VN Calais 1990 manual ! Anyone with INFO?

[Hot-Rod]

Hey people Looking at a v8 Calais 1990 VN Sedan Manual for sale. Leather interior, a/con , mirrors, windows etc .

Here's a few pictures , what do u guys think ? is it worth the 4600 price tag?? with 200km's on the clock, not climate control, and all white not silver over white.

Why didn't it come with climate control if it's a 1990 model?? does V8's have series 1 and 2 or are they all just one series. Iam guessing it doesn't have cruize because it's a manual?

Need questions people cheers

[samuels]

Hey people Looking at a v8 Calais 1990 VN Sedan Manual for sale. Leather interior, a/con , mirrors, windows etc .

Here's a few pictures , what do u guys think ? is it worth the 4600 price tag?? with 200km's on the clock, not climate control, and all white not silver over white.

Why didn't it come with climate control if it's a 1990 model?? does V8's have series 1 and 2 or are they all just one series. Iam guessing it doesn't have cruize because it's a manual?

Need questions people cheers

looks a tidy beast
i'd say they have had troubles with the controls and was cheaper to put in the standard heater- air con controls.

[mouce]

^^^Yep I'd agree with that, if you look at the heater controls they are a slightly different grey than the rest of the dash, so I'd agree that they probably DID have climate in there, but it got changed to standard at some point.

3rd picture shows it. Still, from the pictures it looks like a good car.

[HoZy]

hmm very strange, no 2 tone paintjob, look at the cluster shot, it's missing some buttons on the right hand controls of the cluster... Cruise controllll...



cheers
MaT

P.S- Series 1 calais didnt have climate control, and you can have cruise control in a manual.....

[YMY-88U]

gee that is a cheap calais, pretty rare aswell, i dont think many calais' came out in a v8 manual, coud be wrong though. it is very tidy and neat and not alot of km's. even comes with half a tank of fuel!!

[mouce]

Okay, time to ask the obvious question. Is it a genuine Calais?

Having no 2-tone paint job, missing climate as well as having a few other strange little quirks. Is it possible someone has just put together a mockup?

I mean, hell...I could bolt a few extra bits and piece on my exec and call it a calais? Nice rims, sounds like a good engine, and having a manual behind it would be good too...but I'm not convinced it is a calais.

[redcedar]

looks like a berlina tarted up to look like calais

[greenfoam]

There was no cruise control in any manual Commodore untill at least the VT's and I think that two tone paint would be a deletable option because not everyone is into that. Must have been a very unusual person that ordered it from the factory though . Not sure what's up with the climate control, if you buy it have a look and see if the rest of the climate control system is still there or was ever there. The plates in the engine bay will tell you if it's a real Calais, I don't know what the Calais option code is but someone will

Edit edit
I've just seen that the series one Calais tested by Wheels in 1989 was not two tone but the sill panels and the bottom of the bumpers are painted a dark grey, it also does not have climate control, So it does really seem like a real Calais to me, if it's a factory manual it must be a very very rare thing indeed

[Hot-Rod]

Greeneeefoam knows his stuff, thought that was the case with the cruize control and it been a manual, makes sense. Every manual i've ever seen hasn't had cruize control in it as it's only been available in the more modern cars.

Ok a few other questions people, whats the fuel u use with a V8, 91 ULP or a higher octane fuel like , vortex, bp ultimate, optimax etc...?

Anything else i should know in regards too this car etc??? Anyone at all that has some info. I know a lot about the V6 but not to much on the Eighter.....

Cheers people for info...

[greenfoam]

Fuel wont really matter if it's stock. The price sounds good for what it is, I mean it's a manual calais V8 after all so it's got to be worth more than a Berlina auto. What climate/state do you live in? I'd be taking a very close look around the windows for rust on any White VN if it's from a cool climate wet area if you live somewhere hot then that's ok

[SweetWagon]

I hate to say it but your wrong about manual commodores having cruise control until the VT's. I know this because my 5speed VN exectutive had it fitted by the factory any ill post pictures if you want the proof.

[greenfoam]

I believe you but the local Holden dealer told me just last year that they never invented the manual cruise untill after the VS, so I guess he just didn't know about it. I've never seen a manual with cruise myself in the early models but that doesn't mean it didn't happen

[mouce]

Be nice to know how much the boot leaks before you buy the car though. Just something else that makes VNs/VPs fun to own.

[SweetWagon]

I believe you but the local Holden dealer told me just last year that they never invented the manual cruise untill after the VS, so I guess he just didn't know about it. I've never seen a manual with cruise myself in the early models but that doesn't mean it didn't happen

Yeah it definantly wasnt a common thing in earlier models, Iam the third owner (passed down through the family) and suprised me to. worked when i got it but like all the electrical doesnt work now

[RVN 355]

looks weird, no 2 tone, up 2 you but i would look for another one

[samuels]

Okay, time to ask the obvious question. Is it a genuine Calais?

Having no 2-tone paint job, missing climate as well as having a few other strange little quirks. Is it possible someone has just put together a mockup?

I mean, hell...I could bolt a few extra bits and piece on my exec and call it a calais? Nice rims, sounds like a good engine, and having a manual behind it would be good too...but I'm not convinced it is a calais.

i was thinking the same thing....however i don't believe anyone would go to the trouble of going right thru their interior to get it to look like a calais.unless it's been taken of...the calais badge still should be on the dash...and of course the ID plates will tell you..it doesn't have to be 2 tone,if i had time i'd spray mine the one color ..
thats just my opinion....it doesn't make sense to make a mock calais,the cost in it.. would be cheaper to just buy a good looking calais like the one pictured
PS was looking around yesty on my travels.....calais are going for around 3500-4000 G's,doesn't matter whats im them 6 or 8, so i'd be inclined to make them an offer if you really like the car..

[defa]

i reckon it is a mock up, but who really cares. if ya reckon it looks good. goes alright. buy the car. i didn't think it was an option to have a manual calais back then but i could be wrong. i have seen a manual vn calais before. but it had a 185 motor in it.
it isn't that hard to change a car to look like a calias. and there is not much cost at all if you buy a car from the crashed auctions..
i have also seen factory cruise on a manual hsv +8. BUT it was put on after it was new..

[greenfoam]

Ok here's the build plate info for a factory VN calais, I've been reading up about this and there were manual Calais but the were special order only and a few do exsist (but very rare) you could get them without the two tone paint and without climate control.

Here's what the build plate should say for a manual Calais

Trans=M78
Model code VN8VX19-325

If it was an Auto it will read

Trans=MD8
Model Code VN8VX19-324

And Cruise control was deleted on all manual VN and VP Calais

I think I'd be willing to pay the full price for the car but I would get some original wheels for it and sell the others

[ScottB_33]

I've serviced another manual calais before and this car also came with no cruise as it was not fitted to any manual cars that early on in the range. It was also fitted with manual air and not climate as what was available on the VP's and much later VN's. From memory the 91 calais came out with climate but still no cruise on manuals. All manuals were factory ordered and wasn't a very popular choice when your talking about the people who were ordering calais at this stage. Mostly elderly!! The two tone paint job was still the only choise for calais so I'd say that this one may have been painted to suit. The ID plate on the firewall will tell its true breeding and before any purchase is made check this out as there can be no argument if the numbers dont add up!

[greenfoam]

I'll scan some pictures of another Calais without two tone later tonight, the one that wheels tested, she's all red with the dark sill panels just like this white one has

[Hot-Rod]

Geez thanks a lot people. Really helpfully, i've sent him some questions via email and will wait for his response, i might go and check it out later onn hopefully.

Greenfoam were are you getting all ur info from? do u have a whole stack of wheels magazines at ur house lol. Great help.

5L club here i come lol. From NSW Sydney!!! (The winner is SYD)

[samuels]

I hate to say it but your wrong about manual commodores having cruise control until the VT's. I know this because my 5speed VN exectutive had it fitted by the factory any ill post pictures if you want the proof.

i hate to say it but your wrong...back in them days...VN's didnot come out with cruise control (calais),they were until now dangerous,they have a better design..you can put up all the pics you want,because i can too, i left my cruise control in,even though it's not hooked up,are you the original owner of this such VN manual with cruise control?

[foammedia]

Here you go, The famous single tone Calais as tested by Wheels magazine : )

P.S I only bought a few old magazines that have reviews in them, LH Torana, VN Calais, VN Group A (motor mag) stuff like that, but they do come in handy.

I've run out of all my 19 meg attachment space on the greenfoam account so I'll have to use this one for awhile to get some attachment credit going again

[mouce]

i hate to say it but your wrong...back in them days...VN's didnot come out with cruise control (calais),they were until now dangerous,they have a better design..you can put up all the pics you want,because i can too, i left my cruise control in,even though it's not hooked up,are you the original owner of this such VN manual with cruise control?

Why would a manual cruise control setup be dangerous? Wouldn't be any more dangerous than an automatic cruise control setup. Only difference is that the manual would have a switch on the clutch so that as soon as you depress the clutch the cruise control would disengage. Simple as that.

[SweetWagon]

i hate to say it but your wrong...back in them days...VN's didnot come out with cruise control (calais),they were until now dangerous,they have a better design..you can put up all the pics you want,because i can too, i left my cruise control in,even though it's not hooked up,are you the original owner of this such VN manual with cruise control?

No your wrong mate, its got cruise control FROM THE FACTORY and it was my uncle who was the original owner who told me this. Ill take photos of the engine bay so you can see the throttle body with the 2 cables hooked up to it. Also it would be possible for the factory to fit this as no system of the cruise control uses the automatic transmission to work. So how would this be impossible??