Young Gun’s Series 200 VL Commodore

Cetin Dogan rocked up to our Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse YSMOTY event last year in this tidy – and rare – two-tone Chardonnay/Sandalwood Series 200 VL, a limited-edition Commodore released to commemorate the 1988 Australian bicentenary. The Series 200 garnered factory Calais-spec components including interior trim, air con, power steering and windows, and central locking, along with specialty hubcaps and one-off paint styling. We spoke with Cetin about the car and his involvement in the Melbourne car scene.

First published in the May 2026 issue of Street Machine

BICENTENARY EDITION: Holden produced only 600 of the Series 200 VLs back in 1988, and now – 38 years later – they’re a rare sight on Aussie roads

Have you always been keen on VLs?

After hearing a few sick VL Calais Turbos, I began looking for one when I was 15 years old. Dad and I looked for a VL Calais for 12 months or so; I reckon we looked at 50 of them, but I couldn’t find one that I liked. I’d seen the Series 200 on Marketplace in Horsham, but it wasn’t a Calais, and it was a nine-hour round trip to see it. Finally, we inquired about the Series 200, and the owner said we’d been the only people interested in it for the six months it’d been for sale!

Was she in pretty good nick?

It was pretty cool, with the Calais wheels and factory two-tone Champagne colour. Dad was keen that we buy it. At that stage, I was 16 years old, and we bought the car a week after I got my Ls. We drove it as a stock, aspirated six for a while, and then we bought a built, 400kW [536hp] RB30 turbo out of a Skyline. Dad, his mate Dave and I took the old engine out, then had different mates paint the engine bay, wire it, fab the custom exhaust and set up the Haltech Nexus, along with a tune. We’ve kept the stock Jatco auto so far, but we’ve recently shortened the BorgWarner diff and added a Truetrac centre with 31-spline axles.

ENGINE BAY: The 400kW RB30 runs a stock bottom end and a modified head with ARP studs, a Crow 503TX3 cam, a Rajab Racing Developments intake and a Plazmaman throttlebody. The PSR G30-900 turbo is mounted on a 6boost exhaust manifold with a 50mm Turbosmart wastegate

Got any plans to change the car up further?

The deep-dish 20in AME three-piece chrome wheels are new. Down the track, we’ll add more boost and a new built trans with a high-stall. Then I’ll bolt in a rachet shifter, which will tie in with the MOMO wheel. Later on, it’ll get a respray to get those gold colours to pop more. We cruise it every weekend; Dad rides beside me, with my mum and sister in the back. Dad has helped me out a lot; it’s pretty much our car together.

INTERIOR: There are minimal changes to the Calais-spec interior, though a ratchet shifter will soon be paired with a built transmission, which is currently in the works

Tell us about the car event you created, Boosted Street Meets.

I started car-spotting in my area as a 14-year-old, chatting to people with cool cars for their Insta and TikTok handles. From that, I started up a page, and my first meet got 100 cars, and soon it ended up having about 500 cars. I had to stop it because of a very small amount of people doing the wrong thing, but I’m hoping to start running them again soon.

Be a Young Gun! Aged around 21 or younger and have a neat ride? Email high-resolution images (2mb+ each) and details of your car to gday@streetmachine.com.au.