Dick in a Commodore?

[Poita]

When did Dick race a 1980 Brock Commodore?

 

[MRJUCY]

Race of champions at the AGP, it was a one off event with all HDTs.

 

[Poita]

You got it. I was reading an article on drive.com.au and Dick got back in it last year for another run.

 

[Quasi]

MY EYES.....AARGH....I'm blind!

I think I'm gonna be sick[pk]

 

[Stone Phoenix]

shudder

 

[Quasi]

...and yes, as any true DJ fan should be aware, I know his first race cars were all Holdens....I just don't have to be happy about it[sh]

 

[Rob 18]

Just doesn't look right. That famous name across the screen in red is a bad start, it gets considerably worse when you see it on that aweful looking HDT Commodore.

Sorry people, those VB-VC Commodore wern't the best looking car I,ve ever seen!!

 

[Poita]

I'm with you Rob the least they could have done was put his name in blue, also the only decent looking Commodore was the VK and that was only because of the big flared guards it had.

 

[Racin Jason]

I don't mind the VC. I think they weren't such a bad thing. I owned a VK BT1 for many years and I still miss that car, it was alot of fun. I miss the XC GXL ore though. That is one car I wish I still had.

Imagine the uproar today if a driver wanted to drive the opposition product in a 1 make series!

 

[Nascar12]

Looks like its got the ground clearance of a 4WD. My first V8 was a VB. Never really liked the look of it but still you can have some fun with a V8 4speed commy.

Dicks name on the commode makes it 10 times more valuable than the rest.
Was at a meet and greet years ago when a nearby fan asked if Dick would sign his car, a VN.
Dick, in his famous dry tone simply says, " Yeah, sure mate, anything to boost the value of a fans car"! Brought a smile to everyones faces.

 

[Bigcol]

IIRC it was also the catalyst for Dick to start something like his DJ XE Turbo as he thought the Commy was a bit of a shit box

 

[Rob 18]

Big difference there though Col is that even in 2008, that XE Turbo still looks bloody good imo..

Just a shame that Ford didn't back him with that project but as we know with Ford, not at all suprising.

 

[Henry]

Wasn't the original blue "Grand Prix" car done independently, with Dick merely lending his support to the project? The later project (the yellow XE), was done by Dick, and the development then furthered by Ford IIRC, with their own run of 6 or 7 prototypes... and the project ultimately abandoned. Dick then persevered with the "SVO" XF, as much to gauge public reaction as anything else.

The HDT model worked, simply because Holden wanted it to: Holden dealers stumped up for the cars and the capital, Holden stumped for the parts and a "pay me back later" sort of thing.

 

[MRJUCY]

Dick tried again in the early 90s when Ford tendered for a factory approved performance partner but the contract of course went to Tickford which ultimately was probably the right choice but you have to wonder how different things could have been for the road cars & the team.

 

[Bigcol]

Henry every DJR Turbo XE XF came out of Mike Vine Turbos.
Can't remember for sure but some one did the aero kit and interior and DJR looked after the mechanicals

 

[Rob 18]

I think IIRC you could buy them in Turbo or non Turbo guise.

 

[Poita]

I was all set to get this done to my XD when I first came to Brisbane. I think it was $9000 to convert a standard six to turbo, have the body kit added and full Tru Blu re paint. As bigcol said it was all done through Mike Vine Turbos.

Here's an interseting article I found after a quick search.

http://www.autospeed.com.au/cms/A_0533/article.html