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HOLDEN’S prized Lang Lang proving ground south-east of Melbourne remains on the market despite speculation that includes a potential sale to transport businessman Lindsay Fox and Vietnam car-maker Vinfast.

Currently, the identity of bidders and pricing for the 877 hectare site are unconfirmed. Selling agents CBRE told GoAutoNews Premium that it was unable to comment on the sales campaign. Meanwhile Vinfast responded by saying Lang Lang was “under an investigation process”.

The proving ground property at Lang Lang, 86 km south east of Melbourne, was thought to have been crown land and it was being said that the sale would revolve around a buyer taking on leasehold. This would have meant there were 36 years remaining on the typical 99-year lease on the government land after General Motors-Holden Ltd took on the property in 1957.

But information uncovered by GoAutoNews Premium shows the land was purchased as four parcels, two from private owners and two from the government.

GM-H bought the crown land of 421.3 hectares in February 1956 for £8000, equivalent to $260,000 today. An additional 5.7 hectares was bought from the government in July 1956 for an undisclosed sum.

The private land, which is at the front of the property and borders the Bass Highway,  covered about 445 hectares (1100 acres) but its sale price was not disclosed.

The Lang Lang proving ground was built in stages and was modelled on the 1623 hectare General Motors proving ground at Milford, Michigan and those at Phoenix, Arizona and Manitou Springs in Colorado.

GM-H previously used public roads for testing its vehicles and then, faced with problems ensuring reliable and consistent tests, used part of the land it owned at Dandenong.

When Dandenong became GM-H’s additional manufacturing facility, the company looked for land for its own testing.

It said at the time that it “wanted a site where a private road system could be surveyed to duplicate virtually any type of surface or gradient in this country.”

It also specified a proving ground that could measure Holden performance against the actual road conditions, climate, and rigid requirements of Australia.

Within the first year of operation from 1958, GM-H spent £200,000 (today equivalent to $6.4 million) on the land and improvements, not including the main buildings and the proving ground banked track.

Since 1958, the property has been improved to now comprise 877 hectares with 44km of roads including the 4.7km four-lane banked high-speed track, a 5.5km ride and handling track, a 100-metre diameter skid pad and a road section of 1.8km with rumble strips and tram lines.

Improvements in recent times include $8.7 million to renovate and upgrade buildings, and $7.2 million on relaying the banked test track.

The Lang Lang proving ground listing follows the sale in 2016 of Holden’s 37.7 hectare Fishermans Bend manufacturing plant for $130 million to the Victorian state government for an education facility.

It has also sold its Adelaide factory to developer Pelligra Group. This is being redeveloped as a business park.

By Neil Dowling

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