OUR story in April about a replica being completed of the Peter Brock-driven #05 Commodore used in the 1980s Vita Brit TV commercial sure grabbed a lot of attention.
Our follow up story a few weeks later seeking information on the current whereabouts of the Vita Brit car used in the TV ad also gained plenty of interest.
While no leads have been forthcoming on whatever happened to the mobile Vita Brit used in the commercial (don’t worry, we haven’t given up yet!), our recent stories on this subject have led us to find an element of the ad we hadn’t initially factored into our hunt.
We managed to find the Vita Brit Kid himself!
Chris McConachy was a 13-year-old Melbourne kid at the time who starred in the TV commercial filmed at Sandown with racing legends Peter Brock and Dick Johnson, racing a mobile Vita Brit against a #05 Commodore (in fact David Parsons’ privateer car re-liveried) and #17 Falcon.
He reached out to us after our recent story to give us more background into the filming of this famous motorsport-flavoured ad.
“A mate sent your story through to me because he recognised the ad, not to mention that it’s been a constant source of ribbing for mates for years!” Chris told V8 Sleuth this week.
“The commercial came through the agency I was doing some work for at the time. I was doing some acting, some extra work and the Vita Brit ad came through Smallfry, an agency for kids.
“I went to the audition, rocked up in my school uniform, cracked some jokes and got the gig!
“I do recall taking a lot of takes of the end catch phrase which had Dick Johnston wearing thin with grumbles and gripes!
“Otherwise they were very generous with their time and good blokes.
“The car was apparently made with a VW chassis with insulation bats and a nightmare to drive. Not that I did any driving, but I heard all about it whilst filming!
“I did alright out of it and bought my first car with the money I earned from the Vita Brit ad – a 1973 Galant!”
Chris later came back in touch with the motorsport world via another connection in the 1990s while working in retail for The Coachman menswear in Hampton, Melbourne, which sponsored V8 star Russell Ingall at the time.
These days he works in the signage industry as Sales Admin Manager for Braille Tactile Signs Australia in Melbourne, a business that makes wayfinding and Braille signage for a range of markets including the health, education, transport, retail, commercial and government sectors.
What became of his Vita Brit race car we’re still not sure, but we’re thrilled to have heard from the Vita Brit Kid!
