Aussie Muscle Cars Abroad

Aussie custom shop Mandinah Auto has stretched their wings and set up an arm of their business in Dubai, and in a land renowned for its supercar culture and auto obsession, owner Sunny Falaci made a splash in the UAE car scene in a distinctly Australian way - by importing an XY GT Falcon that takes pride of place in their lavish showroom!

We’ve dabbled with Aussie cars on foreign shores before, including a snapshot at the Outback in the Midwest event for Holdens in America, or this yarn exploring classic Holdens lurking in Bali, but what about truly special Aussie muscle cars that have left Australian soil and exist in foreign lands? We tracked down more than a few.

SOUTH AFRICAN XY GT

We couldn’t find out much about this XY GT casually papped at a servo’ in South Africa, but the presence of Aussie muscle cars in the country isn’t that difficult to believe. HK-HG Monaros were rebranded as Chevrolet SS and the Aussie Falcons wore ‘Super Rhino GT’ insignia, as the iconic Super Roo available on the Aussie variants probably didn’t have the same clout overseas!

TOM WALKINSHAW’S SV5000

When Holden and Tom Walkinshaw collaborated to build the VL Group A SS SV, the car’s polarising bodykit was allegedly designed in a wind tunnel in Walkinshaw’s mother country, the UK, meaning that there’s at least one VL cruising the English countryside. What surprised us though, was this stunning VN SV5000 that was allegedly Walkinshaw’s personal vehicle! It’s now privately owned and has been refinished in its factory Rose Grey paint.

VT GTS IN LONDON

HSVs touring Europe seems to be a theme, and this VT ‘GTS’ (akin allegedly to our Clubsport R8 spec rather than a GTS) is based in London, and has seen more of Europe than most Aussie travelers! As if that wasn’t cool enough, it benefits from the addition of a CAPA blower, too. Here it is pictured in front of the Forth Bridge in Scotland.

HSV GTO IN BELFAST

HSVs were shipped to Europe in several guises over the years, most recently as Vauxhall VXRs. TopGear got their hands on a few HSVs over the years and the segments were always entertaining, as the veteran journos wrestled with the V8 HSV grunt. This GTO Coupe rumbles around the streets of Belfast in Northern Ireland.

POMMY XC COUPE

Snapped at a Cars and Coffee event in England, we initially thought that a classic Aussie Falcon would be somewhat of a novelty on English roads, that was until the Australian Ford Register! The site lists dozens of classic Fords in England, including a few rare ones like an XC Cobra. This XC Fairmont has been in England since 2010.

VK VALIANT GOES STATESIDE

It feels fitting that one of Australia’s most iconic muscle cars could return to the spiritual home of Mopar muscle. This VK was imported to the States in 2018 and had the front end swapped out for VH sheet metal to become an R/T replica. It’s pictured here in a chilly Michigan winter.

HSV MALOO IN NETHERLANDS

There’s only one HSV Maloo in the Netherlands, and this is it! Its owner fell in love with the brand whilst studying in Australia, and imported the vehicle when they returned home. It’s one of 16 other Holdens in the country.