If the V8 XU-1 was launched, Ford wouldn't have won a Bathurst or a Sandown for many years! - QLD
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An old friend, since passed on, fitted a 308 ci to an LJ Torana back around 1982. 4 speed manual.
My father used to compete against Harry Firth in the 1950s.
The 308 is a very neat fit in there!
I believe every Torana from LC to UC should have offered V8's as an option. Customers loved them.
Oh well........the XU1's went on to have the best looking Holden engines ever. The performance wasn't too shabby either.
Love the car...LJ Torana was my first car. It was tricked up to be XU1. It was the fastest thing in Blacktown...my dad was a Holden mechanic and he tuned it to perfection. I blew up the engine..spark plugs flying out etc...my dad put in a motor and brought it back to life. My dad died last year 87yo...he was one of the first Holden mechanics, learnt his trade when he was conscripted into the Army 1951.
A good friend( 17yr old) from high school in the 90s built one( replica) exactly the same but the 308 was also painted pink
In around 1980, a friend had a 308 XU1. It even had XU2 stickers on it. I can't remember the back story, however, I sincerely doubt it was from the factory. Even though it definately looked like it was made that way. He actually he let me drive it once, and it was a pretty lively as I recall.
Got to love the smile when you tap that accelerator...
I put 350 Chev motors in a couple of LC / LJ Toranas & handling was a real problem
Some of the guys who worked on the V8 XU1 behind the scenes back in the day said that the LJ chassis wasn't suitable or strong enough to handle the extra weight and extra torque of the 308 despite harry firth insisting that it was fine.. can only imagine if it was and if the snowflakes of the day didn't scare them off this thing would have been the fastest and most dominant Aussie road/race car ever built 👀
V8 to Torana's was a common swap when I was young, a friend ripped the much modified 308 out of his HG to put in a LC GTR although many preferred the Chevy small block. When I was an apprentice back in the 70's a Torana with a 308, XU-2 stickers and twin filler caps on the quarter panels came in, the owner suggested it was a factory special, I wonder if it was one of Harry Firths cars.
Now I know where classic for a cause got the car.
I thought, the XU-2 was scrapped cos the govt said slow your cars down or lose our contracts, rumours were it would have been based on the 308, but alas, they were gone
The Production Cars were Stopped the Three LJ GTR V8 Prototypes were Sold Off like the Four Phase 4 Falcons were.
There was an XU2 in Queensland at the Brock exhibition
@@666theninjaI think the last of the phases was the phase 4 or XA GT.
Ford had plans for a phase 6 never built but designed
That design was given to a friend of theirs, who built it to spec
Nothing would catch it 160mph cruising!
Story I heard a bluebird shot past it like it was standing still, shocking the driver and passenger while were sitting on around 130mph!
Caught up with the bluebird sometime down the road and asked to see what was under the bonnet .
Driver refused and drove away slowly.
I'm betting he had a massive turbo running about 25lbs of boost plus a lot of go parts under the bonnet, custom built motor definitely far from stock.
XB was the phase 5
Yeah. They called it the 'Supercar Scare'. 340s in Chargers, 308s in Toranas, and the Phase 4 GT were to blame. Won't mention the Leyland coupe etc
A very similar thing was done to a new "strike me pink" XU1 in the Griffith area of NSW by a well talented gentleman named Ron Milton.
That Aug/Sept 1972 Strike me Pink LJ XU1 had a 350HP 308 V8 in it and went to Tasmania in Late 1973 and was in Tassie until 1989 when it's Tas Owner moved into Qld, Become a Group C Race Car in Tas in 1976 and Raced up to 1989 as it was Turned into a Sports Sedan. Was a very fast road going car that Pink LJ XU1.
Harry Firth (R.I.P.) prepared and raced the V8 XU-1's. He reckoned the benchmark was John Goss's GTHO that he wanted to beat. It was an LC XU-1 rego number KSN-116 and raced at Bathurst at Easter in 1972 and the results were promising considering that that car had only a 17 gallon fuel tank and a standard carby with no engine modifications. I think that the stillborn LJ XU-1 V8 in it's final form would not have had things it's own way though. The Phase Four was packing enormous grunt, and in a much slipperior shape than the XY GTHO. The E49 Charger was the only one to be released before that news story from Evan Green was released that spelled the end for both the Phase Four and V8 XU-1. Before Chrysler Australia reacted to that news (?) story and pulled out of racing the E49 raced at at Oran Park, came from nowhere with Leo Geoghan at the wheel, passed the whole field and hammered John Goss to eventually finish fractions of seconds behind him. The 340 Charger for racing? Leo Geoghan (R.I.P.) was certain that it was not going to go ahead. He reckoned that it was too nose heavy and the six pack hemi was faster around the test track anyway. Somebody must have thought it was a good idea though. They imported a lot of 340 V8's that had to be sold so they were stuffed into a luxury VH Charger to get rid of them.
The GMH Engineered XW7 308 V8 LJ had a 300HP 308 V8 in them they were a worked 308 with a Big Cam and Worked Heads, they were L34 Engine before the L34 Engine was done later on. They had a Detroit Locker 2.78 Diff and Brake up grades plus new Brake Pads and Heavy Duty Race Suspension as well. Harry and Holden Engineering worked hard on the V8 LJ Program and Fred James the GMH Engine Engineer and Ian Tate and Harry worked hard on the XW7 308 V8. The Phase 4 Ford Falcon was in for a Shock at Bathurst 1972 and Brocky behind the Wheel, would of been a Great Victory like it was in 1972 without the 308 V8 any way.
@@666theninja Yes agreed, the XU-1 V8 was pretty well sorted and tested and the Phase 4 had yet to compete in a real life race. But what looks good on paper and race results in good conditions does not always translate to reality on race day. Remember Bathurst '72 started out in the wet and was all saw Moffat's struggle to get all those horses to the ground in the wet. It could have been a problem for the V8 LJ as well. We will never know sadly.
They did beat it, with a 202.
I've seen one in Tassie at the southern outlet in Hobart
I had a Aussie assembled LJ Torana 4 dr on GTR steels here in New Zealand ,Someone had fitted a JP block ,big cam ,Yella terra head ,roller rockers,465 4 barrell holley,full exhaust ,late model commie calipers and discs all the good gear ,steel case celica 5 spd with modified van hydraulic clutch and a 3.7 Volvo LSD ,it was fast and fun car till it got stolen and sadly never seen again .
The pink one was apparently crushed and buried at fisherman's bend test track ,the other two had engines removed, converted back to 202 and I believe that they where raced,according to one of the many books and magazines I have on xu1s
I had lots gtr with a 253,very mild cam ,308 manifold, 600 holly,stock headers with single 2 1/2 exhaust, engine was worth $600 and a traumatic gearbox, and would be dead level,and he spent around $8k on his 202
When I bought it,it was supposed to be the third one engineered and registered in nsw
Wish I still had it now😭
What Fishermans Bend test track? Lang Lang?
lol The Three LJ GTR V8 Prototypes were all Sold Off there is a GMH Tender Sheet for when they Tendered the Lone o Ranger (Orange) LJ GTR V8 Prototype Dated Feb 1975, Lang Lang Admin Manager Jim Allen Confirmed they were Not Destroyed in the Book called Torana Tough that was released in 2012. Lang Lang Proving Ground Driver has said they were not Destroyed they were Sold off as well as a Lang Lang Mechanic that worked on the V8 LJ GTR's out at Lang Lang said they were not Destroyed.
XU2 toranas built by the likes of harry firth and colin bond went on to be raced in the sport sedan and super sedan series... the later v8 toranas 1974 were too fragile to be a serious threat to the GTfalcons... broken suspension mounts broken diffs and fried clutches... the early SLR toranas were never the good race cars they could have been if they had been built by privateers...holden rushed them into production leaving alot of great drivers struggling to finish a race...the LJ XU1s were a fantastic car to here at full noise... and went like hell...The seventies was a great time growing up as a teenager...Aussie supercars were everywhere...
I thought I noticed the old Torana sound when he drove out the garage, just with a V8 rumble.
Ah it was going to be called xu-2, xu-1 was 6 cyl
I certainly hope it goes to someone responsible who realizes it's rarity and limitations.
What an investment!
hi
If the factory under whatever scheme a few v8s were built and some registered in the modern day a v8 conversion does not require a mod plate .
The factory had a prototype but it was registered . Meeting all govt approvals and Gmh at the time .
Lol nah they didnt. Good story though bro
A mate of mine back in 74, put a 351 clevo into a Capri. I can tell you know that would have made mincemeat of the Torana. It was so quick. Also I saw Cortinas with the old 302 in them as well. So if they XU1 V8 did make it, I think Ford would have dropped the big 4 doors and gone with either a Cortina or Capri to fight the Torana.
The heavy duty m21 lol
Nice sounding machine, unlike all the wet fart sounds getting around the streets now. 😀
Love that car . Great video mate .
Obviously it would be the same as putting a 351 cleveland in a Tc Cortina .
Sorry, maybe a 302W but not the heavy Clevo. They are NOT a good handling car at best and the Clevo is heavy!!
Though a far nicer street car than an LC LJ which is a god awfull compromise at best. But do handle and do not push a lot of air.
@@ldnwholesale8552 how awesome would it have been if they made a 302w
Cortina option
Had a mk3 GT always ponded over a v8 convo
@ChryslerMan Amiga 1084 i never thought of that one , but that would have been a impressive combination 👍
Iv seen people swapping out the triple carb. Engine for a small block V8. 327. And. And a. 289. Ford. Engine. Mixing it up with a 9”. Out of a fairlane. And I must not forget the 4 speed top loader. 🔥⚔️🔥
So it would take a 1000kg Vaxhual to beat a 1600kg falcon.
An LJ XU1 road car is aprox 1140kg and an XY GT aprox 1500kg.
And a Torana started as a shitbox Viva but had a LOT of strength built into the Torana 6. Still not a nice car but a very quick car in XU1 form.
Tell the Falcon to loose weight :)
I can't confirm its origin but just before Christmas of 72 the post master from one of th PO,s my dad and uncle delivered parcels to and from as part of their Royal Mail ( in those days) contract turned up to borrow our caravan, apon seeing this torana my dad asked him if he thought it was a bit small and under powered to tow the caravan as it was a fibreglass construction and those who are familiar with them from that era know they were bloody heavy, he promptly popped the bonnet and said to dad ' do you think that will pull it ?' and sitting there was a v8 with what I deemed was a huge air cleaner for a kid of nearly 7, I have always wondered whether someone would have chopped up a brand new car back then or did he buy it like that
Some Select Holden Dealerships put together some V8 LJ Torana's for Customers back in Late 1972 to April 1973, so it might of been one of the Holden Dealership ones. GMH did sell off the Three LJ GTR V8 Prototypes as well.
Don't know that they would have dominated, speaking to my grandfathers brother, who worked on the programme, he said they had major understeer and brake overheating issues, to the point that they estimated a gain of 1.5-2secs up Mountain and down Conrod straights, but would lose 2.5-3secs across the top, and the brake issues were being caused by the heavier braking needed across the top to negate the understeer, and they were struggling with the diff strength as well
Nice work mate, colour should have been hot orange though
Same as your company car at Australis
I sold mine (lc) to Daryl and Jaquie from Ipswich in 2010.
I have lost contact with them since, and would love to hear how it is going.
Daryl used to drive a semi for Jack Daniel's racing.
If anyone that knows them could give em the heads up, I'd be wrapped 👍
U can keep your Lambos (well....). This is my dream car (well one of them). But only in Hot Pink. 🥰
I'll take one in silver!
I understood they were to be called GTR XU-2.
Great looking car and l wished they had built them but alas not to be so we'll never know how they would have gone against the HO's.
To say ford wouldn't of won for a long time is fairly wide of the mark.
The HO's were 4 years into it program ,that's allot of racing under it's belt to develop and re engineering there faults and there were plenty of them.
They ( V8 LJ )would of had problem's with there
*Diffs
* Gearbox
*Brakes
There test they had done at Bathurst in Easter 72 (only 5 laps)
Adelaide raceway DNF
Calder (finished)
All l know is the LH's were brutally quick but frightfully fragile
As l said pity will never know
The XU1 Won Bathurst in 1972 and the LH L34 Torana Won Bathurst in 1975 and 1976, the V8 LJ would of Won everything it Entered in :)
@@666theninja
They should of won in 73 too except for big Pete pushing Chivas that much it threw Harry's fuel plan out the window
74 was the same 100 laps into the race and 6 or 7 laps up, what did Harry say" take it easy " ,that went well for him to, enough to piss Brocky off as to never race with firth again.
75/76....well when the ratio of Holden/ ford at Bathurst was 5:1 no wonder they won... even being fragile in the running gear department as they were until the A9X fixed there problem' s
@@jimmartin9704 They Won in 1975, 1976 with there So Called Fragile Running Gear. 1972 was the Best Win as the Little LJ XU1 Beat the Fastest 4-Door Car in the World at Bathurst in 6Cyl Format. :)
@@666theninja
Yep as l said 75/76 , 28 L34 entered 12 DNF So Weight of entry helped there cause, great cars, fast , lightweight but fragile ( Even Harry admitted that in a interview, so did Brocky ). Bondy ran out of brakes in 76 cause you were still running drum brakes , .....really, so three years into your V8 Torana program drum brakes mmmmm ford was 3 years into running 4 wheel disc, after many years of problem's which was sorted out because of racing, yet the V8 LJ would of been a winner straight up, ..ok, cause your LH didn't just have a shit ton of them in a race and maybe one might survive
72 the LJs were about 4 seconds a lap down on the old and tired XYs
Leo Pruneau even admitted the wet track helped them to there victory.
As l said in original post wished they had built and raced together so we know cause opinions are like arseholes , everyone got one
Larry Perkins was driving around in one of them to put it through it’s paces but I thought I heard they had a 253 not a 308
253 would of been a match made in heaven👌
They Tested with 253 V8 first then Switched to 308 V8 as Brocky said the 253 V8 was no Faster than the 6Cyl XU1 Engine, So in went the 308 V8.
Strike me pink! That’s the the trouble you’re driving it like the colour, a gay!
The Three LJ GTR V8 Prototypes were all Sold Off, the V8 LJ Prototypes were LJ GTR's and not LJ XU1's. There is a Feb 1975 GMH Tender Sheet for the Orange LJ GTR V8 Prototype Proving none were Destroyed and Lang Lang Admin Manager Jim Allen said in the 2012 Torana Tough Book that the V8 GTR's were not Destroyed and other Lang Lang People have said they were not Destroyed as well.
I like the sales pitch he does this would beat Ford blah blah nice one.
Does anyone who owns a TORANA know how to adjust a bonnet hinge lol regardless if you know about the platform you you'd know that the extra front end weight would have made the car push terribly fast in a straight line no doubt but not nimble like the six was the LH LX was the better v8 car for sure ,still cool but.
Not sure the banjo would of lasted the distance with 308
It did in the Monaro's and L34's, however they did break axles, and had to be driven by race teams diligently. The diff's were designed for 90 hp engines however
@@gb4408 first car I had was xu1 mock up with 220hp 202 I lost count of different I replaced lol 😆 but I thrashed the daylights out of it every chance I got !
We had a special curved punch at work to knock the axle ends from the centre of banjo diffs. Black then it was a common occurrence. Mind you in the 80's there were s lot more around
@@gb4408 Monaro V8s used Chev 10 bolts with 1. 1/8 28 spilne axles. L34s used banjo diffs with 1" 23 spline axles which were plain piss weak. Ok for the six,, just but not the torque of the plastic fantastic. Which ofcourse were another issue!!
They had a Detroit Locker 2.78 for V8 LJ Done with stronger Metal Components in the Center. Brocky Won in 1972 with a Banjo Diff any way.
Tuff
Nice. What did it sell for please.
What is a throwait?
Sadly I saw the shit people do to others. In 1990 a Mongrel in Rockhampton showed me xu1 plates he was planning to slap on a wrecked torana he was rebuilding . I still wonder if the poor bastard that bought it ever found out
Try pull that down to a decent speed at the bottom of the "old" conrod straight, (of that time), not on those standard brakes mate. With the weight of the Torana being so light, and lack of roll cage or decent brakes, conrod straight could've been the deadly downfall for some drivers. I'm sure with the right gear combo it could've gone well into the 200kph numbers.
I've been a bit over 200kph in a mint original LC torrie GTR riding shotgun, Scary fast but F#@ken awesome. Shamed a lot of blokes off the lights coz it was owned by a 22yo chick.
is it real?
Not original and not built by Harry. Trying to talk it up more than it is.
Big IF
Lol umm wrong ford would of fired back with a 302 powered cortina not to mention the xflow would of done the job lol
Would of been good if they didn't ban the sierras . The Holden's couldn't even catch a glimpse of their rear tail lights 🤣 only ever won against them by default then they later segregated the ford rs and gtr skylines into their own class because to fast 🤣 .
@@lsdontimpress what about 1990 ? Group A racing finished worldwide in 91/92 . Nothing to do with Holden sooking. Do you think Ford and Nissan would have kept developing cars for a category that no longer existed ?
If this car was allowed to compete with the full backing of HDT team. I'm sorry but off would have monstered all of its opponents. Ford. Chrysler etc wouldn't have had a chance. This car in a straight six format beat the legendary XYGT HO. The LJ TORANA with a race built 308 would have been unbeatable in its era.
Having driven all these cars at 125mph, I can say that each has their pros and cons and the Torana wouldn't be an automatic winner.
The whole mechanical set up was at best fragile. Look what happened to the LH5000 and L34. Failures and often.
The Ford had far stronger mechanicals except for the stupid front well oil pan that caused all sorts of grief. The Torana though has all sorts of oiling issues plus the 6 cyl gearbox and diff. And yes I know all about them!!! Both Ford and Torana
Had the 340 Charger been built for racing it would have been all over the v8 torana and phase 4- better weight distribution than a V8 in an LJ ( Torana wouldn't handle with a 308) and a weight advantage over the XA sedan. Remember nothing beat the 265's in N.Z.- not even Alan Moffat's phase 3 so the 340 in comparable tune to the E-49 would blitz the opposition.
Funny the 6Cyl LJ XU1 Won Bathurst in 1972 and not the Charger or the Falcon lol. Go Watch the 1972 Bathurst Race.
@@rossbrumby1957 Agree mate. I had a VF Wayfarer ute with E38 engine then a fully worked E49 engine complete with 4 speed and VIP LSD diff. Suspension set up was by Drew Whelan a VG Pacer racer. Would rate this as the best handling car, and easily as fast accelerating as the XYGT, but not as quick top end as my friend's XU1 with the 308. NZ has plenty of corners which helped the Valiant shine. My friend with the LJ also had a full race mini which we often raced around the streets of Hillsborough (me sitting on a crate) and we were often chased by two local Chargers. A mustard one (E49) and a hot pink one (E38?). Couldn't shake them. They could handle!
Harry used a 253 first in the LC.
Door trims are GTR which is correct as the 3 ( sebring orange, strike me pink and a White one ) factory GMH production ones were GTR's not XU-1s. Neat car. Id say Harry would have made them a little more grumpy than a stock 308, even for the limited production run.
I can't see it, why would you give up the cubic inches when they both weigh almost the same, it wouldn't be worth it, even with a grumpy Firth build!
@@DekGT5mad They fitted the 253 first only due to thinking Holden wouldn't approve of the larger 308. Ofc they fitted the 308 eventually but the first one had a 253, it was a Yellow car. Peter raced it at calder in with the super sedans of Norm Beechey and Bob Jane. Was a 308 by time they raced it. Was driven to the track, rego KSN116.
Were the 3 XU1's that Harry Firth put 2gether this pinky purple.. if so l understand why the color is on it . Not my choice , but any ⏰ a period job has 2 be done then, go4it.
The Three LJ GTR Prototypes Colors were: One was Strike Me Pink, One was White, One was Lone o Ranger (Orange).
@@666theninja cheers. From a few articles l have read it had handling issues. But esrly days as a prototype. They had the right man on the job.. the 6 in the xu1 & hey charger e49 especially r my 1st ❤'s
The Aussie Charger was way ahead as far as design goes & much better balanced 👀👀 car than tbe American counter part. There was a lot of noise way back in the day that they were going to stroke that big 6 out 2 4 7 - 4..8 lts. Similar 2 the Eagle Roadster in the UK
.Check it out & enjoy 👍👍
@@robertphillips3078 Harry had the Handling issues sorted as they took the Pink GTR Prototype to Calder to Sort that out. The XW7 V8 LJ was getting New Heavy Duty Shocks and New Heavy Duty Coils and Bigger Brakes and a Detroit Locker Diff, Holden Engineering and Harry went all out as they Wanted to Win Bathurst 1972.
Click bait much....
they're just lucky the V8s weren't too heavy otherwise it wouldve been a pig.
Nice car. Would it have won, maybe. Would it have broken down during the race like sooooo many L34’s years later, *ABSOLUTELY* 💯
Love the car, hate the Color. Didn't the XU1 have a front spoiler. If its on there l haven't spied it. An orange would have been much nicer
Harrys development car was pink, probably the reason.
@@ldnwholesale8552 Harry's Developed the Yellow HDT LC XU1 V8 Prototype first with Vic Rego Number KSN116, The LJ GTR V8 Prototypes were Orange, Pink and a White one, Harry and Holden Engineering Developed the LJ GTR V8 Prototypes.
Ford will be Bathurst Bridesmaids for ever. Holden all the way! For Aussie built cars.
As always gm Holden's bean counters stuffed up its own future stupidity was its own demise but moffat still would kicked ass more reliable diff and engine Holden's diff would not of been able to last with combo in a small torans
Funny didn't Peter Brock Win Bathurst in 1972 in the 6Cyl LJ XU1 Torana lol.
@GTO For 5 Laps lol
It’s fake tho
Brake melt downs gearbox fails driveshaft and drivelines would of prevented that!!! Would of should of but didn’t!!! Blah blah blah 😒
lol Funny Brocky Won Bathurst 1972 with a Banjo and a XU1 M21 Gearbox.
Absolutely not the xu1 beat the face 3 anyway
30 yrs ago my best mate had a genuine XU1 which had a 308 conversion. He had previously owner an XYGT (which he has since bought back). The conversion certainly devalued the car as he learnt later. We did 130mph in that car. And 125mph in the GT. To be fair, it would have been close between the two. The Torana's wheelbase and weight distribution didn't like fast tight corners and you couldn't hang it out as reliably like the GT. Both had pros and cons. I reckon a worked LJ XU1 with webers etc would be quicker than the V8 version. I was more concerned that the M21 would explode as the shifter vibrated like crazy! Maybe Brett will read this and tell you more.
The 6Cyl LJ XU1 was never ever faster than the 308 LJ V8 Version, Harry Firth has stated that many times.
@@666theninja I think Shane is talking a modified 6 with webers etc, not the std. xu1 engine- which could be true depending on mods I guess...
@@jgkk5862 Shane says he reckons a worked LJ XU1 with webers would be Quicker than the V8 Version. The Yellow LC HDT XU1 V8 Prototype did over 160MPH in Road Testing By Larry Perkins in Early 1972, Back then Highways in some States were Open Speed Highways. Bathurst 1973 the HDT LJ XU1 Red 202 6 Cyl in the HDT LJ XU1 No.1 Car had Webers and was a more Modified Engine that was in the 1972 HDT LJ XU1 that Won Bathurst in 1972 and that i believed clocked 150MPH at Bathurst and was the Fastest XU1 up at the Mountain at Bathurst 1973. Yet still not Faster that the V8 Version of the XU1.
@GTO 308 V8 LJ would of Won Bathurst by Six Laps like the 1979 A9X HDT Hatchback, Brocky would of drove it like a Sunday Drive and Had 6 Cans of Beers by the time the First Phase 4 Rolled in. A 308 V8 LJ with all the L34/A9X Goodies would beat any 6Cyl Weber LJ XU1 Torana without a doubt. Harry Firth has stated he Built a Special Sump for the V8 LJ, Repco did the Sump for the 308 L34 Engine in Late 1973 and only tested it on the Dyno and not the Track and GMH went with Repco's Sump and not the V8 LJ Sump that Harry Wanted to use in 1974, Harry fixed the Problem up after the 1974 Bathurst breakdown.
@GTO Harry Firth stated the V8 LJ handled better that the 6Cyl LJ XU1, Harry and Holden Engineering fitted Heavy Duty Shocks and Heavy Duty Coils and Sway Bars to the Pink V8 LJ Prototype and tested it at Calder and it beat the 6Cyl HDT LJ XU1 around Calder by 3 Seconds a lap. Proved the car was faster that the 6cyl. I have owned a LJ XU1 Torana and drove it at speed and owned a heap of 308 V8 LJ Torana's. The V8 ones handle better and are way faster, Simple as that. The V8 LJ was getting a Detroit Locker Diff, Funny the Yellow LC HDT V8 XU1 Prototype in testing by Larry Perkins never blew a diff or a gearbox in Extreme Open Highway Testing and Track Testing. Harry was a mile ahead of Ford's Phase 4 in testing, as Harry fired up the Yelow LC V8 HDT XU1 (KSN116) up on Xmas Day 25/Dec/1971 and took Fred James for a mad hoon in it and Fred reported back to the GMH Chiefs and the Program got instant approval and they started testing that Yellow LC XU1 V8 in early Jan 1972 through to April 1972 then in May 1972 the V8 LJ Prototypes were Developed and been tested.
if.if if.....If Holden could have-they would have. Firth-tricked 308 vs Cleveland 351 up mountain straight and down conrod? no way FORD WON :)
Bathurst 1972 was Won by the 6Cyl version of the LJ XU1, Harry didn't need the 308 V8 LJ Version any way to Beat the Falcon's the 6Cyl did it any way lol.
@@666theninja in the rain lol. Moffat was the pole winner two and a half seconds quicker than Brock. It was the rain, mate. The rain.
@@BRETTYZCAR lol the Rain, it was Brock and the XU1
That engine in that chassis = waaay too much engine for the chassis in race trim.
Maybe Ford would have put a 351 in a escort or cortina.... then Holden would have been flogged.
Could of, would of should of but didn't so argument is over!!
@@PedrosmsPedrosms I was commenting on the title of the video... which is a what if... it doesn't matter anyway... Holden are gone and don't exist... so it doesn't matter.... no more crap cars and bogan holden owners to deal with.
Pure conjecture.
In the video description how do you actually know that would be the case? In fact, Holden never released the V8 XU-1 and Ford did win Bathurst many times, so your statement is an Oxymoron at best.
Cause there is a GMH 79 Page Engineering Parts List for V8 LJ Torana with Drawings called the XW7 Parts List. GMH were only two weeks off Production with the V8 LJ.
@@666theninja You just confirmed what I said, the fact is Holden never released the V8 XU-1. Thanks for confirming that by the way 👍
@@The_Last_Ninja Three Prototypes were Built by GMH and Sold like the Phase 4's :) and Holden only Needed the 6Cyl LJ XU1 to Beat the GTHO Falcon any way lol.
Harry Firth said that when the V8 LJ was rejected, he kept the upgraded brakes and suspension and fitted a heavily worked 202 cubic inch 6 cylinder instead, he did not think that the V8 would have performed much better than the new 6 cylinder combination. When the LH L34 was released, it used all of the development learned from the XU-2, and iI didn't weigh much more than the V8 LJ. As the Falcons would often beat the LH & LX V8's, I doubt that a V8 LJ would have been as unbeatable as the video title suggests.
Harry stated many times the 308 V8 LJ was Far Faster than the 6Cyl LJ XU1 and was Superior than the 6Cyl HDT LJ XU1 Torana. Harry said the V8 LJ would of Won everything it Entered in. Go Watch the Chevron HDT DVD as Harry says in that DVD Doco.
that was when holden only offered harry the 253 hence harry saying the 6 package would be faster and rejected the 253 , he got his 308 but in vain
Not at Bathurst falcons only won once against the LH L34 and the LX A9X Torana. But a giant 5.8 v8 got its arse handed too by a 3.3 6cyl in 72. Also in 1975 the LH L34 won the race by a record six laps and setting the lap record on the last lap.
Yeah, because Holden was too chicken sh*t to race the big bodied Monaros against their size equivalent Falcons and Chargers, and this carried on in the '80s with the early Commodores. EVERYTIME Ford gets ahead, Holden whinges, Ford is kneecapped and starts again, the latest occurrence being the Mustangs, which were killing it until Holden cried.
They raced Monaros at Bathurst twice and won both time's. Not sure what you're on about with the 80s Commodore statement.
M21 heavy duty gearbox????? You obviously know little about cars!! Not to mention the plastic banjo diff!!! Clearly a holden lover(dreamer)
WRONG! Chrysler produced 250 E55's which were 340 automatics! You can't say what if's when it didn't happen! If the phase 4 falcon raced, who's to say they wouldn't have shit all over these V8 torana. What your saying is only your biased opinion 😠😡🤬