page_title: Matich
section_title: A53
hierarchical_section_title: Matich / A50 / A51 / A52 / A53 / A53
caption_attribution_description: English: Frank Matich in the Matich A50 at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway round of the 1972 Australian Drivers' Championship, 27th August 1972 - Photo by Graham Ruckert.
context_page_description: The Matich name was applied to a series of sports racing cars and open wheel racing cars produced in Australia between 1967 and 1974 under the direction of Sydney-based racing driver and engineer Frank Matich.
context_section_description: The Matich A53 was raced by Matich in the 1974 Tasman Series after which he retired from racing. The car was then sold to John Goss who finished 9th in the 1974 Australian Drivers' Championship. It failed to start the 1974 Australian Grand Prix at Oran Park due to engine failure. Goss then used the A53 to finish 13th in the 1975 Australian Drivers' Championship before poor visibility in the wet conditions and a rough engine caused his retirement in the 1975 Australian Grand Prix at Surfers Paradise.
  Goss drove the car to 5th in the 1976 Rothmans International Series and then finished 6th in the 1976 Australian Drivers' Championship thanks to his Round 1 victory in the 1976 Australian Grand Prix at Sandown in Melbourne, Goss becoming the only driver to have won both the Bathurst 1000 and Australian Grand Prix in the process. Goss drove the A53-Repco to another 5th in the 1977 Rothmans International Series and 3rd in the 1977 Australian Grand Prix at Oran Park.
  Goss' win in the 1976 Australian Grand Prix has so far proven to be the last time the race was won by an Australian designed, built and powered car, giving the Matich A53 a special place in Australia's motor racing history. Note that the Ralt cars that won the 1981-1984 Australian Grand Prix's were designed and built in England, despite Ralt having its origins in Australia in the 1950s,
  Late in 1977, Goss, staying true to his touring, sports car/sedan ties, decided to replace the successful, but ageing Repco Holden V8 engine with a 4.9 L Ford engine. However, the Ford engine provided less power and ultimately proved uncompetitive compared to the Repco and, after Goss sold the car to Mel McEwin, it was replaced by another Repco-Holden unit.
  During its competition life the Matich A50-53's Repco-Holden power output was rated around 500 bhp (373 kW; 507 PS).
caption: The Matich A50 of Frank Matich at the Surfers Paradise round of the 1972 Australian Drivers' Championship
exif: {}