Nine Holden VF Commodore V8s yet to be sold

Despite Holden’s Elizabeth production line falling still in October 2017, there remains a handful of Aussie-built Commodores that are yet to be sold.

Just nine Holden VF Commodores remain in stock according to a Holden spokesperson. And the best bit? Each of them has a V8 under the bonnet.

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According to VFACTS, Holden sold 19 locally manufactured vehicles in March, for a YTD figure of 36 registrations. In Holden’s first full year after local manufacturing ceased, it registered 2765 Aussie-built vehicles.

A Wheels source confirmed that there wasn’t a single VF Commodore with a V8 engine and manual transmission combo left in stock.

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Four of the remaining cars are SS V Redline sedans (one in ‘Red Hot’, one in ‘Phantom Black’, one in ‘Slipstream Blue’, and one in ‘Heron White’), while a pair of Motorsport Edition (MSE) sedans remain available, in ‘Heron White’ and ‘Red Hot’.

Fans of the V8-powered ute can rejoice, with just a single example remaining in stock, a Magnum special edition, in ‘Phantom Black’. The two others are Directors in ‘Heron White’.

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Buyers in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and Australian Capital Territory are out of luck, with the remaining cars limited to New South Wales, Western Australia, and Victoria.

A Victorian dealer is responsible for the ‘Red Hot’ MSE sedan, while Western Australian dealers have the two Directors. The remaining cars are all located in New South Wales.

Holden built 1200 MSE sedans, and 240 Magnum utes to farewell the VF Commodore, and only 174 ‘Red Hot’ MSE sedans were built with automatic transmissions, while 173 self-shifting ‘Heron White’ sedans rolled off the production line. The ‘Phantom Black’ Magnum ute is even rarer, with just 39 automatics being built in the limited production run.

Each of the limited edition models are individually numbered and received upgrades to their suspension and drivetrain which grants them General Motors’ coveted Track Three Competent status, which is traditionally reserved for halo models like the supercharged Camaro ZL1.

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MSE sedans differ from SS V Redlines thanks to the addition of magnetorheological dampers, a new rear cradle bush, cross-drilled brake rotors front and rear, and a driveline cooling package which includes engine-oil and transmission-oil coolers taken from the Camaro ZL1.

Magnum utes missed out on the Magnetic Ride Control, but received the same braking and cooling upgrades, as well as a new suspension tune which lowers ride height by 15mm and softens rear spring rates by 26 percent.

The Magnum ute retailed for $61,490 when it was released, while MSE sedans cost $63,990.

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Holden’s last ‘regular’ V8-powered Commodore was the SS V Redline, which had an LS3 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated bent-eight which pumped 307kW and 570Nm to the rear treads via either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

Our sister publication, Motor, reported last year that some dealers were adding over $5000 to the asking price of remaining VF Series II SS V Redline models.

At the end of its life, a Series II SS V Redline sedan had a recommended retail price (RRP) of $54,990 plus on-road costs for both manual and automatic transmissions.

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Holden as a manufacturer no longer has any VF Commodores in its possession, with dealers responsible for all remaining stock. Our source explained that there could be a handful of VF Commodores still hidden beyond what was showing up in internal searches, with any cars listed as demos hidden from the prying eyes of rival dealers.

The news of the remaining cars confirms that every Sportswagon, regular ute, Calais and Caprice has now been sold.

The last Ford Falcon took two years to sell; with a blue XR8 sprint only being discovered after a dealership was sold.

Westpoint Ford in Melbourne changed hands in 2018, with the previous owners planning to hang onto the supercharged V8 sedan, and keeping it stored in a warehouse. It was only discovered after the new owners did a stock take of the dealership’s inventory.

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That vehicle was purchased by the team from Premcar, and will be converted to ‘GT Holy Grail’ specification, which includes upgrading the drivetrain to cope with the 483kW/753Nm package. Despite the extra grunt, it’s unlikely the last Falcon ever sold will add any extra kilometres to its 58km odometer reading.

The Falcon Ute didn’t take as long to sell out, with the last iteration of the Blue Oval’s car-based workhorse being shifted in October, 2017.

With just single digits remaining, it won’t be long until every Aussie-built car is finally sold.

Despite Holden’s Elizabeth production line falling still in October 2017, there remains a handful of Aussie-built Commodores that are yet to be sold.

Just nine Holden VF Commodores remain in stock according to a Holden spokesperson. And the best bit? Each of them has a V8 under the bonnet.

According to VFACTS, Holden sold 19 locally manufactured vehicles in March, for a YTD figure of 36 registrations. In Holden’s first full year after local manufacturing ceased, it registered 2765 Aussie-built vehicles.

A Wheels source confirmed that there wasn’t a single VF Commodore with a V8 engine and manual transmission combo left in stock. Of the nine that Holden says are yet to be sold, only seven show up in dealer searches.

Four of the remaining cars are SS V Redline sedans, while a pair of Motorsport Edition (MSE) sedans remain available, in red and white respectively.

Fans of the V8-powered ute can rejoice, with just a single example remaining in stock, a Magnum special edition, in black.

Holden built 1200 MSE sedans, and 240 Magnum utes to farewell the VF Commodore, and only 174 ‘Red Hot’ MSE sedans were built with automatic transmissions, while 173 self-shifting ‘Heron White’ sedans rolled off the production line. The ‘Phantom Black’ Magnum ute is even rarer, with just 39 automatics being built in the limited production run.

Each of the limited edition models are individually numbered and received upgrades to their suspension and drivetrain which grants them General Motors’ coveted Track Three Competent status, which is traditionally reserved for halo models like the supercharged Camaro ZL1.

MSE sedans differ from SS V Redlines thanks to the addition of magnetorheological dampers, a new rear cradle bush, cross-drilled brake rotors front and rear, and a driveline cooling package which includes engine-oil and transmission-oil coolers taken from the Camaro ZL1.

Magnum utes missed out on the Magnetic Ride Control, but received the same braking and cooling upgrades, as well as a new suspension tune which lowers ride height by 15mm and softens rear spring rates by 26 percent.

The Magnum ute retailed for $61,490 when it was released, while MSE sedans cost $63,990.

Holden’s last ‘regular’V8-powered Commodore was the SS V Redline, which had an LS3 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated bent-eight which pumped 307kW and 570Nm to the rear treads via either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

Our sister publication, Motor, reported last year that some dealers were adding over $5000 to the asking price of remaining VF Series II SS V Redline models.

At the end of its life, a Series II SS V Redline sedan had a recommended retail price (RRP) of $54,990 plus on-road costs for both manual and automatic transmissions.

Holden as a manufacturer no longer has any VF Commodores in its possession, with dealers responsible for all remaining stock. Our source explained that there could be a handful of VF Commodores still hidden beyond what was showing up in internal searches, with any cars listed as demos hidden from the prying eyes of rival dealers.

The news of the remaining cars confirms that every Sportswagon, regular ute, Calais and Caprice has now been sold.

The last Ford Falcon took two years to sell; with a blue XR8 sprint only being discovered after a dealership was sold.

Westpoint Ford in Melbourne changed hands in 2018, with the previous owners planning to hang onto the supercharged V8 sedan, and keeping it stored in a warehouse. It was only discovered after the new owners did a stock take of the dealership’s inventory.

That vehicle was purchased by the team from Premcar, and will be converted to ‘GT Holy Grail’ specification, which includes upgrading the drivetrain to cope with the 483kW/753Nm package. Despite the extra grunt, it’s unlikely the last Falcon ever sold will add any extra kilometres to its 58km odometer reading.

The Falcon Ute didn’t take as long to sell out, with the last iteration of the Blue Oval’s car-based workhorse being shifted in October, 2017.

With just single digits remaining, it won’t be long until every Aussie-built car is finally sold.