582 replies to this topic

[yel327]

just a couple of questions in relation to possible criteria for most collectable australian road production vehicle?

how successful was the HK GTS327 and HT GTS350 raceing career?
and should something be said re: the origins of the power plant?
do we know how many were produced?
and approx how many original examples remain?

HK came 1st second and third at Bathurst in 1968 plus won Sandown the same year. There wasn't too much other racing for it but Beechey raced one pretty successfully in improved production. HT 1st and 3rd Bathurst 1969 and also won plenty of other series production races like Surfers Paradise and other Toby Lee series races. They never really had the amount of racing opportunities as the L34 and also the years, but race success % rate very good. Beechey as we all know campaigned his HT GTS350 in improved production with great success.

There were about 1192 x HK GTS327 and about 700 HT GTS350 (including autos). Last count there was only a few hundred of each left. Also 450 x HG GTS350 made.

HK engines came from USA and Canada and were low spec truck engines (250 and 235bhp). HT 350 manual engines were all USA sourced and were of much higher performance than the HK (300hp, 10+:1 compression). Remember at the time Holden had intended to use the 253 and 308 in HK but they werent ready hence the 307 (L30) and at the last minute 327 (L34) were used.

Rory, unless it was changed the HT 350 never had a Rockcrusher, just a Saginaw with dodgy shifter. Even the HQ GTS350 never got an M22 rockcrusher but it did get the fine spline Muncie with TH400 output shaft.

Edited by yel327, 29 April 2009 - 05:01 PM.

[xu2308]

Lucky the V8 LJ XU-1 never made it,as harry says in the HDT DVD,it was so good it would of Won every thing it entered. And Brocky at 1972 bathurst in a V8 LJ XU-1,God helped poor Ford i say,that might of been a 20Lap Win and lap record.
It might of been the Holden Beast of Muscle Cars had it not been banned

[REDA9X]

I think it's always hard to say what might have been, you just never know. It's like all the Ford fans say about Dick Johnson hitting the rock in 1980, if he didn't hit it, he would have won...that was lap 17, lets face it, he may have crashed or broken the car anyway, you just never know. The XU1 V8 would have been a good thing for the Holden fans, but the Ford guys always say the XA HO would have been unstopable too, who knows, we certainly never will, at least the XA's still exist.

[yel327]

Lucky the V8 LJ XU-1 never made it,as harry says in the HDT DVD,it was so good it would of Won every thing it entered. And Brocky at 1972 bathurst in a V8 LJ XU-1,God helped poor Ford i say,that might of been a 20Lap Win and lap record.
It might of been the Holden Beast of Muscle Cars had it not been banned

Yeah it certainly would have been one mother of a race car, but if the Supercar scare hadn't happened who knows what might have been next? We've all seen or heard stories about how successful the Hemi Chargers were in NZ, how good the V8 XU-1 was around Bathurst, what a Phase IV was like compared to a Phase III etc. If series production had continued for 2-3 more years we could have easily seen a 340 Charger or a more potent version of the L34 (XU-2?). Possibly even a coupe version GT-HO (Phase IV??). It all probably would have stopped once ADR27A came around although HDT managed some pretty powerful road legal cars between VC and VK that complied with more stringent requirements.

[TerrA LX]

Since none of you are actually prepared to put up your muscle cars for fear of breaking them how about we dig out the Wheels Magazine road tests and compare them, and maybe some of the guys with similar Toranas ( Wether they be SL/Gpak or A9X etc) that actually drive them like intended can throw up some figures to gauge them.

[REDA9X]

The Force7 never raced, someone did race a P76 though.
Both cars that were apparently going to be used for the match are for sale now anyway.

[A9X]

bottom line here is it's an apples to oranges comparison.

And we all like fruit

[REDA9X]

bottom line here is it's an apples to oranges comparison.

And we all like fruit

true.

both look good on the outside

but one is full of ........

MATCHES SOME OF THE COMMENTS MADE HERE

[eyepeeler]

Damn the bean counters and super car scare mongers. Imagine what the V8 LJ or what the L34 could have been. They made a damn nice taxi though. Wish my hatch grew into one!!!! A9X that is...................