1985 Holden Commodore VK HDT SS Group A

Nicknamed the "Blue Meanie", the VK SS Group A HDT Commodore ("SS Group A") was Holden's official 1986 homologation special built to satisfy Group A racing regulations, with 502 vehicles produced from early 1985 through to February 1986. Holden continued to produce Group A Commodores up until the VN series of 1992, by which time the Group A cars were making way for yet another regulation change. This particular car is build number 369, and is currently offered on Carsales.com.au for $78,500 (AUD).

From 1985 the Group A regulations replaced the Group C regulations in the Australian Touring Car Championship (“ATCC”). However, the VK SS ‘Group A’ competed only in the 1986 season due to insufficient production numbers by the 1985 entry deadline. The 1985 season was instead contested by Holden with modified V8 VK commodores of lower spec than the dedicated SS Group A cars. This meant that Holden was unfortunately not as competitive as it should have been that year. The introduction of the SS Group A demonstrated Holden and HDT had stepped up their efforts to succeed in the Group A category, which would see a large variety and number of international competitors up against the traditional V8 Holdens. The field came from varying classes, and included a large number of turbo cars as well as more traditional V8 entrants. Some of the most notable competitors of the 1986 season included the Volvo 240 Turbo, DR30 Nissan Skyline, Jaguar XJ-S, Ford Mustang and BMW’s 635 CSI. Despite the international competition, Holden’s Group A effort paid off particularly well in the endurance races, with the VK SS securing first and second place in the important Bathurst 1000 race of 1986. This particular victory holds a significant place in the value attributed to these Group A VKs. It is also worth noting that HDT competed overseas in the SS Group A with some success in the European FIA Touring Car Championship, as well as competing in Japan.

Regarding this particular car; the seller notes it is in excellent condition overall. Having owned the car for the last 5 years, the seller identifies a number of issues including minor rust spots on the inner door and spare tyre well. If you have $78,500 to spend, costs in dealing with those sorts of issues shouldn't break the bank, and the panels are readily available. Importantly, the seller also notes that the car has the HDT Authentication papers, however, does not have any of its original documentation. Although it would be nice to have the car's original paperwork, fresh checks and authenticity papers can be sourced through HDT, where a VIN search can be undertaken to remove any doubts you may have as a prospective purchaser (See the HDT website). Thanks to HDT's efforts in recent years, record keeping and authentication is a very well documented and accurate process when compared to some other vehicle makes and models we've dealt with.

This car was originally sold through an HDT dealer in Perth, Western Australia, then made its way to an owner in Melbourne, and finally to Queensland, where it's now advertised. If anyone knows anything else about the car's history, don't hesitate to contact us. We'd love to also know where it ends up in future, for those keeping track. There are several other VK Group A cars for sale online at the present, with prices commonly starting around the $70,000 - 80,000 (AUD) mark. We believe this asking price therefore represents a reasonable starting point for negotiation. Having said that, there is a lot of growth potential to come with the SS Group A cars, among many other low production Commodores, and we wouldn’t be surprised if a 50% price increase on average was seen over the next decade or so. These are the types of cars you can really take to the bank. 

For quick reference, here are some of the mechanical specifications of the VK SS Group A:

If you know someone who had an SS Group A, or have one yourself, please share it on the register and provide some details of the car's history, so we can keep track of these rare collectible muscle cars. We're hoping to have many more rare Group A cars like this on the register in future. Thanks for reading!