‘Holden’ the hearts of country’s biggest fans
Forget about flowers and box of chocolates – Holden wins best Valentine’s Day gift with the presentation of a brand new car for two of its biggest fans.
Yesterday Steve and Joy Fabish – a Taranaki couple whose passion for the Australian car inspired them to open a Holden-themed museum and mini-putt course last year – received a $70,000 Holden Commodore ZB for free.
The couple were waiting for the delivery of tickets to a private reveal of the new German-built Holden in Auckland when an unexpected car came up their drive.
‘‘I thought ‘What is he doing here?’,’’ Steve said. ‘‘And then Greg Murphy drove up in the car.’’
Murphy then got out of the brand new cherry red Holden and handed the couple a letter from General Motors International’s head honcho Barry Engle wishing them a ‘‘Happy Valentine’s Day’’.
‘‘When I heard about how much you love Holden,’’ Engle said in the letter, ‘‘I wanted you to know that Holden loves you too.’’
The couple said they were in shock as they continued to read the letter.
‘‘Holden and Kiwis ‘go way back’ (as you like to say) and I think we’ve got an exciting future together,’’ it said.
‘‘Enjoy the drive, this brand-new Commodore is yours to keep.
And with tears in his eyes, Steve hopped in and gave it a quick test drive.
‘‘I drove it half a kilometre down the road and then we were on a plane to Auckland,’’ he said.
‘‘It all happened so quickly, it hasn’t sunk in yet.’’
Joy added: ‘‘We had no idea. It’s amazing.’’
The couple, who celebrated Valentine’s Day with a nice dinner in Auckland, said the Holden surprise had made February 14 even more special.
Whether it’s the best Valentine’s Day they’ve ever had, Steve said: ‘‘Well it would have to be.’’
The couple laid claim to being Holden’s biggest fans when they built a car museum dedicated to the brand, opening it up to the public in November 2017.