BRUTAL Symphony

It’s probably not that unusual for an automotive scribe, particularly of the freelance persuasion, to be penning a yarn for the second time about a certain car — especially when it’s a car with a good whack of history, and a hearty serving of outright coolness. Maybe what is a bit strange is when there’s 30-odd years in between those two stories. Getting personal isn’t really the typical way one of these tales would start. However, when it comes to Bevan Wright’s Almac Cobra replica, it goes a long way towards making sense of the impact this collaboration of Kevlar, steel, and a whopping great big block Chev had on classic motor racing. It also made quite the impression on yours truly. Picture a nine-year-old kid, blonde mop blowing in the Manawatu breeze, sitting doe-eyed on the embankment, no doubt shoving some hot chips of dubious quality into my gob. It’s around 1991, and the last race of the long-running Whittaker’s MG Classic is on the grid, revving in anticipation of the green light.

The Flying Farewell was always