FOR SALE VIA PUBLIC AUCTION
Sunday 27 June, 2.30pm

ASB Showgrounds, Auckland
All lots are subject to a buyer’s premium of 15%+GST

Further info available on our website.

Whilst the great Australian driver, Peter Brock drove a number of other makes of motor cars throughout his distinguished career, it is his main association with the Holden marque with which he is remembered. Naturally, it is within the trans-Tasman environment for which Brock is best known and in particular with the performance cars that he was involved in building and racing, that did much to enhance his reputation with a great number of outstanding race performances especially at Bathurst. Whilst his Australian history has been widely reported and many weighty tomes committed to his skill, the Kiwi side of things is very much a less familiar story and indeed rarely reported.
At the instigation of Robin Curtis, the then GMNZ press officer of General Motors New Zealand, it was decided to quietly enlist Peter Brock and his brothers, Phil and Lewis, along with a dedicated band of GMNZ workers at their Trentham (Hutt Valley) plant, to build the ultimate limited-edition Holden SS Commodore cars with the sole aim of winning the prestigious Benson and Hedges sponsored racing series. The homologation rules of production car racing at the time required that a minimum of 25 units had to be built on a locally based production line.

The task for Peter and Phil was to construct these vehicles to an upgraded specification which included suspension, body and engine modifications and in total just 30 vehicles were built, with 29 finished in white with red and blue accents, and one in black specifically for the then GMNZ Manager.

From a marketing stand point GMNZ justified this production run on the basis that the New Zealand public needed a V8 to tow their caravans and boats! In support of this was the additional statement that the 5 litre V8 powered SS Commodore was the fastest saloon car ever built in New Zealand. No doubt this was all true but financially, due to the small production run and with dealers complaining that the price tag of $30,509 was too cheap, the planned additional car builds never eventuated. Such marketing seemed to be lost on those dealers selling the car however, as the objective was as much as anything to elevate the Holden brand from its then current position in New Zealand passenger car sales.

The end result and as a consequence of Brock expertise, GMNZ received a 200 km/h vehicle that had the propensity to embarrass its counterparts from Fisherman's Bend, helped by the removal of the power sapping pollution gear from the engines, for which there was no requirement here in NZ.

On paper, the difference was not substantial with a power increase from 180kw at 4750 rpm to 184kw however, there was a marked improvement across the whole speed range with carefully prepared SS Commodores putting out as much as 220kw (300bhp) close to 20% better than a standard V8. These engines were built under Brock's supervision and remained very similar to the Aussie version apart from the modified inlet manifold, bigger valves and a more efficient twin exhaust system. Effectively this car was considered a pocket rocket!

Needless to say, with these modifications these cars were soon winning with sublime ease, being ably piloted by the pairings of Brock/ Oxton, Hulme/Jansen, Crichton/Wilkinson and others, but it is their specification that makes these cars so unique to this country.

With the initial batch quickly snapped up, GM were tempted to do a further run but build issues and interference with other vehicle production, scheduling for so few vehicles meant a lack of viability. Besides they had now proved their point with the New Zealand SS Commodore consigned, despite its success, to being just a one-run model of just 30 cars.

This example up for auction bears a Certificate of Authority issued by HDT Pty Ltd signed by Lewis Brock declaring it to be Build Number 05/30. It was first registered on 29 November 1982. Recorded mileage is 246,277km. It presents in very good condition and the proud vendor has not been lethargic in terms of money spent on the vehicle, having had the engine completely overhauled, including the replacement of a non-standard camshaft, fitment of a new Rochester carburettor, new alternator, brake master cylinder and battery. A full list of work enacted is available on request from Webb's. As an aside the under-bonnet has been signed by the Brock brothers Phil and Lewis, along with David 'Skippy' Parsons, who was for many years a regular co-driver with Peter Brock at Bathurst.

By way of conclusion, to Webb's knowledge very few of these rare Kiwi built Holdens SS Commodores are ever offered to the discerning collector market, making this 1982 Kiwi built automobile superior to virtually anything available anywhere else in the world.