HDT Monaro auctioned for $750,000

It’s not often that a car connected to Peter Brock is outsold by a similar example that isn’t, but that’s exactly what happened on 27 June, when a 1969 Holden HT Monaro GTS 350 went across the blocks with Lloyd’s Auctions.

The car in question was described by Lloyd’s as the first race car built by the then-new Holden Dealer Team, under the leadership of Harry Firth, and was raced at Sandown in the lead up to the 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 at Mount Panorama.

From HDRT to HDT

As a two-time Bathurst winner, Firth knew how to build and race fast cars, but when he was ousted from Ford Australia in 1968, Firth was recruited by GM-H with the express aim of winning Bathurst. To beat Ford’s factory-supported squad, GM-H knew they needed to respond in kind, and Firth would be part of that.

Holden had actually won their first ever Bathurst that same year with the HK Monaro GTS 327 under the ‘Holden Dealer Racing Team’ banner, but

that was a genuine dealer-backed effort. This new campaign would be different.

While the name sounded similar, the Holden Dealer Team was a full factory-funded outfit. The veil of dealer sponsorship was so Holden could be seen to be complying with General Motors’ official (but not officially enforced) ban on manufacturer involvement in motorsport.

So, with a healthy budget and the new HT Monaro to work with, Firth and the HDT mechanics led by Ian Tate built the cars that would take the fight to the factory-backed Fords, including the new XW Falcon GT-HO that had been produced specifically to homologate race parts for Bathurst.

HDT Monaro #1

The first car built under the HDT label was based around a stock HT Monaro body and mainly stock interior fittings. To this, HDT added 350ci V8 engines prepared in the US and several other performance modifications permitted under the rules.

The first test for HDT would come at the Datsun 3-Hour at Sandown in September, 1969. The team entered one car, numbered 57D, and picked Kevin Bartlett and Spencer Martin to drive it. With two privateer Monaro GTS 350s for company, the HDT car was up against the Falcons in Class D, including a pair of factory GT-HOs, driven by Allan Moffat/John French and Fred Gibson/ Barry Seton.

Martin qualified 57D in second alongside polesitter Moffat and closely trailed the Canadian and Gibson for the opening half-hour before disaster struck at the 45-minute mark.

Following a pit stop, Martin approached the end of Sandown’s long front straight to find he had no brakes. Spinning the car to wash off speed, Martin left the circuit and hit the Armco barriers tail first. The impact ruptured the fuel tank and set the Monaro ablaze, but Martin escaped uninjured.

Ford went on to record a 1-2-3 finish at the mini enduro, while HDT went back to the drawing board with a blackened car and a deadline to find the problem and fix it ahead of Bathurst.

Victory from the Flames

Tearing down 57D at the HDT workshop, the primary problem was identified as standard road car brake pads, which had mistakenly been used in place of competition pads during the pitstop.

The investigation didn’t stop there, with other problems identified, including poor airflow over the brakes, sub-standard brake fluid and excessive wear on the V8’s piston rings. The latter led to their replacement with tougher chromoly rings.

It’s widely recognised today that, as demoralising as the Sandown crash was, it led to the next cars HDT prepared being tougher and more reliable. Proof of that came at the Hardie-Ferodo 500 at Bathurst the following month.

Despite being outqualified by the factory Fords – and even a privateer Monaro – the HDT cars would go on to be victorious, with the Colin Bond and Tony Roberts #44D car winning, the #43D Monaro of Des West and rookie Peter Brock finishing third and HDT’s #42D car, piloted by Peter Macrow and Henk Woelders, in fifth.

After the Fire

Following its fiery end at Sandown, 57D was rebuilt but did not take part in the redemption HDT enjoyed at Bathurst. Instead, the car was returned to roadgoing spec and sold in 1970 to Tony Connolly, GM-H NSW’s metro sales manager.

In 1998, Connolly sold the car to Rob Coulson, who restored it back to its 1969 Sandown 3-Hour appearance, including sponsor livery. The car was then sold at auction, for an unconfirmed $500,000 sum, to a Queensland-based collector in 2017.

This year, Monaro 57D would go to auction again, as the headline lot at Lloyd’s Auctions online sale on 27 June.

While the ex-HDT VH Commodore driven by Peter Brock holds the outright public auction record for a Holden at $2.1 million, the significance of 57D in HDT history, compounded by Holden’s demise this year, saw pre-auction predictions of $1 million for the car.

“We expect that this incredible piece of history will break seven figures,” said Lee Hames, Chief Operations Officer for Lloyds Auctions, prior to the sale.

“This particular HT Monaro is an extremely special car with a very rich history and a story that will never be forgotten especially by Holden enthusiasts. And this is the reason why it could actually fetch a 7-figure amount, breaking Australian records.”

NOTE: The record Hames is referring to is for a road-registrable Holden, as the $2.1M VH Commodore was a bespoke race car for track use only.

Stop, then Go

While COVID-19 restrictions limited the 27 June auction to an online-only event, the bidding was still strong for 57D and other lots amongst the 100+ consigned for the sale. These included various Aussie classics, prestige Bentleys and Rolls-Royces, late-model Japanese performance cars and European exotica from Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini, the latter including a very rare, 1-of-30 Diablo GTR.

The sale of HDT Monaro 57D was almost derailed when Lloyd’s were notified – on the day of the auction – by the Federal Government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications that the car could be an Australian Protected Object (APO), meaning it wouldn’t be allowed to leave Australia.

The APO status ultimately wasn’t required, as the car sold to an anonymous Australian enthusiast for $750,000 (incl. buyer’s premium).   

That price easily exceeded the $455,209 achieved last year for the Des West/Peter Brock #43D Monaro GTS 350 that the pair drove to third place at Bathurst in ’69.

“There were seven bidders on the Monaro, which came down to two Australian enthusiasts who fought it out, both with the intention to keep the car within Australia,” Hames explained.

“This important Holden achieved the highest price for a road registerable Australian Holden ever sold at auction.”

The five-hour online auction event on 27 June had a 95 per cent clearance rate, with very strong prices achieved, according to Lloyd’s Auctions.

Australian-market cars weren’t the only ones to sell well, with good results for American and European luxury cars. The majority of bidders were Australian, meaning most of the cars sold are likely to remain on Australian soil, too.

For details on upcoming Lloyd’s Auctions, go to: https://www.lloydsauctions.com.au/