THE mystery buyer of the most expensive Australian-made car is a Cairns car collector who was wearing shorts and thongs when he did the record-breaking deal.

The businessman, who goes by the nickname Chooka, made national headlines in April when he paid $920,000 for a Holden Monaro.

Other collectors have offered him more but he won't sell. The HRT 427, one of only two made, has quietly arrived in the Far North and has been hidden away in a warehouse.

Car fans will be able to see the Monaro for the first time at the All Holden and GM Day next Sunday at the Cairns Showground.

In an exclusive interview with The Weekend Post, Chooka revealed details of the deal as well as other aspects of his multi-million dollar vehicle collection of more than 50 cars and 60 motorbikes. For security and safety reasons he has declined to have his real name identified, but the 41-year-old is well known in collector circles and by senior motor industry officials.

Chooka made headlines in April when he wandered into a Sydney showroom wearing shorts and thongs and bought the car, one of two built in 2002 to showcase Holden and HSV's engineering prowess.

The other is in Holden's concept car collection and is not for sale. It cannot be driven but Chooka's can. The registered vehicle features Kevlar fittings, has a 427kW 7.0-litre V8 and race brakes to haul it down from a top speed of 299km/h.

It has a roll cage, special racing seats, fuel system, alloy wheels, push button start, six point harness seats, a Motec instrumentation system, a hand made boot spoiler made of Kevlar and aluminium. It is finished in Sting Red and the build number is ED (Experimental Development) 0001, August 12, 2002. It was built to rival Porsche’s track-focused 911 GT2.

Chooka is a Monaro fanatic and has been told he has the finest and most valuable collection in Australia.

"I've got more than 20 of them, from the first ones in 1968 through to the last one in 2006," he said. There are HK, HT, HG, HQ, HJ and HX Monaros. He has the last HSV GTS Monaro to come off the production line. As well, there are limited edition models.

The HRT 427 is probably the most famous and valuable. It was first unveiled at the 2002 Sydney Motor Show and was expected to sell for $215,000. There was a huge response but Holden Special Vehicles abandoned the project because they would have lost money on the cars.

Already, Chooka has turned down substantially more than what he paid for the car. None of his cars are for sale. While he rarely drives his Monaros, he took his dad for a spin to Kurrimine Beach and back in the HRT 427. His wife and five children were taken for laps around Eastern Creek in the car at Easter.

He has been collecting rare cars for about four years but has amassed a collection scattered around the Far North in about six premises.

Chooka, who has a building industry manufacturing plant, said plans were under way to build a museum, a fully operating garage and a race track on the outskirts of Cairns to house the collection.

"I don't deem these cars as an asset. It's a passion," he said.

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