Image via brunei_cars_2001/InstagramImage via brunei_cars_2001/Instagram
It’s really something when photos of a secret car collection owned by a Sultan get people worked up because of a rare Holden in the midst of Bugattis, Ferraris, Lotuses, and other exotics. While most of the rest of the world was confused by the reaction from Australians and a smattering of others, once you know a little bit about the Holden Commodore which looks rather plain you too will get all the fuss made over it.
Meet the Middle Eastern shop helping to save old Nissan 240Zs.
The maroon sedan is in fact a 1990 HSV SS Group A Commodore is one of only 302 in existence. It’s an homologation special that was canceled partway through the planned 500 unit build, thanks to rule changes in Group A racing in Bathurst.
Using a VN-series Commodore Berlina, HSV tweaked a 4.9-liter V8 and mated it with a six-speed manual from the C4 Corvette, making it the first Holden to use a six-speed. To sharpen handling, HSV lowered he Commodore, added Bilstein shocks, bolted in a limited-slip diff, upgraded the brakes, and wrapped the 17-inch alloy wheels with Goodyear Eagles.
All that combined to make the VN SS Group A Commodore the fastest production car from Australia in the early 90s. It was a red hot ride everyone wanted but few could have. Today, they can fetch several hundred thousand at auction.
Plus, for Australians the Holden is a type of hero car, a symbol of national pride created back when the island nation actually made cars.
Also kept in the Sultan of Brunei’s impressive collection as show in photos leaked onto the internet are crowd favorites like Ferrari Testarossas and Lamborghini Countaches. He also owns a number of oddities like first-gen Toyota RAV4s and a Lotus Omega.
The royal family of Brunei, a miniscule country located in Southeast Asia, are often cited as the wealthiest of royalty in the world today. Thanks to that financial might, the sultan has amassed a car collection estimated to be worth $5 billion.
Considering he has about 7,000 vehicles in storage, that’s a believable yet still staggering sum.
Image via brunei_cars_2001/Instagram
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