Holden Racing Cars: Five Of The Very Best

Built To Win


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With Holden preparing for life after local manufacturing, it seems like a good time for a little nostalgia.

For decades the brand's been winning races in Aussie-made cars.

While today's Supercars as far removed from showroom models than they've ever been, the faithful still bleed red.

The "win on Sunday, buy on Monday" mantra continues to ring true for many.

Holden's been in motorsport since before most of us can remember, racking up 500 touring car and Supercar race wins along the way as well as 32 wins at Bathurst.

That's before we get to some of the most famous motor racing names this country's ever produced.

The late great Peter Brock, Craig Lowndes, Mark Skaife, Larry Perkins and Jamie Whincup all honed their craft and did their best work behind the wheel of the Lion.

It's not the end of the road for Holden in motorsport, with the company committed to developing the new German-made ZB Commodore for Supercars in 2018 and beyond.

With such a celebrated history, there's a lot for the car to live up, and here are five of our favourites.


HOLDEN COMMODORE VF


Leaving the best until last is how the VF rolls.

The final racer based on a locally-made Commodore has also got the most to boast about, winning more than 100 races and 3 Supercars Championships since being wheeled out in 2013.

Three-straight Bathurst 1000s ink its place in the history books.

 

HOLDEN TORANA A9X

 

Ah yes, the one Brocky and Jim Richards steered to the chequered flag in 1978 and '79.

Brock's 6 lap winning margin in the big V8 in 1979 will go down as (arguably) the most dominant of any of the Bathurst races, and from there the "Peter perfect" legend only grew.

 


HOLDEN MONARO HK 327 GTS

 

The iconic two-door model showed Australia could produce a homegrown sports coupe up there with some of the world's best.

It was also pretty handy on a racetrack, winning Sandown and Bathurst just months after going on sale in 1968.


HOLDEN TORANA GTR XU-1

 

Ford's resurgence at the beginning of the seventies led to plenty of headaches in the Holden garage.

The V8-powered Monaro looked good, but was getting owned out on track.

The Torano GTR XU-1 proved it wasn't all about size, with its handling and overall package delivering Brock win number one of an eventual 9 wins at Mount Panorama.

Incredibly, it wasn't even a V8 - there was a six cylinder engine under the bonnet packing 200hp.


HOLDEN COMMODORE VK

 

Forever known as the "last of the big bangers," the outlandish bodykit with flares you could hide under proved an imposing presence on track.

Built to GROUP C touring car rules at the time, the VK went one-two (led, yes, by Brocky) at Bathurst.

The rest, as they say... is history.


NOT FORGOTTEN...

HOLDEN COMMODORE VE, HOLDEN MONARO HT GTS 350, HOLDEN TORANA LC, HOLDEN COMMODORE VX...

 

Sean Maynard

17 October 2017

Article by:

Sean Maynard




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