This VL Director having been stored for several years came into Finest Restorations to restore it to its former glory. The brief was to do whatever was required to get the vehicle looking as it would have once it left the showroom in 1987, After a detailed discussion taking place with the owner the go-ahead was given to work our magic this included cutting and buffing full vehicle to rectify any minor imperfections in paintwork, painting front and rear bumper bars, Door handle, Door frames, Tail lights/tail light moulds, Rear Boot spoiler, Quarter panel/Roof spoiler & bolts on the Simmons wheels where also freshened up. 

The final stage was to polish the vehicle to protect the paintwork and give it a flawless finish leaving Finest Restorations headquarters just as it would have looked leaving HDT when new.

Make – Holden VL HDT Director
Year – 1987
Colour – Imperial Blue Metalic
Engine – 5L Carburettor
Gearbox – Automatic

The VL (Calais) Director was built to showcase just what HDT could do and was aimed at the high-end European Imports and performance and equipment levels. It was also effectively the last HDT to be produced under the classic Holden/Brock partnership. The director sported a smorgasbord of luxury features including Paratus or Recaro leather-covered seats, wood grain trimming, plush pile carpet, Momo wheel, optional moon roof, car phone, 80 watts 4 speaker sound system and a Yamaha CD Player. Buyers could choose either Momo stars or Simmons rims.

Another major initiative was the Independent Rear Suspension available for the cars. Sourced from the Opel Senator, the IRS transformed the vehicle handling, but only the first two Directors featured IRS. At the time HDT was not on the best terms with Holden and in turn Peri Integration was given the responsibility of designing and implementing the all-new 21-piece body kit which would completely disguise the 9-year origin of the panels.

The Bodykit included half-panel door skirts, fender caps, nose extension, front and rear spoilers, even pillar caps to disguise the ‘greenhouse area’ on the original Holden design

On 20 February 1987, Brock unveiled the car to the public despite protests from Holden and this would seal the split between Brock & Holden, thus ending one of the greatest automotive partnerships in Australian motoring history.

Brocks’s ambition was to sell the Directors across the world, Emulating what AMG, Mercedes and BMW were doing with their six-figure imports. To stimulate interest from potential dealers he built two prototypes that wore the VL LE body kit parts and featured the IRS. One was taken to Europe and America and despite keen interest, the idea never eventuated and just 12 Directors would be produced