AFAIK, could not be 82811... that was a LJ Torana 4 cyl DELUXE 2 door (came with either 1.6 or 1.76 engines)


Before my time at Holden, but I wonder if they would have done the same as the XU1 variant of the GTR
Same model as GTR 82911 but an option with the XU1 code

Remember GMH also did the same with LH L34 models... it was a LH SL/R 5000 model 8VD69 with the production option L34
and
I should mention that was originally going to be an 8VD69 with production option XU2

HTH

I the V8 XU1 (XW7) was to have been an RPO on the 82911 and was to basically look like any other 6cyl XU1 externally, so I believe it would have retained the 82911 model number.

yes.. in my opinion I believe it originally started as XU2 and engineered as such.
I have seen the LH drawings showing an XU2 decal on the front guards (MUCH larger than the XU1 stickers)
and that XU2 sticker was given a part number in the LH build ' bill of materials'
and
L34 was not just an engine option. There were other things in it like 14" 'rally' wheels, HQ sized front brake rotors
console delete, radio delete, round headlights (not rectangular like the rest of the LH range)

After the supercar scare, LOTS of high level meetings at Salmon st and from a guy who was in Sales and Marketing
at the time ( ...I am still in touch with him) he told me that the MArketing dept was told to come up with another name
which had to be approved (by the Product Approval Exec group) and by the way, also scrap all the XU2 sales brochures !
SLR 5000 was the chosen and approved name

I forgot about LJ 2811.

In theory they could have just made it 2911 XW7 to replace 2911 XU1 The point though is the odd model numbers were for 6cyl, not V8.

SLR5000 didn't exist initally. It was to be D69 (SL/R) with PO XU2 applied. Because of GMH still being gun shy from the 1972 fiasco, they dropped PO XU2 and created a 5.0L SL/R called SLR5000. The eventual XU2 was never called L34 that is the engine PO code. No different to a D69 optioned with PO code L32 or L31. It was D69 optioned with the L34 engine, just got you more stuff than L32 or L31 did.

I doubt it. They had stopped using odd number model codes for V8 cars at the end of HK, and they always used a different model to distinguish the engine type after that. Not sure how they would have done it though, as an even code was 4cyl. The problem went away for LH as the model numbering changed. LH could easily have been the reason for the change as it was to be used for 4, 6 and 8 cylinder engines.

It is 100% what happened. I have the details of all the Press Fleet cars for LH release and car 6 (LUK356) was XU2 (optioned L34 M21 GU4) in early lists. Changed to SLR5000 (L31 M21 but they forgot to change GU4 to GU7). This is the Saffron Metallic car you see in motoring magazines. But there is whole suites of internal paperwork and drawings showing the car was PO coded XU2.

L34 was definitely ONLY an engine option. It just came with a heap of extra stuff. L30 in a HK did the same, if you optioned L30 on a HK GTS it got you Saginaw transmission, 10 bolt salisbury etc. If you optioned L31 on an LH it got you M21 transmission, nodular 2.78 banjo, dual exhaust, front and rear spoliers and front sway bar.

XW7 would have only ever been a 'Series Production' Homologation special, a 200 car limited production VARIANT on the GTR XU1 homologation.
I doubt it would have ever been assigned it's own unique model number. It would have been nothing more than an RPO on the 82911.

Just like L34 was a (only 263 cars built) limited production Group C homologation variant on the 8VD69.

No. XU2 was what people call the L34. It was always going to be what was later released but with no PO code, it was just then known by its engine code. SLR5000 was created as simply an SL/R with a 5.0L engine to fill the gap left by XU2. There was never going to be an LH with a 5.0L L31 engine, the D69 versions were intended to be the standard car, and the one optioned with the 4.2. XU2 was going to be based upon SL/R but be a different car with unique capacity engine, just like the LC XU1 was. LJ was meant to be like this too with the GTR getting a 2850S.

The best way to look at the "L34" is to imagine the HK PO XT2. The GTS327 was until earlier in 1968 going to be option XT2 on an an 0737 GTS. The engine PO was L34. That car would never have been called L34, it would always have been the GTS327, no-one would have known it was the XT2. XT2 got you L34, M21, G88, rally wheels, D70 tyres, dual exhaust plus the rest of the unique GTS327 stuff. Basically just like the XU2. The only reason XU2 would be well known is because GMH chose to put PO code XU1 as the name of the LC-LJ car, rather than call it the GTR3100 or the like.

Yes that car is different as it had no RPO code, L34 wasn't the car it was the engine. My point was though it wasn't uncommon for an engine option to become mandatory with a whole suite of other stuff. HK GTS was one example, you couldn't just walk in to a GMH dealer in say August 1968 and order L30 by itself. You had to accept the cost of the imported Saginaw (or Powerglide) and the 3.36 10 bolt rear axle unless you chose to order another ratio. If it was in a HT V8 Kingswood sedan and you wanted to option a 308 you had to accept the cost of the M21, Salisbury, bucket seats and console shift.

Yep there were PTC combinations for V8 HK from July 22 1968. PTC3 (L30 M35 with G88 or G94) on a HK GTS was $355. PTC6 (L30 M21 with G88, G89 or G94) was $400. In general though any car came standard with a manual back then unless it was already standard with an auto. HK is probably the exception where manual wasn't applied automatically against any engine option, you had to actually state if you wanted manual or auto. Although it had happened before durabilty and excess stock reasons, EH 179 was mandatory with auto for a time, and in early HT the optional 307 was mandatory with automatic with no automatic choice on V8 models unless you also took the 307 engine.

Terry, for some reason people want to create stuff like that. I think its a millennial thing, Smitty is just stating how it has become. I see the same sort of incorrect stuff perpetuated all the time. Like "windowless" panel vans. Or poverty pack Monaro or Statesman, even stating the Monaro was a Belmont coupe and the Statesman a long wheel base Belmont. People actually argue with you when told that the Monaro was slightly higher spec than a Kingswood sedan (as it got bucket seats standard with in some cases superior trim), and the Statesman was higher spec again than a Premier as Premier had front drum brakes standard until later HQ. Similar with LS being "just" a Premier coupe - sure that was the intention but it also had bucket seats and front disc brakes.

Yeah, my other favourites are Monaro dash or Monaro hubcaps.

On the "windowless" thing, I recently saw an HX P/van advertised as "non-windowless". You've gotta love that.

Dr Terry