High Flying Rally XU1
in 1972
 
Counting
since August 2004
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I
have many people to thank for help over the years. I would never be able
to thank you all individually but you know who I mean!
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Welcome
to the all new Holden Heaven
This
site was first established in 1999
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The 1978 & 1979 Bathurst winners
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A9X
The Torana A9X was the ultimate
Torana and like the two before, it was a Bathurst winner. The A9X
was never allowed the fan-fare of other Holdens as the GM-H management
were still a bit apprehensive about the 1972 government ban on 'Super-cars'.
This car would have blitzed the super-cars that were banned just a few
years earlier. One of biggest differences was this Torana could not
only fly in a straight line but it could handle and brake hard and in line
with it's four wheel disc brakes as standard fitment. But like any
vehicle be it a Skoda or a Ferrari, in the hands of inexperienced or over
confident drivers this car could be lethal so it was decided to hold it
back from production until just before Bathurst. With those awesome
looking flares, fat tyres, bonnet bulge, spoilers, cooling ducts and best
of all, the throaty roar of the lions heart, 280kW of unadulterated power
this Holden was like no other!
The GM-H team were so frightened
that this car would cause a riot that they didn't even issue a press release
to proclaim any of it's virtues. In fact it was slipped into the
showrooms very quietly so as not to arrouse to much attention! What about
that name 'A9X' could it stand for the ninth year of Australian Torana
'X' race cars or did some one throw three darts at an alphabet and number
sheet using there left hand, blind folded standing on a stool with one
leg pointing to the south and holding a glass of XXXX in the other hand!
The A9X Torana was simply a limited run production model incorporating
the Bathurst 'performance equipment package' and of course it was part
of the LX range of Toranas althougth the back floorpan was modified to
accept GM-H's new Salisbury rear axle plus disc brakes which they used
in the UC. Another UC feature that first appeared on the A9X was the direct
mounting of the steering gear on to the chassis to give some 'feel' to
the driver so when the power was unleashed at least it was more controlable,
this car was not designed to be driven around town, it didn't even have
a radio as standard but then when a car makes this sort of noise
it makes it's own music. It was what you would call the bare-bones so they
weight could be kept down to a minimum. Some people have commented
to me about they had an A9X and it had a radio but believe me it was an
option for them.
One of the most awesome displays
in the history of 'The Great Race' was in an A9X at the hands of
Peter Brock in 1979 when leading by an unbeatable margin Brocky decided
to show the public just how good the Torana was and posted a lap record
on the last lap! I remember watching this feat and wondering
why anyone would risk this but latter my respect for the car and particularly
the man behind the wheel grew enormously! Brocky commented on this
later and he said something along these lines, 'I knew Moff (Alan Moffat)
was commentating as his car had blown so I wanted to show him how good
the A9X was! The Holden 5.0 V8 has proven itself time and time again
to be very reliable over the distance of Bathurst and will continue to
do this.
The road version and race
version differed alot and you had to have a CAMS licence to even buy a
race version which could not be registered on the road. Most road
going A9Xs were 4-door while most of the race cars were 2-door. |
L34 = Big valve, Holley
carb, 9.8:1 compression 308ci V8 (179kW)
L31 = Standard 308 V8
L33 = Standard 253 V8 high
compression
L32 = Standard 253 V8 low
compression
L1# = 4 cylinder
L2# = 6 cylinder
L3# = 8 cylinder
A9X = performance equipment
package (limited run)
The last 'Hot Torana'
Torana A9X (race versions)
(1977 - 1978)
Price at introduction: $12500
Total number built: 380
- 500
Engines:
5 litre V8, front mounted
260kW @ 6000rpm (approx
HDT, read note)
434Nm @ 3400rpm (approx
HDT, read note)
redline 5500 rpm
These figures varied as
the rules left teams open to develope there own camshafts etc.
Standing quarter-mile
15.2 seconds (3.08:1 final drive)
Standing quarter-mile
15.7 seconds (2.6:1 final drive Bathurst)
44.8 km/h per 1000 rpm (2.6:1
final drive)
Transmission:
Only racing A9Xs came with
the Borgwarner T10.
Four-speed manual (M21)-Road
version
1st = 2.54 = 97km/h @ 5500
rpm
2nd =1.83 = 135 km/h @ 5500
rpm
3rd = 1.38 = 179 km/h @
5500 rpm
4th = 1.00 = 210 km/h @
4700 rpm
Conrod straight 270 km/h
@ 6000 rpm (around 165 mph in the old figures)
Dimensions:
Length - 4509mm
Width - 1704mm
Wheelbase - 2586mm
Fuel Tank:
120 litres (custom made) |
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