Revived Holden Dealer Team plans new performance car and Mount Panorama headquarters under Kenny Habul

HDT reveals Bathurst plans and a new car in development

The Holden Dealer Team has announced plans to establish a new headquarters at Mount Panorama in Bathurst, where it will open facilities for restoring and maintaining its iconic road cars and develop a new performance model. Speaking at an announcement in Bathurst the day after Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood won the 2026 Bathurst 1000 in a Ford Mustang, new HDT owner Kenny Habul confirmed the company is developing a new vehicle. CarExpert reports Habul told the announcement: "We have prototype cars being tested here in Australia, as well as in Germany and the USA". ¹

Habul cautioned that the project remains at an early stage. "There is a lot of work to do before we have an HDT-reimagined car to present, but there is a fundamental recipe that I think will be very impressive," he said, according to CarExpert, adding that more details about this stage of HDT's next chapter would be confirmed in due course. "This is about building world-class performance vehicles in Bathurst, the home of Australian motorsport and the spiritual home of HDT," Habul said. ¹

CarExpert notes it remains unclear what the new HDT model will be based on, given most of the company's road cars were derived from the now-discontinued Holden Commodore. Australian Commodore production ended in 2017, and the imported version was discontinued after General Motors decided to close the Holden brand in 2020. No specifications, timing or price for the new vehicle have been announced. ¹

Ownership change set the reboot in motion

The revival follows HDT's sale to Kenny Habul, a US-based Australian businessman and racer, which was reported ahead of the Bathurst announcement. According to CarExpert, citing motorsport website V8 Sleuth, Habul purchased the brand from long-time owner and former mining magnate Peter Champion for an undisclosed sum. "I felt it was time for me to move on and sell it to someone that is just as passionate as myself, and that person is Kenny Habul," Champion said on social media, describing the decision as one of the toughest he had made in a long time. ³

Speedcafe reports Habul is a solar energy tycoon who owns several significant HDT race and road cars, multiple properties at Mount Panorama, and was made an official ambassador for the city of Bathurst in 2024. He has twice won the Bathurst 12 Hour outright, in 2022 and 2023, in Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries, and claimed the 2022 Intercontinental GT Challenge Pro-Am championship, as CarExpert details. His collection includes the #10 VL SS Group A Commodore in which Brock won the 1987 Bathurst 1000, and the 2004 VY Commodore from Brock's final official Great Race entry. ³⁷

Champion had owned HDT since 2007, when he bought the brand following Brock's death the previous year, and revived its road-car activities with retro-styled continuation models based on the VE and VF Commodores, including a 'Heritage Series' starting with the VC Retro sedan. CarExpert reports that under Champion the company had also relocated to Queensland, after earlier moves from Melbourne to Sydney in 1994 under owners Len and Sid Pennisi. ¹⁶

From teaser to Bathurst stage

The announcement was previewed in the days before the race. CarExpert reported on September 25 that HDT had confirmed a "significant announcement" about its future for Monday, October 12, the day after the 2026 Bathurst 1000, forming part of the Peter Brock anniversary celebrations alongside the 'Lap 162: The Great Race Cool Down' event held by Bathurst Regional Council. A media statement carried by Torquecafe promised "a first look at the ambitious new direction for HDT, looking back on the Bathurst-winning pedigree of its heritage vehicles while showcasing its future automotive plans and a renewed presence in Bathurst". ⁶²

At that stage CarExpert noted it was unclear whether the announcement would involve a motorsport entry or a new range of limited-edition production cars. "HDT and Bathurst have unfinished business," an HDT spokesperson said in the press release quoted by both CarExpert and Torquecafe. "Contributing to this event seemed like a pretty good place to start." Speedcafe separately reported that the October 12 event would feature a display of HDT road cars, including a VL SL Commodore used as a prototype for the controversial Director, with Habul's 1987 Bathurst-winning Commodore VL also expected to appear pending restoration work. ⁶²⁷

Restoration, parts and approved upgrades for existing HDTs

Beyond the new model, the proposed investment at Mount Panorama includes a paint facility, a vehicle repair and restoration workshop and a dedicated HDT museum, according to CarExpert. The company has already established temporary premises in the Bathurst suburb of Kelso and is pursuing a permanent headquarters at the mountain. "We are respectful of what this brand means to people, and we recognise these cars need to be preserved and improved," Habul told the Bathurst announcement, as reported by CarExpert. ¹

Habul also outlined a parts and upgrades business for existing owners. "If you own an HDT you will be able to come to us for parts that we will have on the shelf, plus we will also be offering performance upgrades that will be HDT approved with increased power outputs, better brakes and enhanced safety," he said in remarks reported by CarExpert. No pricing or timing for these services has been detailed. ¹

Heritage: the Brock era and its value today

HDT Special Vehicles was established in 1980 under Peter Brock, a nine-time Bathurst 1000 winner, initially producing modified Commodores to help fund his racing operation. CarExpert records that the first of the 'Brock Commodores' was a run of 500 cars based on the 5.0-litre V8-powered VC Commodore SL/E, before the brand expanded into Group One, Two and Three versions of the VH Commodore. The official relationship with Holden ended after Brock defiantly launched the VL Director fitted with the 'Energy Polarizer' in February 1987, a device Holden had tested, could not measure any improvement from, and prohibited because it failed to meet its warranty and product standards. ¹⁴³

Brock sold the business in 1988 when he switched to racing BMW M3s, but HDT continued producing modified Holdens, including versions of the VN Commodore between 1988 and 1991 and later VS models, before the brand was revived under subsequent ownership, CarExpert reports. Brock-era HDT models remain among the most sought-after and collectible Australian-made performance cars: in 2021, a 1985 HDT VK Commodore SS Group A formerly owned by Brock sold for $1.057 million, setting what was then a record auction price for a production Holden. ¹

The announcement landed during a weekend heavy with Brock commemoration. The 2026 Bathurst 1000 marked 20 years since his death in September 2006 and two decades of the Peter Brock Trophy, with Speedcafe reporting that Larry Perkins chauffeured the trophy to the mountain in the Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore Brock drove in the 1991 race, now owned by Habul and recently restored. CarExpert's anniversary feature recorded tributes from rivals and teammates, with Craig Lowndes telling the publication that Brock "created a legacy that we all follow and still talk about". ⁵⁴