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The saloons that thundered to short-lived success

It's 35 years since the Thundersaloons category was born - a series that featured some of the most powerful tin-tops to ever race on these shores - although its popularity waned when pitched against the British Touring Car juggernaut

British club racing lost one of its stalwarts when Pete Stevens died earlier this year. He was best known for his years in Thundersaloons, winning four titles, and in particular for the mighty Chevrolet-powered Vauxhall Carlton in which he claimed his last two crowns.

It's 35 years since the birth of the series, which featured some of the most powerful saloon cars ever to race in this country. Like so many successful categories of the era, it was dreamed up by Brands Hatch supremo John Webb and, as the moniker suggests, drew inspiration from the Thundersports series that had been running since 1983.