A grid-load of Bathurst heroes will line up for Shannons Sydney Spring Classic Auction November 7, one month after the annual Great Race on this coming Sunday.
The auction’s stars showcase 50 years of some of the greatest ‘Bathurst specials’ used to homologate road cars for racing at the legendary Mount Panorama circuit, with several closely linked to nine-time winner Peter Brock.
Of particular interest in the upcoming Shannons Sydney auction is a 1969 Holden HT GTS 350 ‘Bathurst’ Monaro – the ultimate incarnation of the iconic first-generation Monaro.
Featuring a 350cui Chevrolet V8 and Saginaw 4-speed manual, the HT GTS 350 was Holden’s answer to the new 351cui Ford Falcon GT-HOs and E38 Valiant Charger R/Ts.
Peter Brock first raced at Bathurst in 1969 as part of Harry Firth’s newly formed Holden Dealer Team, bringing his HT GTS 350 Monaro home in third place with veteran Des West.
Owned by one family since new, the Verdoro Green Monaro being sold by Shannons is unrestored and presents in complete survivor condition.
Extensive paperwork, including the original sales receipt, proves the car’s exceptional provenance, while it has been kept in the dry climate of the NSW Riverina region since new.
The rarity and huge desirability of this piece of Australian motoring history has seen Shannons list a guiding range of $130,000-$150,000.
For 1970, Holden changed tack at Bathurst, switching from the GTS Monaro to the LC Torana GTR, hoping to combat the big V8s with a small, lightweight six-cylinder coupe.
But it wasn’t until the rain-soaked 1972 race that the Torana’s giant-killing pedigree was cemented, when Peter Brock took the first of his nine wins at Mount Panorama in his LJ GTR XU-1 Torana.
Sold new in the same year, the Cyan Blue XU-1 being auctioned by Shannons on November 7 has been owned since the early 1990s and retains its original “JP” 202cui Red six-cylinder engine block.
Offered from a deceased estate, the XU-1 is expected to sell in the $65,000-$75,000 range.
Representing the peak of Brock’s road car-building HDT empire, the VK Commodore SS Group A was the first local car built to the new international Group A touring car regulations, taking over from the Australian Group C rules.
Known as the ‘Blue Meanie’ due its Formula Blue paint and high-performance 4.9-litre V8, 502 SS Group As were built, with the car going up for auction on November 7 being number 327 – a great Holden number associated with the first GTS327 Monaro.
While early versions of the Holden VK used the 308-cid (5044cc) V8, HDT-modified VK Group A sedans were powered by a modified 304-cid (4987cc) engine to put the cars in a more competitive capacity class for Group A touring car racing.
Surviving examples have become sought-after collectors’ items, with the clean example being auctioned on November 7 expected to sell with ‘no reserve’ in the $65,000-$75,000 range.
