Holden Until I Die – NZ Herald

The Dunedin dealership signs are about to go down, but Kay Andrews will remain a Holden enthusiast “as long as I walk this dirt.”

A Dunedin gathering yesterday to commemorate the impending removal of Holden brand signs from a car dealership saw many Holden’s and many lumps down their owners’ throats.

The Holden brand, in terms of new vehicles, will disappear around the end of the year after its owner, United States-based General Motors, announced in February that it would no longer make right-hand drive vehicles.

GM had previously moved away from local manufacturing, the last Australian-built Holden rolled off the assembly line in 2017.

In 1990, Ms. Andrews was one of the founders of the Holden Enthusiast Club of Otago. She said the club would continue to operate, even after the new Holdens were no longer sold.

Cooke Howlison Holden, now operating out of 484 Andersons Bay Rd, sold his first Holden in Dunedin in 1955.

The “Holden” part of that sign is likely to be gone in about a week.

Ms Andrews (70) said that she had been a long time fan of Holdens and that when she was young she dreamed of the day when she could buy her first one.

“I saw an FJ when I was younger and I liked it and I thought when I grew up I would get one of those.”

He also recalled that he once bought a Ford car and drove it to a monthly Holden enthusiast club meeting, only to have the club sheriff fined him $ 5 for that violation.

She no longer owned the Ford, but was keeping the Holden, she said.

Aftermarket manager Ross Farquhar said the removal of the Cooke Howlison Holden signs would pave the way for a new name, Cooke Howlison Hyundai, to appear on the site, reflecting an increased focus on that franchise.

He had been closely associated with Holden for 34 years and had been a successful brand.

“It’s really heartbreaking, but it’s one of those things,” he said.

Cooke Howlison would continue to offer Holden parts and service for the next 10 years.

Holdens had long been successful race cars on both sides of the Tasman and would remain a major brand, even after new car sales ended, he said.