TORANA A9X
You might have thought when Holden introduced the best car it had made in its first 30 years that there would have been a riot of fanfare. But not only was there no media function to launch the Torana A9X, there wasn’t even a printed press release. This furtive arrival may have been in part because GM-H’s sales and marketing executives didn’t want to show up ever y other Holden as so obviously deficient by comparison.
‘A9X’ itself meant nothing. It was just one of a long list of model codes available exclusively to GM-H, which got A-prefixes while Chevrolet got Zs – hence Z28. In Holden Speak this car was equipped with the ‘Performance Equipment Package’ to help it conquer Mount Panorama. The reality was that it was a ver y different and ver y superior L X Torana.
“NOT ONLY WAS THERE NO MEDIA FUNCTION TO LAUNCH THE TORANA A9X, THERE WASN'T EVEN A PRINTED PRESS RELEASE”
While nominally an L X, it was closer to the forthcoming UC. The Holden publicit y machine was happy for people to believe the HZ Holden was t he f irst of its products to feature four-wheel discs (vented up front, solid behind), but the A9X snuck into showrooms f irst. This was a big deal: to get GM-H’s new Salisbur ya x le and rear discs under t he Torana it was necessar y to use t he UC-st yle rear f loorpan. (So if you’ve ever wondered why it was so dif f icult to f it rear disc bra kes to your L X, now you have the answer!)
It makes most sense to think of the A9X as a hybrid L X/UC. Like the next model Torana, its steering gear was mounted direct ly to t he chassis, giv ing t he car as much steering feel as t he lovely old XU-1s.
AN INTERNAL MEMORANDUM READS IN PART:
During September 1977, Production Option A9X – Performance Vehicle Package – will be introduced as a running change on the above Models. The basic designs are modified versions of the current “SLR”, Four Door Sedan and “SS” Two Door Hatchback Coupe where t he 5.0 litre engine option is exercised.
Major externa l appearance changes include a f ibre glass front end panel wit h integra l bumper bar and air dam with air ducts to t he front bra kes. Wheel opening f lares front and rear are attached to ex isting sheet metal to accommodate wider t y res and wider rear track. Fibre glass spoilers are attached to t he rear compartment lid of both Models. Interior changes include new trim design and the
“FOR THE A9X, RADIAL TUNED SUSPENSION WAS RECALIBRATED WITH THE RACETRACK IN MIND”
f itment of “SLR 5000 instruments.
The power-train comprises t he 5.0 litre V8 engine with 4 speed manual transmission and a modified heav y dut y rear a x le.
Rev isions to the underbody have been made to accommodate new rear suspension control arm pivots. The front suspension is similar to that used in LH Models with Production Option L34. The bra k ing system consists of four-wheel, power-assisted disc bra kes wit h dual master cylinder to prov ide separate hydraulic systems for front and rear bra kes. To reduce t he weight of t he vehicle, certain parts and assemblies, i.e t he console, are deleted as standard equipment or modified, these deleted items will be available as accessories.
Because the L34 308 didn’t meet ADR27A (anti-emission clause), the A9X had to make to do wit h t he cleaner, less potent L31. But Bathurst entrants could use t he L34 because it was already homologated. Most welcome was Holden’s inaugural use of an electric (Davies Craig) fa n.
Ever y A9X was taken from the Dandenong assembly line to Bill Patterson Motors where t he f lares, scoops and air dams were f itted. Cars destined for Bathurst got t heir hot racing bits, including t he long-range f uel tank and Borg-Warner T10 gearbox.
Early cars a ll got t he Caprice’s 2.6 f inal drive, which gave 44.8 k m/h per 1000 rpm in top and gear maxima at 5,500 of 97, 135 and 179, wit h a lmost 210 (at 4,700) available in top given a long straight. Down Conrod the A9X reached 260 or more.
The LH Torana had been a disappointing car, even in SLR 5000 guise. But Radia l Tuned Suspension (RTS) arrived during t he life of its L X successor to deliver unbelievably improved dynamics.
“THE LX TORANA A9X WAS THE CLOSEST CAR TO A CONTEMPORANEOUS PORSCHE THAT AUSTRALIA HAS EVER HAD"
Ray Borrett was the Holden engineer who did most of the work developing RTS. In 1977 he was sent to the US to work on chassis development and his last project before departing was the A9X. ‘I took an L34 and the f irst A9X protot y pe – if you like – and did a ll t he geometr y, bushes, steering rack location and a ll t hat sort of stuf f. I got it r unning, drove it for t wo days at the prov ing ground, made a few changes to it, then hopped on the plane and went to t he States. But I lef t t he basic specif ication for t he car behind.’
For the A9X, RTS was reca librated with the racetrack in mind. The difference bet ween t his ultimate Torana and, say, t he original HJ Caprice in terms of dynamics was surely a lmost unbelievable – t he former as sharp, agile and f ull of feel as you like, t he latter an Aussie a lternative to a Cadillac, plush-riding and plough-understeering at a ver y early limit.
The A9X was created right at the time when Porsche hoped to conv ince its customers that front engine/rear drive was t he way of its f uture. Think 928S. Histor y now suggests t hat the L X Torana A9X was perhaps the closest car to a contemporaneous Porsche that Austra lia has ever had. Despite f laws such as poor f inish and a foot-operated park ing bra ke, t his tr ue Aussie Origina l rea lly was t hat good. It deser ves to go down in histor y as t he greatest hot Holden of t hem a ll.