Victoria’s final Holden Commodore highway patrol car heads to iconic museum

Once a part of Victoria Police’s Highway Patrol in Melbourne, the last Holden Commodore SS to be retired from the fleet now has a special place in an important collection.

The last V8-powered Holden Commodore to be retired from Victoria Police’s Highway Patrol fleet has found a new home at a museum dedicated to the now-defunct Australian brand.

The Trafalgar Holden Museum – located about 90 minutes west of Melbourne – took delivery of the Holden Commodore SS prior to Christmas, joining its extensive array of important and unique vehicles made by the company before local production ceased in October 2017.

As reported by WIN News Gippsland, the Commodore – which hit the road within weeks of the end of local Holden manufacturing in 2017 – was originally intended to be sold through an auction house without police markings or equipment.

However it was later decided the V8 sedan would be ‘recommissioned’ and displayed at the museum.

According to Victoria’s registration database, this ‘Slipstream Blue’ Commodore was ‘complied’ and approved for road use by government authorities in September 2017 – just one month prior to Holden’s factory ceasing operations.

The Commodore served as a part of VicPol’s Westgate Highway Patrol fleet before being retired in November 2022, and is said to have become the final Australian-made Holden used by the state’s police force.

Under the bonnet of the Holden Commodore SS VF Series II is a 6.2-litre V8 engine, developing 304kW and 570Nm when new – delivered to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission.

The Victorian Highway Patrol Commodore’s retirement follows the Australian Federal Police removing its final V8 Holden from duty in July 2022, which is now located in the AFP Museum in Canberra.

While it is understood there are still V8-powered Holden Commodore SS models serving in police fleets across Australia, the number of cars being used is dwindling due to production ending more than six years ago and the rise of newer replacements.

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