1 Of 500 Made: A Holden Commodore SS VK Group A “Blue Meanie”

Nicknamed the “Blue Meanie,” the Holden Commodore SS VK Group A has now become one of the most desirable cars ever produced in Australia, with one example that belonged to local racing legend Peter Brock selling for over $1 million AUD.

As the name suggests, the SS VK Group A was developed for Group A competition. Homologation rules required that 500 road-going versions be built and sold. Each of these cars was individually numbered, all were finished in Formula Blue, and all had the same alloy wheels.

Fast Facts – The Holden Commodore SS VK Group A

• The word “meanie” is an Australian slang term for a person who is mean or cruel. When the Holden Commodore SS VK Group A was released with its prodigious performance and blue paint, the nickname “Blue Meanie” must have seemed a natural choice.
• Development work on the SS VK Group A was undertaken by the Holden Dealer Team (HDT) and championship-winning driver Peter Brock – an icon of Australian motorsports.
• Power was provided by a slightly de-stroked version of Holden’s long-serving 5.0 liter V8, with displacement reduced from 5044cc to 4987cc to ensure it would be eligible for Group A competition.
• The car included a body kit, uprated suspension, an improved interior, and the 263 bhp A9L V8 sending power back through a heavy-duty 4-speed M21 manual gearbox to a limited-slip differential.

The First Holden Commodores

It’s hard to imagine a car more Australian than the Holden Commodore, which is why some are surprised when they learn that the first Commodores were actually based on the Opel Rekord Series E platform from Germany.

Above Video: This clip includes an interview with an owner of a SS VK Group A “Blue Meanie,” it also includes some driving footage that allows you to hear the engine at work.

Both Opel and Holden were subsidiaries of General Motors, and so a certain amount of platform sharing made financial sense. Holden engineers were quick to point out that they had strengthened the unibody shell of the car significantly to better withstand the harsh conditions of Australia’s outback.

The first generation Commodore was released in 1978 and sold until 1988 over five series: VB, VC, VH, VK, and VL.

These are the cars that established the Commodore nameplate in the zeitgeist of the Australian consciousness, they were best-sellers, and racing versions we’re campaigned significantly on the race tracks of Australia and New Zealand.

The Holden Commodore SS VK Group A

The SS VK Group A was originally meant to be on track racing in Australia in 1985, however there had been a hold up on a number of imported parts that were needed for building the 500 homologated cars that were required.

The Formula Blue paint of the Holden Commodore SS VK Group A along with its unusual alloy wheels and bodykit are immediately recognizable to any fan of Australian motorsport.

The deadline was missed and as a result the cars wouldn’t be allowed to race until 1986. This left the Holden Dealer Team (HDT) with no option but to run their older, slower cars. At the 1985 James Hardie 1000 the Holden racing driver John Harvey noted that his own personal SS VK Group A was faster than the race car he was trying to compete with.

The SS VK Group A was designed using the years of racing experience of the HDT and of Peter Brock, Australia’s best-known racing driver. They developed a car with a simple but almost bulletproof drivetrain, then incorporated a series of suspension, brake, and aero upgrades.

Overall it was a simple package, but it proved highly effective.

Once it finally could take to the track in 1986 the “Blue Meanie” started winning. The car took 1st and 2nd with Brock and new co-driver Allan Moffat at the wheel in the Nissan Mobil 500 at the Wellington Street Circuit in New Zealand.

Other drivers would win the the Pukekohe 500 in the second race of the New Zealand series a week later.

This is the Holden A9L V8 engine, it has a displacement of 4987cc and it produces 263 bhp at 5,200 rpm with 308 lb ft of torque at 3,600 rpm.

HDT took two cars to Europe to contest the 1986 FIA Touring Car Championship where the cars regularly led races, though wins proved elusive.

Perhaps the one major standout from the time in Europe was when driver Allan Grice drove his SS VK Group A to a new touring car lap record at Hockenheim, a record that remained unbroken until 2000.

The road-going homologation cars were fitted with the Holden A9L V8 engine, it had been de-stroked from 5044cc to 4987cc to ensure it fit into the sub-5.0 liter Group A class. This engine produced 263 bhp, a heady figure for the time, power was sent back through a heavy-duty 4-speed M21 manual transmission to a limited-slip differential.

All 500 road-going homologation examples of the Holden Commodore SS VK Group A were painted in the same shade of Formula Blue, they were given the same bodykits, and the same alloy wheels.

They also received the same Group 3 suspension kit, Group A decals, a Peter Brock signature decal on each front wing, an SS decal at the front end, and a celebratory Bathhurst sticker on each rear corner.

The interior of the car was much the same as the regular Commodore, with the exception of some “HDT” badging and the build number decal on the glovebox.

The individually numbered cars are now highly collectible in Australia but largely unknown overseas.

The 1985 SS VK Group A “Blue Meanie” Shown Here

The car you see here is Blue Meanie #412, it has 92,590 kilometers on the odometer (57,532 miles), and it’s being offered for sale out of Port Melbourne in Victoria, Australia.

It’s believed to have been very well maintained, with a raft of invoices available on file. It is noted that there are minor stone chips around the wheel arches, there is minor discolouration to the fabric seats and carpets, and the build number decal on the glovebox lid is slightly faded.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can visit the listing here on Collecting Cars.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

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Needs Rescuing: A Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 For $6,750

This 1967 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 has been sitting in the New Mexico sun for decades waiting for someone to rescue it and get it back on the road. It’s currently for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $6,750 USD.

Considering the fact that it’s been sitting outside for so long he severity of the rust doesn’t look unmanageable for the right person, the dry New Mexico climate will have helped with this of course. That said it’s clear that it will need a full frame-off rebuild.

Fast Facts – A Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 Project Car

• The FJ40 is almost certainly the most beloved of all the versions of the Toyota Land Cruiser that have yet been released. The combination of styling, off-road ability, and reliability have set the standard for all Land Cruisers that have followed.
• The model series included the FJ and BJ models, with the “F” denoting a gasoline engine and the “B” denoting a diesel engine. The numbers in the name tell you the wheelbase version, short is 40/41/42, medium is 43/44/46, and long is 45/47.
• Best known as the “J40” series, production commenced in 1960, it ended for most world markets in 1984 but Toyota’s Brazilian factory kept building them until 2001.
• The FJ40 you see here was parked up due to a mechanical issue decades ago, it’s now being offered for sale out of New Mexico requiring a full restoration.

The Creation Of The Land Cruiser

With a name inspired by the British Land Rover, the Toyota Land Cruiser initially took a lot of inspiration from the Willys Jeep. In fact one of the first Toyota four-wheel drives was developed based on the design of an American Jeep (or “GP”) that was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines during WWII.

This is the Toyota “Jeep” BJ from 1951, it was built by the Japanese automaker for the US Government for use in the Korean War.

By the time the Korean War broke out in 1950 the Japanese and Americans were working together, and the United States government ordered 100 vehicles with Willys Jeep specifications from Toyota. This vehicle was known as the Toyota “Jeep” BJ, and it would be the forefather of all the Toyota 4x4s to follow.

In 1954 Willys claimed a trademark violation on the use of the word “Jeep” by Toyota, at which point they renamed the vehicle the “Land Cruiser.” This model name had already been used on the Studebaker Land Cruiser, however as the model was being discontinued in 1954 there were no trademark issues.

The Land Cruisers that we would recognize today first appeared in 1955 as the J20 series. The J20 (and J30) was succeeded by the J40 series in 1960, the J40 series would enjoy an astonishing 41 year production run.

After sitting outdoors in New Mexico for decades (and with a partially disassembled engine) it’s clear that this FJ40 is going to need a bare metal restoration – but it could make a good starting point for a motivated individual or team.

The 1967 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 Shown Here

The FJ40 you see here will need a full rebuild, as mentioned further up it’s been sitting out in the New Mexico sun for a number of decades after an unnamed mechanical fault resulted in the engine being partially disassembled before it was abandoned.

The good news is that the numbered engine block is still accounted for, meaning that a motivated individual (or team) will have the option to restore it back to original condition if they so desire.

The vehicle does look largely complete with the exception of the seats and some engine parts, and the seller on eBay mentions that people are welcome to go inspect it in person, or have it inspected before placing a bid or making an offer.

If you’d like to read more about this FJ40, contact the seller about an inspection, or place an offer on it you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of El Paso Connection

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For Sale: A 2001 Honda RA V10 Formula 1 Engine

This is a Honda RA001E V10 F1 engine from 2001, unusually it was used during the season by both the BAR-Honda and Jordan teams, and it’s now for sale mounted to a display stand with its internals removed.

The RA series of Honda Formula 1 engines were one of the most enduring engine designs in modern F1 history. The naturally-aspirated design was originally developed in 1987 and 1988 to replace the wild turbocharged engines that had characterized much of the 1980s.

Honda enjoyed significant success with the 3.5 liter RA V10 from the get go, it would propel the McLaren team to its 4th Constructors’ Championship of the 1980s in its first year of competition – 1989.

The just to prove it wasn’t a fluke McLaren and the Honda RA V10 won the Constructors’ Championship again the next year in 1990.

This is the 3.0 liter version of the RA V10, named the RA001E. It was built for the 2001 season, it has four valves per cylinder with a pneumatic valve system, and it produces 830 bhp at 17,900 rpm in qualifying tune with 815 bhp in race tune.

Engine development was signed over to Mugen Motorsports in 1991, a performance and turning company that operates in a similar way to M for BMW or AMG for Mercedes-Benz.

Mugen would both develop and produce the engine throughout the 1990s for a number of F1 teams including Footwork, Arrows, Lotus, Ligier, Tyrrell, Prost, and Jordan.

In the late 1990s Honda became involved in the development once again, likely as they were in talks to reenter officially as the sole engine supplier for British American Racing. BAR was then bought out by Honda in 2006, becoming the official team.

Now presented without its internals, this engine is fitted to a display stand for presentation purposes. It includes the block, heads, exhaust manifolds, and intake.

The Honda RA series of engines would remain in service from 1989 until 2005 in both 3.5 and 3.0 liter displacements, the engines were significantly developed over this time of course with later examples producing over 830 bhp at 17,900 rpm in qualifying tune.

As mentioned above this engine was used by two Formula 1 teams during the 2001 season, BAR-Honda and Jordan, presumably with a rebuild taking place between them as these engines were typically rebuilt every 1,200 kms.

With its pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, and valves all removed, the engine now consists of a block, two heads, an intake and exhaust system – from the outside at least it looks complete and it’s mounted to a display stand.

If you’d like to read more about this engine or register to bid you can visit the listing here on Collecting Cars, it’s being offered for sale out of Vriezenveen in the Netherlands.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

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