From humble beginnings behind the wheel of a MG TC, Frank Matich, over a 21-year period, rose to become a household name in Australia as a respected vehicle designer and driver. In sports cars and open-wheelers bearing his own name, he not only dominated the Australian scene winning the Australian Grand Prix in 1970 and 1971, but also took his expertise to the exciting world of Can-Am in America. A fan of Matich’s from his younger days, our Australian writer Patrick Quinn caught up with him recently at his Armacel factory in surburban Sydney.
VRJ: How did you start off in motor racing?
Matich: It was my interest in engineering and I don’t mean in the highbrow sense, just the ability to tune cars, improve them and become involved in the dynamics of what was a motor car. This interest started to become competitive within me and my first great pleasure was racing the clock and improving the car – typically hillclimbs or standing quarter-mile sprints. Although driving never really took priority with me, I was always trying to make my car go faster with me being one component of the car.
