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Last Australian-built HSVs up for auction

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Specialist auction house Manheim is declaring it a chance to claim “a piece of Australian motoring history”
Specialist auction house Manheim is declaring it a chance to claim “a piece of Australian motoring history”
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
2 Mar 2018
3 min read

If you thought your chances of snapping up an Aussie-built HSV had died along with local manufacturing, then we’ve got some hugely exciting news for you; three of the last go-fast Holdens ever built are about to go under the hammer.

Specialist auction house Manheim is declaring it a chance to claim “a piece of Australian motoring history”, and it’s hard to disagree with them, given the auction bill includes the last GTSR Sedan and GTSR Maloo to have ever rolled down the production line, as well as an utterly unique example of the brand’s truly monstrous GTSR W1 sedan.

Just in case you’ve been living under a very large (and presumably soundproof) rock, the W1 is the most powerful Aussie-built performance car of all time, with HSV’s massive supercharged V8 tuned to send 475kW and 815Nm screaming toward the rear tyres. And that, readers, is rather a lot. 

With a limited run of 300 units, each costing $169,900, the W1 was destined for instant classic status from the moment it was conceived. But this one is even more special; a one-of-a-kind company prototype used for press evaluation, and so it has graced the hallowed pages of just about every motoring website and magazine in the country.

By comparison, the GTSR Sedan and GTSR Maloo are virtually eco-friendly, with both powered by a LSA V8 good for 435kW and 740Nm. To have owned one new would have set you back around $100,000.

By comparison, the GTSR Maloo is virtually eco-friendly.
By comparison, the GTSR Maloo is virtually eco-friendly.

The three HSVs will be auctioned at Manheim’s Altona North site on March 17 at 2.00pm. And if you’re interested in the W1, you best start raiding piggy banks now, with other, less unique examples already listed for sale at around $300,000. In fact, the last W1 to be auctioned, in December last year, pulled in $269,000 under the hammer.

“We are very excited and very proud to be working with HSV to conduct such a special auction which will see these iconic vehicles offered to the public,” says Manheim Auctions CEO, Charles Cumming.

“Clearly HSV has a proud and long history in the Australian automotive industry, so we want to make sure the public sale of these special vehicles generates the interest HSV truly deserves.

“Every Saturday we have a wide range of cars on offer so I encourage people to get here early on the day and check out our weekly auction offering. At the conclusion of our regular auction which commences at 9am, visitors can be part of a moment in Australian automotive history, with the HSV auction set to start at 2pm.”

How much would you give to own one of the final Aussie-built HSVs? Tell us in the comments below.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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