This episode of Classic Restos is a tribute to Australian Manufacturing and Holden. A visit to Trafalgar, 125km east of Melbourne is the location of the Holden Museum. Open now for almost 4 years the Museum is a testament to the manufacturing skills at Holden. Owner Neil along with 25-30 motoring enthusiast volunteers operate the Museum.
Neil, a passionate Holden enthusiast, says that Holden is typically Australian, designed, built and owned by Australians. Back in 1928 Holden built 36,000 bodies for 46 makes, not models, but makes of motorcars including the Model T Ford. It was only the depression in the 1930s that saw Holden sold to the US entity GMH. The Museum today is a history of Holden in Australia and a real time capsule of Holden manufacturing.
A walk through the museum reveals some Holden built classics along with a 2004 Holden Torana Prototype, a one-off concept car that never went into production. It was thought the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and that it may cannibalise Commodore sales at the time, contributed to the decision. The car would be very marketable today for a model that may well have been in the production process as early as the late 1990s.
Another beautiful; example of Holden manufacturing is a 1928 GM Buick Speedster V8 that is reported having a top speed of 138mph, an American designed Buick body manufactured by Holden in Australia.
One of Fletch's favourites a 1969 HT Holden Monaro with 253 V8, 2019 is the 50th Anniversary of Monaro, and a 1953 FJ Holden 'After-market' Wagon with only 3 models known to still be in existence.
This museum is well worth the trip.
