Photos courtesy Burns and Co.
It all started with a trip to Detroit. Specifically, to what as then known as the Henry Ford Museum, where a young Charlie McCarron saw both the first and last Ford Model Ts on display. Rather than collect Model Ts or Fords, however, McCarron set out to sell and collect Holdens and in the process created one of the world’s most impressive Holden collections, an assemblage that he’ll sell at auction this fall.
Exactly when McCarron, who hailed from New South Wales, began his collection of Australia’s own car, sources differ: about 1959, the late 1960s, 1970. The first was after he returned from a trip to the States as part of the International Farm Youth Exchange, took up farming in his home state, and established a Holden dealership in Canowindra. The last was when he bought the most famous car in his collection, the 1948 Holden 48-215. The middle was when he bought the oldest car in his collection, a Holden-built 1937 Chevrolet roadster.
Like Nebraska-based Chevrolet dealer Ray Lambrecht, McCarron then spent the next few decades setting aside certain cars that passed through his dealership for his collection: here an HQ, there an EK. Utes, of course, became a staple, as did the common four-door sedans, but McCarron also made it a point to keep a few Holden muscle cars, including a Torana GTR XU-1 and an HK Monaro GTS. Along the way, a few Falcons and Vauxhalls crept into the collection, and McCarron added at least a couple postwar Armstrong-Siddeleys.
The prize of the collection, however, remained the FX 48-215, documented as the 46th built, which remains unrestored save for a repaint in its original black. Reportedly one of six surviving 48/215 Holdens and one of two still registered (out of 163 built), it has attracted visitors from across Australia and even once served as Peter Brock’s ride for a lap around Mount Panorama.
Though he’d never sold a car from the collection in the years he’s maintained it, McCarron said age has forced him to let the collection go. “It gets to a stage where, when you’re going on 84 years of age, it’s time to pull the pin,” he told News.com.au.
Along with the 54 cars, McCarron will also sell decades’ worth of parts and literature, almost entirely for Holdens. The FX 48/215 has been estimated at $300,000, while the entire collection has been estimated at $1.5 million.
The auction, conducted by Burns and Co., will take place September 30 through October 2 at the Canowindra Show Grounds in New South Wales. For more information, visit BurnsandCo.com.au.
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