Brock-fettled Kiwi Commodore heading to auction
Tuesday, 15 June 2021
While a very special Peter Brock-owned Commodore recently sold for more than $1 million in Australia recently, another Brock-related with a Kiwi twist is about to go under the hammer right here.
Back in the early 1980s, Peter Brock was dominating Australian racing with the Holden Commodore. While his Aussie racing career is well-documented, not as much is known about the Kiwi side of things.
At the instigation of Robin Curtis, then the press officer of General Motors New Zealand, it was decided to quietly enlist Peter Brock and his brothers, Phil and Lewis, along with a dedicated band of GMNZ workers at their Trentham plant in the Hutt Valley, to build the ultimate limited-edition Holden SS Commodore with the sole aim of winning the prestigious Benson and Hedges sponsored racing series.
The homologation rules of production car racing at the time required that a minimum of 25 units had to be built on a locally based production line.
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Peter and Phil were asked to construct these vehicles to an upgraded specification which included suspension, body and engine modifications. A total of 30 vehicles were built, with 29 finished in white with red and blue accents, and one in black specifically for GMNZ’s manager.
The end result was a vehicle capable of 200kmh, helped by the removal of power-sapping emissions equipment that weren’t required in New Zealand. Power was a claimed 184kW, but it really ranged as high as 220kW.
It proved to be enough for the local drivers to take wins at the local races, but the local aspect of the car makes it much more special than just a normal VH Commodore.
This example bears a Certificate of Authority issued by HDT and signed by Lewis Brock declaring it to be build number 05/30. It was first registered on 29 November 1982. Recorded mileage is 246,277km, but it's still in excellent condition.
The vendor hasn’t been shy in spending money to keep the car running, with a complete engine overhaul, including the replacement of a non-standard camshaft, fitment of a new Rochester carburettor, new alternator, brake master cylinder and battery. A full list of work enacted is available on request from Webb's.
As an aside, the under-bonnet has been signed by the Brock brothers Phil and Lewis, along with David 'Skippy' Parsons, who was for many years a regular co-driver with Peter Brock at Bathurst.
The other Holden isn’t quite as unique, but it’s still worth a mention.
It’s a 1973 Torana XU1, powered by a 3.3-litre straight six breathing through three Stromberg carburettors and producing 141kW. Compared to the normal Torana, the XU1 had a big boot lid spoiler, blackouts and a larger fuel tank.
Webb's says that, “with combined numbers manufactured of around 3,300 XU-1s in both LC and LJ versions, very few unmolested original examples remain intact.
“Most have been raced, rallied or destroyed in accidents. Consequently, prices of genuine XU-1s have shown rapid appreciation in recent times, further driving today’s high demand.”
This Torana was delivered new in New Zealand and first registered in the Christchurch suburb of Hornby on 1 November 1973. The purple colour seen here is its original paint, as are the Globe amgs, steering wheel, single exterior mirror and the black vinyl interior.
A restoration did take place some years ago, but details aren’t known. The speedo reads 5219 miles, which is “undoubtedly” its second time around.
Both of these cars are going under the hammer on June 27 in Auckland, with the Commodore expected to fetch between $135,000 and $150,000, while the Torana should go for between $130k and $150k.