Rob’s red rocket

Sydneysider Rob Losurdo’s own VH Group 3 High Output – well his pride and joy, out of the four Group 3 High Outputs he owns in total – has just 20,000km on the clock, and it looks like it just rolled from the hallowed operation’s HQ. Losurdo found the Maranello Red threeowner car advertised on Australian Muscle Car Sales in early 2015, flying up to Brisbane to complete the purchase in February, before driving the car home. “It was one of the best drives I’ve ever had,” he recalls.

Rob set about tracking down the original owner in Queensland, who helped fill in the back-story. The VH was sold new on September 30, 1983 by Noel Gould Townsville Pty Ltd and cost $26,525.

Exercising remarkable forethought,

the original owner kept the car all original, which mean the bare-bones original spec remains today – there’s no radio, just a blanking plate and a plug in the aerial hole, and there’s no air-con! “Brock was trying to cash in,” explains Losurdo. “He had a Group 1 stereo, a Group 2 stereo and a Group 3 stereo – the latter cost $850 to $900!” The original buyer obviously wasn’t tempted, though he did spring for the long-range fuel tank ($282), dual tone horns ($60), engine oil cooler ($165), anti-surge oil sump ($395), ram air ($325), 16-inch Centra wheels (as opposed to the standard 15-inch Irmschers; $1855), aftercare full treatment ($525 for paint protection!) and, of course, the High-Output engine ($2750).

If Rob’s face looks familiar, perhaps it’s because it appears on the cover of the fabled AMC issue #1. That’s him behind the wheel of the silver HK Monaro GTS 327 on the front row of our grid.