Rare HSV GTSR W1 sedan sells for $363,000 at auction

A low-kilometre, delivery-mileage Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) GTSR W1 has sold more than double its asking price when new five years ago.

Listed by the Australian division of UK auction house Collecting Cars, bidding for the 2017 HSV GTSR W1 heated up in the final minutes that it was available, eventually settling for a hammer price of $350,888 – or $362,888 with auction fees added.

It is more than double the $169,990 plus on-road costs retail price marketed by HSV when new – but considerably less than the asking prices of other sedan examples currently listed online.

The 'Light My Fire' orange example was one of 275 GTSR W1 sedans built by HSV, all of which became the most powerful Australian-built cars and among the last of the Melbourne firm’s range of modified Holden Commodores.

Powered by a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine, the GTSR W1 produces 474kW and 815Nm, sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.

When new, HSV charged $169,990 plus on-road costs for the GTSR W1, making it the most expensive Holden-badged car sold in showrooms.

However, prices soon skyrocketed on the used-car market as collectors parked up their super sedans in the hope of one day making money from the last-of-the-breed models.

On various Australian used-car classifieds, GTSR W1s are listed anywhere between $300,000 and $520,000 depending on the condition, however these prices are significantly less than the most expensive version of the iconic car.

In 2021, a HSV Maloo GTSR W1 ute – just four official examples of which were built and sold to HSV board members and the company's most loyal customers – sold for $1,050,000, becoming the most valuable Australian car sold at auction.

The GTSR W1 sold via Collecting Cars has reportedly completed just 32 kilometres across its two previous owners, and is still complete with its pre-delivery plastic and packaging.

According to the VicRoads database, the car’s registration was cancelled in January 2020, little more than two years after it was delivered to its first owner.