1997 HSV Manta – Today’s Limited Edition Tempter

By: James Robinson, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 30.09.2017

Talk about bang for buck!

The VS Holden Commodore is the fourth iteration of the second generation of one of Australia’s greatest automotive monikers.

First released in April 1995, the VS replaced the outgoing VR, and stayed into production until August 1997 (December 2000 for the ute).

Changes made over its predecessor were many, and included cosmetic refreshes such as a new wheel and badge designs, and mechanical changes such as an updated version of the ECOTEC, Buick sourced V6.

The VS was available in a number of different body styles that comprised a two-door ute, four-door sedan and a five-door wagon.

There were three engine choices that customers could specify: the 3.8lt ECOTEC V6, a supercharged version of the same V6 and the prolific Aussie built 5.0lt V8.

The shove from these donks was sent to the rear wheels via either a four-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed manual transmission.

Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) produced a number of performance vehicles based on the VS. These models included the Clubsport, Manta, GTS, GTS-R, Maloo and Senator.

This particular VS is a ’97 HSV Manta equipped with the 5.0lt V8 and the four-speed automatic ‘box.

According to the seller, this Manta is build number 315 and is in very good condition with 220,000 kilometres on the clock from new.

The Manta is $12,000 and anyone interested in this Aussie performance sedan can view the full listing here.

Unique Cars magazine Value Guides

Sell your car for free right here