Brock Collection to top $10m

Peter Brock’s midas touch will eventually bring a $10 million-plus windfall from the sale of some of his most memorable cars.

The best of the best, the two-time Bathurst winning VH Commodore, has already sold for a record $2.1 million under the hammer -- for a total price of more than $2.25 million including commissions -- and follow-up sales are expected to multiply that figure in the coming week.

The 1984 ‘Big Banger’ Bathurst winner was passed in at $850,000 during the Brock Collection sale by Lloyds Classic Car Auctions in Bathurst on the eve of this year’s Bathurst 1000 and it is expected to go quickly to an under-bidder from the auction.

“We’re already approaching $7 million in sales. The phone has been melting,” Lloyds spokesperson Kirstie Minifie told motoring.com.au.

“The total from the sale will definitely hit $10 million. So it will be our biggest sale ever. We’re expecting the rest of the cars to sell in the next few days.”

A total of 35 Brock cars went up at the auction, the majority from the Peter Champion collection amassed by Brock’s long-time friend for his museum at Yeppoon in far-north Queensland.

Poor health forced him to sell the cars after a short-term run as a special exhibit at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast.

“I’m smiling tonight. I’m over it,” Champion said after the auction.

According to Lloyds, the lure of the Champion collection drew a number of other Brock cars into the sale.

“There were various collectors who put cars up for sale. It was not just Champion. That’s why we called the sale the Brock Collection,” said Minifie.

The identity of the winning bidder for the Bathurst winner that re-set the record for an Australian car is a closely-guarded secret, together with the other successful buyers and the under-bidders.

“They don’t want to be identified. But I can say we had two strong bidders from the USA,” Minifie says.

“But a fair majority of the buyers want to display their cars publicly. And some will race them as well."

Apart from the Brock cars, Lloyds also ran an online auction ahead of the main sale for the current-model Holden ZB Commodore being driven by Scott Pye for Walkinshaw Racing in this year’s touring car championship.

It sold for $260,000 and will be delivered to the new owner at the end of the Supercars season.

On the morning after the auction, as part of the pre-race build-up to the Bathurst 1000, the 1984 Commodore -- complete with its dayglo Marlboro livery -- was run on the track with former Brock team racer, and his 1987 Bathurst-winning co-driver, David ‘Skippy’ Parsons at the wheel.