Holden Gemini turbo and Bolwell Nagari Roadster – the cars that got away

By: Cliff Chambers, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 11.12.2016

Bolwell Nagari Roadster

Bolwell Nagari Roadster

We’ve had some weird and wonderful stuff advertised over the years – did you buy it?

The full turbo-kit Gemini is a very rare beastie.

CDT Gemini Turbo - advertised March 86

Holden's baby desperately needed a performance version but the manufacturer was strangely reticent.

Eventually the gap was filled by Gemini racer James Faneco who put together a deal with rural Holden dealers to form the Country Dealer Team and offered participating dealers a range of dress-up and performance kits to pay the bills.

For homologation purposes, 500 cars were supposedly built but that total is questionable.

Turbocharged Stage 3 cars are very scarce and still not exorbitantly expensive.

Then $12,500  Now$16-20,000

Bolwell Nagari Roadster - advertised Nov 98

If this car had been built with an exotic badge and sold into Europe and the USA, asking prices would by now have cracked the $1 million barrier and any available car fought over by panting collectors.

Just 12 open-topped Bolwell Nagaris were built - plus perhaps a few converted coupes - and values in the only country where anyone even knows what they are haven't yet reached $100,000.

This car at almost $40,000 in 1998 was just dearer than our Value Guide Condition 1 price at the time but whoever bought it is likely to still be grinning.

Then$39,950  Now $85-100,000

Published in Unique Cars mag #380

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