This LS-swapped Kingswood could be Australia's most confusing Holden

Wednesday, 17 June 2026 | James Coleman

Start punching “how common is a LS conversion in a …” into Google, and watch this car spring to the top of the options.

Yep, it seems shoehorning an LS-coded V8 engine into a Holden Kingswood is like watching footy on the weekend. Something you don’t think twice about in Australia.

But that’s what makes this particular 1977 HX Kingswood so interesting.

Because while the owner has dutifully given it the same 5.7-litre V8 from the mid-2000s SS Commodores (and some Calais variants), the car started out in life as one of Australia's rarer Holdens.

"The original car is an incredibly rare car," ALLBIDS Group CEO Ben Hastings says.

"It was an original V8 Turbo 400 car in Buckskin Cream with a brown roof. That's an incredibly rare combo."

Hastings says converting older Holdens to LS engines is most common on six-cylinder cars or even old V8s past their use-by date, and often rescued from paddocks and barns.

It’s like giving your grandmother a shot of bourbon. Simple, but with powerful results.

"The LS engine is simple, they're alloy, they're light, they're everywhere," he says.

"It’s pretty much the go-to conversion piece."

But this Kingswood was far from some poverty-pack six-cylinder special.

It left the showroom in 1977 with a 4.2-litre V8 and a Turbo 400 automatic gearbox - a holy-grail combination among collectors.

And yes, Buckskin Cream with a metallic brown roof sounds like the sort of colour scheme dreamt up after three shandies at a 1970s Holden board meeting.

But it works. Beautifully. Like cheese and pineapple on a toothpick.

That said, this Kingswood definitely packs more punch now than it did in 1977.

The LS1 engine is joined by the automatic transmission from a VZ Commodore - along with upgraded suspension, additional gauges for oil pressure, water temperature and RPM, replica wheels from a Monaro GTS, and a ratchet-style gear shifter.

They’re all strong cues as to what this car was built for. And it wasn't being wrapped in cotton wool.

"Manualising the automatic gearbox like that is better for performing burnouts and holding gears for drag racing," Hastings explains.

This may help explain why the rear tyres appear to have had a significantly harder life than the fronts.

This HX has also appeared at Summernats in the past - Australia's annual festival of horsepower, tyre smoke and questionable decision-making.

Inside, more modifications include a GTS-style steering wheel, aftermarket Kenwood stereo and a replacement dashboard. The odometer currently shows 2,581km, though the dash swap means the true figure is unknown.

Compared to a modern car, you’ll find the 1970s staples of panel gaps large enough to receive mail through and cumbersome steering that makes it a pain to manoeuvre anywhere within cooee of a town.

But that’s all part of the charm. And leaves any buyer with a big decision to make.

“Someone still might even want to put the car back to as original as possible,” Hastings says.

So, keep the tyre-frying LS1 and continue enjoying one of Australia's favourite engine swaps?

Or return it to the way Holden originally intended it nearly 50 years ago?

This car is currently listed under the National Car Auctions. Bidding closes Wednesday, 24 June. View the listing here.