Articles by Joshua Dowling

The first ever Holden Commodore built by the late racing legend Peter Brock will be auctioned by Shannons in Sydney tomorrow (Monday August 10).It is likely to fetch $85,000 to $95,000, even though the car it’s based on cost just $9600 when new in 1980.Unlike other Brock Commodores, this is the car the race ace used to test all the performance parts before he did his first 500 limited edition models, which led to a series of fast personalised road cars for more than a decade before his acrimonious split with Holden.Middleton spent the next 17 years meticulously restoring 001.Unlike 499 of the 500 vehicles in that first batch which were all red, black or white, car 001 was two-tone green because it was a former Holden company car given to Brock to start the project.The car, which has “001” engraved on the steering wheel, was bought by a Holden dealer in Pennant Hills, 33 years ago this weekend to the day.Holden used-car salesman Jim Middleton sold it to a family friend in August 1982 after it sat on the lot for just one day.But Middleton bought the vehicle back 11 years later, and then spent the next 17 years meticulously restoring it.Middleton finally got car number one on the road five years ago but has decided it’s time to sell.“I’ve owned it for 22 years now, I’ve done the rounds of car club shows, it’s just time to move on,” said Middleton.“To my knowledge, this is 001,” he says. “I’ve kept my ear to the ground and been searching for another 001 for the better part of 30 years and it’s never surfaced. No-one has ever come forward with 001 in red, white or black. We know where 002 is, it’s a red car. But to my knowledge, and according to the HDT bible, number 001 is listed as being green.”Commodore enthusiasts will recall there is another early Commodore, a light blue car, that Brock used as a test bed and dubbed “000”.It was never issued with a numbered steering wheel but decades later Brock put his signature to a handwritten “000” on the glovebox.The blue car was originally loaned to Brock by one of the founding Holden Dealer Team dealers Vin Keane from Adelaide (other founding HDT dealers included Laurie Sutton and Les Vagg from Sydney and Warren Smith in Melbourne).Having experienced a hard life, the blue VC surfaced a few years ago in Melbourne but its current whereabouts and condition are unknown.

The man accused of lavish overspending during his time as a car company boss has imported an Italian supercar into Australia.

Joshua Dowling road tests and reviews the Ford Everest at its international launch in Thailand.

Joshua Dowling road tests and reviews the Volvo XC90 at its Australian launch.

For the second time this year, Australia's peak consumer protection authority has let down the motorist.

Counterfeit Toyota airbag parts could leave drivers of other cars with a big compensation bill.

Australians are continuing to gorge themselves on new cars, taking advantage of low interest rates before currency pressures force prices to rise later in the year.

Australia’s peak consumer protection authority was told about bogus airbag parts six weeks ago, but has so far failed to take action.

New second-generation XC90 SUV will stop you from turning across oncoming vehicles, has a radar to detect if you’re about to be rear-ended, and can even steer itself in slow moving traffic.

Toyota has discovered at least two distributors of counterfeit airbag parts and “thousands” of motorists may not even know their life is in danger in a crash.