FEBRUARY 28 marks the day in 1993 when Australian touring car racing returned the traditional Holden versus Ford V8-engined rivalry to its headline act.
New rules marked the end of the internationally developed, production car-linked Group A regulations in favour of winged, fire-breathing machines that evolved into the Repco Supercars Championship we know today.
Ironically, the first championship race of the new era was for two-litre cars; the opening round at Amaroo Park consisted of separate races for the class cars and the V8s (and 2.5L BMW M3s), before a combined final race.
Holden drew first blood with Tomas Mezera scoring pole position via the Peter Jackson Dash, but it was Dick Johnson who prevailed in the opening V8 race.
The final was a brutal affair: few cars ended the 28-lap race without bent panels, and the race itself was briefly red-flagged after a three-car tangle at Stop Corner.
John Bowe etched his name in the record books as the first winner of the new era, heading home Mark Skaife and eventual champion Glenn Seton.
Enjoy this gallery of images from the event from the an1images.com library!