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Aussie muscle: ’87 Holden VL Group A Plus Pack

14 April, 2017

 


 

 

The SS Group A series existed primarily as a homologation special, created specifically so that a racing-optimized version could be used for Group A touring-car racing.

The Holden Commodore SS Group A was a series of four motor vehicles built by Australian manufacturer Holden and then heavily modified by Holden’s official performance tuner — originally the Holden Dealer Team (HDT), then later Holden Special Vehicles (HSV). The SS Group A series of cars existed primarily as a homologation special, created specifically so that a racing-optimized version of the Holden Commodore could be used for Group A touring-car motor racing.

This 1987 Holden VL SS Group A Plus Pack was purchased by its current owner in 1998. Being the more desired Plus Pack model, it features revised springs and anti-roll bars, as well as revised front-suspension geometry and changed spring mounting pads. It also has improved cylinder-head coolingwith the introduction of an extra water passage to the head and a higher pressure fuel pump.

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The owner had the car professionally repainted in the original Permanent Red some years ago. At the same time, he removed the engine and had the engine bay resprayed as well. While the engine was out, he decided that he might as well have it completely stripped and rebuilt with new rings, bearings, and a performance camshaft, recommended by an HDT engine specialist in Australia, as well as a new heavy-duty clutch. 

The Commodore’s interior is in perfect original condition, and the owner, who was president of the Commodore Car Club of New Zealand for several years, has enjoyed participating in many club events. The patron of the club was in fact the legend himself, Peter Brock, who had seen this car on several occasions during trips to New Zealand. On one particular occasion, while the car was on display at Schofield Holden in Auckland, where Brock was on hand for a signing of a book written by Bev Brock, the owner couldn’t resist the temptation, to ask Peter to sign the car, and he kindly put his signature on the glove box, immediately beneath the build-plate number, which is No. 135.

For this long-time Peter Brock fan it was a very special moment, and indeed one he’ll remember forever. 

 

 

This iconic Australian muscle car is reluctantly offered for sale at $59,500, representing outstanding value in today’s collector market — for further enquiries, contact Bruce on 0274 942 505.


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Janspeed recreates the Jaguar sports car

29 September, 2026

Thankfully, a few of these cars made it to New Zealand, the odd one being imported from the UK over the years. However, the 1988 British Racing Green example owned by Bill Slater in Upper Hutt was originally sold as a standard car but converted using the full Janspeed kit by the first owner within a couple of years of buying it.
Bill has owned a few other Jaguars. In fact, after he sold his Jaguar XJ12 in 2018, he found himself pining for another and, when the XJ-S came up for sale, he could not resist it. Having just sold the V12, he was not expecting much from the six-cylinder car other than more reliability and it being cheaper to keep on the road. Naturally, he had heard of the influence Janspeed had on the marque, but it was not until he took the car for a test drive that he became aware of just how superior it was to the car he had just sold. The price of a second-hand Janspeed XJ-S and that of a standard 3.6 XJ-S is quite comparable, making the Janspeed version an incredible bargain, even more so in comparison with other performance classic cars — or even modern cars, for that matter — which cost far more bucks for the bang.

The writing on the wall

25 September, 2026

Deven, a digital content producer in his 20s, says it was the rear-drive Nissan and Toyota drift cars that fired his imagination in his not-so-distant youth and soon had him wanting one of his own. However, like most of us, he had to start in something less glamorous – in his case, a 1997 Mitsubishi Galant. After that, he bought a four-litre V8 1991 Toyota Soarer, a big change from the Mitsubishi.
“It was my daily driver, and it wasn’t that bad to run back when petrol was affordable,” he says.
When he got fed up with filling it up, Deven bought a 1989 Ford Laser sedan, a 1.3-litre five-speed manual, to be his daily driver. It’s in very good condition, bought from a careful older driver, and he still runs it – although he will occasionally also drive the latest in a series of Nissan Laurel sedans. His current one, from 1993, has done the lowest number of kilometres yet, at 183,000. It has the single-cam version of the engine in his Skyline.
“I’ve had four different versions of that car. It was just a car I always liked. It’s really comfortable, quite luxurious. I bought it from a 90-year-old in Hamilton. It’s in mint condition, and everything is standard.”