Brock Monza and personal VK Group 3 put up for auction

Fans of Peter Brock are in for a rare treat at the Shannons Autumn auction on Monday, May 30th.

Almost 10 years after the shock death of King of the Mountain, collectors are lining up to bid on the 1984 VK Commodore SS Group 3 sedan that was Brocky's personal vehicle during his time at HDT Special Vehicles.

The VK SS was originally a GM-H company car loaned to Peter Brock as his personal vehicle, which he then converted to the first group 1984 in August XNUMX.

It was used for the official press release and studio photography and appeared on the cover of Wheels magazine in October 1984.

As confirmed in Peter Brock's letter, the car was subsequently sold to HDT, and Brock himself continued to use the car as a personal vehicle, with wheels changed and the hood scoop removed.

Because of its importance, Shannon expects the Commodore to sell for over $100,000.

But in the double heading, perhaps even more interesting is the 1984 Opel Monza Coupe that Brock was developing as a prototype for the future HDT special car.

This unique piece of Australian automotive history is the only survivor of the stillborn Monza project, a glimpse of what could have been and a marvelous collectible muscle car.

The story goes that Brock was inspired by renting an Opel Monza coupe when he raced at Le Mans in 1981.

The prototype was praised by the press, with Modern Motor describing the Monza as "the most exciting vehicle the Australian workshop has produced in years."

He found the Opel fastback an overall more complex car than his Commodore cousin.

With disc brakes all around and a fully independent rear suspension, Brock quickly recognized the potential to improve the performance of the Monza with a real Aussie grunt and the car was brought in from Germany in October 1983 for a full HDT treatment.

This included a Group Three-spec 5.0-liter V8 further into the chassis for better weight distribution (the curved-eight was actually lighter than the straight-six it replaced), a Borg-Warner T5G five-speed transmission, rack and pinion steering with gear and self-locking differential.

Larger brakes and stiffer suspension round out the list of mechanical upgrades.

The prototype was praised by the press, with Modern Motor describing the Monza as "the most exciting vehicle the Australian workshop has produced in years."

With a projected price of around $45,000, the HDT Monza was aimed at the exclusive market, with stock cars required to have a long list of standard luxury equipment.

Despite the pleas of journalists and the public, the HDT Monza remained a one-time event due to time constraints and other projects that eventually fell into private hands.

It is expected to cost up to $120,000 and its Brock 1 license plates will be sold separately.