WB Brock Magnum Ute

**wbute** · 05-10-2011, 08:17 PM

Yeah I am not sure, they say on bertiest that there was only one built at all and this was it, none built from new. I am sure not an expert though and am only going on the info I have. It would be nice to know about the one built from new if it exists.

**mauser** · 05-10-2011, 08:33 PM

I guess if you throw enough money at anyone they will do it... strange but 20k still isnt a lot really even then.

Maybe the owner had a friend in the right place.

Mauser

**Rico** · 10-10-2011, 05:06 PM

I watched a DVD once that was all about HDT from start to end. Hosted by Peter Brock & John Harvey, it featured interviews with the likes of: Harry Firth, George Sheppard, Colin Bond & Phil Brock-just to name a few. Towards the end Peter and John started to talk about the HDT Magnum and from memory the comment was. Peter: "We built a couple of utes didnt we?" John: "yes from memory we did they got the same treatment as the sedans-Bilstein shocks"... etc. The footage of the ute driving was that deep greenish colour that I have only ever seen a HDT Magnum in, never seen em in another colour. As I said im going from memory. If I can find the DVD again then I will and Ill write the whole convo for ya. Pity they didnt do a Magnum van....or did they????

**commodorenut** · 10-10-2011, 11:09 PM

I'm back from a 'net hiatus - thanks to Telstra taking nearly 3 weeks to release the line to TPG.......

Anyway, there's only 1 WB "Magnum Super Ute" featuring the 5.6L.
It is currently owned by a fellow called John, who is in regional NSW (further south than Orange).
John has had it for quite some years now, and is/was restoring it. A close friend of mine obtained original photos (printed in 1988) of when it was in HDT's workshop in '88 - same period that Brock was running the M3. He shared these with John, and copies have sprung up on the net over time. There's a lot more info that I know about this ute, but it's not important for this discussion, nor is it info that should be publicly shared by anyone except the owner. It's nothing bad, just more in-depth info.

The Formula blue one was built from a WB Magnum sedan and rides on corvette wheels. It's well known in Victoria amongst the BCOAA members down there, as the owner is a club member with his VH Brock.

When Jeff & Jeremy filmed the 25 years of HDT DVD 6 years ago, they had to prompt John Harvey with his answers - he couldn't even remember how many VC Brocks they built, so I wouldn't hold too much hope in his responses to anything trivial.

$20K in 1988 dollars would have bought you a VL Exec sedan, on the road.
I have a VL HDT 5.6L Calais Sport wagon - it had nearly $30K spent at HDT - $10K of that was the stroker engine. The base vehicle (Berlina 5.0 wagon) set the owner back $27K in '87. It would not surprise me if the total bill at HDT for the "Magnum Super Ute" exceeded $30K, as half of quoted $20K is the stroker engine package, and that ute saw a lot of work.

**wbute** · 11-10-2011, 07:15 AM

Thanks commodorenut. Its a small world and I have some info on the bloke who owned it and had it built originally.

Yes one only seems to be the number built. None built from a new WB ute.

**Rico** · 11-10-2011, 08:14 AM

Lol Thanks for that. It doesnt surprise me that they might have had to prompt John with answers. I still say that pity they didnt build a van. it does seem that only 1 was built from what your saying. a true rarity indeed.

**holdenon** · 21-10-2011, 08:58 PM

A heap of Magnum info here including utes - came form my info archive:

Magnum - the years 1983 to 1988.

The Magnum starts life as a standard factory WB Deville or Caprice statesman, series two, any factory color and any trim, and then through Peter Brock and his HDT team, becomes a luxury sports limousine.
HDT take the stock Statesman, modify the engine and suspension, fit wheels and tyres and dress up the interior and exterior. Sounds so easy, but not so, great effort and work went into each one.

A basic conversion cost $4950 for the Caprice and $5950 for the Deville, Caprice being cheaper due to having 15 inch alloy wheels fitted from the factory. Included in the basic price was the modifications of the engine up to the group three HDT VH Commodore SS, meaning Big valve high comp cylinder heads, SS 5.0L Bathurst inlet manifold, exhaust extractors in heat proof white finish, fuel lines rerouted, ignition system, and a higher flow air cleaner, fitted with a chrome air cleaner lid, also chrome rocker covers and oil filler cap dressed up the engine. Castro GTX FM engine oil was also standard part of basic conversion. Peter Brock’s HDT decals and the important id plate finished off the under bonnet changes.

The suspension changes consist of uprated Bilstein shock absorbers front and rear, shorter stiffer springs, 20 mil lower for the front and 25 mil lower to the rear. Stiffer sway bars to front and rear of the car. A set of Momo Polaris 15 x 7 alloy road wheels for the Deville. Later on the HDT Aero 15 x 7 wheels specially modified for the statesman was fitted. Interior got the Momo Gritti leather steering wheel, and drivers left footrest.
Also included in the basic price was color coding of the front and rear bumper bars and the front bumperettes. Magnum Decals placed on front grill, rear boot lid and front guards, HDT improved decal or HDT we build excitement decal on rear windscreen, Peter Brock 5.0 litre decal on the chrome air cleaner lid, HDT id tag fitted to top left side of scuttle panel under bonnet. Two types of HDT ID tags where used during the manufacturing of Magnums, the first was the stick on type, second was a riveted on type, both very different to look at.

Above the basic conversion was a full list of options, thus making very few of the magnums exactly the same.

The most identifying thing about the Magnum if done has to be the full body color coding of the exterior chrome, and blacking out around windows, but I will say that of the Magnums I know of this option was not often chosen, and of note is quite a few did not even get the basic paint treatment of the bumper bars and bumperettes done, or placement of magnum decals, 100% standard looking on the outside (although lower to the bitcheman), but a killer performance and ride. Talking of ride comfort, a rare few also had the statesman leather option as available from GMH

Ok, the extras or options you could choose from, Full exterior paintwork treatment, included color coding of all chrome exterior items, and blacking out around the windows $550, Long range 126 litre fuel tank $282, Special High output engine $2750, Carburetor blue print $98, Window tinting $225, Radio key Burglar alarm $450, Lsd diff $450, 3.08 rear axel ratio & new Speedo gear drive $650, 16 x 8 inch alloy wheels $1095 for Caprice $2140 for Deville, Electric Sunroof $1450, Tinted tail light Assemblies $?, Tinted Headlight covers $?, Deville to Caprice dash change $?, Deville to Caprice Grill change $? Caprice wheels (not Momo) to Deville $? Engine oil cooler $?, Transmission oil Cooler $?, Peter Brock Stereo system $?, Plus further options on request.

During Peter Brocks HDT ownership, around 4246 HDT id tagged car have been produced, approximately only 120 of these machines are WB Statesman magnums with only one known WB Magnum Ute. This number is not certain, I know of the existence of only one of these Utes. Always on the lookout for the possibility of a second, a formula blue WB ute as being shown in the Peter brock poster set, unique cars write up and shown on some websites is not a original Magnum Ute from Peter Brock, it was made from a wrecked Magnum Statesman and a old yellow PMG ute many years ago. Peter Brock sold his business HDT Special Vehicles PTY LTD on 20th August 1988 to Peter Collorafi.
Peter Collorafi also built one Magnum Ute around 1990 and it is tagged as a HDT, id number 4253 Cottilion White in colour. It is a HDT, not a Brock built one.

Over a number of years of my Magnum research, lots of different variations from the basic package options have been found, from early HDT VC style Momo steering wheel fitted to later style VL steering wheels being fitted, and on a few, no Momo steering wheel fitted, left HDT with standard single spoke Statesman steering wheel. Caprice models with the Momo Polaris wheels used and Deville models fitted with caprice wheels. I know of only 1 Magnum with the 16 inch wheels fitted from HDT. 4 cars I know of did not have the footrest fitted. Two types of horn button decals used on the Momo steering wheels, a HDT or the peter Brock signature decal. Magnum decals came in black or silver, and not always fitted to the exterior of the statesman magnum. Most common color is Alpine white; very close to a third of Magnums this color. Other popular colors, Venetian red, Asteroid silver and other rarer colors being, cork, dummy, Mint, Brandy, spindrift and Mistletoe.