113-682: The Holden Commodore (VB) is a mid-size car that was produced by Holden , from 1978 to 1980. It was the first iteration of the first generation of the Holden Commodore , and was the Holden version of the General Motors V-body (V78) platform - developed primarily for the Opel Rekord E . The car was officially launched on 26 October 1978 with showrooms receiving the first examples on 13 November 1978. Production of
226-520: A 6-cylinder engine. The LC Torana GTR XU-1 was a match for the larger and more powerful Falcon GT-HO at most circuits, but at Bathurst, with its long straight and steep 'mountain' climb, the car was less competitive, and Ford's Allan Moffat dominated both the 1970 and 1971 Bathurst events. However, in the wet 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 the Holden Dealer Team with its LJ Torana GTR XU-1 broke through Ford's domination, with Peter Brock winning
339-821: A LJ-series GTR XU-1 and then the new LH-series SL/R 5000. Both Brock and Bond suffered engine problems with the new L34 version of the SL/R 5000 at the Sandown 250 and the Bathurst 1000 in 1974. Engine problems put the Brock/ Sampson car out on lap 118 of the Bathurst race when it was six laps in front, while the Bond/ Bob Skelton car was black flagged for an oil leak which lost the car time and they eventually finished in fourth place. Despite these failures in
452-537: A broken timing chain three laps from the end of the race while running a strong second behind the much more powerful, V12 Jaguar XJS , driven by 1974 Bathurst winner John Goss and German Armin Hahne entered by European Touring Car Championship winners Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). The single-row timing chain had been shown up throughout the year as a weak point of the Commodore's, something which would not cause
565-459: A deal with the various track promoters around the country which paid him appearance money for the car but meant there was very little (if any) prize money left over for Bond. The car only appeared in two rounds of the seven round series, qualifying on pole at Sandown (1.1 seconds faster than Geoghegan despite a power disadvantage on what was a known power circuit), before finishing 3rd behind Moffat and Geoghegan in both heats, and again finishing 3rd in
678-546: A device known as the "Energy Polarizer" to his range of vehicles. This device was a small box with crystals and magnets encased in an epoxy resin, which Brock claimed improved the performance and handling of vehicles through "aligning the molecules". Brock was also quoted as saying that the Polarizer "made a shithouse car, good." Regarded as pseudoscience by Holden and the vast majority of the Australian motoring community,
791-464: A dominant win at Symmons, Phillip Morris committed to the deal. Despite the off track changes, the Holden Dealer Team remained as competitive as ever in 1980, with Brock claiming his second and last 'triple crown'. During the final months of 1979 the team had been secretly testing and developing a VB Commodore with a view to the new rules of 1980. This led to a situation where Brock and the HDT virtually had
904-620: A large cargo area and an easy access one-piece lift-up tailgate. As the wagon-specific sheet metal had to be imported from Germany (from the Rekord), the wagon suffered from inevitable component differences from the sedan, confirmed by the separate keys for the ignition system and rear door . The OHV engines were largely carried over from the Kingswood: a 2.85-litre 64-kilowatt (86 hp) straight-six, 3.3-litre 71-kilowatt (96 hp) straight-six, 4.2-litre 87-kilowatt (117 hp) V8, which
1017-526: A magazine interview that other than for financial reasons, the change of sponsor was partly motivated by the growing anti-smoking lobby in Australia (Brock himself had given up smoking in mid-1984 after becoming ill when he returned from Le Mans) with the team finding it harder to justify handing out posters to kids with Marlboro cigarette signage prominent. The team's 1985 season started off in January with
1130-583: A maximum capacity engine of 5.0 L. As the largest engine in the Torana road car range was the 5.0 L 308 V8 engine, this restricted the Torana to using a 5.0 L engine. Bond and his team in Sydney paid for the build costs of the car but ran it under the HDT banner and painted it in the team's Marlboro sponsors colours, though as he told in Australian Muscle Car magazine in 2015, Harry Firth had done
1243-644: A mechanic/driver with the HDT in the early 1970s under Harry Firth before embarking on a career in Europe until returning home in 1977. Perkins was hired by Brock in 1982 to prepare the race cars and co-drive with the boss in the endurance races. The HDT again won Bathurst in 1983 , though it was under somewhat controversial circumstances. The rules at the time permitted 'cross-entering' which meant that after Brock's pole winning car dropped out on only lap 8 with an engine failure, both Brock and Perkins transferred into John Harvey's car, leaving Peter's younger brother Phil, who
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#17327867200041356-461: A new VL-series based "Director" model was then released in February 1987, which incorporated not only the Polarizer, but also a new independent rear suspension system developed by HDT without Holden's approval. Holden ended its association with Brock upon his refusal to submit this model to Holden for testing purposes, despite numerous chances to do so. Brock instead told Holden through the media that
1469-514: A place in Hardies Heroes due to Moffat's crash on the top of The Mountain which resulted in the car needing a complete new front end. A strong run in the race with Brock moving form 11th to 2nd in the first 3 laps (though he was unable to catch Allan Grice for the lead) only saw the pair finish one lap down in 5th place largely thanks to a mid race pit stop which lost them over 2 laps due to a leaking oil cooler which had to be by-passed causing
1582-466: A problem with the upgraded 1986 car which would have the more durable double-row timing chain. By 1986, a homologated SS Group A version of the VK Commodore, originally intended to be released in 1985 but delayed due to the unavailability of parts which prevented HDT Special Vehicles from making the required 500 before 1 August homologation date, made the Commodore much more competitive, and Brock
1695-523: A quirk in the rules for Sports Sedan racing in Australia, the Torana was restricted to an engine size of just 5.0 litres, while its main opposition ( Ian Geoghegan and Bob Jane in their HQ Monaro GTS 350 's, Allan Moffat's Chevrolet Monza and the Ford Mustang of New Zealand 's Jim Richards ) were all allowed to run engines up to 6.0 L in capacity. The rule was that cars which had engines of no more than 5.0 L in road going form could only race with
1808-733: A row and the team made it a 1–2 the No. 25 car of John Harvey and new recruit David Parsons (who was in the car at the finish) crossed the line right behind, but 2 laps back, Brock in a form finish. During 1984, members of the Holden Dealer Team, including drivers Bathurst winning co-drivers Brock and Perkins, launched an assault on the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans in France driving a 400 km/h (249 mph), 650 bhp (485 kW; 659 PS) Porsche 956 B supplied by 1976 Bathurst winner John Fitzpatrick and sponsored by former ATCC and Bathurst champion, retail tyre entrepreneur Bob Jane . Running under
1921-402: A small class Isuzu Gemini on top of the mountain causing an unscheduled pit stop. The damage was only minor but Brock went a lap down soon after leaving the pits and rejoining the track. Within half a lap however, Johnson hit a rock on the top of the mountain and was out of the race, and Brock and Jim Richards fought their way back and by the end of Brock's extended opening stint he was back in
2034-466: A three-speed Trimatic automatic transmission , or the Turbo-Hydramatic 350/400 automatic transmission with the 5.0-litre V8. The Commodore was the baseline variant, and was available as a sedan or station wagon. The sedan was priced from A$ 6,513. The Commodore SL was the mid-spec variant, and was available as a sedan or station wagon. The sedan was priced from A$ 7,813. The Commodore SL/E
2147-528: A win in Round 7 at Wanneroo where his tyre wear was actually helped by falling turbo boost, saw Brock finish 2nd in the championship. Brock had a chance of defeating former team mate Jim Richards (now with the Nissan team ) for the title in the final round at Oran Park, but a poor start which saw him drop to 6th by the first turn cost him his chance, though he did eventually finish the race second behind Richards who
2260-496: Is reported to be over A$ 110 million. The Commodore represented a major shift in thinking for Holden since it was significantly smaller than the previous full-size family car, the Holden Kingswood , but visually similar in size to the mid-size Torana / Sunbird sedans. It essentially came about in response to the 1973 oil crisis and the need to produce more fuel-efficient cars. Holden, hedging their bets, initially built
2373-758: The 1989 Tooheys 1000 , but a rear hub failure caused the No. 05 car's retirement on lap 81 while the team's second Sierra (#105) driven by Brad Jones and Paul Radisich finished in 9th place. At the end of the year, Brock and Radisich drove the Sierra to victory in the Nissan-Mobil 500 Series in New Zealand . Brock also claimed pole position for the Group A support races at the 1989 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide , though he only managed to finish 2nd and 5th in
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#17327867200042486-570: The ATCC and at Bathurst that year. In 1977, John Harvey became the HDT's principal driver with young Queenslander Charlie O'Brien signed to drive the team's second car. The 1977 touring car racing season also saw the debut of the LX Torana , the new A9X performance option replacing the L34 version and available in both four-door "SL/R 5000" sedan and two-door "SS 5.0" hatchback body types. Other than
2599-693: The Bathurst 1000 . Mid-size car Mid-size —also known as intermediate —is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars . "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in the European car classification. Mid-size cars are manufactured in a variety of body styles, including sedans , coupes , station wagons , hatchbacks , and convertibles . Compact executive cars can also fall under
2712-528: The Endurance Championship , finishing 6th at Surfers due to tyre problems, before Brock qualified the No. 05 Commodore on pole for the Castrol 500 at Sandown. The pair were favourites at Sandown, having won 12 of the previous 14 Sandown enduros between them. However minor problems in the race saw them finish a lap down in 4th place. They again went to Bathurst as favourites but missed out on
2825-519: The FIA 's International Group A formula, rather than the indigenous Group C production car regulations that had been in force since 1973. This led directly to the Holden Commodores becoming less competitive against the imported Nissans , Volvos , BMWs and Jaguars . 1985 also saw a change in sponsorship for the team with Mobil taking over as title sponsor from Marlboro . Brock explained in
2938-662: The Ford LTD II and the Plymouth Fury . A comparison test by Popular Science of four intermediate sedans (the 1976 AMC Matador, Chevrolet Malibu , Ford Torino, and Dodge Coronet ) predicted that these will be the "big cars of the future." By 1978, General Motors made its intermediate models smaller. New "official" size designations in the U.S. were introduced by the EPA , which defined market segments by passenger and cargo space. Formerly mid-sized cars that were built on
3051-586: The Ford Works Team , Howard Marsden, believed that the V8 would have brake issues due to its greater speed, as well as other handling problems (with Firth making a similar counter-claim about the Phase IV). While Firth continually dismissed this, Marsden's claims were later backed up by Peter Brock who also raced the car in sports sedans. Brock claimed that while the V8 was faster in a straight line, its handling
3164-514: The Royal Melbourne Showgrounds and travelled clockwise around the country over some of the most inhospitable terrain imaginable. The team Commodore's were powered by the 3.3-litre straight-six Holden Red motor rather than the more powerful V8 due to their much lighter weight. Anxious to prove the then new cars reliability, the cars were perfectly prepared and finished first, second and third. Lead HDT driver Peter Brock won
3277-512: The Royal Melbourne Showgrounds and travelled clockwise around the country over some of the most inhospitable terrain imaginable. The team used the VB model Commodore which were powered by the 3.3L (202 cui), 6 cyl Holden Red motor previously used in the XU-1 Torana's (the six was chosen over the more powerful V8 due to their much lighter weight). Anxious to prove the then new cars reliability,
3390-564: The VC Commodore by the Hang Ten 400 at Sandown Raceway . The VB's final placing in an Australian touring car race was a strong third place by Ian "Pete" Geoghegan and Paul Gulson at the 1980 Bathurst 1000 at Bathurst (Brock and Jim Richards won their third straight Bathurst 1000 in their VC Commodore). The VB is only one of two Commodore models (along with the VN ) not to have won
3503-508: The Wellington 500 and Pukekohe 500 races in New Zealand where Brock and Perkins failed to figure in the results their under-developed Group A Commodore. Despite only one win during the 1985 season in the cars Australian debut which saw Brock win Round 2 of the 1985 ATCC at Sandown (the team missed the opening round at Winton as the car was still in transit from NZ), Brock nearly pulled off an upset podium at Bathurst , retiring due to
Holden Commodore (VB) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3616-503: The naturally aspirated , 2.3L BMW M3 was no longer competitive against the much faster Ford Sierra's (especially in the ATCC where shorter races saw the 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS) M3's unable to challenge with the 500 hp (373 kW; 507 PS) Sierra's) and Brock, Jim Richards, David Parsons and emerging talent Neil Crompton (also one of Channel Seven's lead commentators) found themselves fighting for scraps rather than
3729-461: The sports car and formula racing oriented European motoring press were concerned. In a complete reversal of the situation in Australia, Brock was regarded by the media merely as a saloon car driver from the Antipodes who was along for the ride. Perkins started the race and along with Brock had the car up to 5th place after a few hours before being forced to spend some 45 minutes in the pits after
3842-477: The 4.9-litre V8 to run hot for the rest of the race. The team's second car driven by John Harvey and 1986 team engineer/driver Neal Lowe finished 8th at Sandown before going on to finish in second place at Bathurst behind the Les Small prepared Commodore of Allan Grice and Graeme Bailey . By 1987 the relationship between Brock and Holden had soured, primarily over the controversial 'Energy Polarizer' device Brock
3955-533: The Commodore alongside the other two established body styles, until the Torana was dropped in mid-1979, with only the Sunbird surviving into mid-1980 following release of the updated VC Commodore. The VB was available in three specification levels: Commodore, Commodore SL, and Commodore SL/E. A station wagon variant – not available in SL/E form – was released on 24 July 1979, hitting showrooms on 6 August 1979. It featured
4068-458: The European teams operated and had followed suit. Brock and John Harvey also contested the 1986 ATCC in their new Group A Commodore's, with Brock finishing as the highest placed Commodore driver in the series in 4th place. Brock's only win for the year was in Round 6 of the ATCC at Surfers Paradise. It would prove to be the final ATCC race win for a Holden until Brock won Heat 1 of Round 1 in 1992 at Amaroo Park. Brock and Moffat then teamed up in
4181-491: The HDT (by now owned by Brock and with actual support from Holden dealers after Holden had pulled out of racing at the end of 1979) had been secretly testing a VB Commodore as its replacement for the A9X Torana. The new regulations saw that the Holden's racing 5.0-litre V8 engine had a drop in power from 1979's 380 hp (283 kW) to approximately 300 hp (224 kW). However, the new regulations also saw to it that
4294-439: The HDT had arguably the only race ready car for the 1980 Australian Touring Car Championship . Peter Brock won the championship in his VB Commodore, winning four of the eight rounds while claiming pole position at each and every round. 1979 ATCC winner Bob Morris also won a round of the championship driving his Craven Mild Racing VB Commodore. Brock then won the 1980 CRC 300 at Sydney's Amaroo Park circuit before upgrading to
4407-574: The HDT was not as competitive as they hoped, but they still achieved some successes, such as co-winning the Kings Cup team's prize at the Spa 24 Hours with Allan Grice 's Australian Racing Team. The HDT's best FIATCC finish were 5th places in Round 2 at Donington Park and Round 3 at Hockenheim , but the car was generally out-paced by Grice's privately entered Commodore prepared by longtime Roadways Racing chief mechanic/engineer, Les Small who had seen how
4520-548: The HDT with some success. In 1972, Harry Firth began developing a V8-engined version of the LJ Torana GTR XU-1, to be able to compete with Ford's anticipated XA Falcon GT-HO (Phase IV) and Chrysler 's mooted 340 cui V8 Charger at Bathurst (Chrysler continue to this day to say that the Charger R/T V8 was a myth and that their intention was to continue with the 265 cui Hemi-6 , but Ford's GT-HO Phase IV
4633-820: The HDT. During this period, Peter Brock proved himself to be very successful in Rallycross races at Calder Park Raceway in Victoria, Catalina Park in New South Wales and in Mallala in South Australia, driving HDT's famous Holden Torana GTR called "The Beast". In Brock's hands this supercharged version of a LC Torana GTR proved virtually unbeatable. At the time Brock was sweeping all before him in Rallycross, young team mechanic, test driver and sometime race driver Larry Perkins also raced Rallycross with
Holden Commodore (VB) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4746-653: The Marlboro day-glo paint scheme on one of the rival Porsche 956's at Silverstone and had decided at that point that the HDT would use that same paint scheme on the Bathurst Commodores. Brock's own No. 05 won three of the four races it was entered in, the wins being the Castrol 500 at Sandown, the James Hardie 1000 and the Motorcraft 300 at Surfers Paradise . While it has been widely reported that
4859-552: The No. 05 VK Commodore was undefeated in Brock's hands, this is actually untrue. The car did finish first in all three Endurance Championship races it competed in, however Brock's fourth and last race in the car saw him finish second to the factory backed Nissan Bluebird Turbo of George Fury in the support race for the 1984 Australian Grand Prix at Calder Park in Melbourne. In 1985 Australian touring car racing now ran under
4972-455: The No. 56 M3 (running in Class B saw the team forced to give up using No. 05 for 1988) in just 16th place, some 6 seconds behind Johnson. The Brock/Richards car had a new BMW Motorsport engine for the race as well as a newly homologated 6-speed gearbox. Unfortunately however the race proved to be something of a disaster. The No. 56 car only lasted 89 laps before retiring with engine failure, while
5085-405: The No. 57 car (which had qualified 24th) was out on just lap 68 with similar problems. Brock finished off 1988 by driving his M3 to 4th place in the Group A support race at the 1988 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide . By the 1989 ATCC season Brock was forced into the unthinkable and spent the next two years racing Ford Sierra RS500s to be competitive. The turbocharged Sierras had quickly become
5198-504: The Torana in various events throughout 1977 and into 1978, though it was Peter Brock who last drove it for the team at Melbourne's Calder Park in mid-1978 before it was sold. The Torana ended up in the hands of Casino sports sedan racer Geoff Russell who campaigned the car in the Australian Sports Sedan Championship as well as sports sedan races at Sydney's tight Amaroo Park circuit. Russell later sold
5311-451: The Torana to fellow Sydney racer Des Wall who retained the car until his death. The Torana is currently owned by Des' racer son David Wall who by 2015 had fully restored the car to its 1977 specification and livery. John Sheppard took over as HDT team manager following Firth's retirement and one of his first moves was to bring Peter Brock back to the team. Holden had originally wanted to bring Brock back in 1976, though Harry Firth had vetoed
5424-666: The UK and the Chevrolet Commodore , sold in South Africa. Overall, the body was strengthened substantially to withstand the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. The dashboard and interior were carried over largely unaltered from the Opel Rekord, except for some details such as the indicator stalk being moved to the right hand side of the steering column in line with Australian convention. Total cost of development
5537-600: The VB only lasted seventeen months, the shortest reign of any Commodore. The VB Commodore was effectively the successor of the Holden HZ , although most models in that series continued to be produced until the introduction of the facelifted VC Commodore on 30 March 1980. 95,906 units of the VB Commodore were manufactured during the car's lifespan, and during 1979 the VB became Australia's number one selling car. Also in 1979,
5650-668: The VB won Wheels Car of the Year award, with the car being praised in the media for its value for money and engineering sophistication. The VB Commodore was based on the 1977 Opel Rekord E but with the front grafted on from the Opel Senator A to accommodate the larger Holden six-cylinder and V8 engines, thus giving it a similar appearance to the Opel Commodore , the Vauxhall Carlton/Viceroy , sold in
5763-462: The backbone of the team over the next few years. The team's three HT Monaro GTS350 ’s tasted success, finishing first and third, with Bond winning with co-driver Tony Roberts , while Brock finished third with Des West. Concerned at the ongoing development of rival Ford's V8 powered XW Falcon GTHO Phase I , in 1970 Firth opted to run a much smaller race car based upon the Holden Torana with
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#17327867200045876-613: The big one, the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 at Bathurst, though Peter Brock, driving for former racer and Melbourne Holden dealer Bill Patterson , gave the A9X Hatchback a dream racing debut when his privately entered car won the 1977 Hang Ten 400 at Sandown Park . After a solid eight years as team manager of the HDT, and a 29-year career in motor racing that had begun with preparing the 1948 Australian Grand Prix winning BMW 328 for Frank Pratt, 59-year-old Harry Firth retired at
5989-588: The car lost a wheel during Brock's second stint, putting them out of winning contention. The team fought back and were still hopeful of a respectable finish when their race came to an end at just before 2 am after Perkins crashed the car in the Esses after a clash with the Brun Motorsport Porsche 956 of Massimo Sigala while trying to make up lost ground, the resulting damage put an end to Team Australia's race. Ironically, Perkins had clashed with
6102-442: The car to have in touring car racing, and Brock's cars were supplied by English Sierra expert Andy Rouse , with Brock's own 1989 ATCC car the one Rouse had used to win the 1988 RAC Tourist Trophy at Silverstone. Rouse also supplied the team with the latest technical information for the cars and was Brock's co-driver at Bathurst in 1989 and 1990 , the pair recording a DNF in 1989 and a 4th-place finish in 1990. Limited budget forced
6215-438: The car using a Repco Holden Formula 5000 engine in a Holden LJ Torana body. The car was driven by Colin Bond and Peter Brock . The 1976 season saw Bond (who continued to live in Sydney despite the team being based in Melbourne), and his mechanics build a lightweight LH Torana Sports Sedan powered by a Formula 5000 sourced Repco-Holden V8 engine to race in the inaugural Australian Sports Sedan Championship . Due to
6328-524: The cars in order for them to finish races. HDT's circuit racing presence returned to a two-car status for 1976, initially with South Australian Formula 5000 driver Johnnie Walker joining the team, but following his departure along came former speedway and open wheel driver John Harvey who would remain with the team until its split from Holden in early 1987. In 1977, Colin Bond departed HDT to join Allan Moffat's semi-works " Moffat Ford Dealers " team where he went on to finish second behind Moffat in both
6441-418: The cars were perfectly prepared and finished first, second and third. Brock, who won the event along with co-drivers Matt Phillip and Noel Richards, has cited this event as his career highlight as it was an event in which many motor racing experts throughout Australia, as well as the media, did not believe he would do well in despite his previous rally and rallycross exploits. Despite the success, by 1980 Holden
6554-469: The company was jealous of his large public profile and HDT's success in improving their standard cars without the resources available to General Motors . In 1987, therefore, in a partnership with the British-outfit Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), created Holden Special Vehicles (HSV). Since that time, HSV has been producing factory-approved modified Commodores for general road use as well as for Group A racing homologation. Because of their heritage and rarity,
6667-424: The costs involved in its development. Firth claimed that he personally lost some A$ 55,000 of his own money on the cars with the HDT carrying out almost all of the development work. In 1974 Holden was able to keep the V8 engine eligible for racing when it released the larger, but significantly more powerful LH Torana SL/R 5000 . Peter Brock dominated the Australian Touring Car Championship that year , using both
6780-401: The end of the 1977 season. He later told how he had become increasingly frustrated that Holden weren't listening to his advice on what was needed to be successful in Australian touring car racing. Firth would go on to be the chief CAMS scrutineer for touring cars from 1978 to 1981 alongside Frank Lowndes, the father of Craig Lowndes . The Holden Dealer Team debuted a Sports Sedan in 1973,
6893-474: The event along with co-drivers Matt Phillip and Noel Richards. Brock has cited this event as his career highlight as it was an event in which many motor racing experts throughout Australia, as well as the media, did not believe he would do well in despite his previous rally and rallycross exploits. With new regulations for Group C Touring car racing introduced by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport in 1980 which forced teams to use low emission engines,
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#17327867200047006-447: The first of his nine Bathurst victories in a solo drive in the last of Bathurst's 500-mile Series Production race formats During Firths time at HDT Brock had his day winning Bathurst in 1975 on a dry track in his No. 05 Holden L34. This was a win for HDT as well for they masterminded the fastest Holden ever built the L34. The HDT developed L34 got 1st, 2nd, and 3rd that year and the first 7 places in 1976. Never had Holden been so dominant at
7119-410: The five lap support race with a lap time some four seconds faster than the team's 6-cylinder Series car ran on the same day. Production plans were terminated following the ' Supercar scare ' of June/July 1972. The road handling of the V8 XU-1 remains a contentious point. While Firth maintained until his death in 2014 (at the age of 96) that the V8 actually handled better than the 6 cyl XU-1, his rival at
7232-525: The full-size cars of a decade or so ago ... best sellers include Ford Torino , Chevrolet Chevelle , AMC Matador , Plymouth Satellite ..." The domestic manufacturers began changing the definition of "medium" as they developed new models for an evolving market place. A turning point occurred in the late 1970s, when rising fuel costs and government fuel economy regulations caused all car classes to shrink, and in many cases to blur. Automakers moved previously "full-size" nameplates to smaller platforms such as
7345-401: The hatchback body, the most visual difference between the L34 and the A9X was that the A9X had a rear-facing bonnet scoop designed to feed cool air to the engine resulting in more horsepower. However, due to teething troubles with this new homologation special, the Holden Dealer Team struggled against the two-car Moffat Ford Dealers team, with Allan Moffat winning both the 1977 ATCC title and also
7458-773: The latest technical information. At the end of 1990, Brock concluded a deal that would see him close his team and take his sponsorship to Perkins Engineering to race a Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV . The original cars built by HDT Special Vehicles for road use, through the early and mid-1980s under Peter Brock 's direction and had approval from Holden (based on the VC , VH , VK , and VL series Commodore, plus WB series Statesman), quickly gained an enthusiastic following. Some of these were " homologation specials" required to meet both Group C and Group A racing regulations. All HDT vehicles were individually numbered, with only 4246 produced. HDT and Brock's association with Holden ended sensationally in 1987, after Brock began fitting
7571-402: The lead and they went on to score their 3rd straight win (and Brock's 5th) while team mates John Harvey and driver/engineer Ron Harrop failed to finish after engine failure. Ironically, Harvey's engine blew just as Channel 7's camera's were following the No. 25 car across the top of The Mountain with commentator Mike Raymond praising the HDT's reliability record. Brock's extended opening stint of
7684-453: The major support coming from Vin Kean in Adelaide who could see a market for "hotter" versions of the road-going Commodore. In return for providing assistance, Vin would build a special range of modified, high performance Commodores at his Richmond road adelaide premises and provided them for the dealers to add to their range, though the cars were only available through the 54 other dealers around Australia who had agreed to help Vin Kean finance
7797-401: The mid-size category. The automobile that defined this size in the United States was the Rambler Six that was introduced in 1956, although it was called a "compact" car at that time. Much smaller than any standard contemporary full-size cars, it was called a compact to distinguish it from the small imported cars that were being introduced into the marketplace. By the early 1960s, the car
7910-609: The mid-size market for decades. Mid-size cars were the most popular category of cars sold in the United States, with 27.4 percent during the first half of 2012, ahead of crossovers at 19 percent. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fuel Economy Regulations for 1977 and Later Model Year (dated July 1996) includes definitions for classes of automobiles. Based on the combined passenger and cargo volume, mid-size cars are defined as having an interior volume index of 110–119 cu ft (3.1–3.4 m ). Holden Dealer Team The Holden Dealer Team ( HDT )
8023-414: The mid-size market segment as the line of cars themselves kept increasing in size. By 1965, these GM "A platform" mid-size models matched the size of 1955 full-size cars. During the 1970s, the intermediate class in the U.S. was generally defined as vehicles with wheelbases between 112 inches (2,845 mm) and 118 inches (2,997 mm). Once again, the cars grew and by 1974 they were "about as large as
8136-474: The most expensive new Australian-made car when launched in 1987. Since May 2007, Peter Champion, a good friend of Peter Brock, purchased the HDT Special Vehicles business and relaunched a range of high-performance vehicles. Enthusiasts in many Australian States have formed HDT Owners Groups, which conduct regular concourse events, showcasing the various HDT models over the years. The following
8249-641: The mountain. The A9X used the L34 motor for its victories as well as the HDT Commodores. The big brake light car concept brought about by Firth with high-performance small motor dominated Holden's thinking moving from the cumbersome Kingswoods to the Torana-like fleet of foot Commodore of the eighties. Holden had been supporting rally adventures since the early 1960s and had made use of the brand's successes in its advertising ... support had often been arranged via dedicated state 'dealer' teams, however, it
8362-551: The move when he found that Holden were allegedly willing to pay Brock A$ 40,000 which Firth claimed was twice as much as what he was being paid as team manager. It was a wise decision by Sheppard for Brock dominated the season, becoming the first driver to win the 'triple crown' of the Touring Car Championship , the Hang Ten 400 at Sandown and the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 (with Jim Richards ) at Bathurst. He
8475-582: The name of "Team Australia" , the team also ran in the lead up race to the event, the 1000 km race at the Silverstone Circuit in England where they finished 22nd (second last) after losing a lot of time in the pits early in the race repairing a broken rear upright. At Le Mans Perkins qualified the Porsche in 15th position. As a former Formula 1 driver, Perkins was the name driver as far as
8588-499: The next round at Oran Park. Despite this, Bond finished equal sixth in the series with Geoghegan. After Bond left the team at the end of 1976 to join Allan Moffat Racing , the Torana was brought to Melbourne where driver/engineer Ron Harrop was given the job of preparing and driving the car. Harrop changed a few things on the car, which from 1977 was re-painted to mirror the look of the team's touring cars. He would drive
8701-483: The only race ready car for the start of the 1980 ATCC, which had to conform to CAMS new engine emission regulations which meant the Toranas and Falcons of previous years were out (or had to be significantly modified, running drum brakes on the rear wheels instead of 4 wheel discs and the "low emission" engine heads which produced less power), and the new Commodore and XD Falcon model were in. Other cars had come on during
8814-664: The operation (see section on HDT Special Vehicles below). For the first time, the team really was a 'Dealer Team' rather than a back-door factory team. While Vin was the boss of both the race team and the Special Vehicles operation, he hired Peter Brock to be the front man HDT driver John Harvey as the Special Vehicles workshop manager. Vin Kean was also able to keep the team's sponsors on board including major sponsor Marlboro and minor sponsors Castrol , AC Plugs & Filters, Bridgestone and TAA Airlines . According to Vin he and
8927-583: The operation. The Holden Dealer Team's race debut was made at the 1969 Sandown 3 Hour . A single Holden Monaro GTS350 was entered for Kevin Bartlett and Spencer Martin , the car retiring after suffering brake problems, crashing and catching fire. Harry Firth hired six drivers to contest the 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 for the Holden Dealer Team including two talented, but relatively untested, drivers in Colin Bond and Peter Brock . These two would form
9040-411: The original Brock-era HDT Commodores have a substantial place in Australian motoring history, and have become highly collectible. After Brock's death during a motorsport event in 2006, HDT vehicles became ever more sought after. In 2010, for example, a "Polarizer"-equipped HDT Director was expected to be sold at auction for over A$ 300,000 , compared to its original list price of A$ 87,000 that rendered it
9153-551: The race for both cars, the No. 05 M3 of Brock, Richards and Parsons eventually finished in 8th place at Sandown while the team's second M3 failed to finish. For the Tooheys 1000 at Bathurst, the nature of the track and the improvement from the Sierra's (plus the introduction of the new Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV and Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R turbo) saw the M3s even less competitive than they had been previously. Richards qualified
9266-400: The race would later mean Richards actually took the chequered flag. It would be the only time Brock would not do so in his 9 Bathurst victories. While the Holden Dealer Team was unable to win another Touring Car Championship, the team maintained its excellent Bathurst record over the next few years. Brock won Bathurst again in 1982 with former Formula One driver Larry Perkins who had been
9379-419: The race, Brock set a new lap record on the very last lap of the race (which would not be broken until 1982 ) and they won by a massive six-lap margin. Brock's pole time of 2:20.500 was also 1.966-second faster than Morris who was second on the grid. Before Bathurst, the Holden Dealer Team also entered a three-car Commodore team in the 20,000 km Repco Round Australia Trial which started and finished at
9492-713: The rally team. In 1970, the rally team ran a Monaro GTS 350 for Bond whilst Ferguson and Roberts each drove the new Torana GTRs. As the team progressed, Colin Bond in partnership with George Shepheard won the Australian Rally Championship three times in 1971, 1972 and 1974 driving the LC Torana GTR XU-1 and later the LJ Torana GTR XU-1 while team mates Peter Lang and Warwick Smith won in 1973 making for four consecutive titles for
9605-510: The relevant specifications were available in a magazine article which detailed the Director's pre-launch tour of Europe and North America in 1986, where it was compared to cars from BMW and Opel . Holden subsequently retaliated by deciding to not honour warranties on any cars modified by HDT. Brock would go on to claim that Holden had wanted to end its association with HDT to establish its own brand of Commodore-based up-market models, and that
9718-458: The rules had not changed and that the cars were actually the 1977 cars built by the team when Firth was the boss, Harry waved off the protest as he knew what he had done with the cars and knew they were not legal. Brock was narrowly defeated by privateer Torana driver Bob Morris for the 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship , but went on to dominate the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 . Brock qualified on pole position , he and Richards lead every lap of
9831-565: The same 956 during practice, but the car was undamaged on that occasion. After returning from Le Mans, the team had built two new VK model Commodore's for the end of season Australian Endurance Championship races and the Group C support race at the Australian Grand Prix at Calder. The cars were painted in Marlboro's "day-glo" colours and were regarded as the best looking of the Dealer Team's Commodores. Brock had noticed
9944-679: The same platform, like the AMC Matador sedan, had a combined passenger and cargo volume of 130 cubic feet (3.68 m ), and were now considered "full-size" automobiles. Cars that defined the mid-size market in the 1980s and 1990s included the Chrysler K-Cars ( Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant ), the Ford Taurus , and the Toyota Camry , which was upsized into the midsize class in 1991. The Taurus and Camry came to define
10057-565: The team became the factory BMW team racing M3s race team in 1988 . Further into 1988, Brock sold off his HDT Special Vehicles road car business, which has nevertheless, under various ownership, continued to modify Holden vehicles to this current day. After showing an increasing interest in motorsport during the 1960s, Holden decided to form a team to enter both Touring Car and Rally events in 1969. However, Holden's parent company, General Motors forbade its manufacturers from officially entering motor sport circuit racing events worldwide. Holden
10170-541: The team into a merger with Miedecke Motorsport in 1990, the merger was made all the more easy as Andrew Miedecke's team also ran Rouse supplied Sierras. The venture with Ford was not without success. Brock won his first ATCC race since the 1986 when he stormed to victory in the final round of the 1989 ATCC at Oran Park to claim 3rd in the championship behind the Shell Sierra 's of Dick Johnson and John Bowe . Brock went on to claim his last Bathurst pole position at
10283-477: The team went to the first round of the 1980 ATCC at Symmons Plains in Tasmania with no major sponsor. The car was painted in Marlboro colours, but Marlboro's parent company Philip Morris International had yet to commit to the new team. Brock ran the new VB Commodore with the sponsors signs on the premise of showing them that the team would carry on its winning ways of the 1970s and after claiming pole and scoring
10396-549: The team's second car, which started the race in new recruit Peter McLeod 's hands and made up ground in the wet conditions, and eventually finished in third place behind the two Sierras. Like 1983 a driver (in this case Formula 2 racer Jon Crooke) missed out on a Bathurst win when the lead car retired and its drivers transferred to the second car. Six months after the race was held, the Sierras were formerly disqualified for running illegal bodywork and Brock, Parsons and McLeod became
10509-416: The team's spare LJ GTR XU-1 Torana (#2) in Round 6 of the ATCC at Surfers Paradise on 19 May. Johnson, who in the 1980s would become a Ford folk hero and one of the Dealer Team's chief rivals, finished third in the race won by Brock with Bob Morris finishing second. At the end of the 1974 season Brock left the HDT team, whilst Colin Bond continued on as the team's sole circuit racing driver. The L34 option
10622-402: The two high-profile endurance races for the year, Holden, thanks largely to the Dealer Team, did win the 1974 Australian Manufacturers' Championship after Bond had won Round 1 in Adelaide (Chesterfield 250), Round 4 at Surfers Paradise (Chesterfield 300) and the final round at Phillip Island ( Repco 500K ). 1974 also saw Dick Johnson make his one and only start for the HDT when he drove
10735-589: The two races after a couple of spins caused by his Bridgestone tyres not handling the hot conditions during the Saturday race, or the very wet conditions on the Sunday. The team was again a force in the 1990 ATCC although they suffered a setback when Miedecke rolled his Sierra in at Mallala after an accidental clash with the Shell Sierra of his old open wheel adversary John Bowe. Consistent placings, and
10848-547: The victors giving Brock his record 9th Bathurst win. The team continued under the direction of Alan Gow , with continued support from Mobil , but without the assistance of Holden, new automotive partners had to be found. At the end of 1987, Frank Gardner had gone into a short-lived retirement and shut down the JPS Team BMW . The team bought the JPS team assets and became the official team for BMW Australia. However, by 1988,
10961-579: The wins the JPS team had achieved in 1987. The Mobil team's only win during 1988 was when Brock and Richards won the Pepsi 250 at Oran Park with Parsons and Crompton finishing 4th. The team's first time at both the Sandown and Bathurst endurance races with anything other than a Holden were forgettable. Although Richards qualified the lead M3 in 4th at Sandown , his time was over 3 seconds slower than Dick Johnson's pole time in his Sierra. After oil problems in
11074-578: The year, namely the new European style Falcon and the American Chevrolet Camaro Z28 with its powerful 5.7-litre V8. This time the HDT's Bathurst adventure was less straightforward. After only qualifying 3rd behind the Camaro of Kevin Bartlett and Falcon of Dick Johnson (the first time all year the No. 05 Commodore did not claim pole position), Brock chased Johnson's XD Falcon early in the race. Then on lap 15 Brock collided with
11187-487: Was Holden 's semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1986 , primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying , rallycross and Sports Sedan races during the 1970s. From 1980 the Holden Dealer Team, by then under the ownership of Peter Brock , diversified into producing modified road-going Commodores and other Holden cars for selected dealers via HDT Special Vehicles. After Holden terminated its association with Brock's businesses in February 1987,
11300-440: Was able to circumvent this directive by naming its team the ‘Holden Dealer Team’ which was officially owned by its dealers. In reality Holden bankrolled the entire operation and Holden executive John Bagshaw, who was the driving force behind the establishment of the team, created the financial framework which allowed the HDT to be funded without Detroit's knowledge. Holden appointed former Ford Works Team manager Harry Firth to run
11413-558: Was able to sign longtime rival Allan Moffat to the team. The HDT, taking advantage of Group A regulations, also ran a car for Brock and Moffat in the 1986 FIA Touring Car Championship (formerly the European Touring Car Championship). Due to the liberal nature by which European regulators enforced the rules (and strong rumours that the TWR Rovers and the factory Volvo turbo's were nowhere near legal),
11526-447: Was also available with dual exhausts to produce 96 kilowatts (129 hp) of power, and a 5.0-litre 114-kilowatt (153 hp) V8, which in dual exhaust form was rated at 125 kilowatts (168 hp). The engine blocks on these motors were painted red and are therefore commonly referred to as the Red motors . The VB was also available with either a four-speed manual transmission or
11639-428: Was driving the new 4WD , twin-turbo Nissan GT-R . Brock actually proved that his Sierra was the only car that had the speed to match Richards in the race, but his poor start saw him have to fight through the field which allowed Richards to build a lead big enough to win the race and the title. With Rouse going on to race Toyota 's in 1991, the team faced the prospect of going it alone with the expensive Sierras without
11752-473: Was homologated for racing in 1975 which cured the V8's oil surge problems and Bond went on to win the 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship whilst also competing in rally events for HDT in a LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34. While the L34 solved the engine problems, the Torana still had one major weak spot in that the axles on the car were easily broken. In later years drivers such as Bond, Brock, Bob Morris and Allan Grice would all tell how carefully they had to drive
11865-452: Was in fact terrible due to the extra weight and that the XU-1's chassis was never built to take the greater torque of the V8 engine. Brock also told that the first time both he and Colin Bond used full acceleration in the car in testing, the greater torque of the V8 actually cracked the windscreen. Of the four V8 XU-1 prototypes built, none survived as Holden crashed them in an effort to re-coup
11978-433: Was initially given the team's 4-Door A9X to drive in the opening round at Sandown while John Harvey drove the only Hatchback available at the time. Brock was given a new hatchback Torana to drive for the rest of the season. Soon after Sheppard took over the team in 1978, the HDT was forced to re-build their new A9X Torana's as CAMS new chief scrutineer Harry Firth refused to pass them for racing. When Sheppard protested that
12091-593: Was installing in the HDT road cars ( see below ). Moffat and Harvey both left the team, and HDT's 1987 international campaign was limited to a single car assault on the Spa 24 Hours , and team did not pose a threat in that year's ATCC . That year the Bathurst 1000 was a round of the World Touring Car Championship and Eggenberger Motorsport 's turbocharged Ford Sierra RS500s dominated the race, finishing 1–2. Brock's own car failed early but he and co-driver David Parsons were cross-entered into
12204-410: Was no myth as 4 examples were built with two surviving as of 2015). The first V8 Torana was fitted with the small block 253 cui (4.2L) V8, but this was soon upgraded to the 308 cui (5.0L) version. This car was built to Series Production rules at the time but Harry Firth had Colin Bond race the car, disguised as a Sports Sedan, at the 1972 Easter ATCC race meeting at Bathurst. Bond took an easy victory in
12317-593: Was not until 1969 that the whole arena of rallying and Holden motorsport, in general, was grouped together under the management of Harry Firth and the Holden Dealer Team. The new team kicked off in August 1969 with Harry himself behind the wheel of an HT Monaro GTS 253 rally car, but he soon after announced his retirement from active driving, handing over the rally Monaro to his old rival, Barry Ferguson. Colin Bond and Tony Roberts, both of whom had considerable previous rallying experience, then joined in as additional members of
12430-429: Was ready to pull the pin on the Dealer Team. Holden believed that since Ford had pulled out of touring car racing at the end of 1978, there was no longer any point in competing against privateer teams driving Holden cars, and they put the team up for sale. As a result of Holden quitting, John Sheppard also quit as team boss and Vin Kean purchased the team, and financed it. He called on Holden dealers to support him, with
12543-513: Was renamed the Rambler Classic and while it retained its basic dimensions, it was now competing with an array of new "intermediate" models from General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. The introduction of the 1962 Ford Fairlane was viewed by consumers as too close to the compact Falcon in size and performance as well as too close to the full-sized Ford models in price. It was the introduction of General Motors " senior compacts " that grew
12656-402: Was the top-of-the-line variant. It was available as a sedan only, and was priced from A$ 10,513. The VB Commodore featured heavily in Australian motorsport in the latter part of 1979 and through most of 1980. In 1979, the factory backed Holden Dealer Team entered a three-car VB Commodore team in the 20,000-kilometre (12,000 mi) Repco Round Australia Trial which started and finished at
12769-495: Was to be Harvey's co-driver, without a drive. The trio then went on to win the race in what was actually the 1982 race winning VH Commodore SS . The controversy was that although the rules permitted drivers cross-entering in other cars and indeed this had actually been seen previously, it was the first time that car swapping had resulted in winning the race. For 1984 , which was the last year for CAMS locally developed Group C touring car regulations, Brock and Perkins made it three in
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