AN AUSTRALIAN AUTOMOTIVE record was broken over the weekend with the iconic first Bathurst-winning Harry Firth-engineered Holden HT Monaro race car achieving the highest price for a Holden sold at auction.

The 1969 HT Monaro 57D race car fetched $750,000 at auction, selling under the hammer to an Australian enthusiast who has vowed to keep the car in the country. 

“We are extremely excited that the car will remain within Australia," Lloyds Auctions chief operations officer Lee Hames said. "This important Holden achieved the highest price for a road registerable Australian Holden ever sold at auction,

“There were seven bidders on the Holden Monaro which came down to two Australian enthusiasts who fought it out, both with the intention to keep the car within Australia,” Mr Hames said.

After the car being flagged last minute as a potential export ban from the Australian Government, where it may have been unable to leave Australian soil, the scenario ended up being voided.

The winning bidder of the Monaro wishes to remain anonymous.

“The auction had a 95 percent sell-through rate of cars all with very strong prices showing that the market is as strong as ever,” Mr Hames said.

Australian market cars weren’t the only ones set to break records with both American and more particularly European luxury car sales indicating that markets were extremely strong at present, he said.

“It was fantastic to see the amount of people that tuned into the auction online from all over the world to watch the five-hour live event,” Mr Hames said.  

“The strong bidding and prices achieved for these cars and even the bikes in particular was great. I think it is fantastic that the majority of bidders were Australian, meaning the cars remain on Australian soil,” he said. 

Australia's former Formula One world champion race driver, Alan Jones said, “I am not particularly surprised at the prices achieved in this auction or the records broken over the weekend attracting all of the international attention.  It’s a testament to the cars and the passion of car enthusiasts.” 

Mr Hames said with the Holden Monaro remaining on Aussie soil and the majority of bidders being Australian it is safe to say that enthusiasts nationwide are extremely proud and passionate people, fighting to keep their beloved cars in their country where they can enjoy them.

www.lloydsauctions.com.au

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TODAY’S AUCTION of Holden’s first racing Monaro, expected to fetch around A$1 million, may be impacted by a last-minute notice that it may not be allowed to leave Australian soil.

Lloyds Auctions received contact from the Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications to state that the rare Monaro could be an Australian Protected Object.

Aimed towards preserving and keeping history within Australia, Lloyds Auctions chief operations officer Lee Hames commended the government’s stance in protecting Australian motoring history for the future of Australian enthusiasts. 

We have been recommending General Motors buys this car and donates it to an Australian museum as a parting gift for them leaving the country,” Mr Hames said before the auction.

The iconic Holden HT Monaro is projected to sell for more than $1 million at auction today, set to break records and double the previous record for a Holden vehicle sold at auction.

It is the very first factory-built race car to bear a Holden badge and is credited with launching the Holden Dealer Team’s racing dominance in the 1970s and 80s, cementing the Holden-Ford sporting rivalry that still divides the nation today in Supercars..

The car is a significant piece of Australian motorsport history, not only shaping the success of Holden as a company, but also setting the stage for the domination by Holden and Peter Brock for the following two decades.

“While we’re seeing rare classic cars like Holden Toranas and GT Falcons selling for hundreds of thousands, none have the colourful backstory or cultural significance of this Monaro, which is what makes it so rare and special,” Mr Hames said. 

“The enquiry on this car is massive from all over the country. We expect that this incredible piece of history will break seven figures – making it the most expensive Holden ever.”.

This particular HT Monaro is the first Holden prepared by motorsport legend Harry Firth, which debuted at the 1969 Sandown 300, but a fiery crash at the 45-minute mark ended the race prematurely.

Findings from the crash were used to homologate changes for other HDT Monaros which led to Colin Bond and Tony Roberts claiming victory at Bathurst the same year. Also in Monaros, Des West and rookie Peter Brock finished third.

So it was that the legendary success of Holden’s Dealer Team was launched, and Holden’s ongoing rivalry with Ford cemented.

Last year marked 50 years since the HT Monaros commenced the Holden dynasty, a new era for the Holden Dealer Team on the mountain. 

The auction commences at midday today and is currently open taking online bids.

 https://www.lloydsauctions.com.au/57d

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AUTOMOTIVE technology company Veoneer, Inc. has launched its state-of-the-art suite of collision mitigation technology on Volvo's new fully electric Polestar 2, which is due in Australia later this year.

Veoneer begins production of its advanced sensing technology and software aimed at enabling the Polestar 2 to become a leader in the next generation of car safety, in tuen with Volvo's mission.  

The system allows the Polestar 2 to gather information and data about its surroundings and the trajectory of vehicles around it to assist drivers to avoid potentially hazardous situations. 

Key components of the technology suite include Veoneer's fourth-generation mono vision system, 77GHz front radar, and a state-of-the-art ADAS Electronic Control Unit (ECU). The Polestar 2 is the first vehicle to use the Zenuity sensor fusion software platform enabling industry-leading features like object detection, lane keeping aid, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, and traffic assist.  

Veoneer's front 77 GHz radar unit and windshield-mounted mono vision camera keeps the Polestar 2's eyes on the road to take preventative measures whenever something encroaches on its path ahead.

Everything from disabled cars to pedestrians can be noticed by the Polestar 2, which then warns the driver (via a brake pulse, audio warning signal, and visual warning signal in the driver display) and then brakes automatically if needed. Automatic pre-braking, steering support, and incrementally tightening seatbelts also come into play, maximizing safety for the occupants.

Veoneer's fourth-generation mono vision system is designed with a 100-degree field-of-view and 1.7 megapixel resolution to support ADAS features necessary to achieve 5-star ratings for Euro NCAP.  The system comprises fully integrated hardware and algorithms using deep learning technologies that identify objects such as cars, road markings, or road signs.

Veoneer's newest generation of 77GHz radars have improved performance and provide reliable and accurate situational awareness of objects surrounding the vehicle. 

Veoneer's radar design has improved waveform and operates at extended ranges needed to achieve 5-star ratings for Euro NCAP.Veoneer's ADAS ECU is the 'ADAS brain' of the vehicle which hosts a sophisticated software feature stack along with feature software from other sensors to interpret the situation around the vehicle, and trigger ADAS features such as emergency braking or cross traffic alert.  Veoneer's ADAS ECU is designed to be an open scalable hardware and software architecture that hosts algorithms.  

"We are excited to start deliveries of Veoneer's fourth-generation mono vision cameras, upgraded 77GHz radars, ADAS ECUs and industry-leading feature software on the all-new Polestar 2, allowing drivers to interact with the Polestar and its surroundings in an advanced new way,"  Jan Carlson, Veoneer chairman, president and CEO said. 

"Veoneer is proud to bring new levels of safety and convenience to car drivers and occupants across the globe and the Polestar 2 is the first vehicle equipped with these advanced systems."

Mr Carlson said Veoneer, Inc. is a worldwide leader in automotive technology.

"Our purpose is to create trust in mobility," he said. "We design, manufacture and sell state-of-the-art software, hardware and systems for occupant protection, advanced driving assistance systems, and collaborative and automated driving to OEMs globally."

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Veoneer has 7,600 employees in 13 countries. In 2019, sales amounted to $1.9 billion.

The company is building on a heritage of close to 70 years of automotive safety development. In 2018, Veoneer became an independent, publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: VNE) and on the Nasdaq Stockholm (SSE: VNE SDB).

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JUST a few days since the shock announcement of General Motors' retirement of the Holden brand for good, the value of Holdens have been projected to have at least doubled, according to Lloyds Auctions.

“We have been flooded with enquiries coming through our Classic Car Division Nationwide over the last 24 hours or so with people wanting to buy a Holden showcasing a surge in demand for the vintage vehicles,” Lloyds auctions chief marketing officer Brett Mudie said.

“It really shows that the market has responded immediately and is indicating that the market for Holdens will sky rocket as we have seen the interest soar in the last day,” he said.

“The value of Holden Classics has always been strong but this evidence that has come to us in the last day suggests that it is more than likely to create a booming market for them,” Mr Mudie said. 

In the past Lloyds have broken multiple records across different model Holden classics, where the very first Holden Dealer Team HT Monaro 57D also sold for $500,000 in the same year.

“We actually anticipate that the HT Monaro 57D has doubled in value overnight being worth seven figures just under three years later,” Mr Mudie said.

A HSV GTS-R W1 even surpassed its recommended retail price at auction by six figures with the brand-new 2017 Holden W1 auctioned in the same year of its release.

A $2.1 million record was broken for Peter Brock's dual Bathurst winning VH Commodore back in October 2018.

The first 1977 A9X Torana off the production line also smashed Australian sale records selling for $365,000.

Mr Mudie said there was "no doubt that Australians love the iconic Holden brand and even enthusiasts from their biggest rival, Ford, don’t want to see Holden go.

“As a company very passionate about motoring we are saddened by the fact that we focus so much attention on important issues like these after the fact, when we have already lost something such as this iconic Aussie brand,”  Mr Mudie said.

“Holden is and will continue to be a part of many Australian households, back in the day you were either a Ford family or a Holden family and you would never actually date anyone who wasn’t passionate about the same car side as your family.

“For anyone unsure on what to do next we encourage them to jump on the phones and give us a call to discuss, we are more than happy to talk any time of the day,” Mr Mudie said.

www.lloydsauctions.com.au

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