“PETER PERFECT”, “The King of the Mountain”, or simply “Brocky” were some of the nicknames dedicated to one of Australia’s best-known and most successful motor racing drivers in history.
Considered a Holden icon by many, race-car driver Peter Brock dominated tracks across the country, winning the Australian Touring Car Championship three times, placing runner-up five times and earning the pole position a record 57 times.
He won Bathurst nine times and was inducted into the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame in 2001.
Part of his legacy the final official Brock Holden Dealer Team model, the VL SS Group A Commodore was manufactured and numbered one to 500, equipped with quick and agile features.
Always wanting a Brock Commodore of his own, Alf Bamford said he could not miss out on the opportunity when he found a dealership selling one of the limited edition vehicles on behalf of a deceased estate.
“Of course the car had to be a Brock VL commodore and only 500 of these were built,” Mr Bamford said.
“My particular car is the Brock VL Group A Plus Pack and is one of only 173 ever built, making it even more rare.
“The Plus Pack is the higher spec Group A and is the only VL to carry Brock’s signature.”
Mr Bamford said the car was fitted with revised springs and anti-roll bars as well as revised front suspension geometry and changed spring mounting pads.
“It also has improved cylinder head cooling with an extra water passage to the head and a higher pressure fuel pump,” he said.
“A free flow extractor exhaust system has been fitted, starting from the heads, heavy duty con-roads and crankshaft, Crane roller rockers and a lightened flywheel.
“This is all mated to the Borg Warner T5G five-speed transmission.”
Mr Bamford said the car also featured the infamous energy polariser which was a small box containing crystals, two small magnets and was filled with epoxy resin.
“These were the only added to the signed Peter Brock Plus Pack vehicles to tap into the mythical ‘orgone energy’,” he said.
“This caused a rift between Holden and Peter Brock from which there was no coming back.”
According to research, Holden could see no technical merit in the polariser and thus refused to fit it to the cars, so Brock refused to put decals with his signature on cars without it.
As a result, Brock’s signature only appears on the higher spec Plus Pack variant.
“I just love the car, VL models are the best to drive and with this one being so rare and its story,” Mr Bamford said.
