primotipo…

Peter Brock pops his latest victory garland on the bonnet of his famous Austin A30 Holden sports-racing-closed machine at Hume Weir circa-1969. Perhaps after winning the June 1969 Australian Sports Sedan Trophy?

The realisation that there were a few very good colour shots in circulation of the self-built machine that pitched Brock into the spotlight, and thence into the Holden Dealer Team, is the catalyst for this piece.

For our international readers, Brock was rated as one of the world’s best ever touring car drivers by MotorSport some years ago. Top-Five if memory serves?

By the time PB was posted to Wagga Wagga for his two years of National Service in 1965’ish he was already a car nut, having cut his teeth as a ‘racer’ in the paddocks of his parents’ Wattle Glen property on Melbourne’s north-eastern outskirts. His mount was an Austin 7 Special; three of them actually, one owned by PB, another by his mate John Lovegrove, and a third parts-car

Peter and fellow ‘Nasho’ and old friend Ken Mitchell soon located the basis of a sports-racing-closed racer – this grouping of highly modified sedans was initially raced within sports car grids – an Austin A30, a crashed Holden HD 179 and a dead Triumph Herald.

The Austin, a good, straight car sans engine and gearbox, was found by David Turnbull, another Nasho, Brock mate, and later still an Elfin Formula Vee ace.

Construction commenced at the Kapooka Regimental Aid Post that ‘Colonel Brock’ commanded. Happily, the establishment had roads that doubled as a military ambulance racetrack and a workshop, which was soon devoted to extensive Brock A30 modifications.

Quick A30s weren’t that uncommon then, but they were usually fitted with hot BMC B-Series fours, not a brawny Holden six. The initially standard Holden ‘Red’ OHV, two-valve, seven bearing, 179 cid six-cylinder engine was mounted way back in the Austin chassis via an extensive hole hacked in the firewall by virtue of a new welding kit acquired for the exercise. The Triumph Herald remains provided some of the steel tube to brace the chassis weakened by holes and lightning by creating a full roll cage that was welded to the body.

A Holden (Opel) four-speed box’ replaced the standard Holden three-speeder that was first fitted, and sent its power via a shortened driveshaft to the Holden HD rear axle that was way wider than the Austin original. The rear axle was located by trailing arms at the top and an A-frame below, ‘the coil springs and shock absorbers (of unknown rate) came from a highly modified street racer (Austin Lancer) belonging to Heather’s (Peter’s first wife) brother, Geoff Russell.’

Up front, the upper and lower wishbone, coil spring/shock Herald front suspension, adapted to HD ball joints and uprights, was fitted to ‘match’ the rear track. The Herald provided the front disc brake calipers and rotors, and sharp rack and pinion steering components. Rudimentary but brutally attractive guard flares gave the little rocket its most distinctive styling element.

Back in civilian life, the partially completed car was famously finished in the chook shed at the bottom of the Brock garden!

By late 1967, the little beast was ready to rock and roll. Unable to test at Calder or Winton, given a lack of readies, several fast blasts on the outskirts of Watsonia had to suffice, giving the nuns residing in the local convent the thrills they eternally lacked.

Brock first raced it at Winton on the November 26 weekend. Fuel pick-up problems cruelled that run, but Brock soon solved the car’s problems and began an ongoing series of modifications which demonstrated mechanical flair and understanding later recognised by Ian Tate in PB’s Holden Dealer Team days.

Brock first showed his mettle by finishing second in a scratch race at Calder in late 1968 after a race long dice against thrice Australian Grand Prix winner, Doug Whiteford – a hard man who didn’t take prisoners – aboard a works Datsun 2000 prod-sports; a quite highly modified sports car.

The Holden engine copped triple 2-inch SUs, extractors and the usual mix of top and bottom end mods to give about 200bhp; plenty for a 700kg machine. Race tyres replaced the Goodyear Grand Prix roadies! and alloy wheels supplanted the heavier, 6-inch widened steel items initially fitted.

With Peter running up front at Victorian meetings he was soon enticed north of the Murray by Allan Horsley’s Oran Park start-money to run against the Sydney hotshots; NSW was then, arguably, the capital of sports-racing-closed.

The array of talent there was strong: Lynn Brown, Don Holland, Lakis Manticas, Harry Lefoe and later Australian Gold Star Champion, John Leffler, spring to mind. Harry Firth then chose the already well-credentialled Colin Bond and Brock to join the Holden Dealer Team as drivers in the 1969 Bathurst 500, Bondy winning on his HDT debut.

The rest, for both of them, is history, as the saying goes.

Twitchy, Demanding Little Bastard…

The net effect of the seat-of-the-pants mods made to the Austin by Brock and Ken Michell created a car that was about as wide as it was long. The short wheelbase made the car very responsive but equally unforgiving!

‘Conventional wisdom’, repeated down the decades, is that very successful prod-sports Austin Healey 3000 driver, Ross Bond, who bought the car from Brock in early 1970, never got to grips with it before the accident that killed the significant little machine. Recent research by my friend, Lynton Hemer, suggests that wasn’t the case.

‘A lot has been said over the years about the Peter Brock Austin A30, suggesting that he was the only one capable of driving it quickly. He raced the car for the last time at Oran Park on Saturday night 3rd January 1970.

‘In the 6 lap Sports Sedan and Touring Car Scratch Race, Brock was second home behind Pete Geoghegan in the Mustang, and set a new class lap record of 50.3 seconds. Later that night, in a race for Open and Closed Sports Cars started at 10.48 pm, he won from John Goss in the Tornado Ford 9mid-engined sports car), and Lynn Brown in the Mini, and set the exceptional time of 50.0.’

‘Ross Bond then ran the car, winning in late February, and then experiencing mechanical problems in his next outing. By the time he got the car where he wanted it, several other cars were vying for position at the front of the Sports Sedan fields.’

‘Barry Sharp debuted his Jaguar Ford, Wayne Rogerson the XT Falcon, John Leffler got his Mini up to speed, and Barry Seton was now running the very rapid Torana GTR. All of those cars were capable of equal or better times than the Austin, so Ross found himself in among traffic at almost every race, whereas Brock had been at the front of much less competitive fields.’

‘In September 1970, Ross Bond did a best lap of 50.4, not that far off Brock’s second-best time in the car. Perhaps history has been a little harsh on Ross Bond’s performance in the car…’

Etcetera…

Childhood fun times, and important driving and engineering lessons with the Austin 7s, above in 1959. John, Peter and Lewis Brock below in 1960.

Brocky looking as happy as I would after my National Service number came up! Australian Army mug shot, June 1965 (N Brock)

Ray Bell’s shot at Hume Weir circa 1968, early days. And Neil Baker’s below with the car looking more like its ultimate late-1969 spec, again at the Weir.

Credits…

John Brock-Brock Family Archive, Chris Neal, Russell Thorncraft, Lynton Hemer, Mark Oastler’s article about the car on Shannons’ website, Ray Bell, Neil Brock Archive, Neil Baker Collection, ‘Peter Brock Road to Glory’ by Colin Fulton and Terry Russell

Tailpiece…

Last run for Brock in the car was at Oran Park on January 3, 1970. The Diamond Valley Speed Shop was Geoff Brock, Peter’s dad’s, business. Are the wheels Simmons?

Finito…