Rare HSV GTSR going under the hammer
One of three GTSRs fitted with a factory sunroof is up for grabs via Lloyds Auctions this weekendA rare 1996 Holden HSV GTSR – one of the most iconic, desirable and low-volume Holden Special Vehicles of all time – will go under the hammer this weekend, when it’s expected to fetch more than half a million dollars.
Just 15 VS-series HSV GTSRs were delivered from the factory with the optional ‘optimised’ engine, which liberated an extra 10-15kW/30Nm from the already-worked 5.7-litre stroker V8, of which only three were fitted with sunroofs.
“There are only two other cars with the sunroof option, those being build #001 which Lloyds sold for $1 million last year at auction and the second one is said to have sold for $700,000 with 5000kms on the clock,” Lloyds Auctions COO Lee Hames said.
“This is the third and final vehicle and is set to reach bids exceeding half a million dollars as the kilometres on the clock are a little higher.”
Build #014 is showing 67,456km on its odometer and comes with every receipt ever issued since the day it was delivered, the original compendium and even the original GTSR jacket it was sold with – both signed by the late, great touring car legend John Harvey, whose signature can also be found on the glove box.
Lloyds says the car, finished in trademark XU3 Yellah paint, presents in excellent condition inside and out and was stored in its own temperature-controlled Carcoon but its current custodian.
The GTSR’s tickled bent-eight was good for around 227kW/505Nm when it was new and drove the rear wheels exclusively via a five-speed manual transmission, though later examples shipped with a tougher Tremec T56 six-speed.
A locally-made Hydratrak limited-slip differential did its best to try and keep things tidy under power and though the bends.
The standard 1996 HSV GTSR came with a starting price of around $75,000 back in the day, with the blueprinted engine adding another $10K to the final figure.
At the time of writing, bidding stood at $94,102 but that number is almost guaranteed to quintuple over the next three days.
You can bid for the unique GTSR – as well as 300 other classic, muscle and barn-find cars set go under the hammer on Saturday (December 17) – here.
Related: HSV and Walkinshaw offer GEN-F3 LSA V8 optimisation
Related: From The Classifieds: 1996 HSV GTS-R
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