Best performance Commodores: The owners’ stories

When MOTOR farewelled the Australian Commodore, we wanted to assemble some of the greats and have one last gathering.

To do this, we called upon a few of our Commodore-owning readers, who were more than happy to loan us their prides and joys for a day.

To say thanks, we’ve collected their personal Holden stories for you to read and relate to. And here they are…

VB Commodore SL/E – Steve D

The original and the best?

“I had a 253ci VB SL/E many moons ago. It was stolen and destroyed and I always hankered to get one back again. I just like the look [of the VB]. No one else had one, I’m the only one in our group of mates that’s got a Commodore, so it’s nice to have something different.

I was 20 when I lost the other one and now I’m 47 but I’ve had this for six years so a 20-year gap. It’s got VN running gear so a Turbo 700, 355ci in it, LSD in the back [but] I’ve kept all the original gear at home so if I ever need to put it back together it’s all there. It still drives like a 40-year-old car but it drives better. I don’t plan on getting rid of it, but if it was to go I could look at a Valiant or another car, but I do enjoy it.”

VC Brock Commodore – Stephen G

Peter Perfect’s magic touch

“When I was 21 years old these cars were new; like everyone else I wasn’t earning much money and they were very expensive so I aspired to own one. This is the second [VC Brock] I’ve owned. My family history was Ford but I thought the VC was the best model [HDT] ever made; there’s something about being the first of the Brocks. This is number 23 out of 500, so it’s very early. To me it’s an age thing, it takes you back to when they first came out.”

VK Brock Commodore – Phil J

Group A homologation special

“I’m a Holden fan from way back. When I was eight there was a Blue Meanie in the front window of Preston Motors and I remember thinking ‘wow, one day I want one of these cars’. Fortune, luck. whatever you call it, I ended up getting one. I don’t really drive it, I’ve done 600km [since] 2013. My first car, which I still have, is a VH SL/E, I’ve got an HQ SS and a Motorsport on order – it’s got to have sentimental value, it takes people back to a simpler time.”

VL Commodore Turbo – Welly S

Rare boosted family wagon

“I’ve had the car for four years. It’s a 1988 VL Calais Turbo wagon, one of 50 I believe. All my family members had it when I was young, I remember falling asleep in the back seat. I’ve always wanted a VL and I’ve got a real soft spot for wagons; out of seven cars we’ve got, five of them are wagons.

I bought this with the intention of doing it up, then all my mates said ‘don’t touch it’. My godfather was a production supervisor at Holden and still had a few parts at home, so he gave me a bit of new-old stock. I’ve only seen two that are original, a lot of people say ‘it’s a mock-up’.”

VN Commodore SS – Rob B

A new era of performance

“It all started when I was 15 years old. I always wanted [a VN SS], couldn’t afford it and the passion just grew and grew and I bought one four months ago...very hard to find one. I actually put an ad on Facebook and went from there; I said I wanted manual and the Atlas Grey, full history from new. It was THE car and the engine just blows me away – I’ll keep it for my kids. I’ve always been a Holden man, I’ve actually got a VL Turbo at home as well.”

Holden's 10 best performance Commodores

VT Commodore SS 5.0 – Jimmy A

Last of the all-Aussie machines

“It started with my first car, a VL Commodore; 3.0-litre, five-speed, just unbreakable. I had a lot of fun in that. From then on just progressively got different models: VT, VZ, up to VE then gone back to a VT. I like working on these ones a bit more and I find there’s a bit more enjoyment in the older ones.

They’re fun to drive and you know exactly what the car’s doing. I’ve always had a soft spot for the VT [and] had to have a 5.0-litre being the last of that car. It hasn’t been a very popular model but I think they’re starting to gain a bit more popularity. I might look at an HSV down the track.”

VE Commodore SS-V – Matt L

Holden’s billion-dollar baby

“Started out with a VX SS. Me and the missus were on the way to Adelaide and we spun off the highway and did about $10,000 damage to the VX. I decided it was time to get a new car so I bought the VE. I wanted the SS-V because I wanted the leather.

After hunting around I found this in Shepparton; right price, right kilometres, exactly what I was looking for. I drive an hour to work every day and the comfort compared to other cars I’ve driven is second-to-none, the leather interior is beautiful. It’s got HSV extractors and muffler deletes and that’s it, we like the stock look.”

VF Commodore Motorsport – Matt D

Track-focused last hurrah

“Started with a V8 VH Commodore and used to replace them every year. [I’ve had] Cross8s, Monaros and everything else; that was a challenge, I had to have every single one. Loved the Cross8; even though a lot of people didn’t like them, just the appreciation of all-wheel drive.

Also the Monaro. Just had to have one of the last ones. Or two. Started with two red ones and ended up with a green and a white, got to pick my build numbers – well worth it.”