The last Australian-built Holden HSV finds its passionate owner in Queensland

Life-long Holden fan is overjoyed to end up with the last HSV ever built in Australia after a remarkable coincidence

  • Shannai Beale ordered her Holden Colorado HSV just before the brand closed
  • Ms Beale said it was ‘pure coincidence’ she scored the very last Holden ute
  • She comes from a Holden-mad family and has only bought cars from the brand
  • Ms Beale said her ute is a collector’s item but she plans to drive it everyday 

A passionate Holden fan has scored the last ever Australian-built Holden ute by pure chance and she couldn’t be more grateful.

Shannai Beale, 23, picked up her special order Holden Colorado HSV Sportscat from a Mackay dealership, in north-east Queensland, on June 30 after a six-month wait. 

Ms Beale decided in January that it was time to upgrade from her faithful but small Holden Cruze and placed an order for her dream car.  

Shannai Beale scored the last ever Australian built Holden HSV by ‘pure chance’. Pictured is Ms Beale picking the car up from a Mackay dealership, in north-east Queensland

‘I didn’t even know Holden was going to close down when I ordered it, that happened two weeks after,’ she said. 

‘It was pure coincidence that mine was the last one.’ 

As production began to slow the delivery of Ms Beale’s ute faced a series of delays before she found out it would be the very last one off the assembly line.

‘It is pretty surreal to own the last one, especially because Holden is such a renowned brand,’ she said.

Her Holden Colorado HSV Sportscat (pictured) was the last car the roll off the production line at the Walkinshaw factory in Melbourne

Her Holden Colorado HSV Sportscat (pictured) was the last car the roll off the production line at the Walkinshaw factory in Melbourne

Ms Beale said she knows the car is considered as collector's item but she plans to use it as a daily driver with her dog Bel riding in the back

Ms Beale said she knows the car is considered as collector’s item but she plans to use it as a daily driver with her dog Bel riding in the back

As Ms Beale waited for her dream ute saddened workers at the Walkinshaw factory in Melbourne were busy putting the special finishing touches on their very last car.

Complete with a ‘last built’ badge, Ms Beale said her Colorado was undoubtedly a collector’s item but she said the car would be used as a daily driver.

‘When I first got the car a lot of people said “imagine if you just sat on it and put it in a bubble what it would turn over in donkey’s years to come” but I’m going to use it,’ she said.

Ms Beale said she didn’t even make it outside of the dealership in Mackay before she started receiving offers to buy the ute.

‘The dealer that I bought it off said to make sure he was the first person I called if I ever wanted to put it up for sale,’ she said. 

Workers at the Walkinshaw factory imprinted her car with a 'last built' badge to highlight the ute's significance

Workers at the Walkinshaw factory imprinted her car with a ‘last built’ badge to highlight the ute’s significance 

Ms Beale said Holden has always been a big part of her family growing up and she had only ever purchased cars from the brand. Pictured next to her Holden HG ute when she was 18

Ms Beale said Holden has always been a big part of her family growing up and she had only ever purchased cars from the brand. Pictured next to her Holden HG ute when she was 18

Ms Beale comes from a long line of passionate Holden enthusiasts that inspired her to purchase her own Holden HG ute when she turned 18.

‘My dad is quite a car collector, he has been ever since I was little and the two of us both love hot rods,’ she said.

‘Our collection has always been purely Holders and Chevrolet, he even used to race a Holden HQ Monaro in the touring car masters series,’ she said. 

‘Holden has just always been a thing in our family.’

Ms Beale said she was influenced by her father Darren who was a Holden and Chevrolet collector that had previously raced in a Holden HQ Monaro in the touring car masters series

Ms Beale said she was influenced by her father Darren who was a Holden and Chevrolet collector that had previously raced in a Holden HQ Monaro in the touring car masters series

Ms Beale said one of her most treasured memories was visiting Peter Brock’s famous Holden Torana with her grandfather when she was nine-year-old.  

Ms Beale said she has already put more than 1,600 kilometres on her new ute and her and her dog Bel are loving the freedom it brings them.

‘I’ve always said having a nice ute with a dog in the back and a paddle-board on the roof was about all I would ever need,’ she said.  

Ms Beale said one of her most treasured memories was visiting Peter Brock's famous Holden Torana with her grandfather when she was nine-year-old

Ms Beale said one of her most treasured memories was visiting Peter Brock’s famous Holden Torana with her grandfather when she was nine-year-old

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk