Win the $15k Allan Moffat 1971 GTHO car cover

They can’t, because the only surviving car - in which the four-time V8 Champion won his first title - is in the Bowden museum collection in Queensland.

But one Carsguide reader can win the next best thing: a $15,000 one-off car cover honouring the GTHO and used to launch the V8 Supercar livery Moffat’s son James will sport with Team Norton DJR this year.

Not many people would spend that sum to make their car look nearly 40 years older. However that’s exactly what Team Norton DJR did to unveil their new V8 Supercar.

They wanted a car cover that would look like the XY GTHO, but fit perfectly onto the highly modified XR6 race car.

So leading theatrical company George Aviet Staging - better known for their sets for the Wiggles, Hi-5 and Tamworth Country Music Awards – flew a team to Queensland to measure every centimetre of the V8 Supercar. Or at least, every part that was already built.

“The challenge was working out how to make a perfectly fitting car cover for a car still under construction,” Aviet says. “And then there was the technical aspect of making it fit a V8 Supercar but look like a 70s Falcon.”

After all the measurements were calculated, Aviet’s team hired a stock XR6, created mock spoilers and bodykit to match the DJR car – and swaddled the result in 500 metres of cling wrap to protect its own duco.

Over the next fortnight, the GTHO cover was shaped, sewn and painstakingly hand-painted on the dummy car, panel by panel. The effort paid off and the result was a perfect fit.

The inspiration for the car cover unveiling was the team’s primary sponsor, internet security software Norton by Symantec, which follows their function in ‘protecting the stuff that matters’.

James Moffat says Norton and V8 Supercars share a similar concern for safety and rules. “There are rules governing behaviour on the race track, and there are also rules we should all follow when online,” Moffat says.

“I know that if I do something irresponsible during a race, or stray off track, I could get hurt or cause damage. The internet is the same: if you stray away from reputable sites, ignore safety rules or act irresponsibly, there could be serious consequences.”

So if the Number 9 XY GTHO Phase III was in your driveway, what 'stuff that matters' would the neighbours think you were protecting with it?

This competition has now closed and the judges are considering the entries. Stay tuned, as we will be announcing a winner soon.

Seven runners-up - one in each state - will also each win one of the $1000 prize packages. The competition closes on March 30 at 11.59pm AEDST. For full terms and conditions click here.