All looked good: V8 Kingswood, T-bar, LSD, Azure Blue, Ash (35E) trim. Unfortunately it was a damn 3 seater, so was originally a column auto.
All looked good: V8 Kingswood, T-bar, LSD, Azure Blue, Ash (35E) trim. Unfortunately it was a damn 3 seater, so was originally a column auto.
Ah so close hey! Still would have been a head turner if it was any good though.
Win some, you lose some.. huh!
It's difficult to get the plate details from the buyer without them suspecting if they think it's just a ute. Some of course couldn't care less. :-)
One will show, they always do. You do wonder after the wait in ordering times how meny were made for dealers floors and how meny were actually ordered from the dealers and made to spec.
Do we know what trim colours were available in '74 or could you get all the ones from 30 up on Leroy's almanac? A 38E Doeskin\Chestnut ute would be sweet but impossible to keep clean. haha
Mauser
Last edited by mauser; 12-06-2012 at 06:51 PM.
“485650 HQ's cant be wrong...”
“You don’t drive a Kingswood, you make love to it. That’s why nuns only drive Toranas.” - Ted Bullpitt
I was discussing this same issue with Ben Stewart today. I reckon that there was a semi-large amount (say 100 - maybe where the rumours of only 100 built originate from!) built up front in varying spec, probably more V8, in probably most colours but one or two trims eg 30B/E and 39B/E. Anything ordered is where the odd trim combos came from eg 38J, 35B/E. The only ones of these I have are July and August which gels. As evidenced here by buickzz's experience, it wasn't easy to get what you wanted initially, and then also not easy to order a HQ Sandman anyway. Each dealer probably only got a certain allocation early on, and they'd have to swap from stock with other dealers. Ordering them outside of plant stock (ie special build) would have been hard, especially in 308 form as the 308 was in HQ a limited production engine especially at Acacia Ridge where the only other model built that regularly had a 308 was the XV4 Kingswood (GTS sedan). All speculation, but some of the picture is starting to emerge (or at least be less fuzzy).
Interesting... they still range in dates over the period which indicates they didnt make them all in a single batch of plant stock. I have noticed that 30B/E and 39B/E are the most common combinations in the interiour codes.
They would of sold well off the floor so dealers would of squabbled over them I would of imagined. The dealers may of also placed orders for spec builds in the most popular combinations knowing they could shift them easily.
I seem to recall more L31/M21 V8 HQ Sandman plates than blank (L32/M20) which is the inverse in HX/Z it seems. Does your data show that the mighty 308 was more prevelant in HQ plates that have survived?
Mauser
Last edited by mauser; 12-06-2012 at 10:54 PM.
“485650 HQ's cant be wrong...”
“You don’t drive a Kingswood, you make love to it. That’s why nuns only drive Toranas.” - Ted Bullpitt
They would have built them from dealer orders and for plant stock after the initial batch, but like all new stuff a large inventory would have been built up front for sale at release.
I have 31 of each (253 and 308) plus 2 x L20 in HQ. This includes those with ?'s against them.
its like gold prospecting , - but "sandman prospecting"
"All correspondence must bear these numbers"
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