Light, nimble and finely tuned, the LJ Torana XU-1 launched a young racing driver to superstardom on Sunday 1 October 1972. Peter Brock claimed victory at Bathurst on that day, the first of his eventual nine wins at the Mt Panorama classic. His winning car was perfectly suited to that day's slippery conditions, featuring wider Globe wheels and hand-grooved slick tyres. This more than made up for its power disadvantage against the Falcon V8's, with agile handling, better fuel consumption and superior tyre wear. Wet weather on the day eliminated a range of cars via rollovers, including Brock's own teammate Colin Bond and Ford's Fred Gibson. The young Holden star found himself in an epic duel in the rain with Alan Moffat's factory Falcon. Eventually Moffat made a mistake and spun, allowing the Torana to move into a lead that its young gun pilot converted into a breakthrough victory.
To put it simply, this car launched the career of Holden's greatest driver.
Nominal Specifications-
- Denomination: 50c
- Year: 2018
- Metal Content: CuNi
- Mass: 15.55g
- Diameter: 31.51mm
- Finish Uncirculated
- Maximum Mintage: 30,000
- Packaging Card
- Obverse Designer: Ian Rank-Broadley
- Reverse Designer: A. Ball