A piece of Australian motoring history is set to go up on the auction block this weekend at the 2013 Royal Automobile Club of Victoria Motorclassica in Melbourne, Australia. It’s the only surviving Holden 48-215 prototype, and is expected to fetch as much as $1 million when bidding opens on Saturday night.
The grey, mid-size sedan was built in Melbourne in 1947, nearly a year and a half prior to when the 48-215 went on sale. Owner and car collector Peter Briggs bought the car for $4500 in 1980 to add to his famous collection and has owned it ever since.
The design for the Holden 48-215 was originally destined for use in the American market, but was later deemed too small. Three prototypes were built in Detroit, where they went under months of testing before being shipped to Australia. The only surviving prototype of these three is now on display at the National Museum of Austrailia. This example is one of two prototypes that were later built in Australia, though is the only surviving, Australian built 48-215.
No Comments yet