253 replies to this topic

[REDA9X]

HAHAHA, It's Barry not berry, and I have to love this line in red. Clearly you don't read any of Barrys posts. I wasn't aware Harry ever received a knighthood, so he's not Sir.

Hi Berry.

No not todays education more like yesterdays oldskool see im 54 years old,

But you bazza  sound like your a young fella that reads a lot but know nothing about Torana,(Sir Harry Firth) to you or GM H,

Dude  I bought my first V8 Torana in 1976 at the age of 17 and I have owned at least one of them till today,

Just for the record the name Holden was an Australian name but that's it,

Once GMC bought it it became a bitsa what else can you call a cross between ( GMC American,Opel German, Voxhull English,

The name Holden was given to the car only to boost sales as an Australian Motor car

Remember that an old car with no proven history is nothing more then roling art.

PS have a nice day     

[xu2308]

Harry is a guru for sure, maybe should be knighted when tony the pm brings it back in for sure.

[yel327]

Now even I can sort pedantic from rational common sense logic.

Harry might never have received a knighthood from the actual Queen but I know that Bill Bourke and all Fraud fans started calling him Sir Harry after Dundoon, Bourke,Vaughan helped him develop 200 GT falcoons in 1967. In 1966 Fraud had lost $10m big ones and where in deep trouble against GMH, but come 1967 thanks to the public's response to the new GT falcoon the "Win on Sunday Sell on Monday" image means the XR falcoon series turned 1967 into a $12m profit for fraud. Not only that they finally achieved 20% of the oz market and much of that gain was from GMH whom went down to just under 40% of the oz market.

Now as far as I am aware 1967 XR Falcoon was the last Falcoon to win any COTY title.

Harry Firth new bloody well that Motor racing and the image of winning worked for oz car sales. I am positive Harry leaving was a big influence on the aggressive and successful Bourke leaving the top dog job in 1970 as he like Harry new how much power was in winning on the track and the development of hero cars. He converted 500 usa mustangs to RHD as he new the racing image the stangs held in the trans-am racing.

Look at the aluminium LX panel pressings that Harry Firth conducted, that alone tells you why Harry was so important because unlike the conservative spineless beancounters running GMH he new that profits meant bigger budget for his love Racing.

The fact is Holden fans should be calling him Sir Harry for what he did to get the XU-1's and L34 onto the podium. Harry put up with a lot of rubbish from the penny pinching conservative GMH beancounters who had zero idea about racing and success. One read of Harrys letters about all the quality control and the reliability issues show just how frustrated he was about races he should have been winning. GMH just had zero drive and no killer instinct like Bill Bourke had shown with his aggressive moves. Take a look at how Stillwell and Crusack they changed from GMH to Fraud dealerships because Bourke was aggressive and had drive. Stillwell was in the top 3 Holden dealership in Oz and yet Holden had zero clue what was happening right under their noses.

People always ask me why I am so hard on GMH and the penny pinching. All I ever have to do is go to a hoist with a standard V8 torana (not a9x) in the air and say look at that driveline and engine and that will answer your question without me saying anything. It was the cheapest ill designed bustard ass gear they could put into any car. Its a joke and Harry had to make it a race car.

Harry in my book should have been knighted for putting up with the BS and of course his impeccable service to red and blue motor racing and his rub off back into car manufacturing.

+ Sir Harry just sounds good.

 

You forgot what he did to get the HT GTS350 onto the podium as well.

[REDA9X]

Where has our mate Allan disappeared to?? Did the UFO come back and take him?

[xu2308]

Haaaa Red
If the UFO had come back, the RAAF boy's would be in town with there geiger counters and lead box's and soil sample containers, i am still around

[REDA9X]

Good to see you're around Allan

Wow I obviously hit a nerve with the Sir comment didn't I. I don't have a problem with Harry becoming a Sir at all, I was just pointing out a fact. Harry has contributed more to motorsport than pretty much anyone since to be honest.

My main point was Barry being refered to as a young fella who has no idea. Couldn't be much further from the truth.

[xu2308]

Harry has a Order of Australia Medal, I think

[sagman]

That would be an OAM , and i am sure he is also an official Australian Sporting Legend as well ...

 

 Laz

[S pack]

Hi Joe

 

Why would GMH destroy those two GTR's when they could sell them (as they did your orange GTR) and recoup some value from them?

 

Cheers

Dave.

[RallyRed]

wow....Amazing to see you on here Joe..love to know more mate!!

[xu2308]

I heard a story that the higher ranked GMH guys only knew about the sale of the other two GTR's, my guess John Bagshaw knew about it and Bill Gibb the GMH MD, The 3-GTR's were still at GMH Engineering when Ray Borrett started working there, my guess that was in 1973, So some time in 1973 or 1974 they were Sold.
AL

[xu2308]

The White LJ V8 Prototype for sale

1 of 6 Prototypes ??????? made by GMH, March 1974 Newspaper Ad

 

AL

 

Attached Files

•  torana prototype.jpg   18.01K   4 downloads

[xu2308]

The start of the phone number is 20

after some Detective Work the 20 number back in the day was South Yarra in Victoria a neighbour to the Prestige suburb of Toorak, GMH had Company Houses out in that area.

 

AL

[Shiney005]

Exciting stuff!!!!

[xu2308]

Yeah

as the White one has escaped with a 308

[Shiney005]

I wonder if over the years, someone might have taken out the 308 to bring the car back to "standard" without realising it was fitted by the factory?

[xu2308]

I wonder if its still around in Victoria ????????

[xu2308]

From The Torana Tough Book a GMH Photo of a White LJ GTR Torana, it has Black interior, might it be the White GTR V8 Prototype ???  image.jpg   243.35K   5 downloads

[Shiney005]

What exhaust poked out the back of these things? The same two tips from one muffler, or a twin system like the SL/R?