1963 EH S4 Holden

That particular one was ex-Norm Beechey and had been restored to his 'Neptune Racing' colours and was ready to run in Gp N spec competition. The S4 featured on this issue's cover is another of these increasingly rare vehicles which owner/seller John Terry tells us is down to twelve known survivors from a 120-strong production run back in 1963.

Five of the survivors came together at Mt. Panorama, Bathurst, this past Australia Day long weekend as part of the Australian Factory Performance Car Nationals. As you can see from the photos, all are in magnificent condition, some in race trim. Terry's EH S4 was a trophy winner at the event.
The story of the S4 still has an element of mystery to this day. Did Holden build it specifically for racing? Was an OHC version of the 'red' motor in the planning? Was the production run really just to check 'production facilities'?

Whatever the answers to these questions are, there's no mystery to what the EH S4 rolled out of the GMH factory with: the new 179ci 6 cylinder engine, with tuned Stromberg carby; strengthened 3 speed manual transmission (with a stronger clutch); bigger diameter tailshaft connected to a 3.55:1 diff ratio; larger 12 gallon fuel tank; and power-assisted brakes.

Supporting the official Holden line that the S4 wasn't built for racing is the lack of any exterior (or interior for that matter) badging indentifying its performance potential, making any S4 had to pick by the untrained eye. Compared to the previous EJ (with the old Holden six), the EH S4 could do the benchmark 0-60 mph sprint in almost half the time.

The Beechey S4 we ran back in 2003 had an asking price of $75,000 - probably the most expensive EH ever. This one is for sale at a comparatively more reasonable $30,000.
Call John on (02) 9316 5123 or 0418 231 728 for further details.