Summary

Colour proof sheet showing twelve contact prints relating to the International Harvester (IH) race vehicle transportation trucks used by the Allan Moffat racing team in the 1970s.

IH provided two race car transporters to Alan Moffat's race team over the years, as part of a sponsorship deal. The MKI ACCO GT (ACCO stands for 'Australian Constructed Cab Over' and GT stands for 'Great Truck') was used to transport Moffat's red XB Ford GT coupe, both of which were destroyed in a fire in early June 1976. The MKII ACCO GT was used to transport Moffat's 'number 9' white XB Ford GT coupe with red and blue stripes.

This proof sheet includes views of the MKII ACCO GT on show at the Bathurst race track. Some show the Ford coupe in the race car pit or on display to racegoers. There are also images of Moffat speaking to an interviewer. The IH photography logbook entry for these images reads "Photographs of A. Moffat at Bathurst 1976 Hardy Ferodo".

The images are part of a large collection of glass plate and film negatives, transparencies, photo albums, product catalogues, videos, motion picture films, company journals, advertisements and newspaper cuttings relating to the operations of the International Harvester Company and its subsidiaries in Australia. This item was contained in HT 34445, a folder of mixed prints and transparencies titled 'Race Vehicle Transportation Truck, 1975-1976'. The images have been catalogued according to their order in the album, which may not reflect date order.

Description of Content

Twelve contact prints relating to the International Harvester (IH) race vehicle transporation trucks used by the Allan Moffat racing team in the 1970s. Images show the MKII ACCO GT transporter and Moffat's 'number 9' white XB Ford GT coupe with red and blue stripes. Other images show the Ford coupe in the race car pit and on trackside display to racegoers. There are also images of Moffat speaking to an interviewer.

Physical Description

Colour photographic print in landscape orientation with 12 'proof' images in three rows of four. Three holes along top edge align with binder rings. Sheet titled with 'TECHNICAL DATA / DATE'.

Significance

Allan Moffat (1939-2025) was a Canadian-Australian racing driver, one of Australia's most recognised sporting icons, and a household name. Moffat won multiple championships in the Australian Touring Car Championship, the Sandown 500, and the Bathurst 500 and 1000. He had a career-long association with Ford, calling the Ford Mustang "the definitive race car of my life". He was inducted into the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame, the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, and was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1978. After retiring from racing in 1989 he remained connected to the sport as a commentator and mentor to younger drivers. A Victorian state memorial was held to honour his career after his death in November 2025.

The International Harvester Company of America was formed in 1902 by the merger of five leading American agricultural machinery manufacturers. An Australian subsidiary was established in 1904 to manage Australian distribution and sales and over subsequent decades International Harvester became a major competitor to local manufacturers like H.V. McKay's Sunshine Harvester Works. Later International Harvester established its own Australian manufacturing works, producing agricultural equipment (and later tractors) at Geelong from 1939, motor trucks at Dandenong from 1952 and earthmoving and construction equipment at Port Melbourne from 1958. The company also operated a Product Engineering Centre adjacent to its Geelong factory and in 1961 established a Proving Ground at Anglesea for product testing.

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