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.

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.

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.

NZ Classic Car magazine, May/June 2026 issue 405, on sale now

Reincarnation of the snake
We are captivated by a top-quality sports car
The Shelby NZ build team at Matamata Panelworks has endured a long and challenging journey, culminating with the highly anticipated public unveiling of the 427SC and firing up of its sonorous V8 at the 2026 Ayrburn Classic Festival of Motoring in Queenstown on February 20. This is a New Zealand-built car with loads of character and potential.
The car is now back in Matamata, and I finally have an opportunity to get up close and personal with it. But before then, the question that must be asked is, “Why would ya?”
The first answer is easy, as mentioned in the last issue of New Zealand Classic Car (#404). It was a great way to use up all the surplus Mustang parts acquired while converting brand-new Mustangs into Shelbys. The unused new Mustang parts would be great in any kit car, but the 427SC in front of me cannot be classified as one.
This is not a kit car. The reality is that it is a high-quality, factory-made production car.
Possibly the second answer is because the CEO of Matamata Panelworks, Malcolm Sankey, wanted to build a replica of the car that is a distant relation to the Shelby Mustangs scattered around his showroom floor, a car created long before the first Mustang was even thought of, and the brainchild of Carroll Shelby back in the early ‘60s.