Peter's XY & XA GT Classics: Classic Restos - Series 53

Fletch recently had the pleasure of visiting Peter and Pam at their pristine property in Junee, New South Wales. Peter's shed, or "mancave," as he likes to call it, is equally pristine, along with his impressive collection of vehicles. Now retired, Peter spends most of his time working on various projects in his shed alongside his immaculate collection of cars.

Peter's collection includes several rare and classic cars, such as a 1971 XY GT HO Replica, a 1973 XA GT, a BA Boss 290 Ford Falcon, an EH Holden and a Peter Brock Austin A30 Replica. 

The Ford XY 351 GT Replica has been Peter's prized possession for the last 15 years after a complete bare metal restoration. The presentation is immaculate as if it's straight off the showroom floor. Capable of 140mph, these cars were considered the "King of the Road" back in 1971 and still draw plenty of attention today. Everyone knows the history of the XY GT HO.

Another GT classic is Peter’s 1973 Ford XA GT. The XA model's aerodynamic Coke bottle body styling enables a top speed of 160mph with the same engine configuration as the XY GT. While the later XB Model version was more popular in 1973, the XA is equally collectible today. The XA had resided in the local Ford Dealership for 28 years after being traded in, and Peter had consistently made offers for the car over 15 years. The dealer finally conceded when selling up the dealership, and then Peter went to work restoring it to its condition today. 

Peter's cars are all in beautiful condition, including an EH Holden that looks stock standard from the outside.  But don't be fooled; it has an engine upgraded to a 304 V8 with a five-speed gearbox and belies its external appearance. Peter vouches for it, saying, "It goes well."

Another project car is a 1952 A30, a 2-door replica of Peter Brock's first car. The body is an Austin A30 transplanted onto a Mazda chassis. Amazingly, with a lot of engineering work, this is a great fit. The power plant is a 6-cylinder Holden 186, now a 192, with a 5-speed gearbox and four 4-wheel disc brakes, so there’s plenty of grunt and stopping power. It's a real pocket rocket. There is still some engineering work to be done before it hits the road, but it's looking sharp, and Peter hopes to show the Brock family the car on completion. The next stop is the paint shop.

Peter is a perfectionist, and the four cars in his collection are a testament to his long hours of hard work and dedication.