Bali Is About To Experience An Aussie Muscle Car Gold Rush

Bali is one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations - some data suggests up to 100,000 Aussies a month travel to the Indonesian province. And while for young Aussies it might be their first taste of overseas travel, the island is so much more than stunning coastlines, cheap booze and sunburn.

What many Aussie tourists may not know is that Australian travel to Bali has been popular for decades. 

Even before Bali boomed as the Bintang singlet capital for Aussie travelers, we’d been shipping cars to the island since the late fifties, with the first Holdens arriving on Indonesian shores in 1959.

The vehicles arrived in parts and were assembled locally by an Indonesian workforce, which no doubt embedded a fondness for the cars amongst the population.

As Australian manufacturing exploded in to the 1960s and 70s, we managed to flood the Indonesian market with everything from HK, HT and HGs and eventually Toranas and HQs - the latter of which are pretty easy to spot around to this day, which you can imagine given how prevalent they are on Australian soil, too.

Anyone who’s ever traveled to Bali knows that the nation’s famously narrow and increasingly crowded streets aren’t the kind of place you wanting to wheeling a Quey or Commodore around, and in the early 80s (just after a few first generation Commodores arrived), the Indonesians diverted their attention to smaller European cars instead.

That said, you’ll still find plenty of Holden cars and Holden fans in Bali, including Holden Resto Bali who are at the forefront of keeping Indonesian-based Aussie classics alive and kicking.

Their flagship red HQ with a 350ci small block cuts an impressive figure on Balinese streets, but their Facebook is stacked to the hilt with projects including early Commodores, EHs, Toranas of various vintages and some non-Holden content too like Landcruisers if that’s your penchant.

Holden Resto Bali

Holden Resto Bali markets themselves as import and export specialists, and as the prices of classic Holdens continue to rise, we can’t help but wonder if the market for repatriating classic Holdens might become a booming business?

From Bali Streets to Summernats Glory

Continuing the story of Australian influence on Balinese roads, a fascinating transformation from Bali to the Australian burnout scene is unfolding with Aiden Stampalia's LX Torana. This classic Holden, originally from Bali and known for its association with Bintang and scooters, has traveled back to Australia in a highly rusted state. Aiden, with his dedication and hard work, is now reinventing this relic into a formidable burnout competitor for Summernats. The extensive rebuild includes a NASCAR Dodge V8 engine, a total overhaul of its chassis, and a fresh gunmetal paint job. Aiden's journey of transforming a rusty Bali Torana into a Summernats burnout wildcard is a testament to the enduring legacy of Australian automotive culture in Bali and its inspiring return journey. For a more in-depth look at this unique transformation, click here.