Rare Holden Torana GTR XU-1 racer auction

Ever dreamed of staking your claim on a racecar that went toe-to-toe with kings like Brock and Moffat?

It’s not an opportunity that comes up all terribly often these days, but Grays has just opened bidding a real-deal early LC GTR XU-1 racer, replete with stacks of history!

The car in question is a September 1970 build, bought brand-new by Series Production racer Kerry Cook. Group E Series Production category racing ran from 1964 to 1972; it was absorbed into the Group C Touring Car rules for 1973.

Having cut his teeth racing an FJ Holden, Cook had Ray English immediately pull down the triple-carbed 186 for a balancing and blueprinting job.

Cook first campaigned the car in the waning days of 1970 to earn several top-five finishes at Hume Weir, Calder Park and Sandown, plus a first place at Phillip Island on January 3, 1971.

He pulled out of racing as costs mounted, and handed sold the car to Athol Warman, who raced the car through the mid 70s.

Warman repowered the XU-1 with a new mill, but kept the matching original aside. It would eventually find its way back into the bay, and the car last saw full rego in 1998, though it’s since been driven on a club permit.

As it now sits, Grays believes the car is the only surviving Series Production LC XU-1 racer with its original block and all factory tags intact.

The driver’s side front quarter and radiator support were replaced by Warman due to racetrack damage, and the whole car was resprayed in the 80s or early 90s. As shown by Grays, the original number plates, rego papers, and CAMS logbook application form are all accounted for.

Grays wrap up their description of the XU-1 with a question for prospective buyers: retain all the race livery, or strip it all off?

Considering the sheer rarity of survivor XU-1s, the latter is certainly tempting, but we reckon we’d keep it all in place and hit the street! Now there’s just the question of financing the thing. Donations, anybody?