80 replies to this topic

[its Paul]

Is this an L34 or A9X, I have been told that it is brocks 78, 4 door making it an A9X, but the front end looks like LH L34 did they use an LH for Brock until the SS was ready?

[its Paul]

Thanks Cruiser & LXSS, but still am curious as to the history behind this torana, and the reason for the LH L34 front end. My gut feeling is its an L34 & not an A9X

[ReplicarSLR]

Seems to have the bigger A9X Sedan rear flares fitted to it not the L34 ones.

[myss427]

Well the front nose cone is late model, you can tell by the space above the indictors but it has old badging?

[its Paul]

This photo was taken early in 1978 Sandown, apparently he used this car for the first couple of races in 78 until his new HDT hatch was built, unknown if this is fact, just something I have read.

[slr5640]

Wanneroo 1978
John Harvey is driving it here #76
Pretty sure it's the same car
an L34 up to A9X specs

Edited by slr5640, 25 October 2011 - 08:37 PM.

[its Paul]

This is a sniplet that I had googled but still doesn't say if it was an L34 or not.

When he rejoined the HDT for 1978 under new team manager John Sheppard, Peter Brock had to re-earn his stripes. So while his teammate John Harvey was given the Team’s two-door A9X to drive in the non-championship touring car race at Sandown early in the season, Brock was given the well-raced four-door A9X from the previous season that Sheppard had inherited from retiring HDT manager Harry Firth.

http://www.autoweb.c...ewsarticle.html

[REDA9X]

Guys, I've covered this a lot in the past, and it's hard to cover without telling a complete history, but this particular shell is an odd one. BTW that pic at the start of the thread is the car today, not back in 78.
The car in question is an LX GMP&A shell bought in 77 to replace a damaged L34 shell then later upgraded to A9X specs. Brock raced it at the start of 78, Harvey raced it mid season. I'm sure if you do a search you will find the complete HDT history I wrote out.

[ls2lxhatch]

This thread may fill in some gaps.
http://www.gmh-toran...6-rebrock-pics/

Harvey destroyed Brocks car at Amaroo so Brock drove Harveys car for a few rounds while Harvey drove the sedan Brock had driven at Sandown.

Edited by ls2lxhatch, 26 October 2011 - 01:15 AM.

[its Paul]

From what I understand, brock raced it in 78 at sandown but it wasn't an ATCC round, I think it was called the Hangten round/series and was before the ATCC.

Thanks for that Red, that explains the LH nose cone. So the car is a GMPA re-shelled L34 up graded to A9X, and it is defiantly a GMPA shell not NASCO shell?

[its Paul]

I have copied this from the Auto web website, it also says who owns the car now, not a bad read.


The Victorian Historic Racing Register’s upcoming Sandown Historic race meeting from November 10-12 was to have been a very special occasion for Melbourne IT professional Chiomi Gendre.

It was there that Peter Brock was due to get behind the wheel of her car – the famous ‘05’ four-door Torana A9X in which he won his first race back with the Holden Dealer Team nearly 19 years ago at the same circuit.

“Peter had a special affection for this car,” said Chiomi, who together with her husband Tony Sawford run a brace of famous A9X Toranas in the growing Group C category for historic touring cars that raced in Australia from 1973-1984.

“He had a really good look at the car when we ran at Phillip Island earlier this year and asked if he could do a couple of laps in what was obviously an ‘old friend’ to him.

“But we wanted to have the car right for him first and so the date was set for Sandown, which was very appropriate because of his success in the car there.”

When he rejoined the HDT for 1978 under new team manager John Sheppard, Peter Brock had to re-earn his stripes. So while his teammate John Harvey was given the Team’s two-door A9X to drive in the non-championship touring car race at Sandown early in the season, Brock was given the well-raced four-door A9X from the previous season that Sheppard had inherited from retiring HDT manager Harry Firth.

It was a ‘test’ which Brock mastered in typical style, winning at Sandown first time back in HDT colours, proudly carrying his signature ‘05’ racing number.

A stellar year followed, in which he went on to win not only his second Australian Touring Car Championship, but also claim victory in the two major endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst.

When Chiomi Gendre and her husband both decided to go Group C motor racing around five years ago, they looked around for suitable historic touring cars.

Tony, a Melbourne power steering reconditioner, located the ex-Alan Grice Craven Mild two-door Torana A9X that the Sydney driver raced at Bathurst in 1978 and used throughout the 1979 season. It was still in its original racing condition when Tony began racing it two years ago and today he’s snapping at the heels of the Group C category leaders in historic races.

Chiomi’s first racing car proved to be a much more difficult project.

Following the 1978 season, the Brock A9X was sold and turned into a road car and remained in this state until nearly three years ago when Chiomi located and then bought it.

“While it still looked like it did in 1978 and still had the ‘05’ numbers on its doors, much of the racing equipment including the roll cage was gone,” she said. “We’ve spent a lot of time researching and rebuilding the car to the same specification as when Peter drove it and it has now been completed for just over a year.

“I’m just so sorry that Peter and the car won’t be reunited at Sandown. It would have been a special moment and that thought will be with us all meeting.”

To honour Peter Brock, a special memorial parade of some of his famous race cars will lead the Group C field on its warm-up lap around the circuit for its main race on Sunday. So while he won’t be at the wheel of his old Sandown winner, Chiomi and Tony will at least be in the same 'race'.

More than 300 historic racing, sports and touring cars have entered the Sandown meeting, which is sponsored by the VACC, Shannons, Tattersall’s and Wurth from November 10-12.

As well as a big grid of historic Group C and Group A touring cars, highlights of the meeting include the appearance of around 23 thundering Formula 5000 open wheeler V8 racing cars in a series of races, while off the circuit, an estimated 100 special cars from Brock Commodores and GT and GT HO Falcons will be the stars of the Shannons Show & Shine under the main grandstand.

[REDA9X]

There was an early race at sandown in 78. It wasn't a MANCHAMP or ATCC round. HDT only had the Harvey hatch and two sedans. One sedan was a shell that had been cut in half, one was an LX shell, this one is the LX shell.
I can tell you now when Chiomi bought the car it was plain white, I know because I used to see the car quite a bit and have photos of it. The guy who bought it from the wreckers though bought it still in the colours and had the photos of it when he picked it up.
On the protest side of things when Moffat finally got done for running roller rockers which was just one of the things he was known to be cheating with, he lodged a protest against HDT. Now here is how liberal and screwed up the rules of the day were. The rule said you could drill holes for the mounting of sway bays. Harry took this to the extreme when he built the Harvey hatch and cut holes in the splash guards to mount the front sway bay.
When John Sheppard took over in 78 he questioned this sway bar mounting with CAMS befoire the car was even raced in the 78 season. CAMS came back and said it was ok, yet when Moffat protested they were suspended for a round!
Funny thing is, who was cheif scrutineer in 78? None other than Harry Firth who also picked up HDT for having and over sized filler neck on the tank. Harry knew it was wrong because he built the car!

[its Paul]

Hi Chris, that looks like the No_ 76 car in the pic above.

What's the book called, wouldn't mind getting a copy.

LXSS, hahaha, I hear they use to use it to generate a little cash taking passengers up to the mountain in the HDT taxi, lol. :-)