(Jeff Nield)
Colin Bond finessing the Holden Dealer Teams Holden Torana GTR XU1 Repco thru Murrays Corner, Bathurst, Easter 1973…
In fact ‘twas as much Brocky’s as Bondy’s as they tended to drive this Repco Holden F5000 V8 engined ‘Sports Sedan’ (Oz anything goes taxi category) in their home states. Peter Brock in Victoria and Bond in NSW, I suppose Holden Dealer Team chief Harry Firth worked out who drove the thing elsewhere.
By that stage Sports Sedans were starting to get a bit more scientific, check out my article on John McCormack’s Chrysler Valiant Charger Repco F5000 which provides both era context and some car specifics;
This press shot a couple of days before the cars Sandown race debut in April 1973 shows the mid-mounted location of the cast iron Repco Holden F5000 V8, and change for the 4 speed Borg Warner ‘box, the engine cover provided some heat absorption, but not much! (M Bisset Collection/Melbourne Herald)
Harry decided to chase the ‘Toby Lee Sports Sedan Series’ $ at Oran Park and cobbled together this car which was the marriage of an LJ Torana chassis with a Repco Holden 500BHP injected F5000 V8 which was mounted right next to the driver to keep him warm.
Other specifications included a Borg Warner T10 four-speed tranny, Rose jointed, solidly mounted, coil-sprung Watts linkage rear end and wishbone and coil spring front end were the suspension modes. Brakes were F5000 issue calipers clamping HQ Holden rotors front and rear.
The car began life in ’71 as an HDT Bathurst 500 Series Production car and in ’72 was Frank Kilfoyle’s rally car before being gutted for its new role, Chris De Fraga reported in ‘The Age’ before the cars debut as a Sports Sedan at Sandown on 13-15 April 1973. It didn’t win too much in the way of major events but was a massive crowd pleaser and fast with two of the countries best steerers twiddling its MoMo.
Back to Bathurst Easter in 1973. Col Bond won all three of his races over the weekend in ‘The Beast’ with Peter Brock, in a good meeting for the Holden Dealer Team, sharing the Production Touring Car wins in an XU1 with John Goss’ Ford Falcon GT Coupe.
Credit…
Nigel Tait Collection/ Repco Ltd, Jeff Nield
Tailpiece: Brock at Calder, LC/LJ Toranas’ such a great looking car, the bellow of this injected V8 one not to be missed. Wheels are by Mawer Engineering in Sydney, very popular on Touring Cars and Clubmans of the day…
Finito…
primotipo... 