appearance and engine used must be consistent with a vehicle made before 31 December 1984.
An example of a "run on model" is the E30 BMW which was built from 1982 to 1994 but you can only use the engines that were available up until 31 December 1984 ie you cant run a 2.7L engine.
Run in models
The body used can be from before 1 January, 1973 but the exterior appearance and engine used must be consistent with a vehicle made after1 January, 1973.
An example of a "run-in model" is the Triumph 2500 which was built from late 1969 to early 1978 with trivial changes to items like grilles and bumpers over the life. Any such shell is acceptable provided the key visual factors such as grille, are a post 72 specification Model.
Group NC and Group C
While there is some merit in simply adopting the existing requirements applying to Nc, there are emerging technologies in the Nd period that warrant reconsideration of some requirements and in a few cases, a totally new requirement.
The current processes for seeking technical changes to a vehicle specification, especially component substitution requests (ie , a racer wants to alter or replace a factory part) , can be lengthy and complex, creating considerable administrative effort. Many of the existing special requirements have their origin in the period, yet parts availability has changed dramatically. To avoid the bulk of such issues, the Nd proposal is to have many matters "free" via the special requirements section.
Numerous stakeholders have suggested the period Group C rules should be applied in whole or mostly. A detailed examination of this idea has show why it is probably not workable today and will probably result in the same innumerable substitution requests when OEM parts cannot be found. This is further discussed in detail here:
Specific Requirements Discussion
There is believed to be much merit in trying to reduce the cost of construction and maintaining an amateur race car of this time period. The proposed specific requirements seek to address this in part by allowing the use of readily available parts provided they do not detract from the overall period appearance of the model. Further, it is proposed to permit advertising on car with some restrictions.
