.. a new A9X Torrie anyone?

[Smitty]

... want one of these ? a NEW road version of this?




got $250,000? yes... well you can! under development, with specs below







2024 Drive South Hatch Specifications
The first Drive South Hatch will include:


Chassis: CAD-Designed Extruded and Bonded Aluminium, Integrated Chrome Moly Roll Cage/Side Impact Protection

Body: Composite (Glass Fibre) Panels

Engine: GM Performance LS3 6.2L V8 – 320KW, 580NM, Fuel Injection

Transmission: Tremec TR6060 6 Speed Manual or GM 6L80 6 Speed Auto

Differential: Strange 9 Inch LSD with IRS – 35 spline axles

Brakes: Wilwood 320mm rotors with 4 piston calipers front and rear

Front Suspension: 3D Designed Double Wishbone, Tubular A Arms, Coil Over Shocks

Steering: Electric/Hydraulic Power Rack

Rear Suspension: 3D Designed Independent Tubular Multi Link

Wheels: 18x8/9 Koya Forged Aluminium

Interior: Leather Trimmed Front Recaro Seats, Carbon Dash Panel


Screenshot 2024-07-02 100848.jpg



rather interesting if this gets off the ground ..!

[whitels1ss]

That looks cool but would be well out of my price range!

[Smitty]

That looks cool but would be well out of my price range!

so say most of us.... but there is a market out there for cars like this

says he ..... who has 2 mates who sold their circa 1978 A9X 2 doors and made over $300 large at auction!

[whitels1ss]

so say most of us.... but there is a market out there for cars like this

says he ..... who has 2 mates who sold their circa 1978 A9X 2 doors and made over $300 large at auction!

I could think of better things & nicer driving cars to spend $300 large on.

I have bought, driven & sold plenty of all 3 brands of Aussie muscle cars over my life, (plenty of other brands also, I have bought, owned & sold many thousands of cars)
to be honest I can't see the value in what the market is paying for them these days
compared with far more special & classic cars from the same time.

[Smitty]

I could think of better things & nicer driving cars to spend $300 large on.

I have bought, driven & sold plenty of all 3 brands of Aussie muscle cars over my life, (plenty of other brands also, I have bought, owned & sold many thousands of cars)
to be honest I can't see the value in what the market is paying for them these days
compared with far more special & classic cars from the same time.

I sold my HT HTS 350 Bathurst Monaro ( ....manual with large tank) for $4,000 in the mid 70s.
A bit of a special, American Racing mags, extractors minus the middle muffers exhaust and a glorious 8 track system, I thought I got a good deal (trade-in on an early LJ XU1)

I cry every time I see one these days

[whitels1ss]

I sold my HT HTS 350 Bathurst Monaro ( ....manual with large tank) for $4,000 in the mid 70s.
A bit of a special, American Racing mags, extractors minus the middle muffers exhaust and a glorious 8 track system, I thought I got a good deal (trade-in on an early LJ XU1)

If you gave me the choice of both of those cars to take for a Sunday drive I would pick the HT GTS 350.

I have never been all that fond of the XU1's.

[Smitty]

If you gave me the choice of both of those cars to take for a Sunday drive I would pick the HT GTS 350.

I have never been all that fond of the XU1's.

horses for courses... an LJ XU1 would eat a GTS350 up a mountain or winding road, one up.
4 up the GTS would be as quick (weight kills XU1, no torque you see) but the GTS350 was killing
me money wise. It ate brakes, the weekly fill of avgas was not helping plus mine had this HT GTS350 manual
tailshaft issue.. which was corrected on the HG GTS 350. And having driven one of those after
I sold the HT GTS, I am kicking myself on buying the XU1.

I went slightly sideways with cars after joining GMH as they were making A9X Torries at dandenong
and got a company car.. HZ Prem wagon .. 5.0 manual too. And in my spare time, built up
a LJ 4 door that i got for $50 after an engine bay/under dash fire.

One of the blokes I got to know later at GMH Port Melbourne was one called John Shepherd
and he had a shed load of LJ go fast race parts.For little money i got an ex-Bond red6 race motor
(only missing the Webers) Got Ian Tate to do some mods, fitted Webers and had Tatey dyno tune it.
Reckon I had the quickest 4 door LJ on the planet.. even gave it a new paint job and got 12s at Calder

Torana- before-aftersml1.jpg

Still.. all this happened 40 years ago now and we will never see anything like these again
(no Holden for starters)

[Pickles]

Yes, a bit over my price range too, but I guess we've all had a few machines that we wish we still had.
Me?..A9X 4 door, 19000ks, bought & sold for around $13K, & it didn't sell immediately, VK Group A, 7000ks, sold for $26K (still more than I paid!),and there's been a few othere, VL GPA P.P, Director, VN Group A, VF GTSR etc etc, & now I have nothing!

[SASLS1]

[SASLS1]

[Smitty]

Yes, a bit over my price range too, but I guess we've all had a few machines that we wish we still had.
Me?..A9X 4 door, 19000ks, bought & sold for around $13K, & it didn't sell immediately, VK Group A, 7000ks, sold for $26K (still more than I paid!),and there's been a few othere, VL GPA P.P, Director, VN Group A, VF GTSR etc etc, & now I have nothing!

arrrh, yes... Martin, but what memories!

in my case the last speeding fine I got was when I had the 1st (and only) GMH press fleet VK GrpA blue meanie for the weekend...
going home Friday, Bent Ave Elwood.. gave it a bit of stick as you do and there is local plod at the New St end checking for speeding traffic.
got Me..! guilty ya honour and a bit more than 10 over. Lightened the wallet with a fine and 3 points lost (but kept the licence)
Memories mate ...

[Pickles]

arrrh, yes... Martin, but what memories!

in my case the last speeding fine I got was when I had the 1st (and only) GMH press fleet VK GrpA blue meanie for the weekend...
going home Friday, Bent Ave Elwood.. gave it a bit of stick as you do and there is local plod at the New St end checking for speeding traffic.
got Me..! guilty ya honour and a bit more than 10 over. Lightened the wallet with a fine and 3 points lost (but kept the licence)
Memories mate ...

Back "in the day" when I owned my '59 FC Special, lowered, exhaust etc, I was travelling to Calder for a meeting, can't remember what, but as I drove through Keilor (pre freeway) a uniformed Police Officer, waved me down,.....yes, I'd been caught by an amphometer, on the very first occasion they used them! Can't remember the speed or the fine, mustn't have been too serious as I kept my license.

[amckiwi]

This type of build goes on in the UK

You can get new Mark 1/2 Escort bodies with very powerful engines in them for like 200,000 pounds
Have seen a few road tests on the tube

[whitels1ss]

This type of build goes on in the UK

You can get new Mark 1/2 Escort bodies with very powerful engines in them for like 200,000 pounds
Have seen a few road tests on the tube

I cannot see any value at all in buying any of these for that sort of money,

If I was in the market to buy a BRAND NEW sports type car for that sort of money,

I would personally buy a C8 Corvette instead.


I have 3 mates with them & I reckon they are an awesome, beautifully made car.

[Smitty]

Back "in the day" when I owned my '59 FC Special, lowered, exhaust etc, I was travelling to Calder for a meeting, can't remember what, but as I drove through Keilor (pre freeway) a uniformed Police Officer, waved me down,.....yes, I'd been caught by an amphometer, on the very first occasion they used them! Can't remember the speed or the fine, mustn't have been too serious as I kept my license.

FC Holden ?... eh Martin?
widies, lowered.. aficiando then!

back in the early 70s (just got the licence) my cuz Paul went to tech school with a bloke called Alan Hale
and both had an idea... lets have a race to see who can build the BEST FC.. first to the annual HotRod show wins

Paul bought an old FC.... and we started ( see pic outside my place back then and I can tell you fibreglass flares are a pr*ck of a thing to add)

Street car1.jpg

We kept going and Alan and Paul kept watch over each others progress but Alan had an advantage. He simply was a better
engineer, fabricator than Paul... plus he had another advantage, a guy he knew called Vic Reilly had just started a paint and panel
shop in Moorabbin.... Bucket Panels (its still there and operating too!)

It was obvious Alan was going to win the race... and he did! he got to the HotRod show first. Did cheat a bit though
... pic tells the story I think you will agree.

street car 3.jpg

Alan finished the FC..... and kept modifying it. Got it registered with a SBC engine, Jag IRS etc.. as the famous black FC225
that has been displayed at lots of shows over the years

FC225.jpg



Oh... and Paul's FC? Never finished it, got married to Jenn.. bought a place in Cheltenham, the usual story.
Sold the shell .. still pretty much in this condition to a mate of Vic Reillys (and never seen since)

Street cars2.jpg



Cheers