Brock
and I immediately concentrated upon the raked look of the car as a consequence
of 18 inch diameter fronts and 19 inch diameter rears and the elegant
three piece modular designed wheels. Indeed the rubber is a full inch
wider than standard at 9 inches. Surprisingly, the tyres fitted quite
comfortably within the guards as a consequence of some modifications
up front to the struts by Brock and Co. Those wider Bridgestone SO 3
tyres simply looked great from any angle and performed impeccably on
the road via their high levels of grip, road feel and responsiveness.
Brock
& Co have worked hard on the front suspension, in particular the
strut design to afford more room for the fitting of wider front tyres
and to bring to the vehicle far superior handling and turning capabilities.
The STA/Brock T3 Targa spec dampers eliminate all elements of body
roll and give the driver supreme confidence through amazing steering
controls that are simply not found on performance cars of this production
calibre. At any speed, I felt extremely confident that the front of
the car would do precisely what I commanded even at reckless speeds
and over less than perfect road surfaces. It was simply sensational
and an absolute pleasure to drive.
Indeed,
it left me wondering why Brocks tricks have not been adapted by Holden
or HSV. The mods simply transformed the behaviour of the vehicle in
my hands. The absolute beauty of it being that you don't have to posses
Peter's driving prowess to truly appreciate the enhanced performance.
It's a strut equipped vehicle that can easily dust off more sophisticated
suspension equipped opposition. I would wager a bet that this car
would scare the daylights out of competitors with those high cost
sporting pedigrees. I drive a R8 Clubsport everyday and simply put,
this VY SS would SMASH my car through winding roads or at the race
track…Game Over.
I'm not too proud, so line me up for the modifications!
Mr Brock
is a renowned for having mechanical sympathy on all components, especially
his brakes. However, he proved to me the necessity of fitting AP Racing
six and four piston brakes to such a weapon. Once again, it's a confidence
thing and when it comes to either those taps of reassurance or the
necessity to come to a dead stop, these stoppers are the best around.
We would confidently leave braking to the last second and repeat as
required without a trace of fade. AP Racings red painted callipers;
ventilated & slotted rotor's (343mm front & 330mm rear) also
compliment the overall look and the size of the wheels quite nicely.
As for
the motor, I was amazed at just how responsive the GEM III was at
any speed. It's pickup from low down was effortless and delivered
in a brutish and aggressive manner that seemed never ending. It was
exciting for the necessity of undertaking cog swapping much earlier
than in my trusty R8 and the noise from the modified exhaust system
was of a sweet tune you'd expect from a 320 kW 5.7 V8. Once again,
why does Holden V8's need to sound so lame? Given that the modifications
are very minor, the overall transformation is simply amazing. No cold
air boxes, no specialist or larger throttle body, just some clever
and well engineered modifications to the standard throttle body have
provided excellent responsiveness and superior throttle control. It's
about a back to basics approach which will give you real bang for
your bucks!
After
the drive with my hero was unfortunately finished I again looked over
the vehicle and all the tell tale Brock signs on the car that make
this vehicle so unique and special. It's going to be sold to a very
special owner and one that as Brock put it, "…will drive
it as it was intended to be driven and not plonked into a museum or
garage where it cannot be fully appreciated".
Overall,
it's really quite simple to describe, the car is simply awesome.
Mr
HDT
