Restoring a VS BT1

[aus880]

Been restoring some VS BT1's for a while now and the cars have been to a few events so far.

Both cars are 5 litre, verified genuine ex HWP cars with history.

[Yeti]

Looking genuine and brilliant.

Welcome back Russ.

[shred]

some nice work there russ still scratching that bt1 bug eh

[deanoVLCT]

Russ? Is that really you?
Love the white one

[aus880]

Thanks guys, appreciate the comments

Researching the history of the cars has uncovered some interesting tales of their time in service.
The marked VS was Golf 221 and the black one was Cumberland 217.
We've been able to locate former drivers of both cars when in service and even reunited one with his old car.
Here's some words from that driver, Sam, about G221:

In relation to my association with the car I only drove it for the last six months of its service. I had previously worked at Flemington Highway Patrol and had just transferred to Campsie Highway Patrol. The section had four cars being 3 Commodores and 1 Falcon. At the time Campsie Police were under the control of the Georges River District and all Highway Patrol cars in the district were designated with G for Georges River. I was assigned G221 with Senior Constable Darren ELLIS. I was informed that G221's motor had blown up and had to be completely replaced. It is unknown how and why the engine blew but we can only guess. . The new motor for G221 was an absolute rocket. When I first took the car for a drive I was shocked at the power and acceleration that the car had. I also disconnected the air cleaner box so the induction noise was much higher than normal. At full acceleration you could hear the car from at least three blocks away. The VS Commodore V8 came out of the factory with about 165 to 175 kilowatts. I would safely say this car had a lot more than that. G221 was a very quick car for its time. Many police who would come on patrol with me would comment that the car appeared to be louder and quicker than the rest of the fleet at Campsie. I had to agree because I also occasionally drove the other cars if mine was unavailable and they did not appear to be as powerful and fast as G221. . In the six months I drove the car I had exactly 3 pursuits in the vehicle. The first pursuit occurred along The Boulevard at Punchbowl whilst I was doing stationary radar. A stolen car flew past at 140kp/h. I spun around and chased the stolen Nissan R32 GTR twin turbo (Godzilla) through the back streets of Punchbowl until the Nissan crashed into a telegraph pole on South Terrace at Bankstown. I couldn’t believe my eyes as the driver crawled out of the passenger side of the wreck and then ran off, I chased him on foot but he got away. Back in the day these Nissan GTR's were very fast and nimble cars with excellent handling. I was surprised that G221 could keep up (and the driver of the stolen car probably thought the same thing) because he could not get away from me and eventually drove too hard and crashed. In the mid 90's the McDonald's restaurant at Auburn was a massive hangout for car hoodlums so the Georges River District Highway Patrol which encompassed Flemington, Bass Hill, Revesby and Campsie stations would be tasked to patrol the area and take appropriate action regarding the multitude of traffic and vehicle modification offences. Whilst on Parramatta Road near Auburn I checked the speed of an SLR Torana at well over the speed limit going west bound. I then performed a U turn to chase after the Torana. As I performed the turn the Torana accelerated away on Parramatta Rd at great speed. I called the pursuit and chased the black Torana V8. We reached speeds of 160kp/h on Parramatta Road. There were many other Highway cars in the area at the time and they also joined the chase. The Torana then turned right onto James Ruse Drive and then ferociously accelerated way. We later found out that the Torana driver was running NOS (nitrous oxide) however as he attempted to take an off ramp he crashed into a wall. There were thick black tyre marks leading up to the car were the driver had hit the brakes trying to slow down however he crashed. We quickly arrived at the scene and arrested the driver and switched the car off and called the fire brigade to hose down the scene. The driver was arrested and charged with numerous dangerous driving offences. The Torana was unfortunately a sick and sorry sight and I believe it would have been written off which was a shame. . The last chase I had in the car involved a Turbo charged Holden Calibra All Wheel Drive of all things. I clocked him speeding on radar late at night along Lakemba Street at Belfield. As I turned on him he took off. I chased him through the suburbs of Campsie, Belfield, Belmore and finally Lakemba until the radio duty officer terminated the pursuit due to the excessive high speed in a residential area on a Saturday night. If the chase was left to proceed I may have caught the Calibra however it was not to be and he was able to fight another day. G221 performed admirably in the pursuits I was involved in. It had excellent acceleration and good handling. . I was very sad to see the car go back to police fleet services to be replaced by another new Commodore. I actually drove it back to fleet to get it replaced. I thought to myself that this car would be a very good buy at auction as the body and interior was immaculate and the motor was only 10000km old and it went like a rocket. It did not surprise me that the buyer who bought the car at auction kept it for over 17 years and looked after the car very well. Russell told me he did not have to do much to get the car back into top condition. I was so happy to be re acquainted with my old car as it bought back a lot of good memories of when I first started Highway Patrol all those years ago

[aus880]

Here's some before shots of CMB217 when purchased from a young guy in Western Sydney.
It was fairly intact but had aftermarket wheels and a stereo fitted, probably the standard mods done by a young guy to his car.

[calaist5]

Great story, nice pictures.
Thanks for sharing this history.

[shred]

cool story right there i went out an checked out the fb page with plenty of stories an info i had to lol when i saw officer cook an the gosford area stuff i got pulled over by him on a few occasions

unfortunatley my bt1 wont ever look like that i did keep the roof arial and im gunna hook up a mini 80 chan uhf to it still got the b pillar plug in holes in the center console now hold fire extinguisher outside is still plainjane white/grey but have had to move up to 17s to fit over front brakes
dont have door pockets but theres splits there now and front arm rests replced with calias/berlina rests
wouldnt mind knowin its history but nfi how to find that stuff out

[SII_Turbo]

Fantastic, the story from the ex HWP officer is an awesome get!

Welcome back Aus.

[aus880]

Thanks, the white marked car, G221, was also involved in the famous pursuit of a Porsche 928 from Sydney all the way down into the Southern Highlands. The Porsche was recovered with a blown engine but I think the driver escaped on foot.

[Morgz]

very cool!