GTR XU.1 Torana

[9er]

Back in the late 1970s I owned a few Toranas, and one pretty special one which was the XU.1.in factory Royal Purple

I bought it from the owner of one of the top motor trimmers in Adelaide at the time, they were the Australian agents for Recaro seats and Webasto slideaway sunroofs and had fitted the car out with seats and a roof, the seats were also fitted with Blaupunkt stereo headrests.

The car had been locally delivered and had about 40000miles on it.

I paid a premium for the car because of the seats etc. (about $4000 I think) and then over the next couple of years just tried to make it as original as possible.

Bearing in mind that in 1981 you could still go in and buy specific XU.1 parts over the counter from your local Holden dealer.

The GloBe Sprintmaster wheels were missing but at that Time Globe wheels factory was not far from me and a mate who worked there was able to get a set made for me. 

Anyhow, too much reminiscing, cut to the chase.

I got married in 1983 and by 1984 funds for a better house were required.

I had the car in the 1984 Hot Rod show here in Adelaide and after some discussion with the previous owner from Willshire motor trimmers, I agreed to sell it back to him, at a tidy 25% profit😶

Well, that was the last time I saw the car, and as it turns out now, the last time the car was used!!

 

 

Now , some 36 years later the car has re emerged and is currently being recommisioned.

I'm not the type that gets attached to cars but the thought of it being unused for all that time and everything being exactly how I left it, even some of my kitsch additions, is freaking me out a bit.

Photos are probably way more interesting than my spiel, so hopefully enjoy them.

[luzzo]

Great story @9er. 

Is the nostalgia teasing you to buy it back now? 

[wilson59]

Great story . I never get nostalgic about cars other then the GTR XU1 . I had one when I was 18 .

My dad drove me out to E H Hage in The Barossa to pick it up they were the Holden Dealer out there . The drive home to Adelaide was fantastic and had many years loving that car 

One car I wish I still had . Sold it for $4800 .

[3legs]

I really hope he doesn't restore it. Just give it a really good detail and rebuild the engine only if necessary.

[OBRUT]

That is one rad little car.  Perfect period correct.  Leave it as is. 

 

 

 

 

But can I have the seats if not...

[JV911]

wow, wow, wow!!!

[dominicxu1]

Royal Purple, nice. I say get it back to original, seats out.

I've had mine for 41 years, voted best original car and best XU-1 at 2018 Torana Nationals

[firstone]

Awesome, especially white.

 

[Lucky Phil]

Any more photos of the white one?

[Jason A]

5 hours ago, wilson59 said:

Great story . I never get nostalgic about cars other then the GTR XU1 . I had one when I was 18 .

My dad drove me out to E H Hage in The Barossa to pick it up they were the Holden Dealer out there . The drive home to Adelaide was fantastic and had many years loving that car 

One car I wish I still had . Sold it for $4800 .

Wow it’s a small world - what year did you buy that car from EH Hage, I think that car used to be mine. Did it have about 90,000 ks on it. Green houndstooth inserts in the seats 

[targa george]

Memories flooding back.  My first hot rod was a canary yellow 1970 LC XU1 when I was 17 (1987).  Needed some TLC but being 17, didn't have the money to bring it up to a standard I would have liked.  Didn't stop me from enjoying it though.  Loved the car and sold it for the same amount I paid for it 4 or 5 years later.  Not unusual at the time, friends in the neighbourhood drove genuine XY and XW GTs, Monaro GTSs and Torana SLRs and the odd A9X.  One by one, we all traded up to mortgages, married life or both.

Been to a few Muscle Car Masters days at Eastern Creek in the last few years just to get my XU1 fix.

I too, would have loved to have kept my XU1.  Traded up (some would say sideways) to a flat six a quarter of a century later.

Dominic, have seen your car in the flesh, superb machine.

[wilson59]

1 hour ago, Jason A said:

Wow it’s a small world - what year did you buy that car from EH Hage, I think that car used to be mine. Did it have about 90,000 ks on it. Green houndstooth inserts in the seats 

It would have been 1985 but the car did not have houndstooth. 

[Jason A]

Close, I lived in Angaston from 86 to 90. Mine was the same colour, with bright green houndstooth seat inserts. I bombed a bucket load of money into the engine, 12 port conversion, all port matched with triple Webber’s - done by John Moyle Engineering. Had a big waggot cam etc. was not a JP block was a JL out of a GTR- I still have the engine and gearbox from that car all these years later.

I sold it to a guy in the Barossa for $3500 - car had 86,000 ks on it at the time. I chucked a seacond hand motor and gearbox in it. I also had a blue LC GTR and a PINK LJ GTR along the way.

Fond memories of those times.

No regrets about not having one now, happy to have a Porsche instead

[LeeM]

 Onsite a few years ago, and I got talking cars to the home owners dad who lived around the corner, who invited me around to check out his 'shed'.

 Yeah well, craziest fkn ' 'shed' I've ever seen to this day which was full of his old speedway cars and bikes, who I think he said one was Ivan Major' bikes (very famous rider back in the 70's) and loads of Brock helmets and race suits, as he was mates with Peter apparently. Not to mention the very first Etype Jag he personally imported into Australia, and an original and new HDT Brock Commodore on blocks with only the delivery kms on the clock. I'm pretty sure he told me his GTR had something to do with Brock, and/or it was an HDT factory race car, yet he still races it in his mid 70's. He was in the middle of hand making/machining an exact replica of the car in 1/24 scale, right down to the engine and finned rocker cover which was bloody impressive, as was his model car collection which must have been well over 5000 cars. Helluva nice bloke too

[crsedge]

22 hours ago, 9er said:

 

Now , some 36 years later the car has re emerged and is currently being recommisioned.

I'm not the type that gets attached to cars but the thought of it being unused for all that time and everything being exactly how I left it, even some of my kitsch additions, is freaking me out a bit.

 

Hmmm, is that being recommisioned by you?

 

[michel]

21 hours ago, OBRUT said:

That is one rad little car.  Perfect period correct.  Leave it as is. 

 

 

 

 

But can I have the seats if not...

Ha! I’m loving those seats 

 

great spiel @9er

 

hopefully just  a bit of mr sheen and it’s on its way 

[Harvs11]

I was never a great fan of the Torana.  I’d only ever seen ratty old examples. I get it now.   Looking at these photos, it’s apparent how much is common with the HQ GTS... Just in mini-me scale. I sold my GTS to buy my first house. 😥 I reckon I’d have to sell the house again to afford to buy it back.  
 

 

 

[Paul 996]

I had a lin o mint green one in 1983-1984  Victorian reg number XU-1971 sold it for $2000 I couldn’t afford to run it Bought an RX3 coupe for $1200 which used more fuel ! 
 

cheers 

[Dreamr]

8 minutes ago, Paul 996 said:

I had a lin o mint green one in 1983-1984  Victorian reg number XU-1971 sold it for $2000 I couldn’t afford to run it Bought an RX3 coupe for $1200 which used more fuel ! 
 

cheers 

At least you had $800 left over for fuel ... 🤣🤣🤣