Last SS Group A resurfaces after almost four decades
Holden last 1988 VL SS Group A, number 750 of 750 built, has resurfaced in Sydney as a family prepares to bid farewell to the iconic piece of Australian automotive history.
Sporting just 19,699km on the clock and wearing its originality with pride, the car is on the market for the first time in almost 30 years after being lovingly owned by a South-West Sydney family.
First delivered by Parker Brothers Holden in Colac, Victoria, to Australian touring car driver and team owner Bob Forbes, the car was always intended to be an investment and was never raced. Forbes, who competed in 13 Bathurst endurance races and later formed Bob Forbes Racing – running several GIO Insurance-backed vehicles, including Group A Walkinshaws and Nissan GTRs – held onto the vehicle for nearly a decade.
During that time, the car accumulated just 1,140 km when it was driven from Colac to Sydney by Forbes on a trade plate and then parked. Remaining unregistered for a decade, the vehicle found its way into the custody of Suttons Motor Group in Sydney, where it was first advertised via the dealer group’s Scuderia Veloce site in Willoughby – with a small newspaper advert highlighting the vehicles ‘investment potential’.
In parallel, a South-West Sydney family, consisting of four daughters was enjoying the throaty roar of the Walkinshaw’s twin throttle-bodied 5.0L V8. Purchased by the family’s father, Nick, after lusting over the car for decades, Walkinshaw #708 was the family car, plying between home, the shops and family gatherings.
Eldest of Nick’s daughters, Simone, remembers the vehicle as nothing special. “As kids of 10 years old, we had no idea what this car meant and being girls it was the older brothers of our friends that would say ‘oh my god is that your Dad’s car?’. To us, it was just another car that Mum would drive everywhere when Dad was at work,” she said
Third daughter, Vanessa added, “Later, we started to understand that this car was something special particularly when Mum was left stranded, often because someone had attempted to steal it and she was waiting for roadside to help get it going – until one day in 1997 someone successfully stole our first one, Walkinshaw #708”.
Nick was driving past Suttons City Holden Rosebery, where the Bob Forbes-owned Walkinshaw #750 had been moved to, to reside side-by-side with VL Walkinshaw #001 – the first and last time the bookend vehicles were together.
Still unregistered and now with just 1,160km on the clock, Nick stopped, marched into the dealership, and demanded that one of the two Walkinshaws on the floor be sold to him. After much negotiation, the dealer relented and in January of 1998, the family took possession of #750, the last SS Group A Walkinshaw built.
The return of a Walkinshaw to the family garage felt like closure for the family with the youngest daughter, Danielle recalling, “I remember Vanessa, Mum and I standing in the garage of the house as Dad rolled down the street and into the driveway, I just can’t forget the noise – it was unmistakable.”
Second daughter Melissa recounted how the Walkinshaw was used sparingly over the following years. “While Dad was glad to have his dream car back after our first Batmobile [Walkinshaw] was stolen, I think there was always a sense of caution about how #750 was used – we still loved having it and remember the house rumbling when it started.”
Under lock and key, and used sparingly over the coming years, the VL Walkinshaw came out for special occasions and little else, one such occasion was Vanessa’s 21st birthday – coincidentally the same year the Walkinshaw marked its 21st year. The fondest of all the sisters of the car, the keys to #750 were handed to Vanessa as a birthday present on the condition that if the vehicle was ever sold, it was to benefit all four daughters.
Vanessa, who has been the custodian on the car since explained that day has now arrived. “It’s funny to think that we have such an emotional bond with a 36-year-old car, but in speaking with my sisters we agree that the time has come for someone to take over the responsibility of caring for what we now understand to be a significant piece of Australian history,
“While we have said our goodbyes, we are in no rush to sell her [#750] and therefore, our hope is that we find a new owner that is able to continue to build on the history of this vehicle or place it back in the context of history. The sale means that I and my sisters will be able to build new memories for our families in the future.”
The sale of the vehicle will be managed via Stag Auto Solutions, a boutique Sydney-based automotive business with a combined 65 years of experience in bespoke, collectable and high-end vehicle sales and consignment.
“When it comes to collectability the first and last of limited production vehicles are the ones to have,” said Stag Auto’s Shaun Mackle. “Walkinshaw #750 is not only the last vehicle of its kind, it also boasts an amazing ownership story and an untouched originality that many seek. This is a car deserving of its place in Australian automotive history and someone’s collection.”
