Brock Monza and personal VK Group 3 up for auction

Peter Brock fans are in for a rare treat at Shannons Autumn auction on Monday, May 30. 

Almost 10 years after the King of the Mountain’s shock death, collectors are lining up to bid on a 1984 VK Commodore SS Group 3 Sedan that was Brocky’s personal transport during his stint at HDT Special Vehicles.

The VK SS was originally a GM-H company car provided to Peter Brock as a his personal vehicle, which he then converted into the first Group Three in August 1984.

It was used for the official press release and studio photography and appeared on the cover of Wheels magazine in October 1984.

As confirmed in a letter from Peter Brock the car was subsequently sold to HDT and Brock himself continued to use the car as his personal transport, with the wheels changed and the bonnet scoop deleted.

Because of its significance Shannons expect the Commodore to sell for upwards of $100,000.

But, in a double header, there’s probably even more interest in a 1984 Opel Monza Coupe that Brock was developing as the prototype of a future HDT Special Vehicle.

This unique piece of Australian motoring history is the only survivor of the stillborn Monza project, a glimpse of what might have been and a wonderfully collectible muscle car.

The story goes that Brock was inspired by his loan of an Opel Monza coupe while he was racing at Le Mans in 1981.

The press heaped praise on the prototype, with Modern Motor describing the Monza as “the most exciting car to emerge from an Australian workshop in recent years”.

He found the fastback Opel an altogether more sophisticated machine than its Commodore cousin.

With disc brakes all round and fully independent rear suspension, Brock was quick to recognise the potential for enhancing the Monza’s performance with some real Aussie grunt and a car was secured from Germany in October 1983 for the full HDT treatment.

This included a 5.0-litre V8 to Group Three specification positioned further back in the chassis for better weight distribution (the bent eight actually proved lighter than the in-line six it replaced), a Borg-Warner T5G five-speed transmission, rack and pinion steering and a limited-slip diff.

Bigger brakes and stiffer suspension completed the list of mechanical upgrades.

The press heaped praise on the prototype, with Modern Motor describing the Monza as “the most exciting car to emerge from an Australian workshop in recent years”.

With a projected price of around $45,000, the HDT Monza was aimed at an exclusive market, with production vehicles slated to have a long list of standard luxury equipment.

Despite the pleading of journalists and public alike, the HDT Monza remained a one-off due to time constraints and other projects, eventually passing into private hands.

It’s expected to fetch up to $120,000 while its Brock 1 number plates will be sold separately.

What would your bid be for the Monza or the VK Group 3? Let us know in the comments below.