Holden Torana 1967 News

From its humble beginnings 45 years ago, Holden grew the Torana franchise from a small 1.2 litre four cylinder two door into an iconic brand name. First released in Australia in 1967 everyone knew the Torana was a rebadged 1966 Vauxhall Viva. What is less known is that the Viva/Torana was styled in just one afternoon. Cars normally take up to two years for their design to evolve, but not this little baby. The guy who drew it in record time is Leo Pruneau, the former Design Director of Holden. Leo picks up the story. "I was an Assistant Designer in the GM advanced styling studio in Detroit in early 1964 working on what would become the Chevy Comaro. One day the fibreglass prototype of the 1966 Viva was brought into the studio for GM's boss of styling Bill Mitchell to review. The head of styling for Vauxhall, David Jones, had flown over from London to be there too. "Well, Mitchell walks around the car three or four times. It was a boxy little thing and we knew right away it was not going to find favour with him. So Mitchell starts to ask lots of questions about various aspects of the styling and by the time he'd finished he'd basically dissolved that car into nothing." "Anyway, it's about lunch time now, and Mitchell turns to me and says `Pruneau, David and I are going out to lunch. We'll be back at 3pm.We want to see an alternative design drawing, full size'." "Now usually just one of these full-size drawings takes about two weeks to develop because you try out ideas, and make changes. So I drew just one car with a coke-bottle side styling motif " "When Mitchell and Jones came back, Mitchell took one look and says `That's it! Wrap up that drawing and David can take it with him on the plane tonight'. " Leo says that the next day Mitchell sent him to Vauxhall for six months to ensure "they do it exactly like you drew it". Those six months turned into six years after which Leo was transferred to Holden as Design Director, where he found the Viva had morphed into the Torana and one of models was called an XU1. Not bad for a car that only took three hours to design! Leo went on to direct the design of the LC/LX/UC Torana .Holden sold almost 200,000 of them. At its zenith the Torana represented many things many people: two and four doors, hatchback and sedan, four, six and eight cylinder engines, manual and automatic, family car and winning race car. You name the demographic and market segment and Torana had it covered. It's the kind of car I bet Holden wished they had now. www.retroautos.com.au  

Based on bang-for-buck impact, as well as classic muscle appeal, Shannons Insurance says it has to be the Falcon XY GTHO Phase 3 that ruled at Bathurst in the 1970s and was the world's fastest four-door sedan at the time it was introduced. A silver HO was passed in at the Brisbane Motor Show auction in 2008 at about $750,000."You wouldn't get those prices now as the bubble burst on the Aussie V8 muscle car market over 12 months ago and we haven't seen those numbers back ... yet," says Shannons spokesman Phil Ross.But Dan Bowden, whose Sunshine Coast family museum has one of the greatest collections of Aussie muscle cars, reckons the top prize goes to the Falcon XR GT which he calls "The first of the real Aussie V8s". It won Bathurst in 1967.Bathurst victory seems to be the common thread here. But what about Holdens? Ross says the number two and three cars in the price stakes are both Bathurst-winning Holdens: the 1978/79 A9X hatchback 308 V8 LX SS and the 1968 327 V8 HK Holden Monaro, "or possibly the 1970 HT 350 V8 Monaro"."Shannons Auctions sold a HK 327 Monaro for $220,000 at one of our auctions at the height of the muscle car price wars," he says.Earlier this year an A9X was passed in at a Shannons auction in Melbourne for more than $270,000. "They only made 100 of these so the Holden fans will argue it's the number one Aussie V8 of all time and the most collectable," says Ross.Road cars are one thing, but race cars attract even higher price tags. Bowden's museum has Peter Brock's 1979 A9X in which he won Bathurst by six laps, setting a record on the last lap while waving at the fans.It's insured for over $1m. Bowden says the car recently won an Auto Action poll as the most significant race car in Australia's history and won a Facebook poll among Bowden followers.Despite all that, he says the HK 327 GTS Monaro is "one of the most beautiful and a real contender", winning Bathurst in 1968.Ross says the cars that conquered Bathurst were awarded hero status by the car-buying public. "I don't think this kind of hero status for Aussie V8s will be as big with the later model cars but time may prove me wrong," he says. "I have just noticed there is a bit of a cult following starting with younger guys and the humble XD Falcon at shows."I always thought it looked more like a taxi but after looking at the Dick Johnson `Tru Blu' Falcon Group C race car at Bowden's museum I have changed my mind."Neither Ross nor Bowden mentioned any Chrysler product. "Sadly Chrysler didn't have any good V8s," says Bowden. "The ones with any real sporting pedigree were the six-cylinder versions."In the end they built the V8s in the Charger, the VJ E55 versions, but they were very toned down, marketed against the big luxury Ford Fairmont and LS Monaros, not as a sporting car."Ross says the six-cylinder E49 E49 RT Charger in the popular Vitamin C (orange) six pack "Big Tank" (extra Fuel for Bathurst) fully restored can be worth $170,000-$200.000."I once asked Leo Geogeghan if he thought a Charger could win Bathurst and he said not without a V8," he says. "He couldn't beat the V8 GT Falcons up the mountain. There was a 770 Charger released with a V8 but it never ran at Bathurst. If they had won maybe they would be worth more."Of the current batch of Aussie V8s, Bowden likes the FPV GT. "Amazing engine. The only manufacturer that hand assembles its engine in Australia," he says.Bowden also throws a monkey into the works with the rear-mounted HSV V8 engine in the Alfa Romeo Sprint made by Giocattolo Motori Pty Ltd. The Australian car company built just 15 cars from 1986 to 1989 which were capable of up to 260km/h.OTHERS TO CONSIDER* Falcon XA GTHO Phase IV, the one Ford said they never built, killed by the super car scare and only one road car ever made.* Holden L34 Torana, with Hi-Po option, our only all-Aussie-made engine.* VL HDT Group A Brock Commodore, another homologation special. "The polariser plus pack version just adds to the story," says Bowden.* Falcon XA RPO-83 option GT. A lot of those Phase IV bits went on these special cars.* Falcon XC Cobra, one of the first 30, the Bathurst special versions.

Based on bang-for-buck impact, as well as classic muscle appeal, Shannons Insurance says it has to be the Falcon XY GTHO Phase 3 that ruled at Bathurst in the 1970s and was the world's fastest four-door sedan at the time it was introduced.A Silver HO was passed in at the Brisbane Motor Show auction in 2008 at about $750,000."You wouldn't get those prices now as the bubble burst on the Aussie V8 muscle car market over 12 months ago and we haven't seen those numbers back ... yet," says Shannons spokesman Phil Ross.But Dan Bowden, whose family museum has one of the greatest collections of Aussie muscle cars, reckons the top prize goes to the Falcon XR GT which he calls "The first of the real Aussie V8s". It won Bathurst in 1967.What about Holdens?Ross says the number two and three cars in the price stake are both Bathurst winning Holdens: the A9X hatchback 308 V8 LX SS and the 1968 327 V8 HK Holden Monaro, "or possibly the 1970 HT 350 V8 Monaro". Shannons Auctions sold a HK 327 Monaro for $220,000 at one of our auctions at the height of the muscle car price wars," he says."We have an A9X in our next auction ... and it may go for around $250,000 or more. They only made 100 of these so the Holden fans will argue it's the number one Aussie V8 of all time and the most collectable."Bowden's museum seems to favour the Falcons, but he agrees that the HK 327 GTS Monaro is "one of the most beautiful and a real contender", winning Bathurst in 1968.Others to consider are:Falcon XA GTHO Phase IV, the one Ford said they never built, killed by the super car scare and only one road car ever made.Holden L34 Torana, with Hi-Po option, our only all-Aussie-made engine.VL HDT Group A Brock Commodore, another homologation special. "The polariser plus pack version just adds to the story," says Bowden.Falcon XA RPO-83 option GT. A lot of those Phase IV bits went on these special cars.Falcon XC Cobra, one of the first 30, the Bathurst special versions.Ross says the cars that conquered Bathurst were awarded hero status by the car-buying public."But I don't think this kind of hero status for Aussie V8s will be as big with the later model cars but time may prove me wrong," he says. "I have just noticed there is a bit of a cult following starting with younger guys and the humble XD Falcon at shows. I always thought it looked more like a taxi but after looking at the Dick Johnson `Tru Blu' Falcon Group C race car at Bowden's museum I have changed my mind."Neither Ross nor Bowden mentioned any Chrysler product."Sadly Chrysler didn't have any good V8s," says Bowden. "The ones with any real sporting pedigree were the six-cylinder versions. In the end they built the V8s in the Charger, the VJ E55 versions, but they were very toned down, marketed against the big luxury Ford Fairmont and LS Monaros, not as a sporting car."Ross says the six-cylinder E49 E49 RT Charger in the popular Vitamin C (orange) six pack "Big Tank" (extra Fuel for Bathurst) fully restored can be worth $170,000-$200.000."I once asked Leo Geogeghan if he thought a Charger could win Bathurst and he said not without a V8," he says. "He couldn't beat the V8 GT Falcons up the mountain. There was a 770 Charger released with a V8 but it never ran at Bathurst. If they had won maybe they would be worth more."Of the current batch of Aussie V8s, Bowden likes the FPV GT."Amazing engine. The only manufacturer that hand assembles its engine in Australia," he says.Bowden also throws a monkey into the works with the rear-mounted HSV V8 engine in the Alfa Romeo Sprint made by Giocattolo Motori Pty Ltd.The Australian car company built just 15 cars from 1986 to 1989 which were capable of up to 260km/h.

The latest addition to the growing memorabilia surrounding the legendary racer is a working replica of his 1971 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 known as "The Beast".It has been lovingly brought to life as a tribute car by motoring enthusiasts Dale Booth and John Oost and commissioned by Peter Champion for his Champions Brock Experience museum near Yeppoon.Booth is confident the car is a 90 per cent faithful replica right down to the same wiper blades, steering wheel, seat, headrest and a V8 engine mounted in the middle of the car right next to the driver."It gets pretty hot and noisy in there," Booth said. "I drive it with a rag tied around my leg to protect it from the heat."The original Formula 5000 engine had so much torque it twisted the chassis making the doors difficult to open and close."It's the worst driving position ever; I don't know how Brock managed to drive around Bathurst with that thing next to him."Fans of the late Brock can get a close look at the Beast at 12.30pm on Saturday at Queensland Raceway when it is presented for a close inspection by Harry Firth who gave Brock his break in racing.Booth said he believed the original XU-1 no longer existed, so he sourced most of the artwork and technical details from photos, Ebay and talking with people involved in Brock's racing career."I even did all the signage with a brush not stickers like they do today," he said."We're still looking for a Speco wooden gearshift knob and a few other bits."I suppose Harry will tell us how close we are."Booth would not reveal how much the car cost to build, but said replica wheels specially made from the original moulds cost $2600.He said he had always been a Brock fan with a house and garage devoted to Brock memorabilia.Booth's next replica project is the restoration of a 1979 A9X Torana like the one in which Brock won Bathurst and set a circuit record on the final lap, despite leading by six laps.Visit: championsbrockexperience.com.au 

For some car fanatics, it's all about building a pristine show car. For others, it is the engine and the way it performs at the track that counts. And then there are those who want a dressed-up street car. But Torana owner Ian Williams decided to cover all bases. “My favourite thing is I can actually drive it on the street and do other things with it as well,” he says. Williams has transformed a 1976 LX Holden Torana into a real beauty. His interest was sparked years ago when his sons got their licences and he bought both a Torana for about $2000 each. That began their passion for the old-school Holden and, before long, they were modifying their cars and buying more. Then Williams succumbed to the muscle-car craze. “I said, `Boy, they're nice cars, I'm going to do one up one day too',” he says. When the perfect car presented itself in 2002 Williams couldn't resist. “My wife's son in Queensland had the car we have now,” he says. “He wanted to sell it 'cause he wanted his garage space back, so my wife bought it for me for $10,000.” While the LX Holden Torana had already been modified, Williams wanted to go further. So he stripped it down, pulled out the motor and completely rebuilt the car from scratch over the next four years. “There's nothing from the original Torana other than the body, and doors. Everything else has been replaced or modified,” he says. “The whole car is pretty much a new car. If there was late technology to put in it, we did.” The 58-year-old says he always admired the A9X models but as they came out in 1977, they fell under new emission regulations. So Williams was in search of a car released prior to then to give him more freedom in what he could do to the engine. He started with the 1976 LX model and added some Bathurst heritage, with A9X character traits, as well as integrating modern motorsport technologies to make the ultimate jack-of-all-trades Torana, which now proudly wears the number plate 2TOUGH. And with a 536hp (400kW) V8 engine, Brembo brakes, 17-inch wheels, a 100-litre fuel tank and a $13,000 paint job, among many other changes, it really does live up to its name. “I wanted a car that was completely legal, so I got the engineers involved to ensure that it was,” he says. “In my younger days I used to get pulled over by the police and get defected all the time, I don't want to go through that again.” Williams says the car has had about $80,000 worth of work, including the recent replacement of the manual transmission with a four-speed automatic, improving its track time. “We think it is a bargain. It can now out perform most modern factory sports sedans, and retains the eye-catching, classic styling of what we believe is the best Bathurst muscle car ever built,” he says. Williams says you could spend your money on a new Monaro or SS Commodore, which might be as quick around the race track, but there are more benefits to owning a Torana. “Monaros are more reliable and have better fuel economy, but everybody's got one,” he says. “The A9X-looking car is rare. Everywhere you go you get looks. You don't get that in a new Monaro or SS Commodore and that's all part of the enjoyment of having a cool car.” Williams says while it can't be the best show car, race car and street car all in one package, the Torana still has “the capability to not embarrass itself” on the track and also manages to attract a whole lot of attention. And it gets the thumbs up from the previous owner, Williams' stepson. “I took him for a drive in it and he was stoked, he was really happy about it,” he says. While Williams loves his Torana and enjoys Holdens, he says he appreciates good engineering, no matter what make or model. “Cars are like people, there are a variety of cars and a variety of things people do to them, it all adds to the rich tapestry of life,” he says.

 Organisers of the Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000 are predicting the massive crowd generated last year by the death of Peter Brock will be overtaken tomorrow week.More than 193,000 spectators, a rise of almost 30,000 on 2005, turned up over four days at Mt Panorama in 2006 as the tide of emotion following nine-time winner Brock's untimely death a month earlier descended on Australia's most hallowed motor-racing venue.“We are on track for the biggest Bathurst 1000 ever,” V8 Supercars Australia chairman Tony Cochrane said.“Many people thought with the death of Peter Brock last year those crowds would never be repeated.“More than 80,000 advance Bathurst ticket sales had been made before the Sandown 500 last month.“We are further ahead with grandstand sales than we were last year.”Special celebrations have been organised for the 45th running of Bathurst that will include a parade of some former champions and their cars.The legendary Harry Firth and tyre king Bob Jane wrote the first chapter in the Bathurst story when they shared a Ford Cortina GT and won what was called the Armstrong 500 Mile race in 1963.Firth and Jane's Cortina will be one of several former winning machines which will be honoured in a special parade of champions before the 161-lap marathon next Sunday.The traditional race start of 10am will be pushed back to 10.30am to make way for extended pre-race hoopla.Series broadcaster Channel 7 will showcase each of the 31 cars in the race, showing them on individual laps immediately before they grid-up and informing viewers of their progress since rolling out for the opening practice sessions on Thursday.The Bathurst bangers will go off on presentation laps at about 40-second intervals which will add about 20 minutes to the pre-race hype.Channel 7 has committed an unprecedented 21 hours of live coverage over three days from next Friday to Sunday.Even if bad weather and safety cars conspire to slow the race, Seven has given an assurance that it will bump its 6pm news back if necessary to show the race in its entirety.The later start gives organisers some breathing space to help spectators filter into Mt Panorama and there is now time for two support races prior to the Bathurst 1000 starting.“The later start helps from a point of view of filtering traffic into the circuit precinct, easing the pressure on day-trippers from Sydney and has made way for two support events (Carrera Cup and Touring Car Masters),” V8 Supercars general manager of special events, Shane Howard, said.There are modifications to the movement and consumption of alcohol in response to a tightening of NSW liquor laws at major events this year.An insignificant number of punters have requested refunds in light of the changes.“Let's deal with the truth . . . we are approaching over 80,000-odd advance ticket sales,” Cochrane said.“We've had 20 — two-zero — requests for refunds.”Alcohol can still be brought into and consumed in the camping areas but it is prohibited to take alcohol into or out of the licensed areas, defined this year at the bottom of the circuit.The bottom of the mountain from the Chase through to Pit Straight and Harris Park and up Mountain Straight will be fully licensed.“We don't have any choice in that these are the terms and conditions of operating a major event in NSW,” Howard said.“What we can do is negotiate with our caterer to ensure that alcohol prices in the venue are as low as the caterers can operate to.”More than $750,000 is being spent on beefed-up police and security.There will be 160 police at the circuit, double that of last year and there will be tougher searches at the entry points for fireworks and other contraband.Great Race highlights1963 Legendary Harry Firth and Bob Jane claim the first Bathurst enduro, the Armstrong 500, in a Ford Cortina GT.1966 It was the year the mighty Morris Mini Cooper S conquered Mt Panorama with Rauno Aaltonen and Bob Holden sharing the wheel.1967 Firth claims his second Bathurst win with Fred Gibson in a Ford Falcon XR GT.1972 A youthful Peter Brock won the first of his nine victories at the mountain with a brilliant solo drive in a Holden Torana LJ XU1.1981 A star was born when Dick Johnson and his co-driver, Brisbane car dealer John French, steered a Ford Falcon XD to victory a year after the well-chronicled “rock” incident.1995 After suffering a puncture on the opening lap, Larry Perkins and Russell Ingall came from a lap down to win.2002 The decorated Jim Richards claims a seventh title as co-driver to Mark Skaife in the lead Holden Racing Team Commodore.2006 Peter Brock's understudy Craig Lowndes takes an emotional win with Jamie Whincup a month after the legendary racer was killed in a tarmac rally in Perth.