The1964 Armstrong 500 was a production car race held on 4 October 1964 at theMount Panorama Circuit just outsideBathurst inNew South Wales,Australia. The 500 mile race was open to Australian built production sedans of which 100 examples had been registered.[1] It was the fifthArmstrong 500 and the second to be held at Bathurst although it is commonly referred to as the fifth "Bathurst 500".
Official results reflected only class placings, with no outright winner recognized by the organizing body, the Australian Racing Drivers’ Club. The first car to complete the full 130 lap distance race was afactory backedFord Cortina GT driven byBob Jane andGeorge Reynolds, the 1964 event being the fourth consecutive Armstrong 500 in which Jane had achieved an unofficial "line honours" victory.
Cars competed in four classes based on the purchase price of the vehicle in Australian pounds. There was little change from the1963 race. Class A entries proliferated, taking up space on the grid from a shrinking Class B.Ford Australia had a strong presence in Class C with three factory enteredCortina GTs.
The up to £900 class was composed ofHillman Imp,Morris 850,NSU Prinz,Vauxhall Viva andVolkswagen Beetle.
The £901 to £1,000 class featuredFord Cortina 1500,Morris Cooper,Renault R8 andSimca Aronde.
The £1,001 to £1,200 class included onlyFord Cortina GT andHolden EH entries.
The £1,201 to £2,000 class featuredChrysler Valiant,Citroën ID19,Ford Zephyr,Humber Vogue Sports,Holden EH Premier,Studebaker Lark,Triumph 2000 andVauxhall Velox.
While the V8 powered Studebaker Larks again led early, fragile brakes saw them overtaken by the leading Cortinas as the race wore on. The Cortina driven by the Geoghegan brothers fell from the mid-race lead after a generator bracket broke, allowing teammates Jane and Reynolds into the race lead they would go onto win the race in Ford Cortina.Barry Seton and Herb Taylor finished second ahead of Jane's former partnerHarry Firth co-driving the third factory Ford with John Reaburn. In the other three classes, the early leaders each retained their leads throughout the day. Bert Needham and Warren Weldon brought their Class D winning Studebaker home as fourth car across the line, two laps down on Jane/Reynolds and a lap behind Firth/Reaburn. Charlie Smith and Bruce Maher won Class B, leading home a 1-2-3-4 for Morris Cooper ahead of four Renault R8s. Smith/Maher finished just six laps behind the Cortina GTs. Class A was dominated by Vauxhall, with the Viva of Spencer Martin and Bill Brown leading home five other examples. Seven cars failed to finish the event, with another being disqualified.[2]
The Team Prize was won by the three Ford Motor Co. entered Ford Cortina GTs driven by Jane/Reynolds, Seton/Taylor and Firth/Raeburn.[7]
