Title Winning Classic: 1977 Holden Torana A9X Group C

UPDATE 10/12/2026: The classic world never stands still, as demonstrated by this 1977 Holden Torana A9X Group C. This beautifully restored championship winner changed hands in 2023, but it looks like it’s about to head to a new home. My research indicates that it sold in 2017 for A$715,000, but I’m unsure of the 2023 sale price. The current owner has listed this wonderful Torana here at Donington Auctions in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The current high bid of A$302,000 is below the reserve, and the auction estimate is between A$580,000 and A$680,000.

06/15/2023: Motorsport history is full of David versus Goliath stories, but none are better personified (autofied?) than by this 1977 Holden Torana A9X Group C. It was one of two cars used by a privateer racer to defeat the Holden factory juggernaut to win the 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC). It also hosted a long list of international drivers but is set to find a new home after a recent mechanical restoration.

Before we delve too deeply into this car’s specifications, it is probably worth providing some background information. Bob Morris was a supremely talented racer who never had the advantage of factory backing during his career. He achieved moderate success as a privateer but was largely overlooked by many spectators. That changed in 1976 when he and co-driver John Fitzpatrick scored a surprise win against the factory Holden and Ford teams in that year’s Bathurst 1000. It was one of the most dramatic finishes in the race’s history, with Fitzpatrick coaxing a clearly ailing car across the line at little more than walking pace. Morris continued racing in 1977 for Ron Hodgson Racing. Hodgson owned a Holden dealership and was a privateer, receiving no factory assistance in his racing exploits. That first year of the partnership was hardly a banner one, with the all-conquering Moffat Ford Dealer Team soundly thrashing every Holden team. However, salvation arrived in the form of the A9X Torana. It dominated the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1978 and 1979 before the regulations were restructured and it was outlawed for 1980. Morris scored three race wins in 1978, but 1979 was his year. He used our feature car and its sibling to win his only ATCC Championship. Ongoing lack of support led Hodgson to close his team at the end of that year, and after tentative outings with another team in early 1980, Morris went his own way with a Ford Falcon. He achieved limited success and looked a strong contender for a win in the 1981 Bathurst 1000 when he was involved in a race-ending accident. He seemed to walk away from the incident with only minor injuries, but nobody, Morris included, knew the full implications of the incident. He had suffered irreparable middle ear damage due to the impact, which negatively impacted his sense of balance. Bob made a couple of attempts to return to competition, but by 1984, he realized his position was untenable. Bob hung up his helmet, ending the career of one of Australian motorsport’s genuine greats.

Holden introduced its Torana A9X in 1977 as an evolution of the existing L34 model. It featured the same engine and transmission, but the rear end commanded all the attention. The L34 featured a “banjo” rear axle assembly and drum brakes. The banjo was extremely fragile and couldn’t handle the Torana’s engine power under competition conditions. Breakages were common, and drivers learned to “baby” their cars if they wished to finish any race. The A9X changed the game, featuring an upgraded Salisbury rear end and rear disc brakes. Once the initial bugs were ironed out, the A9X proved virtually unbeatable. This Torana started life as 1-of-33 GMP&A bodyshells that were walked down the production line. None of these cars featured a VIN, with GMP&A an acronym for General Motors Parts & Accessories. They were built to rolling stage but featured no sound-deadening material, extra welds for improved strength, and captive nuts welded in strategic places to attach a roll cage. These shells were built for racing duty, though a few eventually made their way onto Australian streets and into the pages of Barn Finds. This car’s body and paint are as it finished its last race, featuring the distinctive Green, White, and Blue paint combination designed by Bob Morris on a sheet of paper. It retains all of its correct signage and decals, with various surfaces wearing the chips and scratches that often accumulate in the heat of battle. However, there are no dings or dents and no signs of rust. This is understandable because the Torana spent over three decades in a climate-controlled museum once its racing career ended. It retains its correct fender flares, spoilers, and distinctive reverse hood scoop, while the wheels look like a combination of three-piece Simmons on the front and BBS on the back.

Powering this Torana is a 308ci V8 backed by a four-speed manual transmission. The 308 pumped out 220hp in production form, but under the watchful eye of legendary engine builder Peter Molloy, Bob Morris had 400hp under his right foot. If this vehicle is race-ready, it should have a Super T-10 transmission. The power output figure might sound modest for a car of this type, but Group C race engines were the victim of some rather odd thinking by the governing body. Engine builders couldn’t increase an engine’s capacity, but they could use upgraded pistons, conrods, crankshafts, and carburetors. That sounds like a recipe for mega-power until you learn these motors had to retain their original production intake manifold. These were never intended for racing duty and failed to flow the air/fuel mixture efficiently. Many believe 500hp would have been achievable with a better intake. After decades of inactivity, this car was handed to Tasmanian-based former driver and race engineer John Walker for a mechanical refresh. The process was thorough, and potential buyers can consider this a race-ready package that runs and drives perfectly.

If the engine intake story seemed odd, there was an even stranger anomaly with Group C racecar interiors. Most people would expect an interior devoid of trim and upholstery, but the category’s production basis required cars to retain their complete interior. This meant all seats, upholstery, and carpet remained intact. The dash had to house items like a radio, and components like heater cores couldn’t be removed. Holden recognized that extra weight could reduce performance. As a result, the A9X came from the factory without luxury equipment like a radio or console, though buyers could request them. Builders could make changes to improve safety and reliability. This included a compulsory roll cage, a six-point racing harness, a proper competition-bred driver’s seat, and additional gauges to monitor the car’s mechanical health. The interior is in as-raced condition, though it has the wrong driver’s seat. That is a shame because the original seat accommodated some pretty illustrious names. These included Derek Bell, Dieter Quester, Janet Guthrie, and Johnny Rutherford. The interior presents well, with no apparent needs or shortcomings.

This 1977 Holden Torana A9X Group C is part of Australian motor racing folklore, and its against-the-odds 1979 championship victory makes it an extraordinarily significant machine. Prices for classic Australian racers have climbed substantially over the past decade, but they’ve risen stratospherically since the demise of the country’s vehicle manufacturing industry. With the decision by General Motors to retire the Holden brand, it falls to cars like this to provide an insight into an era when Holden’s position in the market and on the track seemed unassailable. That is why I believe it will reach the quoted figure, and probably do so reasonably quickly.