Bathurst Holden dealership sign auction halted due to “sabotage”

Despite a frenzy of bidders pushing the price to $20,000, the auction for a dealership sign from Bathurst Holden has been halted due to “online sabotage”, according to auctioneers Burns & Co.

“In the best interest of all parties, we have been left with no other option than to reoffer all lots,” Burns & Co wrote in a statement.

The Holden sign features the company’s familiar logo and showroom branding introduced in the mid-1990s – while also being the dealership located in Bathurst, home of the iconic Mt Panorama circuit where the famous 1000-kilometre race is held each year.

The auction will be rerun later this month, with pre-bidding for the large sign already up to $11,500 at the time of writing.

While Holden announced new showroom branding to the ‘chrome Lion’ logo in late 2017, with silver, red, and black as featured colours – and up to $200 million handed out to its franchise network to help pay for the upgrades – Bathurst Holden never went ahead with the new look.

On 17 February 2020, General Motors announced it was axing the Holden brand – citing “highly fragmented right-hand-drive markets” for the decision. Despite this, it now offers Chevrolet Silverado pick-ups and Chevrolet Corvettes in right-hand-drive, and will soon launch Cadillac vehicles and a GMC model in Australia.

Bathurst Holden, which was part of the Bathurst Motor Group, announced it was taking down its signage for the brand in January 2021.

The Bathurst Holden sign is one of several items from the dealership being offered by Burns & Co, with the auction to be rerun on Monday 26 February 2024 from 7pm. To view the lots, visit the Burns & Co website by clicking here.