Sydney smash repair business owners Trevor Ashby and Steve Reed held an enduring partnership in Australian touring cars highlighted by 16 consecutive Bathurst 1000 starts.
Also, the duo became fan favourites as leading privateers during the 1980s and entering the professional era of the late-1990s in their trademark Lansvale Smash Repairs Holden Commodore.
First entering the touring car scene in 1986 with the support of renowned engineer Wally Storey during the international Group A regulations where the choice of manufacturers was plentiful.
As Ashby reveals, Holden wasn’t the only marque the duo were considering when entering the touring car scene.
“When we first started, we didn’t know what we were going to race,” Ashby recalled.
“We actually considered a Nissan a one stage, but we thought if something breaks it will cost the earth. We looked at it pretty closely and thought ‘nope, we’re not going to do it’.
“It’ll date quicker to, when moving from one Nissan to the next, everything was changes, although the Commodores were drastic, but not as much.
“It turns out we were right.”
The choice of a Holden, just like many privateers of the day was a no brainer.
“We went Commodore because they were pretty easy to manage, the racing ones were the same, nearly all the privateers had them in those days,” said Ashby.
“A lot of parts were available and it made our jobs a lot easier.”
Both Ashby and Reed shared a variety of Commodores featuring its distinctive multi-coloured Dulux Auto Colour livery during the 1990s where the duo took multiple Privateers Cup wins.
Later expanding to two entries as the Australian Touring Car Championship turned into V8 Supercars and a new professional era at the turn of the millennium, the Lansvale Smash Repairs squad exited the sport at the end of 2003.