Latest from Retro Rides Originals
History recreated and big-money plate sales on day one of the 2025 Adelaide Motorsport Festival
Day one of the 2025 Adelaide Motorsport Festival offered a throwback to the very first Adelaide Grand Prix 40 years prior, with history recreated on the Victoria Park circuit.
Top Tips for Buying a Used Dodge Challenger (1970-73)
When Chrysler in the US belatedly got around to building a proper Pony Car, it came in two sizes, with different length wheelbases and some of the most powerful production engines ever made. Collectively, they were the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda, a feisty duo which offered too little and arrived too late to take full advantage of the relatively short-lived Muscle Car era.
Magnarrific: Here’s why the Mitsubishi Magna deserves more love
While Holden and Ford may have produced the best-known locally-designed darlings of the Australian automotive industry’s heyday, the Commodore and Falcon you’ve likely owned at least one of or were at least driven around in as a child, there was of course a third major player that sat alongside them: the Mitsubishi Magna.
Retro Rides Presents - Holden Commodore VT V8
Welcome to Retro Ride's showcase of the Holden VT Commodore, the first in our regular series of Australian and international classics and classics in waiting. The VT Commodore arrived with a bang in August 1997, setting the sales charts alight and carrying on the momentum established by its predecessor to retain the title of Australia’s best-selling car that year. The VT also secured the prestigi…
How To: Tell if your Car is a Classic
What makes a piece of art a masterpiece, a song a hit or a performance memorable? All of these require widespread awareness and shared opinion, factors that can also see your special vehicle deemed a ‘classic.’
How To: Essential Mechanical Tips for Buying a Used Classic
Nobody is going to become expert in detecting mechanical faults just by reading a book or 'How To' article. What we can do here is provide readers with sufficient clues to identify an engine that's soon going to need major work.
Broken Dreams: The Ilinga
A series on cars that had promise but were doomed to fail. Cliff Chambers looks back on his interview with competition car designer Tony Farrell and his ambitious attempt to build a luxury GT car in suburban Melbourne.
Top 10: Collector Holdens
Here’s 10 investment grade Holdens that Retro Rides valuation guru reckons are well worth sinking your hard-earned into.
Commodore VT-VX Feature: Why Holden’s 1997 VT was a future classic in the making.
Why Holden’s 1997 VT Commodore was a future classic in the making. Holden’s VT Commodore and Calais sedan arrived with a bang in August 1997, immediately setting the sales charts alight and carrying on the momentum established by its predecessor the VN Commodore to retain the title of Australia’s best-selling car that year.
Top Tips for Buying a Used Holden Commodore VT-VX
Top tech tips on how to avoid buying a bucket with emerging club-plate classics the Holden VT-VX Series Commodores. From 1997 to 2002, the VT to VX Series Holden Commodores and their HSV equivalent were part of the fabric of Australian society. These cars offered something for everyone, from plain-white airport rental hacks, to police patrol cars, to comfy family sedans, and on to the rip-snortin…
Top 10: Collector Ford Falcons
Retro Rides market analyst tracks the performance of some of the most collectable Ford Falcons and Fairlanes of the past 40 years and chooses his top 10 investment grade models, all with capacity for further value growth.
Commodore VT-VX Feature : How HSV delivered on the performance promise
Holden’s VT Commodore of 1997 gave HSV the platform it needed to take its Australian-made performance cars to the next level. Holden’s 1997 VT Commodore represented a significant lift in features and sophistication versus its predecessor and HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) reacted by boosting the number of models to which it applied its distinctive lion-and-racing-helmet badge.
Almost Great: Nissan 300ZX
The Nissan 300ZX, a popular sports car from the 1990s, is often remembered for its sleek design, powerful engine, and advanced technology for its time. However, while the 300ZX had many positive attributes that made it a good sports car, there were certain aspects that held it back from achieving greatness in the eyes of enthusiasts and critics alike.
