Very first HQ Sandman

[HK1837]

Holden often used file photos and touched them up for brochures (compare early HQ brochures to late ones and you'll see the addition of headrests and amber blinkers to the same pictures) . Buickzz is probably right in assuming Holden used photos from different sources. It wouldn't suprise me if the dash shot is actually an earlier GTS with the horn rim photo shopped to sandman.

The interior shot also looks like a premier door armrest?

I would be hesitant to assume that any car in the brochure is actually a sandman mocked up by trhe factory. If the'd gone to the effort of mocking up a car that far in advance of production- why no actual photos of a complete car in the brochure? (The HQ sandman brochure is the only one I can think of that the cars are just drawings?)

The 12/72 ute details we found is a real XX7 and has to be the prototype. It is probably slightly different to production examples in many areas (hence why I think it is the brochure photo). It probably wouldn't have stripes or blackouts but would have all the other already produced items (buckets, steering wheel, guards etc), hence probably why there is no exterior shots of it in the brochure. The XX7 code first appeared in the Production Option Availability documents on 2/10/72 and the Ewe't was built in 3/72 so a 12/72 Sandman prototype is about right.

Photo shop in 1972-4! Back then cut and paste involved scissors and glue!

[Alien DNA]

Photo shop in 1972-4! Back then cut and paste involved scissors and glue!

Bet me to it

[Sandaro]

Photo shop in 1972-4! Back then cut and paste involved scissors and glue![/QUOTE]

HAHA, yeah I didn't mean the computer version. Some of the photo doctoring I've seen I'd guess would have been done by fine painting/drawing on the original, as per the headrests I referred to.

I don't have brochures in front of me but I'm convinced some HJ and HX brochures use the same shot of a van and reuse it in both sandman and base model brochures (with stripes/without stripes and the car in different colour even)

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Byron, when you say it is a real XX7, are you going by the various differences you have noticed, or have you a copy of its build sheet?