Rough and tumble 1976 Holden panel van to be auctioned in Sydney

Today the SUV or sports utility vehicle is one of the most sought-after vehicle types on the planet, as global sales continue to soar, and especially in Australia. But before the SUV initialisation had even entered the lexicon there was an Aussie pioneer, the Holden Overlander panel van. One example of this curious backwater of Australia’s automotive history is going under the hammer.

To be sold at the Shannons Late Spring Classic Auction in Sydney on November 17, the 1976 ‘Uber’ Holden four-wheel drive has had just the one owner since new, and appears to be in excellent condition with a solid service history.

The Holden Overlander was originally based on HJ utes, panel vans and station wagons. The idea of a high-riding all-wheel drive utility vehicle was conceived by Tasmanian engineer Arthur Hayward in the 1970s. Overlander conversions were also available for the locally-built Ford Falcon around the same era.

The conversion to all-wheel drive was not cheap, involving driveline parts being shipped from the USA. That meant between 1976 and 1980 less than 100 vehicles were built – which makes this particular vehicle very special.

Shannons isn’t saying what the price may reach, which strongly suggests the auctioneer is in unknown territory, but the model is powered by the redoubtable 308 cubic inch (5.0-litre) V8 that generated ample torque for the vehicle to head offroad. Only 80 or so models were built – 30 panel vans, 24 wagons, and about 26 utes – and the project died when Holden switched to the Commodore in the early 1980s.

The Holden Overlander models consisted of HJ, HX and HZ Kingwood series.

The vehicle in question is the fifth vehicle out of the 30 Overlander panel vans built and according to Shannons was originally bought new in Brisbane as a demonstrator model by the current owner in early 1977.

It has been continuously registered since new, more than 35 years now, and has driven around Australia more than once and also been to Tasmania, its state of origin. The vehicle is in original conditional and is “mechanically unaltered from its original specification” according to the owner, running the same 308-cid V8 and Turbo 400 transmission as it did in 1977.

It also has a few modifications, such as an oil cooler, twin 75-litre long-range fuel tanks and dual batteries.