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was not necessary, however, to buy a Calais to obtain Brock modifications.
At the bottom end of the price scale was the Corsa, an HDT package
available on either SL or Berina. The basic HDT Corsa pack included
the following items, HDT gas pressure shock absorbers, HDT gas pressure
strut inserts, HDT front and rear springs, HDT stabiliser bars,
HDT 15 x 7 alloy wheels, Bridgestone 225/60s and that vital HDT
modification emblem/build number. Externally the VL acquired a front
air dam, a sports grill, a rear boot lid spoiler and HDT decals,
while the interior was upgraded with an HDT/Momo wheel and gear
knob (manual only of course). Then there was the item that by late
1986 was creating considerable conflict between GM-H and the HDT,
namely the ‘energy polariser’.
Without
offering any option on this device, it – that is, Brock’s endorsement
of it – was proving more than a trifle embarrassing to GM-H as
Christmas 1986 approached. Brock had been GM-H’s most influential
and charismatic ambassador for more than half a decade. Then suddenly,
he’s invented an "energy polariser’, declared its fantastic capabilities
and watched GM-H react at first with "no comments" then later
with an official rejection of the claims.
The
HDT press release described the ‘polariser’ briefly as "a new
development, which improves overall vehicle efficiency, ride comfort
and stability." Among the claims made by Peter Brock for his invention
were that it enabled a car tuned for super petrol to run ULP with
no ill effects whatsoever. Such a claim is in defiance of all
normal logic, but Brock insisted on the truth of it. He admitted
that this was "way out thinking" but it was clear that his faith
was beyond question or challenge. On the other hand, GM-H dismissed
it in these terms; "as far as the energy polariser is concerned
GM-H can see no technical merit in it and cannot endorse its use".
Peter Brock’s clash with GM-H peaked in February ’87, with the
announcement that the long-standing relationship with HDT and
GM-H was over.
But
back to the VL Brockmobiles. The Corsa variants offered no engine
modifications over the standard (turbo or non-turbo) Commodores.
The price of the kit was $4050 on a 3.0-litre Ei, SL or Berlina
and $5200 on the turbo versions.
Moving
a little further up the price scale, was the Calais LE. Once again
there were no engine fiddles. The price was $4500 on the turbo
variant. The Turbo LE had the new HDT Momo 16-inch star-pattern
alloy wheels as standard equipment, shod with Bridgestone 205/55VR16
RE71 tyres. This combination accounted for most of that $2650
price difference.
Essentially
the LE pack did for a Calais what the Corsa did for SL and Belina.
In fact it was the LE that was Brock’s initial foray into VL modification.
The
Calais Director was the full-on luxury V8, described in the HDT
press release as "an entirely new concept in luxury motoring,
tailored to the needs of today’s demands".
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Without delving too far into what "the needs of today’s demands"
might mean, it is fair to say that the VL Director did take the
Commodore into new realms. For starters it was far more expensive
than any previous Brockmobile and it wasn’t too difficult to stich
together a $50,000 price tag. But for what the car provided, even
this sum looked reasonable.
The
newer aspect of the Director’s specifications was the option of
independent rear suspension for the first time. Peter Brock and
his team based their design heavily on the Opel IRS, but made
it considerably stronger. Obviously, all the usual Bilsteins,
re-rated coils and HDT stabiliser were part of the deal. The Director’s
wheels and tyres were sensational by any standards. The HDT Momo
star-pattern alloys came in get-serious 16 x 8 size and were shod
with 245/45VR16 Bridgestone’s. Heavy company, indeed! Peter Brock’s
energy polariser was also standard equipment.
Other
Director options apart from the independent rear suspension included
sports-style interior, electric sunroof, shadow-tone colour co-ordinated
bumpers and deep-section side mouldings. Unlike the six-cylinder
VLs, the V8 Calais received the Brock imprint on its motor, although
– with the advent of ULP – the changes didn’t produce so dramatic
an improvement as on the VK model. Where the VK Director could
comfortably crack the 15 seconds barrier for the standing quarter,
15.6 or 15.7 was the norm for a VL. The norm? Well, it must be
said that Brockmobiles continued to vary considerably in their
performance. Certainly some VLs would have been good for 15.2,
but others would have been battling to break 16 seconds.
The
magic of these cars had to do with their capacity to load effortlessly
and comfortably between far-flung capital cities. The five-speed
HDT Borg-Warner manual gearbox provided a 0.73 overdrive and therefore
a long-legged stride made maximum use of the engine’s abundant
torque. The Calais Director offered all the plushness expected
of an executive sedan with sports car-beating acceleration.
The
Brock organisation offered a choice of eight colours on the VL
Director. Colour coding of those stylish Momo wheels was also
available. Heading up the blood red, red-blooded VL Group A, everything
was looking roses. Or apples, if you prefer…
Commodore
Crazy
Article
reproduced courtesy of Sean Walker -Commodore Crazy - FPC
Magazines.
If this article breaches any copyright laws please email
us, as we have been given permission to reproduce it as
long as no offence is caused to the freelance jouno and photographer |
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