Nice HQ Sandman - Car Sales 15 March 2018 - Monterey Green White Stripes

[HQ Freek]

Tha add says its insured with Shannon’s for the sale price.
The agreed value insurance policy probably accounts for the unusual price tag.
can’t be to many made. I’ve only ever seen A few for sale in the last 15-20 years and probably a doesen around all up online & in magazines. Seems to be a few more popping up the last few years. Yeh sure there are more out there but I keep a pretty keen lookout.
Funny that the unique cars value guide has never included the HQ Sandman over that period also. Only the HJ to HZ.

[Valencia]

Growing up i only looked at HQ to HZ vans and Toranas tell you the truth never saw alot of HQ Sandmans back in the day dont think they would be in there 1000s though thats a lot of vans

[SLR_dave]

If you just pay others to build it, that would likely be what it costs!

Yep, have to agree, its pretty easy to imagine. Also if Shannons agreed to insure it at that value, its reasonable to imagine they would want some explanation of how the value was derived.

I'm gonna add a tentative question on originality - the loop pile carpet with inserts.. on HQ? (I am totally ready to be corrected on that - lol, I dont actually know, more of a question out of interest.)

But I also wonder, if a person purchased an HQ Sandman to restore, (say within the last decade) and when they got it, it already had additions, (like the wheel arch trims for instance), then isn't that part of the vehicles heritage too?

So replacing them with new or rebuilt ones might seem completely faithful. Perhaps even wrong not to keep? (Although the ad could maybe have been worded differently).

Anyway, it's obviously an awesome restore, so sweet. I wouldn't want to pick at it either, too good!

(Just also acknowledging HQ Freeks comment above, I was typing at the time, missed your comment)

[Innuendo]

I'm gonna add a tentative question on originality - the loop pile carpet with inserts.. on HQ? (I am totally ready to be corrected on that - lol, I dont actually know, more of a question out of interest.)

But I also wonder, if a person purchased an HQ Sandman to restore, (say within the last decade) and when they got it, it already had additions, (like the wheel arch trims for instance), then isn't that part of the vehicles heritage too?

HQ Belmont Sandman from factory had rubber floor mats.

All comments are to do with the "how it left the factory/showroom claim" any of the mods are acceptable to most. At least I found none offensive.

It is an exceptional HQ Sandman and more so because it's not just done to a popular paint colour and trim combination but that of factory.
Not many people would have followed this path I wouldn't think?

[SLR_dave]

Yep thanks Innuendo I thought that was the case with the floor mats, (It slipped my mind it was a Belmont too - so of course.) Just for interest did HQ Premier get carpet?

[Innuendo]

Yep thanks Innuendo I thought that was the case with the floor mats, (It slipped my mind it was a Belmont too - so of course.) Just for interest did HQ Premier get carpet?

Premier and Statesman got carpet.

[SLR_dave]

Good to know (perhaps not with inserts?). Anyway was just answering, your initial post did ask to spot the non factory upgrades. Its a stunning looking van. On the colour, dunno about others, but were it mine I'd have kept it for sure.

[wbute]

I agree with Absinth. 100 over the best part of a year would have been an absolute sales disaster. There would never have been a HJ Sandman. Thousands would be more likely.

[Big Rob]

I'll weigh in on the number of HQ Sandman van debate.
I was 14 when they were being built and as many of you know, My Dads best mate was Fleet Manager for Suttons Motors at Chullora so I got a lot of brochures and manuals and all sorts of promo stuff from him when he dropped in for a beer on the way home from work.
I was absolutely infatuated with panel vans and so I took a lot of interest in this new fangled "Sandman" that was released. My dad had a company HQ ute and I was hell bent on getting him to swap it for a Sandman van but he wasn't going to be seen in one of those fancy things. He did however take me over to Suttons a lot and during my many visits I was usually around the Sandman vans.
I remember on one occasion there would have been 10 - 12 on the front line, all different colours and all Sandmans. They sold like hotcakes and each time I went there, a new batch took their place..... So where I'm going with this is that at that one dealership over about twelve months I must have seen 50 - 60 different HQ Sandman vans. Suttons was a big dealer and probably sold more than average, but there would have been many other dealers that sold as many throughout the country.

Couple this with the fact that Holden would not have gone to the trouble to print various advertisements for a 100 vehicle run and it's easy to assume that the numbers were considerably higher, easily in the thousands.

As mentioned, the SS was over 2 thousand and it was a marketing exercise,.... the Sandman was a serious product aimed at a hungry customer base so Holden were going to build as many as they could sell.

Anyway, this one is a beauty and it certainly makes me feel happy that I bought my vans when I did if that price is realised.

[Innuendo]

Yeah I don't know. A mate purchased a HJ Sandman in April '75 and without dropping names he was into the Vanning scene in a large way. A member of various van clubs etc.
He didn't even know the HQ Sandman even existed and would tell all and sundry that there was no such thing. If they were everywhere in their thousands this wouldn't have been the case.
I agree 100 is a ridiculous made up myth. But I still think the number was in the hundreds, not thousands. Could very well be high hundreds but I seriously doubt they exceeded the HQ SS numbers.

You only need to ask Byron or Ben for how many are on the registrar vs HJ etc.

While the Vanning scene was hot, it hit a different demographic than the 4 door family sport sedan. It was also only a 10 month run.
Adding the the confusion is the fact the decals were supplied in the glovebox for dealers to fit (or not).
Of course it's all speculation or an educated guess (nobody knows for sure). It makes me think of other limited runs like the XU-1 and their build numbers.....

Sell 50 to 80 units a month? 500 - 800 units over the HQ run Australia Wide.

Holden would have loved to have sold that number of VF Sandman's.

Even if you say 50 dealerships sold 3 a month "every month" for 10 months that's 1500 Sandman's. Sure some would have a sold more, but others would have sold very few and maybe none at all.