At first glance Richard Eggleston's Holden looks like any other VT Commodore on the road but it has an interesting history which surprisingly made it a sought after purchase from Holden dealers in 2000.
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"It's a 2000 VT Commodore Series 2 Olympic Pack which was built by GMH for the 2000 Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games" said Richard.
"There was also a model built for the general public but mine is one of 3000 built to ferry around Olympic officials and the like during the games. It was one of the largest ever fleet orders in Australia."
From what Richard told me, the only features distinguishing his from a regular VT were badges on the B pillar, ashtray and in the engine bay and a certificate from Holden. This on its own is unique as from Richard's research, no other vehicles from Holden were actually delivered with such a certificate of authenticity.
Richard has certainly done his research. His car left the assembly line in Elizabeth on August 4, 2000 and was delivered to SOCOG by Suttons of Chullora on August 17. After its Olympic Games service was completed in November 2000, the entire fleet of vehicles was distributed to Holden dealerships across Australia for resale to the public.
"They sold really quickly" Richard said. "Some had their Olympic Games sign writing removed at the dealership while others would have been sold with the signage still on. This car went to a dealer in Mudgee who fitted the unique personalised number plates before putting it on the lot."
The VT had been through two owners when Richard saw it for sale in Orange. He happened to see the Olympic badges on the car and was intrigued enough to make some enquiries. "I'm Gen Y" said Richard. "2000 is my vintage, so when I discovered it had been part of the Olympic Fleet I was immediately interested."
Richard's parents also bought a similar VT Commodore new around the same time. Mechanically its a standard VT Commodore with a 3.8 litre V6, automatic transmission, Series 1 Berlina alloy wheels and finished in Bermuda Mica.
"The first owner had removed the Olympic Games livery but you can still sometimes make out where it was in places" said Richard. "I've had thoughts of getting the signage done again for maybe the 20th or 30th anniversary of the Sydney Olympics."
Richard has recently moved to Forbes from Orange where he was a member of the Gnoo Blas club and has now joined the Parkes based Central West Car Club.
For more information look us up on Facebook or visit www.centralwestcarclub.com.
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