The SMOTY-winning Race Rock became Die Hard during 1999/2000 after Howard was inspired to re-build the car after the tragic death of his mate Leigh Demain, one of the blokes who had helped him with previous builds. One of the obituaries for Leigh read the brightest star, that lead to the southern cross and eventually the whole flag.
A concept was given to Geoff Haggerty who created the finished product, which included a dedication on the boot lid.

Mechanically the car was the same as before. 

“The biggest thing was taking the rear wing off it, which gave it a different stance. It got some new interior bits and a sound system. But basically, all I did was blow it apart, paint it, detail and put it back together. That car was about Leigh, nothing else”