The unusual Australian cars spotted overseas

Australian exports of Holdens to the US, Toyotas to the Middle East and Fords to New Zealand are well documented. But a Facebook group has since unearthed a range of unusual cars from Down Under living in far flung places.

A Facebook group dedicated to documenting Australian cars spotted overseas has attracted more than 42,000 followers – and counting – since it was established.

Australian exports of Holdens to the US, Toyotas to the Middle East and Fords to New Zealand – until local manufacturing ended in 2017 – are well documented.

However, a Facebook group set up by enthusiasts for enthusiasts – Aussie Cars Overseas – has uncovered rare gems and a long list of private exports.

The group has collated photos of late-model Holden utes in Canada and the Netherlands – even though these vehicles were never sold there – as well as an amazing collection of historical images that time forgot.

There’s an image of a 1948 Holden FX on a US Air Force base in Japan, Holden Torana taxis in South Korea, as well as a range of Holdens from the 1960s and 1970s that have surfaced in Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong.

There are examples of Holdens behaving badly (a Holden Commodore VE badged as a Pontiac G8 doing a burnout during a street ‘takeover’) and a Holden Commodore VY ute (which was not exported to the US) being stopped by police who appeared to want a closer look.

There also appears to be some Holden performance-car fans working at the Red Bull Racing Formula One team in the UK, with a HSV Monaro (sold as a Vauxhall in the early 2000s) spotted in the staff car park.

While there are understandably a lot of photos of Holdens in the US (exported as Pontiac or Chevrolets) a Ford Falcon XR6 ute has also somehow made it to North America.

It’s unclear in most of the posts whether the cars are owned by ex-pats or overseas fans of Australian cars.

While hardcore Holden owners in Australia were busy putting Chevrolet badges on their V8 utes and sedans, owners in the US have been sourcing and fitting Holden badges in place of the Chevrolet bow-tie logo or Pontiac emblem.

The images and stories are not only a Holden-and-Ford affair. Australian-made Valiants have been caught on camera in the US and Thailand.

Some of the images are so unique – such as the old Valiant ute with South Australia plates stopped by a California Highway Patrol Ford Crown Victoria, or the Holden Crewman and HSV Maloo utes in the Netherlands – they prompt a double-take.

There are also examples of popular vehicles imported to Australia – such as late-model Toyota HiLuxes and a Mitsubishi Pajero – spotted in Ireland while still displaying Australian registration plates.

While some of the locations are not obvious, the clues in each photo of Aussie Cars Overseas are usually in the foreign registration plates.

If you have time to spare and fancy a scroll, click here for a link to the Aussie Cars Overseas page on Facebook for the full collection.

Meantime, we have selected a handful of highlights posted in recent weeks – click any of the images above to view the full gallery attached to this story.

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