Holden Torana 1969 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  

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.

A fully restored Sebring Orange 1969 Monaro GTS 350 coupe sold at auction for $200,000 this week.It was the highest price paid for the 32 cars on offer at the Shannons 2007 Australian International Motor Show Auction.Second best was a low-mileage 1972 LJ Torana XU-1 finished in Lone Orange that went for $143,000.The sales follow a similar auction in September when a record $450,000 was paid for a 37-year-old XW Ford Falcon GTHO.The V8 muscle car was bought for $4933.25 on April 24, 1970, in Mackay.When the car came up for sale again on at the Shannons Auction it was passed in at $620,000.The immaculate Monza Green 1971 XY was expected to beat the $683,650 record price, which a Queensland buyer paid for a similar car earlier this year.Owner Steve Ribarevski, 30, is still confident the muscle car classic will sell on the private market.He bought the fully-restored GTHO for $200,000 three years ago saying it was a promise he had made to himself years earlier.“I was told by everyone at the time that I was the biggest goose in town for paying that much money for the car but I had promised myself I would own one before I was 30,” he said.“I don't look that silly any more.”It could even turn up at the first Shannons auction, which is to be held at a Brisbane Motor Show next February.Shannons Queensland business development manager Philip Ross; said the auction was the beginning of what he hoped would be the first of many auctions in Queensland.“Generally speaking if a car is passed in at auction it turns up at the next one, so the GTHO could be there,” he said.“We're looking at having about 30 cars at the show."“I've been out west and had a look in some of the sheds at the stuff that may come out of the woodwork."“I'm thinking that we know there is a lot of interesting stuff in Queensland that owners weren't prepared to send to Melbourne or Sydney auctions, but may send to Brisbane because it's closer to home."“I have no idea of what we have so far, but we like to have a good cross-section of vehicles.”The auction vehicles will be on display at the show from February 1-10 with the auction at 2pm on the Sunday.The last Shannons Auction held reached a record $3.75 million with $2.64 million achieved for the 62 number plates; and more than $1.1 million paid for the eclectic mix of Australian; US muscle cars as well as American and European classics on offer.It was the best result achieved by Shannons in a combined single day sale in the company's 26-year history of classic auctions.It was beaten only by the $4.1 million achieved in last year's RTA plate auction at the 2006 Australian Internation Motor Show. The highest single sale of the auction was $245,000 paid for the right to display the early NSW number plate 78.Personalised Plates Queensland also holds an annual plate auction on the Wednesday of the Brisbane Motor Show, last year raising more than $531,000 for the Road Safety Fund of Queensland.  Does it make sense to waste your life savings on a 30-year-old car when for the same money you can buy 13 brand new Holden Barinas?   

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