Yes, all Australian motoring fans know the modern incarnation of Holden’s legendary Monaro was spawned from a two-door Commodore concept displayed at the Sydney International Motor Show, but in the years between the last HZ and the 2001 V2 a limited run of coupes based on the family sedan were created.
The Commodore was launched in 1978 as Holden downsized its family offering considerable due to the fuel crisis of the time, with Opel in Europe providing the ingredients for the major change.
Based on the Rekord, Holden’s Commodore was a sales success and proved a weapon on the race track as it continued to be sold until the dying days of the brand in 2020 as its last version was a direct Vauxhall Insignia import.
However, back in the 1980s 12 two-door versions of the Commodore were built by Queensland-based Dominion and International Automobiles using the equivalent panels from Opel’s Rekord coupe as it showcased just how similar the Australian product was to its European counterpart.
Using the top of the range SL/E as its base during the VH run, a 4.2-litre V8 was slotted in as a full ADR certificate and warranty honoured by GM-H in addition to DIA came with the coupe.
Marketed as the Adayer Sportif, these unique Commodores were sold from Village Motors in the Brisbane suburb of Redcliffe. Features included a full-Recaro interior, Momo steering wheel, deep-pile carpet, polished woodgrain, gold pin striping, a bodykit, ROH wheels and an embossed Adder panel between the taillights.
Priced at $27,300 for the manual and $28.200 for the automatic, just 11 were sold and the remaining build was the prototype.
A couple of these unique Commodores have come out of the woodwork in recent time and it’s estimated 10 of the Adayer Sportif Commodores survive today.