Holden out for a Hero

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Classic Holdens are hot and getting hotter. Anything pre-1980 is in demand and you won’t find much under $20k today. But put down that steak and cheese pie and whack that stubby of VB back in the esky because Turners Penrose has a working class hero Holden that’s not priced like a rare, exotic sports car. Read on...

This is a 1967 Holden HR Special wagon which was the middle of the HR range. The new HR replaced the remarkably similar looking HD despite changing nearly every panel. Now you got front seatbelts and a bit of padding on the dash that softened the blow of the 186ci straight six engine as it came to meet you during a head-on collision.

This example is fitted with the 2 speed Powerglide automatic transmission because two speeds is enough, unlike those flamin’ Europeans with there fancy 3 speed jobs. It also has the state of the art front bench seat to enable you to get closer to your passenger on right hand bends. Technically there’s not much else to note really.

But for all the HR’s simplicity it carries a charm that you won’t get in a modern car. The neighbours will know when you’re home just from the reassuring clunk of the driver’s door shutting. And while not very fast it’s not painfully slow either. It’s unhurried rather than laboured.

It’s big enough to sleep in and the tailgate folds down rather than up giving you a perfect picnic table once you’ve wound the tailgate window down. It’s a practical, unpretentious classic for the whole family.

But while over 250,000 HR’s were built many were worked hard and died young. Those that remain are very desirable, and with the Holden name consigned to history, the HR has seen its already hefty values sent even higher.

So with an auction guide of $10,000 - $13,000 it’s potentially a gateway drug to the classic Holden market.  Before you know it you’ll be hankering for a Torana or a Monaro. More details here.