The year was 1987. Motorsport legend Peter Brock had been closely linked with Holden since 1969. Little did anyone know back then that this amazingly successful collaboration was about to come to an abrupt halt.
Peter Brock and John Harvey formed HDT Special Vehicles in 1980. Cars would come straight off the Holden assembly line and be delivered to the HDT SV work shop in Port Melbourne. Brocky and his team would go to work giving it the master’s touch, improving the Holden with aesthetic and performance modifications, before delivering the souped up cars to the dealers.
Then along came the Brock developed Holden VL HDT Director and things started to get rocky. As far back as 1985, Brock and his friend, Dr Eric Dowker had been developing and testing a mysterious new accessory for the VL Director known as the DB Polarizer.
Mounted in the engine bay on the passenger side and costing an additional $480 at the time, Brock described the Polarizer as a “high-technology energy device which creates a 'polarized' or 'ordered' molecular arrangement as distinct from the normal 'random' structure. This alters the behaviour and characteristics of material and components in the vehicle."
Somewhat confused and perplexed, Holden got their hands on one, took a look inside and found crystals, magnets, tin foil, and epoxy resin. They even sent a Polarizer to Detroit for analysis. Disagreeing with PB, Holden felt the device had no technical merit, issuing the following statement in November 1986: “HMC does not approve or accept any responsibility for the fitment to Holden vehicles of the attachment described as an Energy Polarizer.”
Against the wishes of Holden, Brock pursued the fitment of the Polarizer and released it anyway in Feb 1987. Not long after the product’s announcement, GMH terminated its relationship with HDT Special Vehicles. Five days later, John Harvey and Alan Moffat also walked away from HDT.
Only 173 of the 500 VL Brock Commodores were equipped with the controversial device and only 12 of the ill-fated HDT Directors were produced. In spite of or because of, these “Polarizer” equipped rarities have become extremely collectable.
Holden meanwhile had moved on swiftly, partnering that same year with Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) from the UK to create Holden Special Vehicles (HSV).
It’s hard to imagine that a small plastic box would come between such a successful business partnership. Still, HSV went on to achieve great things after this messy affair. As for Peter Brock, he is held in such high esteem amongst Australian motorsport fans that it would take a lot more than the DB Energy Polarizer to tarnish the legend of one the most respected and iconic drivers of all time.
