How cool is this very genuine little survivor!!
A very rare opportunity exists to own a very special piece of history here.
This LC GTR XU1 is the real deal, complete with its undisturbed body numbers and body tags all still in place, and is a genuine High Performance XU1 with a documented race history here in NZ!
Recently released from 20 years of hibernation in a private South Canterbury Holden collection this XU1 is sadly being sold on behalf of an estate, and as reflected in the very realistic price, is priced to be sold and sold it will be.
Originally owned by Ebbetts the big GM Holden dealer in Hamilton as a new car in 1970, this very cool and very rare high impact Lina Mint XU1 was selected by them to be raced by Jim Palmer to contest the Glenvale 100 mile race at Pukekohe which it went on to win outright! as well as competing at Bay Park and other famous venues of the period.
Clearly this XU1 spent most of its racing days at the pointy end of the field with the very competent Jim at the helm, as the body is in remarkable original condition for a car that spent time on a track, all be it not a lot of time which may have thankfully been its saviour.
Once Jim hung the helmet up on the XU1 this example went on to become a road car again presumably sold back through Ebbetts and then spent the majority of its next 55 years in Nelson Christchurch and South Canterbury areas according to the original ownership papers, which no doubt also added to the longevity of its amazing little unmolested body.
Once the race history was revealed purely by coincidence on this special survivor, its then custodian opted to have it re stickered back to its original 1970 race livery which really suits the car and pays homage to its proud past.
A lot of very neat photos and a signed letter from Jim Palmer commenting on how fast and reliable the car was compared to others he had raced is a neat part of the story too, along with a front page spread on the September 71 Motor Man magazine!
The car itself has never been restored, its had a closed door repaint a very long time ago, but most if not all of the inner areas are mostly untouched, and it displays a lovely aged patina with a really great presence and overall appearance.
The original interior is unbelievably good, Toranas are well known for shabby interiors that show neglect like few other cars do, but this one is an absolute pleasure to behold taking you back to pretty much how this car would have looked when new, with unbelievably good dash, door trims and seating, it really is a little time capsule, and really all just further confirms that this example has always been respected for the iconic and very special car that it is.
The engine seems to perform very well, it is lively as you would expect with its Tripple Strombergs, it pulls strong and overall drives tight and very solid, with really nice road manners.
These Toranas got the absolute death driven out of them and most examples got molested to within an inch of their lives, so not many survive today and even less in this condition
Currently this XU1 is as it arrived to us with its original first issue rego plates on hold, it has recently been run through for a W.O.F and only requires very minor service items addressed, we can assist with this and gain a W.O.F for the purchaser, but it would be fair to assume although running and driving this little gem will require some sympathetic driving primarily to settle in again, as it has been laid up for some considerable time, so it wouldnt be a matter of flying in and thrashing it straight back to Auckland!