Holden VB Commodore: 1979 Repco Trial - the first and most crucial victory
It’s hard to imagine how things could have worked out for the Holden Commodore had it not won the 1979 Repco Round Australia Reliability Trial. The General’s new and unproven sedan famously crushed the competition to not only win Australia’s longest and toughest rally but also finish a resounding 1-2-3, which erased any doubts about the newcomer’s suitability for rugged Aussie roads.
The Repco Trial attack was arguably the most audacious motor sport gamble by an Australian car maker. GM-H really put all its chips on the table because had the new Commodore failed to conquer such a gruelling 20,000 km ordeal - and pull it off with such apparent ease – a lack of buyer acceptance could have proved terminal.
To understand how crucial this victory was to Holden, you have to reflect on how nervous GM-H was about the launch of its new baby in October 1978 having consumed the then staggering sum of $110 million in development.
The Commodore’s DNA could be traced to GM’s European division. Based on a hybrid version of Opel’s V-car platform, using a mix of Rekord and Senator chassis and body components, this sharp-edged European had been thoroughly ‘Australianised’ through rigorous local testing and adoption of rack and pinion steering, Radial Tuned Suspension (RTS) and Holden’s ageing but proven six and V8 engines and drivetrains.
However, the new VB Commodore was substantially smaller than the beefy full-size HZ Kingswood line it was designed to replace. The fear was that Holden had gone too far in its push for greater fuel efficiency through downsizing, at a time when the world was reeling from a series of oil crises triggered by an increasingly unstable Middle East.
When measured against Ford’s more spacious new XD Falcon, the Commodore was vulnerable to perceptions of being too small for Aussie families. Holden also feared that the VB’s wedgy ‘new age’ European styling was too much sauerkraut too soon for conservative local tastes raised on the steak-and-three-veg Kingswood.
Rumours (based on fact) were also swirling about how badly German-built Commodore prototypes had broken up on outback roads, raising doubts about the new car’s suitability for Australia’s notoriously harsh conditions.
On reflection, the announcement in 1978 by South Australian rally driver and event organiser Stewart McLeod, that he would be conducting the 20,000 km Repco Round Australia Reliability Trial in August 1979, was almost on cue for Holden. For here was the ideal challenge - in full media and public view - which, if Holden was to succeed, would immediately remove any doubts about the Commodore’s toughness. And establish it as a winner right from the start.
Although GM-H openly basked in the glory of ‘its’ resounding Repco Trial victory, the credit really belonged to the mastermind who pieced together such a meticulously planned and executed attack – George Shepheard.
His rallying CV was already impressive when the audacious concept of guiding a team of unproven Commodores to victory in the Repco was put on the table. Shepheard had a wealth of experience in both local and international rallying, highlighted by competing for BMC in the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon and winning three Australian Rally Championships as navigator to Colin Bond in HDT Torana XU-1s.
Shepheard’s smorgasbord of skills in rally navigation, event strategy, logistics and car preparation was without peer, making him the ideal candidate to steer Holden to what was the Commodore’s - and arguably the company’s - most important motor sport victory.
Planning to win
The 1979 Repco Trial attracted a huge entry of more than 200 cars, spearheaded by a number of genuine factory-backed ‘works’ teams.
Beyond Shepheard’s three-car Holden Dealer Team (HDT), backed by GM-H and its enthusiastic national dealer network, Ford entered three six cylinder TE Cortinas led by multiple Australian rally champ Colin Bond. Although on paper these cars posed the greatest threat to HDT (Bond led the field into Perth), a late start to preparations would lead to a series of durability problems which would cripple them out of contention.
Volvo Australia and its dealer network put together a strong four-car team, along with Porsche Cars Australia which backed two works entries (911 & 924) crewed by top internationals. There was also a multi-car Audi team, a dealer-backed Citroen for dual London to Sydney winner Andrew Cowan and numerous top quality private entries.
On reflection, putting Shepheard in charge of Holden’s attack ensured that the event was largely won before it started. He told GM-H that it had to commit to the event and allocate a budget by a set date to allow him sufficient time for thorough planning, extensive vehicle testing and flawless preparation.
He was acutely aware that the Repco would be the longest, fastest, toughest and cruellest Round Australia Trial of them all. Its total distance of almost 20,000 kms was to include 8,000 kms of car-busting competitive stages over some of the worst roads and bush tracks imaginable. Competitors would need to average a staggering 1,400 kms a day for 14 days straight at very high average speeds.
“60 hours, almost non-stop, across the Nullarbor,” read Holden’s advertising blurb. “58 hours from Perth to Darwin. And 62 hours from Darwin to Townsville. That’s tough going for man and machine alike.”
Shepheard nominated three crews which offered the right mix of speed, dependability and versatile mechanical and navigational skills. In one car he teamed the East African Safari-winning talents of Shekhar Mehta with European rally champion (and 1966 Bathurst 500 winner) Rauno Aaltonen and motoring journo Barry Lake. Local rally stars Wayne Bell and Barry Ferguson were joined by Dave Boddy. And in the third car, former HDT mechanic Matt Philip was matched with ace navigator Noel Richards and multiple Bathurst winner and touring car champion Peter Brock.
The inclusion of race track ‘glamour boy’ Brock was seen by cynics as a publicity stunt, but Brock was a former rallycross champion with formidable dirt-driving skills. His ignorant critics also didn’t know that Brock had been closely involved with the Repco Trial program right from the start, clocking up huge distances in the ‘Old Silver’ test hack and playing a key behind-the-scenes role in development of the cars. This included Bridgestone tyres tailor-made for the task. Brock's determination to win was resolute.
Shepheard dismissed the idea of running V8s because of the extra weight they would place on the front suspension and the larger (heavier) fuel loads required. He also wanted the HDT cars to stick as close as possible to their showroom specification, so that in the worst case scenario standard parts could be cannibalised from a spectator’s car or local dealer to make it through to the next service point.
The first task was to build a prototype. Holden supplied an Aztec Silver pre-production VB Commodore which had been used by GM-H engineers for early durability testing. It was built to the exact specifications Shepheard planned for the Repco cars, powered by Holden’s venerable 202 cid (3.3 litre) inline six and M21 four-speed manual gearbox.
“This car was the ‘mule’,” wrote Bill Tuckey in An Old Dog for a Hard Road. “Shepheard had a deliberate, calculated plan. He would build the car – later to become famous as ‘Old Silver’ – to what he thought would be a strong-enough stage, then take it out and break it. He would modify the weak areas then send it out and break it again. He wanted to give it his final testing in the Bega Rally, due to be run on June Queen’s Birthday weekend.
“Bell and Boddy drove the silver car in the Bega, as planned, and were running fourth when the engine mounts broke and the sump contacted the sump guard and cracked. It was the same problem that eventually destroyed the Cortinas. It is thus fair to say that Shepheard’s long-laid plan to try the Commodore in the Bega was the decision that won the Repco for the Commodores.”
To fix the engine mount failure, Shepheard had GM-H develop improved rubber compounds and ensured that if the mounts did break during the event, the engines would remain positively located until replacement could be fitted. His rigorous testing program also revealed that the standard panhard rod brackets on the rear suspension would need to be beefed up. And on it went.
When Shepheard had completed his exhaustive testing and determined the final specification of the cars, Holden did a special production line run of 18 identical units. The body shells of these ‘Repco Trial’ Commodores received extra spot welds in high stress areas, including reinforcement of the panhard rod brackets and an additional support brace. They were also fitted with extra mounting brackets for the cavernous long range fuel tanks (40 gallons/182 litres) plus mountings for roll cages, sump guards etc.
Three of these cars were earmarked for HDT and shipped to Shepheard’s Sydney workshop for meticulous preparation. The other 15 were sold to private entrants. The late motoring journalist Barry Lake, who crewed in one of the HDT Commodores, provided some great insights into the depth of Shepheard’s preparation for Australian Muscle Car magazine in 2004:
“The 202 cid (3.3 litre) six cylinder engines were built by long-time HDT engine builders Ian Tate and Matt Phillip. They were similar in specification to those of the GTR XU-1 Toranas that had raced at Bathurst and in the Southern Cross International Rally in the early 1970s – built to last.
“The balanced and blueprinted engines featured baffled sumps, enlarged oil galleries and cross-drilled main bearings, with the XU-1’s well proven crankshaft, con-rod and forged piston combination. Compression ratios were deliberately capped at 9.4:1 (much lower than the XU-1) to cope with the worst variations in outback fuel quality.
“Specially lightened flywheels and harmonic balancers aided bottom-end durability. The stock heads were ported and polished and fitted with valves slightly larger than the stock XU-1 items. A relatively mild version of a Wade XU-1 racing camshaft grind was chosen for its good low-down torque characteristics.
“Shepheard also specified stock XU-1 cast exhaust headers rather than an extractor system for durability reasons. Instead of the triple 1 ¾-inch SU carburettors used for the more powerful versions, these unique (Repco Trial) engines had three Stromberg 175CD carbies. Ian Tate claims these extremely versatile engines delivered maximum torque at 4000 rpm, with a genuine 190 bhp (142 kW) on tap at 5700 rpm.
“Gearboxes were the standard M21 four-speed manual units which were hand-built with components that had all been shot-peened, crack-tested and carefully checked before assembly. Similar care was taken with the assembly of the rear axle assemblies, which had the standard axles and Detroit Locker differentials. Brakes were the Commodore’s optional four-wheel discs fitted with competition pads.
“Commodores had coil springs as standard on all four corners and long, supple suspension travel, which was one of their major strong points. Shepheard had stiffer coils made up which increased the ride height, though not as much as on the rival works Ford Cortinas. Bilstein gas pressure shock absorbers were used all round, the front units being mounted within the MacPherson struts.
“Here was yet another example of the advantages of starting early and testing. George experienced a similar problem to that of Ford, in that the first batches of Bilsteins supplied were the incorrect length. When early testing pinpointed the problem, George had enough time to get Holden to go through Opel Motorsport direct to Bilstein in Germany so that the correct units were obtained. The late-starting Ford team did not have this luxury, which cost them dearly.”
The HDT Commodores were built tank-tough, with steel bull bars, big sump guards and cross braces between the front suspension towers which were also fitted with thicker top hats to ensure the struts couldn’t punch up through the towers.
There were powerful Cibie driving lights and the bonnets were secured with additional rubber safety straps. Special vents were also mounted on each side of the bonnets. These were sourced from GM’s Pontiac division in the US, designed to extract excessive heat from under the bonnets as a result of the massive sump guards restricting the normal flow of air.
Big rear mud flaps were fitted and the standard rear bumpers replaced by short steel tracks which could be quickly detached and placed under the rear wheels if the cars became stuck in deep sand or mud.
Inside the cabins, where HDT’s three-man crews would live for two hellish weeks, were lightweight aluminium roll cages, Holden ‘GTS’ sports steering wheels, Scheel competition bucket seats with a four-point safety harness for the driver, full navigation equipment and two-way radios.
The standard back seats were cut in half, with only the left sides remaining for ‘cat-napping’ by weary crew members on the move. The vacant space left behind the driver’s seat served as a handy storage area for spare wheels/tyres.
Like a few other teams, HDT chartered a light aircraft from which Shepheard could oversee and co-ordinate his formidable battle plan from start to finish. He was in constant communication with his three competing cars and five service crews via two-way radios. The six-seater plane was also carrying extra spares and usually a couple of mechanics enjoying a rest from their road duties on a rotating roster.
As if all of that wasn’t enough, Shepheard with the assistance of GM-H also collated contact details for every Holden dealership, Holden-related service facility and spare parts stockist along the torturous route. Holden’s Repco Trial campaign enjoyed the enthusiastic support of the national dealer network, which was only too keen to assist the HDT effort in every way it could.
The event
“167 cars left the Melbourne Showgrounds on Sunday August 5 to begin that torturous journey,” wrote Barry Lake. “Ahead lay 20,000 kilometres and two weeks of brutal torture for vehicles and crews.
“There would be only five rest stops – Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Townsville and Sydney, ensuring sleep deprivation of the most sadistic kind. The roads were merciless, the pace relentless. Throw in waves of blinding bulldust, wondering stock, bent rims, blown tyres, kangaroos, endless cattle gates and crippling tiredness and you’ve got hell on wheels.
“The fatigue, the despair, the sheer physical exhaustion proved too much for all but a few by the time the survivors limped back into Melbourne only 15 days later.”
According to Lake, there were no team orders at HDT other than to make sure that all cars made it home. Each crew had their fair share of problems to contend with, but never big enough to stop them. The apparent ease with which Holden won, with a brand new and unproven car, gave rise to numerous ‘sour grape’ rumours aimed at discrediting such a staggering achievement.
“(There were) foolish stories that circulated after the event – most of them aimed at eroding the true worth of the 1-2-3 win by Commodore,” Bill Tuckey wrote. “The stories of 64 front struts being changed – it was always the same figure which suggested that the rumour was well organised – of nine Commodores with changeable number plates being used, of tyre stores around Australia being stripped of tyres, of dealers for months afterwards not able to get suspension parts for Commodores because GM-H had commandeered them all, are all totally wrong.”
According to Lake’s first-hand account, in Adelaide the HDT mechanics removed the front struts from each car and replaced them with a spare set. The units removed were then pulled apart, checked, reassembled and in Perth were replaced in the cars from which they’d been removed for the remainder of the event (in Lake’s car at least).
At each of the five major rest breaks, HDT mechanics also changed engine oils, all filters and brake pads as part of routine servicing. The batteries were also replaced at half distance as insurance against shaking themselves to death and new Bridgestone rally tyres were also fitted at regular intervals.
The only major component replacements apart from the front struts were the rear axles. As part of his better-safe-than-sorry approach, Shepheard planned to replace all the Commodore rear-ends at around half distance. And by ‘rear-ends’ we mean the complete live axle assemblies - new diff, axles, brakes, shocks, springs, cables, the lot.
Two of the cars had theirs replaced on a service station forecourt at Port Hedland in northern WA, in full view of spectators and media, with the third car’s being replaced in Townsville, Queensland. It was arguably these precautions which ignited the false rumours that the HDT cars were being completely rebuilt each day.
In hindsight, though, for what was supposed to be a ‘reliability’ trial, the replacement of such major mechanical items suggested Holden was not confident that its new untried sedan could go the distance without factoring in such huge safety margins.
However, in historic terms such opinions count for zip because only the final result counts. And on that score, Holden simply blitzed the Repco Trial with its new Commodore - Brock/Richards/Philip first, Bell/Ferguson/Boddy second and Mehta/Aaltonen/Lake third.
Only 13 of the original 167 starters (from 208 entries) completed the entire course which was officially 19,027.3 km in length. HDT’s emphatic 1-2-3 provided an immeasurable boost to the Commodore’s image. Not surprisingly, the day after its Repco Trial win, Holden had to boost production rates to meet a big spike in demand.
