Have you got the Holden genes like Daniel Armstrong?

8 December, 2016

We caught up with Daniel Armstrong recently, and quickly discovered that he was about as passionate as it gets when it comes to all things original. Cars, especially of the Aussie variety, have featured heavily throughout his life as the Holden ‘genes’ were passed down from his father, who has owned early Holdens since the late 1970s.

However, when Daniel turned 16 years old, he couldn’t resist the temptation to buy a 2.0-litre 1987 Holden Commodore VL Berlina sedan, which he still owns almost 10 years later. Obviously, the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree, and following in his father’s footsteps, Daniel’s Holden collection began to grow. Soon, a 5.0-litre 1987 Holden Berlina VL station wagon, 3.0-litre 1987 Holden VL GTS sedan, and a 1980 Holden HZ one-tonner were added to the collection.

In mid 2105, while searching through Trade Me, Daniel spotted our featured HR Premier station wagon, and with copious amounts of adrenaline flowing, a bidding war ensued.

Daniel picked up the latest addition to his collection on July 19. It had been hiding away in an Auckland garage for some time, and although the previous owner had kept it well-maintained cosmetically, the car was in need of some serious mechanical attention.

Have a look at a few additional photos that didn’t make it into the feature in the January issue of New Zealand Classic Car (Issue No. 313) — grab your copy of the mag here to read the full story.

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NZ Classic Car magazine, September/October 2026 issue 407, on sale now

16 August, 2026

We love bugs!
A bit of TLC that became a major restoration
The 1302S, or ‘Super Beetle’ as it became known, was built for two years before it, too, was replaced by a further-enhanced Beetle, the 1303, continuing an amazing 65-year lineage for one of the World’s best-known shapes.
The world’s best-selling single-model vehicle, the VW Beetle, possibly established another record for the amount of controversy it has created since the inception of the Type 1.
In a meeting with Hitler in June 1934, Ferdinand Porsche was contracted to build a ‘People’s Car’ that could accommodate two adults and three children, was air-cooled and simple to maintain, and could cruise economically at moderate speed along Germany’s proposed new Autobahns.
Our feature car, a 1972 1302S ‘Super Beetle’, was found by Dave and Michelle Dickie in Mosgiel a few years back. It was a runner, but like most VWs of this age, it needed a little TLC. They were looking for a daily driver for Michelle when they first came upon the VW being sold locally on behalf of its owner.
“The owner offered it to his grandchildren, and they didn’t want it, so he got the guy out at Mosgiel in the Mobil petrol station to sell it for him, and he put it on Trade Me for them. We never met the owner, and we were always dealing with the guy at the petrol station. We put a bid on it, and we were the only people that bid on it.”
Their bid was eventually successful, eight years ago. Not knowing much of the history, in situations like that, it’s always a risk buying a car, but they were in for a bit of a surprise.

The other Q car

12 August, 2026

Say the word ‘bond’ to anyone in the street and around 80 per cent straight away think of pop culture’s least-secret secret agent. The other 20 per cent may think of the wad of cash required to secure a flat or hire equipment that one gets back providing the fixtures and fittings stay much as they were.
However, mention ‘bond’ in specialist classic car circles and people will spin a very different yarn. If you dig deep enough, you will find an eccentric British carmaker that, throughout its 23 years in business, spawned some quirky and charming little cars.
The company was founded by Paul Sharp in 1922 under the name of Sharp’s Commercials Limited. However, the company did not start producing cars until 1948. The first car to carry the Bond name was the Bond Minicar. A three-wheeled, soft-top, two-cylinder eco car, the Minicar was a big hit at the time as the desire for an economical urban runabout that didn’t attract four-wheel car tax was strong in post-war Britain. All in all, 34,285 Minicars were produced over 26 years in a variety of variants.

Have you got the Holden genes like Daniel Armstrong?

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