Holden HDT Commodore News

Peter Brock's most unique road car is expected to fetch a record price at auction.

A decision on Holden's future is a mere pen-stroke, email or phone call away -- and it could now happen before Christmas after the Federal Government increased its pressure on the iconic car-maker.News Corp Australia understands the global CEO of General Motors, Dan Akerson, based at the company's headquarters in Detroit, has the sole discretion to sign away Holden's manufacturing operations and with it the jobs of 1760 factory workers.Contrary to earlier reports -- and protocols at other companies -- the Holden decision does not need to go to the General Motors board, which meets monthly.Mr Akerson is a $12 million-a-year man who served as an officer on a US naval destroyer in the 1970s.  In just three years he has developed a reputation in Detroit as not being afraid to make tough calls, such as shutting factories or axing entire brands, such as Pontiac and Hummer and the sale of Swedish icon Saab.A self-confessed "non-car guy", Mr Akerson has helped reshape General Motors globally since it came out of bankruptcy, driven the company to record profits and, as of yesterday, finished repaying the $50 billion loan from the US Government, which sold its remaining shares in GM.In a recent interview with USA Today, when asked about the secrets to his success and the transformation of General Motors, Mr Akerson said: "You can't live in a crisis mode … fundamentally I've got to run a business that's gonna turn profits."Holden has lost $432 million over the past five years and the company openly admits it loses money on each car it builds locally. Mr Akerson speaks about "fortress balance sheets" and taking emotion out of decisions by being able to "define reality"."That was necessary in this industry and in General Motors," he told USA Today. "Once you define reality you have to provide a vision."With pressure from the Federal Government reaching new heights after the Treasurer Joe Hockey said of Holden in Question Time "either you're here, or you're not", General Motors is increasingly being left with no option but to shut the car-making factory that Queen Elizabeth II visited in its opening year, in 1963.It is possible an announcement by Holden could come on or before December 20 -- the last day of work for Holden factory employees before the scheduled summer shutdown, and the same day the preliminary report by the Productivity Commission is due to be released.An early announcement would alleviate the uncertainty being felt by Holden factory workers and minimise the potential damage being done to the company's brand image.When asked yesterday if Holden felt pressured by the Federal Government to announce a shutdown sooner rather than later, Holden boss Mike Devereux said: "Everything that could have been asked of me has been asked of me (at the Productivity Commission hearing). No decision has been made by General Motors."When asked by News Corp Australia if an announcement would be made before or after Christmas, Mr Devereux and Holden representatives declined to answer.A formal decision to shut the Elizabeth car making factory is believed to be a formality given the hardline stance of the Federal Government to not increase taxpayer funding to the industry, and Holden's request for more assistance.Central to the debate over the Holden shutdown is the definition of the word "decision". In car industry terms, executives may have made up their minds on an outcome, but a "decision" is a more formal process.It took Ford more than 300 meetings and seven years to arrive at its decision to shut its Australian factories, and Mitsubishi was questioned for four years before its eventual shutdown, the Federal Government is trying to force Holden to announce its bad news within months.When Ford announced the 2016 shutdown its Australian factories, the decision was made at board level and included input from executive chairman William Clay Ford Jr, and Edsel Ford, both great-grandsons of Henry Ford. It then took several days for the announcement to be made to Ford workers on the factory floor.When asked by the Productivity Commission how much extra money Holden had asked from the Federal Government, Mr Devereux said the government had the figures and would not disclose them publicly.Carsguide understands Holden had asked for an average of $150 million per year -- the annual figures fluctuate to match the progress of vehicle development.In March 2012 Holden agreed to invest $1 billion in two new cars to be built from 2016 to 2022, in return for $275 million in taxpayer assistance -- $215 million from the Federal Government, $50 million from the SA Government and an estimated $10 from the Victorian Government.However after Ford announced in May this year that it was closing its factories in 2016, Holden has asked for an increase in taxpayer support because, it says, market conditions have "changed significantly" since the original deal was signed.Holden milestones1948Prime Minister Ben Chifley unveils the first Holden car, declares “she’s a beauty”. More than 18,000 orders are held before the 48-215 “FX” Holden goes on sale. Some customers sell their place in the queue for £100.1954One in three cars on the road is a Holden.1958One in two cars on the road is a Holden.1960The first export of left-hand-drive Holden vehicles begins with a small shipment of cars to Hawaii.19621 millionth Holden sold (EJ Special sedan, Oct 1962).1964Holden employee numbers peak at 23,914 across seven facilities in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia.19692 millionth Holden sold (HK Kingswood, March 1969).19743 millionth Holden sold (HQ Kingswood, June 1974).1978Holden celebrates 25 years of continuous sales leadership.19814 millionth Holden sold (VC Commodore, June 1981).19905 millionth Holden sold (VN Calais, August 1990, more than twice as many as any other Australian built car at the time).1991Japanese car-maker Toyota beats Holden and Ford to market leadership for the first time in Australia.20016 millionth Holden sold (VX Commodore SS, June 2001).2002The last year Holden led the Australian new-car market.2004Holden produces 165,000 vehicles (the most in its modern era), almost matches the 1963 peak of 166,274. Factory worker numbers in 2004: 7350.2005Holden’s biggest export year: 60,518 cars were shipped, mostly to the US and the Middle East.20087 millionth Holden sold (VE Commodore LPG, Aug 2008).2011After 15 years as Australia’s favourite car, Holden Commodore sales are overtaken by the Mazda3 from Japan. Automotive historians say it is the first time since WWI an imported car has led the new-car market.2013Toyota Corolla on track to become Australia’s top-selling car for the first time.Only five out of 100 new cars sold in Australia is a locally-made Holden.Holden is overtaken in some months by Mazda, Hyundai and Nissan.After several redundancies and a three-year wage freeze, Holden factory worker numbers fall to 1760.Despite a record new-car market, Australian vehicle production falls to its lowest levels since 1958.Holden is on track to export just 14,000 of the 84,000 cars it will make locally.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling _______________________________________ 

The proudly Australian manufacturer played up its heritage in the 1980s with this fun ad full of classic Aussie stereotypes. Whether you're a footy favouring car nut or a meatpie loving larrikin you'll love the catchy jingle. Strewth, all that's missing is a VB-swigging swagman.Watch the 1981 Holden TV ad here.Longstanding Aussie rival Ford has also aired some hilarious ads that pay homage to its homeland.See Our favourite Ford ads here.  

Aussie motorsport heritage flexed its muscles last weekend with a spectacular show of local racing champions and their cars. Held at Sydney Motorsport Park, the ninth annual Australian Muscle Car Masters once again included a gathering of our most famous racing cars and drivers from the past half-century. This rolling history spanned several categories and eras of Australian motorsport, including Group N, S, A, and C, V8 Supercar, Formula 5000, plus a variety of current historic racers.  Notable examples included the 1986 Bathurst 1000-winning Grice/Bailey Chickadee Commodore, the 1992-winning Richards/Skaife Winfield Skyline GTR, and the Perkins/Ingall Castrol Commodore driven to victory in 1997.Legendary drivers in attendance included Allan Moffat, Fred Gibson, Harry Firth, John Goss, Leo Geoghegan, Jim and Steve Richards, Kevin Bartlett, Allan Grice and Neil Crompton.The highlight of the event was easily the ‘Bathurst Grid Spectacular’ held on the Sunday, where 60-odd previous Bathurst entries lined up on the grid for an hour of high-speed parade laps, and the variety of machinery and sounds proved that Australian motorsport runs far deeper than just Ford and Holden-badged racers.There were hundreds of classic road cars also on display, plus nearly 30 individual races held over the two days.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn

Married with a daughter (who is also a Ford fan), Mr Watson currently has an FPV GT 335 sedan, the latest in a long line of Ford products."We have had around 20 Fords - various models, not just Falcons - after some Holdens. We have had many Fords, one has followed the other ever since and we have no plans to change camps," he says.Mr Watson looks at the red versus blue rivalry as something that is now generational. "When it started it was Moffat versus Brock and has grown since then to have people either red or blue, now we're talking second and third generation fans as children follow their parents," he says.The family has had an FPV GT since April - the supercharged 335kW version - and now wouldn't have anything else. "I absolutely love it, the supercharged V8 has plenty of power - we use it for normal road work, not track days, we don't push it that hard, but it has plenty of poke for overtaking," he says."We're also restoring an old XB Falcon - a full bare-metal restoration - with 393 stroker V8, that will sit proudly next to the new GT," he says.A big shed and a tolerant wife are two key ingredients to Daryl Leaker's impressive stable of Holden product. The 1998 HSV Senator Signature 220i shares garage space with a number of Holden, HSV and HDT machines."I've got a very big shed for them all, I've always liked Holdens because my father was a Holden salesman so it is in the blood I guess," he says.Mr Leaker hasn't always just owned Holdens - a Mitsubishi Pajero replaced a Ford Territory recently, but there balance of power has always been to the General, harking back to his formative years with a Holden salesman for a father."It was great when Dad was selling Holdens, I got to drive GTR XU-1s and 327 Monaros when they were brand new," he says. "When I turned 21 I bought myself an HQ GTS coupe and got some discount through my father, I wish I still had that car as well."The HSV shares shed space with a VN SS Group A and an HSV Statesman, as well as a HDT VK Brock Commodore SS in silver and an HJ Monaro four-door."I'll always be a Holden fan - I think I'd die of shock if the missus came home in an FPV GT," he says.

A hero colour chosen by the late and great race ace during his time as a carmaker is being brought back from the dead - with a twist - for the 2012 Holden Commodore. Brock chose a bright mid-blue colour for his HDT Commodore SS in 1984 during the days of the VK Commodore and it is returning with some extra metallic punch as Perfect Blue as part of the latest twist on the VE.The timing could not be better, on the fifth anniversary of the death of 'Peter Perfect' in Western Australia on September 8, 2006. The newest Commodore also gets improved economy and emissions in both V6-powered models, with some very, very minor cosmetic tweaking. By Commodore standards it's not a big deal, although the LPG model coming before the end of 2011 promises to have more impact.The new hero colours - Chlorophyl joins Perfect Blue - are the latest in a long run of bright body shots for the Commodore which reflect the changing times and impact of Australia's favourite car. It's currently facing one of its toughest showroom challenges - ironically, with the baby Mazda3 and not the Ford Falcon that's been its traditional rival - and Holden believes the changes for the 2012 model will help rebuild its support.It starts with the paintwork, which Holden designer Sharon Gauci says was an easy choice for 2012. "We designed Perfect Blue around Peter Brock's colour. We went back to the archives and this was perfect," she says. We've been doing hero colours, particularly on sports models, for a number of years. They're obviously attractive to customers that want something different, something a bit more extroverted. They are head-turning and attract attention."She says Perfect Blue - which also pick's up Brock's nickname - is a solid colour with a fine metallic content, while Chlorophyl is "more organic and nature inspired" with a colour that changes depending on how it's viewed. "On the interior we've included some accent stitching on sport and Berlina. There are minimal changes for the interior," says Gauci.Visually, there is also a new design of 16-inch alloy on the Omega a lip spoiler on the Calais V, while the Redline models get red Brembo brake calipers, a new design of polished 19-inch alloy wheel, and FE3 suspension on the Ute and Sportwagon.The real advantage in the latest change is improved economy and emissions for the two six-cylinder engines, thanks to a new gearbox and torque convertor on the 3.0-litre motor. They reduce weight and, with updated calibration, also improve efficiency. Changing the torque convertor saves 3.35 kilograms and a new gearbox in the 3.0-litre car trims another 4.2 kilograms."We reduced transmission mass. We also downsized the torque convertor," says Holden engineer Roger Athey. We've put them through a battery of testing and it came up well. It has contributed to some of the fuel economy savings. (But) all the gear ratios are the same."Holden claims 1-3 per cent fuel economy gains for the 2012 Commodore, with 1-3.5 per cent improvements on CO2 emissions. The headline number is 8.9 litres/100km for the 3.0-litre Omega sedan, as Holden also touts an 18 per cent economy improvement since the start of the VE-generation Commodore.The update also means all Commodores are now E85 compatible, meaning they are classified as flex-fuel cars that can run on bio-ethanol fuel. "It's a minor update. A minor enhancement," admits Holden spokesperson, Shayna Welsh. We're very pleased with how Commodore is going. We'll be talking about LPG Commodore later in the year. That's the only mechanical change still to come this year." 

It is widely accepted that all 1980 limited-edition Brock HDT Commodores only came in white, red or black.  But Jim's is green, two-tone green in fact, which he says is authentic and has a fascinating history.And he should know as he took delivery of it originally from Peter Brock's team, sold it and then bought it back again.  Peter Brock went into the special vehicle business in 1979 after Holden pulled out of motorsport and left him to run his own team. Brock signed up Holden dealers around the country for whom he would create a limited edition performance version of the VC Commodore.In turn the dealer support helped fund his racing operations.  Middleton says: "The first 500 cars were red, white or black. But there were also two prototypes, a blue one and a green one."The prototypes, a blue manual and a green auto, were the earlier VB model.  "My car is number one. They didn't have a builder's plate on the engine. They were numbered on the steering wheel. Mine is numbered 001 on the steering wheel."It had started life as a light green 4.2-litre VB SL Commodore built in May 1979. Middleton says it was originally driven by a Holden company executive before Brock's team acquired it and modified it as a prototype."The car came to Brock from General Motors. It was John Harvey's (Brock's track teammate) drive-vehicle at the time."  The 5-litre V8 HDT Commodores received larger valves, had modified distributors and carburettors, suspension work, a body kit that included a rear spoiler and front air dam plus special Irmscher wheels from Germany and special paintwork among other changes.In this configuration they achieved a 0-100km/h time of 8.4seconds with the engines puitting out 160kW and 450Nm of torque.  They sold for $20,000 ($200 less for a manual) and were quickly snapped up by eager punters. Middleton says the cars now fetch about $70,000-$80,000 and says his rare protototype could be worth up to $150,000.Middleton worked for Holden dealer Les Vagg at Pennant Hills in Sydney, one of the HDT dealers.  He says that in 1982 Brock and Harvey came to the dealer on their way to a race at Amaroo Park where they arranged for the dealer to sell the green prototype as they no longer needed it. By then Brock's team was making the next of their limited editions, the VH Commodore."I sold it that weekend to a mate of mine's dad. I bought it back off him in August 1993."  Middleton says the car had done over 100,000 kilometres by then and needed work."It's been the world's slowest restoration program," he says of a job that he only completed this year.  "I wasn't in a great hurry. I knew I had the first car.  It had minor damage from car parks. It really needed pulling apart and putting back together."Middleton then installed new panels, new door shells, new guards and a new bonnet and the engine and transmission were refreshed.  He took it to this year's Muscle Car Masters event at Eastern Creek where Harvey spotted it and drove it in a parade."He instantly recognised it," says Middleton.  This weekend about 70 HDT owners from around the country will be in Albury to celebrate the cars' 30th anniversary at a gathering to be known as Brocks on the Border.Middleton says about half of the original 500 road cars still exist.  A further 12 were built as racecars for a one-off race at Calder as a support event to the 1980 Australian Grand Prix. Some of them also still exist.Middleton says he will probably sell the car that has hardly been driven of late.  "It's lucky to have done 300 to 400km in 17 years."

The original VC Commodore he developed for the Holden Dealer Team has been re-created as a VE Commodore thanks to some of his biggest fans.Peter Champion, one of Brock's closest friends and the owner of more than 20 of his famous racing cars, began the VC retro project and it has picked up pace with help from Patterson Cheney Holden in Melbourne.The first VC-retro-VE Commodores is nearly complete and Champion is expected to appoint dealers in other states soon as production of the cars and HDT parts shifts into gear.The car is expected to be priced from $65,000, although there is no final pricing yet on parts including body kits, exhausts, suspension and brakes."We are behind the project with Peter Champion. He spent a lot of money developing the body kit and I though he was onto something. It pulled the sentimental heart strings for me," says Nick Batzialas, the new-car manager at Patterson Cheney in Vermont."I thought a lot of people would like a car like this. They have grown up knowing the original car and wanted something like it."The car has the same look as Brock's VC original thanks to the body kit, HDT striping and Irmsche-look 19-inch wheels.But Batzialas knew he needed more and went to Autotechnique in Victoria to find it."We needed a package that was fun to drive. So Autotechnique did the suspension and performance work," he says."They have come up with a package that puts a smile on your dial, even under 100km/h. It just feels like a muscle car."The work runs from a free-flowing exhaust to improved suspension and, with help from Harrop Engineering, there will be more HDT-badged performance gear in future.There is only one VC-retro-VC Commodore so far, but Batzialas believes there will be strong demand."We have just completed our first car. It's just been released. We've already got someone who wants the car, once it's completed with an interior upgrade," he says."We've only just got the ball rolling. But we've got a lot of interest."We are thinking the car is going to be $65,000 driveway."I think I could sell four or five cars a month. But it's going to be built on demand. And we're not planning on exceeding 500 cars, which is the same as the original homologation for the VC."The VC retro is based on a current SS-V Commodore sedan and Batzialas says initial problems with GM Holden have been overcome without worrying about a conflict with Holden Special Vehicles."It was a bit tickly, but we've steered around it," he says."We have been given the Victorian distribution and Peter Champion is negotiating with other states. We've got a proud history at Patterson Cheney with hot Holdens and we helped give Brocky his start."We're also coming up with a line of HDT products, so people can buy the brakes, the suspension or whatever. That's something Holden dealers haven't had, because a lot of people don't want the full HSV package." 

Racing legend Peter Brock drove many race cars in his long and successful career. And with his passing late last year, the value of his classics increased dramatically. So it's not surprising that what could be the most important car of his life, where he first began his racing passion, has been valued at a massive $400,000. Or is it surprising?It's not a vehicle from the muscle car family and there's no V8 power under the bonnet. The only race track it's been on was a self-made dirt course on the Brock family farm.It has no brakes and has been sitting in pieces for more than 50 years.But now, the 1929 Austin 7, the car where the racing legend learned to drive at the age of 12, is driveable once again.After six months of hard work, restorer Peter Denman has returned the car from Brock's childhood to its original form.As a friend of Brock's and with his wife as the director of the Peter Brock Foundation, Denman put his hand up for the job.He used four photographs that were taken at the time by Brock's older brother Neil, to help in the restoration process.The photographs of the engine, chassis and rear end allowed him to recreate the car as closely as possible.“The car was remarkably complete except for a few items,” he says.“The original engine was on it and the chassis was the original. It needed quite a bit of cutting rust out and so forth.”Denman says that despite its small size, there was considerable work involved, including a rebuild on the front and rear ends, the gearbox and repairing the engine.The engine was in a poor state and was split in half, so Denman had to call on the Austin 7 club to help weld it together so the original engine could remain in the car.Another obstacle Denman faced was the flooring. As the original had rotted away, he used wood Peter had collected to make his own furniture in recent years.Brock's younger brother, Lewis Brock, last weekend re-enacted the image of Brock racing around the family farm in his first car.He says the image of Peter and his dad working on the car is etched in his memory.“I won't forget it, all the boys were involved in varying degrees, but it was Peter's car. He did the work on it,” he says.Lewis fondly recalls Peter getting into trouble from their mother for cutting the body of the car with an axe. He says she was more concerned about the damage to the axe.Lewis believes he and Peter were the only two to have driven the car as youngsters and the one time he got behind the wheel, he ended up in a palm tree.“I was struggling to get my legs down to the pedals,” he says.Lewis says his brother had to fine-tune his skills of going down through the gears and putting it into a slide in order to stop.Brock drove the car until he was 16. Although many decades have passed, Lewis says the noise of the engine is still identical from their childhood.“It's fabulous,” he says. “When we started the engine, my uncle Sandy was there ... we looked at each other when the car fired up and said that's the same noise.”Both Lewis and Denman describe it as interesting to drive, Denman claiming it feels like a “rocket ship”. “It only weighs probably 200kg.“It's very, very low to the ground, it's something that you couldn't describe,” he says.Lewis is concerned over the lack of brakes and says he won't be driving it again until brakes are installed.The previous owner bought the car from Sandy Brock 45 years ago and had it sitting in the roof of his factory for most of that time. About 10 years ago he discovered it was Brock's first car.Lewis says Brock knew about the car, but didn't have any plans to reclaim it. But after Brock's death last year, the owner decided to sell it and it was purchased and donated to the Peter Brock Foundation by a supporter.“Peter would be rapt,” Lewis says. “He would think it was a hoot and he was probably sitting on the back axle watching me drive it. That's what it felt like.”If Brock's history was taken out of the picture, Denman says the car would be worth a lot less.“The car itself is probably worth $2000 if you wanted to buy one, for the chassis, the engine, that's what you'd pay,” he says. “It's the history of the car, the car is complete.”The Peter Brock Foundation will now display the car at different shows and racetracks around the country and it's likely to end up in a museum.“When Peter signed signatures he'd put on posters `follow your dreams',” Lewis says.“That's where it started for him, he turned it into something to hone his skills in.”And Lewis says Peter would want everyone to see it. While this might have been his first, there are many more cars where Brock mastered his driving skills. According to the fans and collectors, Brock would have raced more than 100 cars during his time on the track. The most valued and important of those would have been his victories at Bathurst.Queenslander Peter Champion has a collection of 32 Brock cars, both ones he raced and road registered models.He's collected the cars over the past 15 years and believes they would be worth between $6 million and $7 million.The collection includes a replica of the Austin A30 Brock raced in 1967, a project Brock's step-son James Brock completed for Champion. The first Bathurst car Brock raced, the 1969 Monaro is also in the collection, as well as the 1974 L34 Torana and the 1982, 1983 and 1984 Bathurst-winning Commodores.He also has the Ford Sierra and the 2002 Motorola-sponsored Commodore that he raced at Bathurst. And Champion this week said he and his team are currently rebuilding the car that claimed Brock's life.“I'm guessing they're worth from half a million to a million each, that's what people say. I don't get involved, they're not for sale.”As Brock's friend, navigator and competitor, Champion wants to share his collection from Brock's career with the public.“I'm building a museum which I have been doing for a number of years. Peter was involved in with me for quite a few years. A lot of the personal stuff, he gave to it,” Champion says.“The reason he was an icon was because he always had time for people, he always stood there and signed autographs, he stayed well after dark.”Champion says the museum should be opened in Queensland by the end of the year.Fellow Queenslander, David Bowden, has his own slice of Brock history. He owns the Bathurst-winning A9X Torana's from 1978 and 1979, as well as Brock's 1987 VL Commodore. He says that although the value of the cars has increased with Brock's passing, Bowden's not comfortable talking about what they're worth.“It's so hard, he was such a good mate to everyone, that I hate talking about things like that,” he says.The value is not important, Bowden says, as he wouldn't consider selling them at this stage. He says he's spent too much money building up his collection to sell them.“I don't expect to jump on for a quick profit,” says Bowden, who often sends his cars to Bathurst so the public can see them.“Brocky” did his last hot lap at Bathurst in the 1979 A9X Torana. Where are they now? Brock's classic cars 1967 Austin A30 original lost, replica owned by Peter Champion1969 Monaro (Bathurst third place) owned by Peter Champion1972 XU-1 Torana (Bathurst winner) owned by Glen Amos1973-74 XU-1 Torana sold last year for $500,000 to an anonymous Melbourne buyer1974 L34 Torana owned by Peter Champion1975 Torana (Bathurst winner) lost1978 A9X Torana (Bathurst winner) owned by David Bowden1979 A9X Torana (Bathurst winner) owned by David Bowden1979 Commodore (Round Australia trial winner) owned by Holden1980 Commodore (Bathurst winner) claimed to be owned by Rowan Harmon1982-83 VH Commodore (Bathurst winner) owned by Peter Champion1983 VH Commodore (Bathurst car) owned by Peter Champion1984 VK Commodores (Bathurst winner and third) owned by Peter Champion and the Bathurst Museum1986 Commodore Spa 24-Hour Race owned by Peter Champion1987 VL Commodore (Bathurst winner) owned by David Bowden1988 BMW (Bathurst car) unknown1989-1990 Ford Sierra owned by Peter Champion2003 Monaro 24-hour race winner owned by Rob Sherrard2006 Daytona Coupe owned by Peter Champion 

As a friend and fan of Brock, Len Pennisi not only owns and treasures his three Brock Commodores, he's also keeping the Brock memory alive through Brock's former company, HDT Special Vehicles based at Revesby.Pennisi and his brother Sid bought the HDT Special Vehicles company in 1994.“It always was a legacy to keep the cars going the same way he did it, exactly the way he ran it, with enthusiasm and passion. And to make sure people have the parts to keep these cars on the road,” he says.Not only does he own the company, he also raced VC Commodores himself and currently owns three Brock Commodores; a white VK group III model, a red VH and a white VC.He says through HDT — where they fix, provide spare parts and build and sell Brock Commodores — they've seen the cars recently boom in popularity.“Unfortunately with Peter Brock's demise last year, cars quadrupled in value ... everybody wants a piece of that era,” he says.“Collectors are buying them, not selling them again and they're not getting driven.“A lot of people are buying them to make money, like buying a house.”Pennisi says Brock's first VC Commodore model was worth around $12,000 to $15,000 just 18 months ago. They're now selling for around $35,000 to $40,000. “ I sold a good VH a couple of days after Brock's death for $24,000 and it sold recently for $46,000. I can't see them going down ... we have more people wanting to buy than we have cars to sell,” he says.Pennisi says it's not only the death of Brock that has contributed to the increase in value, but also the astronomical amounts being paid for other older cars such as Holden Monaros, Valiant Chargers and Ford Falcons.As they become less accessible, people turn elsewhere to cars such as the Commodores, he says. Pennisi says about 5000 cars were officially built, with perhaps 3000 surviving .He says there are still some owners who enjoy their Brock Commodores as daily drivers, but a lot of care has to be taken as they are easy targets for thieves. And while the older, more sought-after cars may have taken muscle to drive, Pennisi says the Brock Commodores have no such problem.“They have airconditioning and power steering, disc brakes, plush interiors and they are comfortable to drive. They have everything — power, handling and room to put five people in them,” he says.And the other appealing factor is the cars served a dual purpose; they could hold their own on the track or the road.Most Brock Commodores came out with 5.0-litre V8 engines, although Pennisi says six-cylinder turbo engines were also available as an option in the late 1980s.“It's not like today's supercars. You can't buy a car raced on the track as a road car but in those days you could buy almost the same car as was being raced,” he says.“You could take it to the track as well as (use it as) an all-purpose type of car. They had a very nice interior, unique wheels, unique body kit and specific engine modifications.”As for the Pennisi brothers, keeping both HDT and the memory of their racing hero alive is a top priority.“I knew him personally for over 20 years,” Len says. “The day it happened (Brock's death) reminded me of JFK. The world stopped, everyone was ringing us up and asking what happened. I got phone calls from all over Australia and even overseas, 2 1/2 days after that people could not believe it happened. It took me months to believe it.”And with the passion that Pennisi as well as fellow Brock Commodore owners possess, people won't forget these cars.“Obviously I was that passionate that I raced them, bought the company, own the cars and still work with them today,” he says.Fast factsVehicle: Brock CommodoreValue: when new: around $20,000Value two years ago:VC: $12,000-$15,000VH: $24,000Value now: $35,000-$45,000Verdict: The legend lives on in these classic Brock Commodores of the 1980s. They've become even more sought-after since the death of Peter Brock last year.