HSV VL SS Group A + HSV VS GTS-R + BMW E35 M5 - Phil's Picks 404

By: Phil Walker, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 13.08.2017

Phil’s Boxster, while lovely, is wearing thin on his nerves in this less than optimal winter weather. So, he’s decided to park it in the garage and is looking for three things; performance, practicality and most importantly, a roof.

1988 HSV VL SS Group A - $188,888

Surely one of the all-time greats, the Group A is genesis for HSV and what kicked off the partnership between Holden and Tom Walkinshaw. It’s also what picked up the pieces after HDT fell apart in the wake of the unmitigated fiasco with Brocky and the infamous Director and the Polarizer mysticism nonsense. There were only ever 750 of these silvery-blue monsters ever produced, and to my eye, they’ve aged pretty well. Actually I might even like the looks of these V8 brutes more now than I did back when they were showroom fresh. They’ve also got the added benefit of being a sure-fire investment for the super fund, or at least that’s what you can tell the minister of finance if they ask why you’ve just bought it.

1996 HSV VS GTS-R - $174,990

No doubt about it, the VS GTS-R was as divisive as its wing was large, mostly because of the polarizing shade of yellow paint, aptly named ‘Yellah’, it sported over its flared haunches. Power came from an Aussie made 5.7lt V8 that, if you asked HSV nicely (and gave them another $10K), they would send to the blokes over at Holden Racing Team (HRT), who would strip and rebuild the engine for more oomph. They’ve also got the mystique of being rarer than a Ford enthusiast admitting that the ‘Barra’ isn’t the greatest engine of all time. 

1991 BMW E34 M5 - $45,000

Talk about a masterpiece, these Munich missiles were the last of the hand-built M cars to leave the factory in Garching. It may not have packed a bent-eight unit under its business-like bonnet, but the 3.6lt and later 3.8lt straight six motors were true masterpieces. Then again, anything with individual throttle bodies has got my tick of approval. I also can’t help but love these things because of the star performance given by the M5 in Ronin, which surely has to be one of the best car chase scenes in recent film history, not that I’m a movie buff or anything.

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