The late Peter Brock’s 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship-winning Torana GTR XU-1 will go on auction.
One of Australia’s most famous racing cars, the Holden Dealer Team XU-1 was raced by Brock in the 1973 ATTC season, finishing second at Bathurst after it famously ran out of fuel and had to be pushed up pitlane by co-driver Doug Chivas.
It went on to win the manufacturer’s championship that year, before winning the South Pacific Touring Car Series in early 1974 and then wrapping up the 1974 ATCC title in the hands of Brock.
Built by HDT Chief Mechanic Ian Tate and team boss Harry Firth, the XU-1 Torana then disappeared from sight after it was replaced by the Torana SLR/5000.
The car was rediscovered in the early-’90s, sitting abandoned on a nature strip in Dandenong, where it had been for a decade.
The famous Torana racer was bought by Tate’s son Paul and restoration was then undertaken around the original shell, with the Tates estimating that around 95 percent of the restored XU-1 is still the original car, including its aluminium roll cage, bodyshell, and even its custom made Webber carburetors.
In 2006, the XU-1 was purchased by the current vendor, retaining its other period racing features.
The car will feature in Shannons’ upcoming Australian Muscle Cars auction from August 2-9.
Appealing to Holden and Brock collectors, it could sell in the $900,000-$1.2 million range.
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