Dave Bennett's HR was 2 seconds quicker to 100mph than a stock XR GT. So there would be no blowing that HR off the road! The XT GT was tested at the time with the same 1/4 mile time as the XR but was 0.8s quicker 0-60mph than the XR so the XR was actually quicker than the XT over 60mph to the end of the 1/4 (XR: 15.8s 1/4, 9.7s 0-60mph, XT: 15.8s 1/4, 8.5s 0-60mph). Bennett's HR was basically equal to an XW GT in straight line performance. The XR GT was built because Ford got wind of what was coming from Holden, and it wasn't good enough - it got trounced two years running at Bathurst by the Monaros. GMH had some serious Monaros built and tested and if they'd used those rather than the little Toranas in all likelihood Ford would never have seen a GT sedan win Bathurst after 1967. You'll all be able to read about these cars one day!

Here is a quaint and pretty straight-shooting article about the 186S HR:
http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au...den_hr_186.htm