1987 HDT VL LE Calais Turbo – Today’s Blown Tempter

By: James Robinson, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 09.02.2018

Uber-rare and super nice

From the mayhem of Mount Panorama to the chaos of Chapel Street, the VL Holden Commodore truly is a cultural icon of the Aussie automotive scene.

Replacing the outgoing VK Commodore at the beginning of March, 1986, the VL Commodore was a distinctly different car from the one it replaced, not least thanks to a complete cosmetic overhaul.

Like its predecessor, the VL Commodore was only made available to customers in two body styles; a four-door sedan and a five-door wagon.

Power was derived from either the heroic, Nissan-sourced RB30E inline six-cylinder motor which could be had as a naturally aspirated or a turbocharged unit, or, for fans of the uneven warble of a bent-eight motor, Holden’s powerful 5.0lt V8.

The shove from these two ace engines was sent to the VL’s rear wheels via either a three or four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual transmission.

This particular VL is an extremely rare and desirable 1987 HDT VL LE Calais Turbo and comes equipped with the RB30ET turbo six-pot and five-speed manual ‘box.

According to the seller, the vehicle has travelled an original 229,000 kilometres from new as indicated by the odometer.

The seller adds that the VL Calais, finished in factory Eucumbene Blue, is a fully matching numbers vehicle and the engine, gearbox and clutch have all been recently rebuilt.

The HDT VL Turbo is up for auction at Lloyds auctioneers and anyone interested in this Aussie classic can view the full listing here. 

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