Although the Ewe't was a concept car for marketing purposes, Holden did not anticipate the interest it generated, so by early 1974 the HQ Sandman was released to the general public, the model was called Sandman and not primarily aimed at the surf culture but this group and many other young men saw the Sandman as a terrific car they could use for work and weekend.
HQ Sandman
The HQ Sandman did not have a long life - only 9 months before Holden released a new series in the HJ. The HJ model was different in styling with a longer leaner look, however the ute and panel van style still looked the same. The nose cone and front guards were styled squarer showing the beauty lines while the GTS guards accentuated the sports feel.
HJ Sandman
The HJ Sandman van and ute started in September 1974 and ceased production in June 1976. During the middle of 1975 Holden made some minor changes to the HJ Sandman during this time there were some model name revisions where the Sandman ute was a Kingswood based car but the panel van was a Holden based model. The HJ Sandman had GTS guards, chrome side mirrors and full GTS white needle instrumentation.
HX Sandman
The HX introduced on the 1st July 1976 to meet new Federal Government low emission laws. The HX also received a new stripe style that was bold to say the least! GM Holden removed the GTS guards and Lucas black sports side mirror and black outs around the door windows. Sadly as a result of the new low emission laws the engine suffered a loss of horsepower and increase in fuel consumption.
HZ Sandman
The last of the Sandmans was the HZ, and many say Holden finally got it right, with the introduction of Radial Tuned Suspension (RTS) this greatly improved handling and suspension. On the exterior the HZ Sandman looked the same as the HX but with colour coded side mirrors, and RTS badging on the rear. The HZ Sandman ute was dropped from the line up in 1979 while the panel van remained until the end of the HZ series.
