Holden’s historic collection of rare vehicles brought together in SA for the first time

Holdens may once have been the most common sight on Aussie roads, but not these rare specimens about to call SA home.

Eliza Loechell museum officer and Paul Rees Museum director with a 2005 Holden EFIJY ahead of the most amazing collection of Holdens ever assembled will be at the National Motor Museum from Saturday. Picture: Tom Huntley

They say old Holdens never die, they just get faster.

And a stunning collection of the marque will showcase that point at the National Motor Museum, in Birdwood, from today.

Holden’s Heroes: 1948 to 2017 – A Retrospective will permanently bring together the rarest 18 vehicles from Holden’s Heritage Collection.

The showcase includes the first and last cars to roll off the Holden production line, together for the first time.

National Motor Museum director Paul Rees said Australia’s real love affair with Holdens started with the 48-215, in 1948, when Prime Minister Ben Chifley famously proclaimed “she’s a beauty!”.

Max Barnett, 13, and Jack Petersen, 13, with a HT 1970 Monaro. Picture: Tom Huntley

“There were soon Holden car factories and sales outlets all over Australia,” Mr Rees said.

“At the pinnacle was Holden’s world-class manufacturing plant at Elizabeth.”

History Trust of South Australia chief executive Greg Mackie said US multinational General Motors, merged with the Adelaide firm in 1931, was making a significant cultural contribution to the state by creating the collection.

General Motors managing director Australia and New Zealand Marc Ebolo said the company was proud to bring the collection together.

“South Australia is a special place for Holden, being where James Alexander Holden established his saddlery business on King William Street, Adelaide, in 1856,” Mr Ebolo said.

“His business grew and was passed down through the Holden family, to a time when it made motor vehicle bodies and merged with General Motors in 1931.”