1979 MHDT Round Australia Holden's?

racer69 · 15 Feb 2003, 13:50 (Ref:507576)

This maybe should be in the rally forum, but what the heck

What happened to the 3 Commodore's used in the 1979 Repco (and 'old silver' as well)? I know Geoff Portman rallied one of them in the late 80s.

hoffy · 15 Feb 2003, 22:50 (Ref:508038)

One of the cars is in the National Motor Museum at Birdwood in South Australia.

I can't remember which one it is, but I have a suspicion that it is the one that Brock dorve.

But I do know that it is there exactly as it finished. It hasn't even been washed!!!

Airhead · 16 Feb 2003, 10:08 (Ref:508394)

This is a classic.

Which car, the one that had multiple diff, gearbox, suspension Christ knows what else sort of rebuilds anolng the way?????

Just like a dirt track Bathurst isn't it!

Garbo · 16 Feb 2003, 13:02 (Ref:508509)

One of them was owned by a NSW flaggie and FJ historic touring car driver. That was about 10 years ago, I think he has since died. I am not sure what happened to the car after that but saw it advertised for sale in about 1995

William Dale Jr · 17 Feb 2003, 08:02 (Ref:509258)

Quote:

Originally posted by AMoffat
This is a classic.

Which car, the one that had multiple diff, gearbox, suspension Christ knows what else sort of rebuilds anolng the way?????

Barry Lake, one of the writers for MRA and co-driver of one of the other factory Commodores in the trial, had his say on this at the AtlasF1 Nostalgia Forum not too long ago.

Here's the link: Go to post number 15

racer69 · 17 Feb 2003, 10:58 (Ref:509361)

Ahh the Colin Bond thread, that is a great read.

Alot of the stories of Holden on the Repco are just that, stories. Alot of the competition just didn't want to believe that the Holden's could come out 1-2-3 after an event like that. In the book 'Challenge Australia' about the '79 Repco, regular reference is made to Barry Lake's notes mentioned in the thread WDJ linked, giving the real story.

One of them was that GM-H had practiced the whole route and marked all the danger spots with ribbon's! As far as i know the only driver to practice the whole route (or as much as he could) was Archim Warmbold, who drove one of the semi-factory Audi's, and it didn't do him much good.

Holden took it seriously, got prepared early and it showed. As for the cars being non-standard argument, one of Ross Dunkerton's complaints about the dealer-backed Volvo he drove was that it was too modified from standard and that caused his problem's (he probably still shudders at the word shock absorber)

Also worth noting that the Holden's only really were the quickest between Perth and Darwin. Geoff Portman in the Stanza led early, Bond in the Ford Cortina led into Perth but then they both hit trouble. From about Darwin (maybe closer to QLD) to the end the fastest car was regularly Greg Carr in the other Cortina, but he had trouble early, it was the Holden's preperation and reliability that won it.

That would have been an awesome event to go in

Amaroo Park · 21 Feb 2003, 06:39 (Ref:513137)

The Brock car is owned by Holden and is kept in the companys private collection down at Fishermans Bend. It has only been driven a few times since the win and is till in the exact coindition it was when it crossed the line

PVDA · 21 Feb 2003, 10:15 (Ref:513248)

A picture of one of the cars in question (05).

smokinJ · 22 Feb 2003, 21:02 (Ref:514340)

that 05 car in still in that condidtion is at birdwood SA loaned from Holden

racer69 · 26 Feb 2003, 05:04 (Ref:517914)

What about Ed Ordynski's 1995 Mobil 1 Round Australia Trial winning Holden Commodore?

Crash Test · 26 Feb 2003, 07:49 (Ref:518017)

I dont know, but a one, maybe two of the 95 Commodores were reincarnated for the 98 trial.

PVDA · 1 Mar 2003, 09:15 (Ref:521213)

Here is a picture of the three MHDT cars arriving at the Melbourne Showgrounds at the completion of the event.

Note they are arriving in reverse order so the winning 05 car is at the rear.

racer69 · 9 Mar 2003, 10:22 (Ref:529846)

hmmmm the plot thickens,

I read in an old RCN, June 1982, that Peter Brock was looking to enter one of the Repco Commodores in the 1982 Dunlop-2GO Rally with a V8 fitted instead of V6.

If I had a scanner I would post the picture of Geoff Portman rallying one of the ex-Repco Commodores in the late-80s, still in the same colours (different sponsers though). Could this be the same car? Did Brock indeed end up using it in that rally?

Morris 1100 · 9 Mar 2003, 11:28 (Ref:529904)

Quote:

Originally posted by racer69
hmmmm the plot thickens,

I read in an old RCN, June 1982, that Peter Brock was looking to enter one of the Repco Commodores in the 1982 Dunlop-2GO Rally with a V8 fitted instead of V6.

What V6 did it run?

William Dale Jr · 9 Mar 2003, 11:34 (Ref:529906)

I looked in AMRY 82/83, and it has no mention of Brock in the Commodore. It does mention that Alan Jones didn't rally a factory SAAB as was touted, but Kevin Bartlett and Bob Morris did run in a borrowed Escort and Datsun 180B respectively. Also, I think at the '83 Dunlop-2GO Rally, Dick Johnson had a run in an Escort.

racer69 · 10 Mar 2003, 08:34 (Ref:531027)

Quote:

Originally posted by Morris 1100
What V6 did it run?

In the '79 Repco the Commodore's were fitted with V6's, but the RCN article mentions that the Commodore Brock was rumoured to run would have been fitted with a V8.

WDJ - I'd say he probably didn't go in it then. Funny that the story that mentions Brock might run, was also the story in which Jones in the Saab was announced.

Amaroo Park · 10 Mar 2003, 08:48 (Ref:531032)

Quote:

Originally posted by racer69
In the '79 Repco the Commodore's were fitted with V6's, but the RCN article mentions that the Commodore Brock was rumoured to run would have been fitted with a V8.

No the Commodores wheren't fitted with V6 engines. Holden didn't have V6 engines in there line up in those days. All the cars were fitted with the 6cyl red motor built to XU1 spec's. The in line 6 was used in Commodores up until 1985 VK.............................

Morris 1100 · 10 Mar 2003, 09:10 (Ref:531052)

Quote:

Originally posted by colinbond
No the Commodores wheren't fitted with V6 engines. Holden didn't have V6 engines in there line up in those days. All the cars were fitted with the 6cyl red motor built to XU1 spec's. The in line 6 was used in Commodores up until 1985 VK.............................

Well you spoiled that didn't ya!

I was going to drag it out over a couple of days

racer69 · 10 Mar 2003, 09:23 (Ref:531063)

Yeah your both right, i'll climb back under my rock

Morris 1100 · 10 Mar 2003, 09:36 (Ref:531075)

racer, it is Ok I was just picking on you!

Seing you are in Penrith you should pop down to Col Parry Automotive in York road and talk to him about the round Australia because he was in it in a Commodore and he still has it (or one that looks like it).

racer69 · 10 Mar 2003, 09:58 (Ref:531089)

No worries mate, i knew that. Thanks for the tip, i'll do that

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