The Shannons Club was saddened to hear of the recent passing of well-known Australian automotive industry identity Vin Kean. He was 84.
A proud South Australian, Adelaide-based Kean was regarded as one of the dynamos of the local car industry, having developed numerous premium car dealerships in a dazzling career spanning more than six decades.
However, to most Shannons Club members he is probably best known as the lateral-thinking Holden dealer who played a pivotal role in saving the Holden Dealer Team by initiating production of high performance HDT or ‘Brock’ Commodore road cars.
When GM-H pulled out of motor sport in 1979, Peter Brock went cap-in-hand to the dealer network seeking funding to save Holden’s famous race team from imminent closure. A sharp businessman, Kean argued that expecting dealers just to tip cash into the race team would not provide a decent return on their investment.
This planted a seed in Vin’s fertile mind for an HDT special vehicles operation that would supply Brock-modified V8 Commodores to supporting dealers, who could then sell them at a premium large enough to justify their funding of the race team. It was as simple as it was brilliant and everyone was a winner.
Kean, Brock and HDT deputy John Harvey developed the Brock Commodore prototype in the service workshop at Kean’s United Motors Holden dealership in Mile End, South Australia. Kean also funded HDT’s re-engineering of the VC SL/E-based production cars, which were built in a batch of 500 units. This was the minimum number required for the race team to be able to homologate high performance parts for racing use.
It was the start of a unique and enviable partnership between Brock/HDT and Holden which produced some of Australia’s most exciting (and increasingly collectable) high performance road cars. Following Brock’s tumultuous split with Holden in 1987, Kean’s special vehicles initiative evolved into Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) which still thrives today.
Vin Kean’s legacy as a master-builder of successful car dealerships lives on through sons Chris and Kym, who continue to run the family’s premium South Australian dealerships including Adelaide BMW and Adelaide Ferrari. Vin Kean’s enormous contribution to the Australian car industry will never be forgotten. To his family and many friends, Shannons Club extends its sincere condolences.
