ʻO kaʻu Brock HDT Commodore
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Jim Middleton, ua alakaʻi ʻia kāna Commodore e kahi luna Holden ma mua o ka hoʻololi ʻana o ka hui o Brock iā ia ma ke ʻano he prototype.
Ua ʻae ʻia ʻo nā mea liʻiliʻi āpau 1980 Brock HDT Commodores i hele mai i ke keʻokeʻo, ʻulaʻula a ʻeleʻele wale nō. Akā ʻo Jim ka ʻōmaʻomaʻo, ʻo ia hoʻi he ʻōmaʻomaʻo ʻelua-leo, ʻo kāna ʻōlelo he ʻoiaʻiʻo a he moʻolelo hoihoi.
A pono ʻo ia e ʻike, no ka mea, loaʻa iā ia mai ka hui o Peter Brock, kūʻai aku, a kūʻai hou mai. Ua komo ʻo Peter Brock i ka hana o nā kaʻa kūikawā ma 1979 ma hope o ka haʻalele ʻana o Holden mai ka motorsport a haʻalele iā ia e holo i kāna hui ponoʻī. Ua hoʻolimalima ʻo Brock i nā mea kūʻai aku iā Holden a puni ka ʻāina, nona kāna i hana ai i kahi paʻi liʻiliʻi VC Commodore.
I ka huli ʻana, ua kōkua ke kākoʻo o ka mea kūʻai aku i ke kālā i kāna mau hana heihei. 'Ōleloʻo Middleton: "ʻO nā kaʻa 500 mua heʻulaʻula, keʻokeʻo aʻeleʻele paha. Akā ʻelua mau prototypes, uliuli a me ka ʻōmaʻomaʻo.
ʻO nā prototypes, ka manual blue a me ka'ōmaʻomaʻo'ōmaʻomaʻo, he kumu hoʻohālike VB mua. “He helu ʻekahi koʻu kaʻa. ʻAʻohe papa inoa ma ka ʻenekini. Ua helu ʻia lākou ma ka huila. ʻO kaʻu helu he 001 ma ka huila.
Hoʻomaka ia i ke ola ma ke ʻano he ʻōmaʻomaʻo māmā 4.2 lita VB SL Commodore i kūkulu ʻia ma Mei 1979. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Middleton, ua alakaʻi mua ʻia e kahi luna Holden ma mua o ke kūʻai ʻana o ka hui o Brock iā ia a hoʻololi iā ia ma ke ʻano he prototype.
“Hele mai ke kaʻa iā Brock mai General Motors. I kēlā manawa, ʻo ia ke kaʻa o John Harvey (ka hoa hui o Brock). Ua loaʻa i ka 5-lita V8 HDT Commodores nā valves nui, nā mea hoʻolaha i hoʻololi ʻia a me nā carburetors, ka hana hoʻokuʻu ʻana, kahi pahu kino e komo pū ana me ka mea hao hope a me ka choke mua, a me nā huila Irmscher maʻamau mai Kelemānia a me kahi hana pena kūikawā, a me nā loli ʻē aʻe.
Ma kēia hoʻonohonoho, ua wikiwiki lākou i 0 km / h i 100 kekona, a ua hana nā ʻenekini i 8.4 kW a me 160 Nm o ka torque. Ua kūʻai aku lākou no $450 ($20,000 emi i kēlā me kēia aʻo) a ua hopu koke ʻia e nā mea pāʻani makemake. Wahi a Middleton, ke kūʻai nei nā kaʻa i kēia manawa ma waena o $200 a me $70,000, a ʻo kāna prototype laha ʻole hiki ke kūʻai aku i $80,000.
Ua hana ʻo Middleton no ka mea kūʻai aku ʻo Holden Les Wagga ma Pennant Hills, Sydney, kekahi o nā mea kūʻai HDT. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia i ka makahiki 1982, ua kipa ʻo Brock lāua ʻo Harvey i ka mea kūʻai aku ma ke ala i ka heihei ʻo Amaru Park, kahi i ʻae ai lākou me ka mea kūʻai aku e kūʻai aku i ka prototype ʻōmaʻomaʻo no ka mea ʻaʻole pono lākou. I kēlā manawa, hana ka hui o Brock i ka paʻi liʻiliʻi e hiki mai ana, ʻo ka VH Commodore.
“I kēlā hopena pule, kūʻai aku au i ka hoa o koʻu makuakāne. Ua kūʻai au iā ia i ʻAukake 1993. " Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Middleton ua uhi ke kaʻa ma luna o 100,000 mau kilomita ma ia manawa a pono e hoʻoponopono ʻia.
"ʻO ia ka polokalamu hoʻolaʻa lohi loa i ka honua," i ʻōlelo ai ʻo ia no ka hana āna i hoʻopau ai i kēia makahiki. “ʻAʻole au i wikiwiki nui. Ua ʻike au ʻo ia kaʻu kaʻa mua. Ua poino iki mai na paka kaa. Pono maoli e wehe ʻia a hui hou. "
A laila hoʻokomo ʻo Middleton i nā panela hou, nā papa puka hou, nā kiaʻi hou a me kahi puʻupuʻu hou, a hoʻonui i ka mīkini a me ka hoʻouna. I kēia makahiki, lawe ʻo ia iā ia i ka hanana Muscle Car Masters ma Eastern Creek, kahi i ʻike ai ʻo Harvey iā ia a hoʻokele iā ia ma ka parade.
"Ua ʻike koke ʻo ia iā ia," wahi a Middleton. I kēia hopena pule, ma kahi o 70 mau mea nona ka HDT mai nā ʻāina ʻē aʻe e ʻākoakoa ma Albury e hoʻolauleʻa i nā makahiki 30 o nā kaʻa ma kahi hui i kapa ʻia ʻo Brocks on the Border.
'Ōlelo mai ʻo Middleton ma kahi o ka hapalua o nā kaʻa alanui 500 e mau nei. Ua kūkulu ʻia he 12 mau kaʻa heihei no ka heihei hoʻokahi ma Calder e kākoʻo i ka 1980 Australian Grand Prix. Aia nō kekahi o lākou.
Wahi a Middleton e kūʻai aku paha ʻo ia i ke kaʻa, ʻaʻole i hoʻokele nui ʻia i kēia mau lā. "Laki ka huakaʻi 300 a 400 km i 17 mau makahiki."
