Local rallying was at its peak in the 1970s as the Southern Cross Rally pitted the biggest names globally against Australia’s strong depth of competition.
There was one combination that grew to dominate the Southern Cross Rally by winning five on the trot in the form of Andrew Cowan and Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi.
Rallying success predated Mitsubishi Motors Australia in 1980, but 20 years earlier the brand launched in Australia and gradually it increased the presence in rallying.
Andrew Cowan had already won the Southern Cross in an Austin in 1969, but signed for Mitsubishi three years later as he enjoyed a more than 30-year relationship with the company.
The Colt put Mitsubishi’s name on the map in the rallying scene and Australian ace Colin Bond cemented its credentials in the Southern Cross when he finished fourth outright in 1967.
Australian ties grew stronger through Doug Stewart by the legendary driver as he contested rallies across New Caledonia and New Guinea.
In 1971, the Colt was replaced by the Galant and the Southern Cross rally’s prestige continued to grow setting the scene for what is regarded as Australia’s golden period. Not only was it a crucial rally locally, but this was heightened in Japan as Mitsubishi and Datsun swapped the wins during most of the 1970s.
A chance meeting at a function after the 1971 Southern Cross Rally led to Cowan signing with Mitsubishi and this yielded success immediately. Pitted against Datsun’s flying Finn Rauno Aaltonen and a team of Renaults led by Australian champion Bob Watson, Mitsubishi was in the middle of a tough battle.
Cowan was up against top competition as Mitsubishi entered four Galants featuring Stewart, Barry Ferguson, and Doug Chivas led by legendary team leader Bob Riley.
It proved a breakthrough result in Australia for Mitsubishi as Cowan took a narrow victory from Aaltonen, but a model more suitable to rallying was about to be launched – the Lancer.
Using the 1600 GSR, Cowan went on a dominating run in 1973 as the wet weather failed to hamper the quartet of Mitsubishis as it was a resounding 1-2-3-4 result.
The rivalry between Mitsubishi and Datsun reached its heights in 1974 as the new 710 SSS was drafted in to conquer the Lancer 1600 GSR. This failed as Mitsubishi took a 1-2 in a taxing event where just seven entries finished.
Joined by legendary Australian co-driver Fred Gocentas (who replaced John Bryson), Cowan continued his winning run by leading another Mitsubishi 1-2 in the event in 1975. The international stature of the event was clearly on show as Datsun, Ford, Subaru and many contenders from New Zealand.
For 1976, the stakes were raised once again as Ford’s European motorsport HQ enlisted Timo Makinen and Roger Clark to win the Southern Cross, Bond was entered in HDT’s V8 L34 Torana, and BMW contested the event in a 320 with Achim Warmbold alongside co-driver Jean Todt.
But still Cowan prevailed in his Lancer and it was a remarkable 1-2 again as Mitsubishi decided to bow out on a high.
This didn’t mean the end for the Cowan-Mitsubishi relationship as Dakar campaigns and World Rally Championship success followed in the 1990s.
Cowan passed away in 2019 having clocked up an incredible amount of achievements in rallying.