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Holden Dealer Team Monaro for Sale.
Here is the opportunity of a lifetime for an Australian Motor Racing purist who can appreciate an iconic piece of Australian Motor Racing history.
This vehicle is the first Series Production Race Car prepared for the newly formed Holden Dealer Team by Harry Firth after crossing over from the Ford Works team in 1969.
In 1969 Harry Firth was considered by those at Ford to be 'too old' and was replaced as Ford Works Team boss by American Al Turner. Within a short time he had crossed over to General Motors Holden (GMH) to become manager of the new Holden Dealer Team, which despite the "Dealer" name was actually a full works team backed by Holden and set up by GMH executive John Bagshaw. Because of General Motors world wide factory ban on motorsport at the time (dating back to the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans disaster that killed 80 people), the team's cash flow from Holden had to come through the 'back door' to avoid alerting GM headquarters in Detroit. Ironically, the HDT operated out of Firth’s Auburn workshop, the same that had once housed the Ford Works Team.
The first race Firth prepared a car for was the 1969 Sandown 300, the pre crusor to Bathurst, the most important date on the Australian Motor Racing calendar.
Firth requested and was granted by GMH four newly released Monaro GTS 350's which were manafactured to tackle Fords GT HO's on the Mountain. These vehicles were supplied by various Holden Dealers around Melbourne with this Monaro supplied by Campbell Motors in Preston. These cars were to be prepared for Sandown and Bathurst a few weeks later.
This Monaro is the car Firth prepared for the Sandown 300. It is the first car ever prepared for the Iconic Holden Dealer Team, the most successfu racing Team in Australian Motoring history.
Firth selected as drivers Spencer Martin and Kevin Bartlett for the Sandown 300, both Gold Star winners which is in effect an Australian Drivers championship as we know it today.
Below is a photo of the Monaro as it prepares to take to the front row of the Grid for the start of the Sandown 300.
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