Photos from the recent 2007 All Holden Day, All Ford Day, All Clubs Day & AMC Masters

[motorsportnerd]

Hi all.
Some of you may remember that I posted a thread a while back on forthcoming events in NSW. Well, many of those events are now over. So far I've attended the All-Holden Day, the All-Ford Day, the All-Clubs Day and the Australian Muscle Car Masters.
I caught up with Nota at the AMC Masters - and believe we missed out on catching up with Whiteballz (apologies mate, I meant to contact you last week and was so busy I forgot).
Each of the events were well worth the time, effort and money to attend (though they were relatively inexpensive events to attend - the AMC Masters cost $35, the All-Clubs day $15, and the other two $5 each).
There are still some events left to go (see the earlier thread). The big one I guess been the 2007 Australian Motor Show in Sydney.

Anyway, here goes with some photos from the four events I've attended so far.

Starting with the All-Holden day. There were about 1,500 Holdens of all ages and sizes on display and a massive crowd turn out. Seems Australian car lovers really do like their Holdens.

So, here's the first batch of pictures.

1 & 6. An absolutely immaculate 1971 Holden HG Belmont Station Wagon with only 29,000 miles on the clock.
2 & 3. An immaculate 1956 Holden FE Special with a just 30,000 miles on the clock.
4 A 1969 Holden Monaro HK GTS 327
5 A much newer 2006 Holden Commodore VZ Maloo Ute

(note: I decided to put this thread in the Australian cars section due to its heavy focus on Australian built cars or cars significant to Australian racing history).

[motorsportnerd]

1. I thought for a second I'd wandered into a Toyota car club display. An inter-loper in the form of the Holden Apollo - which was nothing more than a rebadged Toyota Camry. This late 1980s one appeared to be in good nick.
2. Another weird "Holden". This time its the Holden Piazza, a car imported from Isuzu in Japan and rebadged as Holden in the period 1986-88.
3. An mid-70s Holden SLR5000
4. Another SLR500
5. An bit of nostalgia in the NRMA Holden HZ Panel Van
6. The type of car that gave parents of teenage girls nightmares in the late 70s - a pimping Holden (HJ?) Panel Van

[motorsportnerd]

A selection of cars from the late Peter Brock's Holden Dealer Team operation - the officially endorsed Holden special vehicles operation of the 1980s, similar to BMW M-Sport division or the relationship between AMG and Mercedes. Since the late 1980s, Holden's official special vehicles operation has been HSV.

1. 1984 Holden HDT Statesman Magnum.
2. 1981 Holden HDT Commodore VC
3. 1983 Holden HDT Commodore VH Group 3
4. 1985 Holden HDT Commodore VK Group A (this was the car that was built as an evolution special to allow the Commodore V8 to be more competitive in Group A saloon car racing in the 1980s).
5. 1987 Holden HDT Commodore VL Group A. In early 1987, Peter Brock's relationship with Holden turned sour following Brock's endorsement of the so-called Energy Polariser - a devise that used "crystals" to magically transform a car's behaviour. Holden didn't agree and requested Brock not fit them to the cars. Brock refused to remove the devise. The VL Group A was the last Brock built Commodore to be officially endorsed by Holden. In fact, most of the VL Group As were built by Holden, with only a small number (150 from memory), going on to Brock to have further enhancements such as the polariser fitted (actually - that was the only modification over the regular Group A) and be given Brock's signature. This car is one of the of the so called Group A "Plus Pack" cars. The very final straw in the relationship came when Brock introduced the VL Director to the media before Holden had been given a car to run through the Australian Design Rules approval process (necessary for full manufacturer's warranty). The Director caused the relationship between Brock and Holden fall apart. Unfortunately there were none of the few Directors that HDT built present at the All-Holden Day.
6. 1987 HDT Commodore VL Group 3. The first car put out by the HDT organisation following the collapse of the relationship with Holden.

[motorsportnerd]

1. Another look at the 1987 Holden HDT Commodore VL Group A.
2. The first car produced by Tom Walkinshaw's Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) operation , which replaced Brock's Holden Dealer Team as the builder of hot factory approved Holdens: the 1988 Holden HSV Commodore VL Group A EFi "Walkinshaw".
3 & 4. A 1986 Holden Commodore VL Turbo Highway Patrol car - still in the Highway Patrol colours
5. A 1950 Holden 48-215
6. A Holden Monaro HG

[motorsportnerd]

A selection of 1970s Holden full-sized family cars:

1. A Holden HQ (built between 1971 & 74).
2. A Holden HQ GTS.
3. A Holden HJ (built between 1974 & 76).
4. A Holden HZ Wagon (built between 1977 & 80).
5. A Holden HX (built between 1976 & 77).
6. A Holden HZ GTS (built between 1977 & 80).

[motorsportnerd]

On now to the All-Ford day. There were about 1,500 cars on display at Warwick Farm racecourse a week after the All-Holden day. The crowd wasn't as large as the previous week, but there was still a big turn out.
As reflects the long history of the Ford Motor Company (which has built cars in Australia since the 1930s) in Australia and the fact that Ford has imported a vast array of cars from the US, England and Japan over the decades, there was a great variety of cars on display - from the Australian Falcons, to the early model Model-Ts, the US Mustangs and the English Escorts, Cortinas and Sierras. No Japanese imported Lasers or Telstars however. I guess there isn't a sufficient enthusiast following for these cars at this stage - though I expect the Laser TX3 AWD Turbo to gain a greater following in the future.

Anyway, to start off, a selection of Escorts:

1 & 2. 1993 Ford Escort RS Cosworth.
3. An Escort Mk 1
4. An Escort Mk 2
5 & 6 Escort RS2000.

[2ndclasscitizen]

Originally Posted by motorsportnerd

5. 1987 Holden HDT Commodore VL Group A. In early 1987, Peter Brock's relationship with Holden turned sour following Brock's endorsement of the so-called Energy Polariser - a devise that used "crystals" to magically transform a car's behaviour. Holden didn't agree and requested Brock not fit them to the cars. Brock refused to remove the devise. The VL Group A was the last Brock built Commodore to be officially endorsed by Holden. In fact, most of the VL Group As were built by Holden, with only a small number (150 from memory), going on to Brock to have further enhancements such as the polariser fitted and be given Brock's signature. This car is one of the of the so called Group A "Plus Pack" cars. The very final straw in the relationship came when Brock introduced the VL Director to the media before Holden had been given a car to run through the Australian Design Rules approval process (necessary for full manufacturer's warranty). The Director caused the relationship between Brock and Holden fall apart. Unfortunately there were none of the few Directors that HDT built present at the All-Holden Day.

The VL Director was also notable for being the first Aussie car to have IRS.

[nota]

Originally Posted by 2ndclasscitizen

The VL Director was also notable for being the first Aussie car to have IRS.

Did someone say Notable?!?!

Lest we forget

1951 Hartnett (125 built)
1957 Goggomobile (5000 built 1957-62)
1962 Morris Mini 850 *
1964 Morris 1100 *
196? Austin 1800 *
1969 Morris 1500 *
1970 Austin X6 *
1981 Ford Laser (?)
1985 Mitsubishi Magna (?)

1987 HDT VL Director (9 built?)

* denotes high production
(?) unsure if twist-beam or IRS

Not included in the above list would be well over a hundred thousand more locally produced IRS equipped vehicles too numerous to mention from Renault, Peugeot, VW, Hillman, Triumph, Rover, Mercedes, Borgward, Citroen, etc etc .. all of which precede by many decades those inconsequentially few yet 'fabled' IRS HDTs of 1987

Comments?

[clutch-monkey]

great pics msn. a lot of homegrown muscle!

[Blue Supra]

i like it! I guess i will see you at the mo show

[2ndclasscitizen]

Originally Posted by nota

Did someone say Notable?!?!

Lest we forget

1951 Hartnett (125 built)
1957 Goggomobile (5000 built 1957-62)
1962 Morris Mini 850 *
1964 Morris 1100 *
196? Austin 1800 *
1969 Morris 1500 *
1970 Austin X6 *
1981 Ford Laser (?)
1985 Mitsubishi Magna (?)

1987 HDT VL Director (9 built?)

* denotes high production
(?) unsure if twist-beam or IRS

Not included in the above list would be well over a hundred thousand more locally produced IRS equipped vehicles too numerous to mention from Renault, Peugeot, VW, Hillman, Triumph, Rover, Mercedes, Borgward, Citroen, etc etc .. all of which precede by many decades those inconsequentially few yet 'fabled' IRS HDTs of 1987

Comments?

Well, that the Director was the first Aussie IRS car was in "Lemon", there was quite a large write-up on it :P

[motorsportnerd]

It was certainly the first Aussie built "Holden" (though Holden disowned it) to have IRS.
Except the Hartnett, I think most of the cars on Nota's list were Australianised (as in tuned to Aust conditions, and either assembled or manufacturered here) versions of overseas cars, so in that sense, perhaps, the Director can be regarded as the first fully Australian car with IRS. With only nine built, it was hardly a production car though.
I am yet to actually see a Director on the road or at a show either - so I'm not sure any of those nine cars are in Sydney.
For those who don't know what an HDT VL Director looks like, picture attached.

Also, I'll continue posting photos from the events I attended later this evening after work.

[fpv_gtho]

Originally Posted by nota

Did someone say Notable?!?!

Thats gold

Originally Posted by MSN

so in that sense, perhaps, the Director can be regarded as the first fully Australian car with IRS.

Well the body is modified from an Opel, but everything underneath is Holden.

[nota]

Originally Posted by fpv_gtho

Thats gold

Well the body is modified from an Opel, but everything underneath is Holden.

Yes and its hard to argue against a proposition that the 1970-on Austin X6 is any less unique, or indeed less Australian than a VL Commodore. Both featured distinct bodyshells from their core European design base, and the Austin is probably less recognisable from its origins. If anything the Austins appear more 'localised' in bodyshell and mechanicals. For example most Holden VLs were fitted with imported engines & gearboxes while all X6 engines were of world-unique design and manufactured here

[SlickHolden]

Top job as always MSN..

Them Directors are not my fav looking car... The VK director was a far betting looking kit.

But out of all the First opel re bodied cars the VL by far stands out on it's own, It's more unique in front and rear from the almost clown VB-VK series. I think that is why it's still liked and very close to the top of most car fans list.