HSV fetches record auction price

Holden may be gone, by the Australian love-affair with the brand continues, with a rare HSV fetching a new record price for a locally-built car.

The 2017 HSV GTSR W1 Maloo ute sold for an eye-watering $1,050,000 at the Lloyds Auction this weekend. And that wasn’t those only huge Holden sale, with a VF Commodore SSV Redline, believed to be the very last example to have been framed, stamped and painted sold for $750,000.

“What an incredible auction to experience, we are very humbled to have auctioned both of these iconic cars breaking Australian records” said Lee Hames, chief operations officer for Lloyds Auctions.

It’s believed the winning bid came from Melbourne-based enthusiast marketplace business, LMCT+, which plans to raffle off the car for charity. But the company had to see off a bidding war that went beyond the $1m mark to secure this ultra-rare ute.

“There were three bidders that bid over $1,000,000 on the Maloo Ute with two of them being Holden enthusiasts, however the winning bidder is a group specialising in raffling off unique cars, so I don’t think it will be the last time we see this car,” Hames explained.

The GTSR W1 was the final product of HSV modifying locally-manufactured Holdens. As a result it got its most extreme upgrade, using the iconic Chevrolet ‘LS9’ supercharged 6.2-litre V8 that made 474kW and 815Nm – making it the most powerful Australian-made car. It also got the same shocks used in Supercars racing as part of its handling upgrade. HSV only made 275 W1 sedans and then only four Maloo utes were built for the company’s most loyal owners; hence its staggering auction price.

The ‘last’ Aussie-made Commodore’s sale for $750,000 underlines the demand in the locally-built cars now the brand has been closed by General Motors.

“The results of these two cars are extremely worthy due to the strong enquiry we had nationwide from collectors, investors and Holden enthusiasts all week,” said Hames.

Hames said anyone with a collectable Holden or HSV should considering putting it up for auction at the next Lloyds event, while demand for the Lion brand is high.