1986 VL TURBO BT-1 EX-POLICE
JOSH MARCZENKO admits to a long-lived obsession with this particular variant of what is in fact, a relatively low-spec VL turbo. His first was bought 13 years ago. Like many VL fans, he sees these BT-1s, in the distinctive Absinthe Yellow (aka 1D008D variants) ordered by the Victoria Police, are the ultimate ‘get’ for the VL turbo fan.
Values tend to reflect that, with prices varying from 50 to 120k. Weirdly, interstate cars – such as ex-Queensland Police units in Blaze Yellow – don’t pull quite as much money as the Vic variant.
There are two of these things currently gracing the Josh shed – the stocker that dominates the main feature, plus a modified version shown here.
What are the differences between the Vic police versions and a regular customer car? Aside from the paint, they tend to be subtle. The drive-line is stock. However the steel wheels on ‘chasers’ should be the more robust 15 x 6 JJ Interceptor variant. They were designed to be more tolerant of being run on a flat tyre. As part of that package, stronger and larger (22mm versus 19mm) wheel nuts were used, and the car would have been delivered with the appropriate wheel brace, painted brown.
The original Goodyear Eagle NCT tyres are now impossible to source, however the original spare for the feature car has been saved and is in the boot. You could until recently get a remake version of the tyre, but even that supply is more less dried up.
Finding parts remains a big issue for VL restorers.
Details like the ‘kick-up’ exhausts unique to the turbos, can be a challenge. And even when you do get the correct components, there may be an issue using them. For example, Josh’s car has date-stamped (1986) ignition leads – that was part of an extraordinary build done by previous owner and mechanic Joe Turano. They look great, but will eventually have to be replaced, as they don’t last forever.
These were usually a radio delete model. For restorers, the frustrating thing is the radio fill-in panel in the dash, and the aerial blank on the front fender were often thrown out as the cars were decommissioned and prepared for auction. As part of that process, they were refitted with radios. The fender blanks are now being remanufactured by a small after-market outfit, as are a number of detail items, such as wiring loom labels.
One of the furphies out there is they all had longrange tanks, but that’s not the case. Big fuel tanks were usually used in the patrol cars destined for rural stations, while city chasers often stayed with the smaller stock tanks, which is the case with the feature car.
Another myth-buster: People often use the door handles to pick a Series 1 or 2 VL – silver for the former and black for the latter. However the yellow cars came with black, even in Series 1.
Josh suggests a more reliable give-away is the seat shapes, which were squared off in Series 1 and rounded in Series 2.
Confusing the issue for collectors is the fact that Vic Roads ordered similar spec patrol cars. However theirs
tended to have the V5W country-pack suspension, with a taller ride height. The police cars instead usually had the ‘sports’ FE2 suspension setup, with firmer springs and dampers.
After spending years tracking for-sale ads, Josh has a pretty good handle on the history of many examples that pop up on the market from time to time. These days, however, they tend to sell by word of mouth and he suggests that, if you were serious about getting one, join a club or owner group.
What’s the attraction with these cars? “The RB30 turbo is a great engine and these cars look good in yellow.” What’s it like to drive? “It’s reliving the 80s with that classic feel. There’s nothing better than jumping in the car, going for a drive, it’s just like you’re in a time machine.”