2020 50c 1998 Holden VS Commodore – 60 Years of Supercars Coloured Coin in Card

Australia enjoys an enduring love affair with Supercars racing and this year celebrates 60 years of the Australian Touring Car Championship. The first Australian Touring Car Championship was held in 1960 at Gnoo Blas, NSW where the single-race title was won by David McKay driving a Jaguar.

An Australian-made car first won the ATCC in 1970 – the second year of the title being decided over a series of races – when a Holden Monaro GTS 350 ended a decade of dominance by British and American cars.

Jaguars dominated the early years, but the V8 power took over in 1965 when Norm Beechey won at Sandown in the first Ford Mustang brought to Australia. V8-engined cars have subsequently accounted for all but 10 titles. Since the arrival of the Mustang in 1965, Australians have had a passion for V8 engines that remains the foundation of the sport. This fascination of V8s reached its zenith in the Supercars era from the 1990s to now, a Holden-versus-Ford era that has the Red Lion ahead with 15 Supercars titles to the Blue Oval’s 12. However, over the total 60 years of the ATCC Ford leads with 26 titles to Holden’s 21. In the hundreds of races since its humble beginnings in 1960, the ATCC has created champions and legends through classic races and rivalries.

VS Commodore

Bursting onto the scene as a precociously talented and immediately likeable 20-year-old with a radiating smile, Craig Lowndes captivated the public and quickly became Holden’s fresh new hero, sensationally winning his debut ATCC race and the title in 1996.

After going to Europe for a crack at the big time, he returned home in 1998 to the familiar surroundings of the Holden Racing Team and picked up where he left off, winning the opening two rounds and beating the highly touted Mark Skaife, who HRT had recruited to replace retired superstar Peter Brock.

The VS, powered by a 5.0-litre Chevrolet V8 engine, was the final iteration of the much-loved second-generation Commodore.

Coin Set Features

• Uncirculated coloured coin in presentation card featuring information on the 1998 Holden VS Commodore driven by Craig Lowndes
• Obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II sculpted by Jody Clark
• Australian legal tender

Technical Specifications

ABOUT THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN MINT

The Royal Australian Mint is the sole producer of all Australia’s circulating coins. Opened in 1965 and situated in the Australian federal capital city of Canberra, in the suburb of Deakin, the Mint is also a very popular tourist destination for visitors and locals alike. Swan Bullion Company is proud to be an authorised distributor for The Royal Australian Mint’s bullion and numismatic products.

* Coin is not to scale in image 1 *