Peter Brock’s daily driver sells for $1.057 million, sets auction record for a Holden road car

An iconic 1985 Holden Commodore V8 owned by late motor racing legend Peter Brock – and used as his daily driver – has been sold in a Grays Online auction overnight for $1.057 million, a record amount for a Holden road car.

The final sum – $1,057,509 not including the additional 7.5 per cent auction fee – fell just short of the current auction record for an Australian-made road car, $1.15 million for a 1971 Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III set in February 2021.

The 1985 Holden Commodore VK HDT Group A was bought by an anonymous buyer based in Victoria.

Although they were manufactured a decade apart, the Holden and Ford V8 sedans were developed as showroom special editions to meet motor racing regulations of their era – and formed the basis of Bathurst winners.

The Holden Commodore HDT VK Group A – number 05 of 500 built – was in original condition and showed 78,000km on the odometer.

Bids from the Brock Commodore passed the $300,000 mark within hours of opening, and eclipsed the $1 million mark with just 24 hours remaining in the five-day online auction.

The hammer finally fell at $1.057 million on the evening of Tuesday 25 May, 2021.

According to auctioneers Grays Online, the Holden Commodore HDT VK Group A – also known as the “Blue Meanie” due to its Mobil blue paintwork (Brock’s racing sponsor at the time) – build number 005 of 500 made was “Brock’s personal car that he drove during the build and release of the now highly collectable VK Group A Commodores.”

The auction house said the car “still belongs to the same family that Peter Brock sold it to” and has “never been repainted or restored and has been driven only on special occasions over the years”.

The seller says all HDT paperwork is included “to prove the authenticity” of the vehicle, in addition to a letter from the late John Harvey (Peter Brock’s right hand man in the HDT days).

Prior to the sale of the 1985 Holden Commodore VK HDT Group A sedan, the most recent million-dollar auction results for Australian-made road cars were $1.15 million for a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III sold at auction in February 2021, $1.05 million for a Holden Special Vehicles GTSR W1 Maloo ute in January 2021, and $1.03 million paid for a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III in June 2018.

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