HDT "Brock" Commodore VH
Reviewed by Unique Cars and Parts
Our Rating: 5
Introduction
First shown as a
prototype at the 1982
Melbourne Motor Show, the Brock VH HDT Special Vehicles
would prove popular before it was even released. Impatient
buyers were going to their respective Holden dealerships
to put down a deposit long before the car was even
available.
Unlike the VC iteration, the VH came in four
distinct models, the Commodore SS Group One 4.2 V8, Group
Two 4.2 V8, Group Three 4.2 V8 and Group Three 5.0 litre
V8. As you progressed through the models, each would
receive a little more by way of modification and refinement.
Starting
with the Group One, the VH was lowered and fitted with
stiffened
suspension, and the 14” wheels
were shod with 70 series Uniroyal Wildcat tyres. Inside,
the car was fitted with a sports
steering wheel and
gear knob, while under the bonnet the engineers fitted
a high capacity air cleaner and heavy duty master
brake cylinder.
Surprisingly, there were no exterior
body modification, apart from the addition of decals,
however the extra cost of a Group One over the more
humble Commodore was kept to a respectable $1995.
The
Group Two naturally featured everything that was fitted
to the Group One, but the
cylinder heads were blueprinted,
along with the fitment of a gas-flowed inlet manifold,
exhaust extractors, chromed engine parts, wind splitters,
a rear spoiler and Group Two decals.
No longer a “budget special”,
the Group Two commanded a $3250 price premium over
the Commodore from which it evolved. The Group Three
received even further blueprinting of the engine parts,
along with an upgraded ignition, Irmscher 15x7 wheels
shod with 60 series Uniroyal Wildcat tyres, a front
air dam, side skirts, rear under-tray – and
just to make sure every one knew it was a Group Three,
the requisite decals were added.
Now $4750 over the
cost of the donor car, the Group Three was not cheap,
but most were able to dig deep and find a further $750
and option the 5.0 litre V8 (and for the extra money
you also got a rear facing bonnet scoop). As you would
expect, not too many were buyers were interested in
the
253ci version, and this would soon be “discontinued”,
allowing HDT to concentrate on the Group Three 5.0
litre. At the same time, Holden release their own “all
factory” SS Commodore,
that could be fitted with either the 4.2 or 5.0 litre
V8.
It seemed to many that Holden were trying to compete
with HDT, but the truth was that they needed to homologate
a lightweight car, as CAMS based a vehicles racing
weight on that of the base road car. But it was never
surprising that the cars that graced the race track
looked remarkably like Brock HDT versions, not the
factory built ones.