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Get Nostalgic With Historic Video Footage From Holden’s Glory Days

The rise, and some would argue the fall, of Holden is a lengthy tale. Today, however, we’re taking a look back on the division’s glory days.

The video above details a snippet of Holden’s previous export business. Indeed, Holden wasn’t only a car built for Australians, but for numerous other countries around the world. GM Holden became so well regarded that the business decided to begin export to many countries. The first was in 1954, when New Zealand took delivery of the first exported Holden.

Vintage Holden video 02

From there, it grew. In 1956, Holden started to export Australian-built cars to Malaya, Singapore, Thailand, and a host of other territories that dot the Pacific Ocean. At the dawn of 1958, Holdens were actually sold in 17 export markets.

It was a far cry from the company’s previous business of building saddles for horses. The Holden business began in the 19th century and focused on horses until it decided a switch to motor cars was in the best interest for the company. In 1931, Holden joined General Motors. Before then, Holden also manufactured vehicle bodies for Ford aside from GM.

Vintage Holden video 01

Yet, it wasn’t until the 1940s when the division came into its own. The 48-215 became the first car Holden ever built, and the first car ever built in Australia at that. It began a legacy of Australian cars built for Australians.

Eventually, Holden spread to the Middle East and Africa before somewhat penetrating a few European countries, too. Holden even assembled left-hand drive vehicles for countries that drove on the other side of the road. Ultimately, the business best served Australia and New Zealand, however.

Today, Holden remains in name, but as a national importer of vehicles. Local production of Holden cars shut down in 2017. Nevertheless, take a trip back in time with the video above.

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Comments

  1. But of course it was the end of the 1940s before a car called a ‘Holden’ even existed. November 1948 to be exact, and the humble Holden was GM-Hs entry basic cheap mass market car until well into the 1970s.

    GM-H until 1970 also assembled in Australia along side the humble Holden, brands such as Pontiac, Chevrolet, Vauxhall cars and Bedford trucks. Basically it went as follows:

    1949 to 1970 GM-H passenger car range
    *Prestige luxury high end: Pontiac Laurentian / Parisiennes & Chevrolet Belair / Impalas

    *Mid range: Vauxhall Cresta and Velox

    *Entry level cars: Holden

    Holdens were sold along with Chevrolet, Pontiac and Vauxhall by GMH dealers. They were not “Holden Dealers” as often incorrectly stated. They were GMH DEALERS.

    In reality, the Holden as a brand existed for just 69 years but it was always sold by GMH dealers. In fact early 1970s Statesman models were not Holdens, they were GMH Statesman’s as the until at least the mid 1970s the Holden brand was not seen a luxury high car like the GMH assembled Chevrolets and Pontiacs were.

    Sadly people often write history not the way it was, but how they believe todays reader might want to remember it. Holdens until the release of the 1962 ‘EJ’ Premier were very basic with few if any features. They had cold rubber covered floors and cheap vinyl upholstery.

    The above are historically correct that most choose to ignore.

    Reply
  2. And in 10 years time, they’ve gone from locally designing and producing GMs best RWD sedan – no, GMs best sedan, period – to

    Nothing. Australia now 100% reliant on imports. Thousands of jobs lost, not to mention the very real blow to national pride and status as a producer on the world stage.

    Lovin that New World Order yet?

    Reply
  3. I do agree that the final rear wheel driven Holden passenger cars built by General Motors in Australia were outstanding vehicles, particularly in the case of the long wheel base Caprice version, which unfortunately was never exported to the United States but could have been very successfully badged / sold as either a Buick Electra 225 or Cadillac Fleetwood.

    However, I disagree with ‘Idiot Boys’ comment that the best RWD sedan produced by General Motors was the final Australian produced humble Holden sedan. That’s a very bold statement and one that is not supported by the numerous outstanding designs produced by General Motors over its 100 plus year history.

    The sound design of the final Australian production RWD Holden passenger car owes much if not all of its design to the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. The basis of the V8 engine fitted to General Motors produced Holden is of the course the small block Chevrolet V8 engine which the Chevrolet division developed in the early 1950s! Ed Cole would role over in his grave if this fact was over looked.

    Equally, I would strongly argue that full framed RWD passenger cars were, at the time they were produced far better than the mono construction of the final General Motors produced Holden models.

    General Motors (Holden division) in Australia did design its own automatic transmission which was known as the Tri-Matic (also known as the trouble-magic!). This automatic transmission had limited success and was next to a failure in high performance engines. Many were replaced by USA built GM automatic transmissions.

    Certainly the final Holden RWD sedans built of General Motors in Australia today are excellent second hand cars and they are well built, but they are not that exceptional that they can be remembered as being innovative or of exceptional design. Certainly not in the way that the air cooled Chevrolet Corvair, FWD Cadillac Eldorado, mid 1960s Chevrolet Corvette, or early Cadillac V16s are.

    Possibly the best Holdens designed and built by General Motors has the be the 1971 ‘HQ’ models which were available as a panel van, utility, two pillarless hardtop, four door sedan in both short and long wheel base and station wagon. The option lists were lengthy and design features well a truely out numbered those available ion the final series Holden models. I should also stress that GMs Holden division never built a four door pillarless hardtop and in its final years offered only 2 or 3 body styles at most.

    But even the ‘HQ’ Holden models fell well behind what was available from General Motors Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Chevrolet divisions. Its was sad to effectively see the end of ‘real’ Holden models, but General Motors has no other choice if it is to survive. The next step is to retire the Holden brand completely and that should happen sooner rather than later.

    Reply
    1. I wholeheartedly agree that Harley Earl through mid/late-Bill Mitchell era BOPC-Cadillac-GMC Truck represents the zenith of the GM brand historically, but over the past 10-15 years, the cars that best carried out GMs fine tradition of putting greatness in nearly everyman’s driveway were created by none other than Holden of Australia.

      Reply
  4. Thanks Sean, good little video of what Holden was capable of in the early days. I’m proud of what was achieved when I worked at Fisherman’s Bend during the 90’s and 2000’s. Pound for pound, we were the best division in the GM world. We didn’t get everything right, but our small team fixed problems the big boys couldn’t. That’s all the history I need.

    Reply
    1. I got an email notification that there was another comment on this thread. It was from Carl giving me another long winded history lesson, but I can’t see it here for some reason. I wasn’t going to bother making any comment because I got tired of trying to defend all the good things we did. The real historical point about Holden is the part it played in the Australian way of life since WW2. It’s easy to be critical but thousands of Holden workers (me included) owe their welfare, houses, kids education, food on the table, reasonable income to the opportunities that Holden provided. This is the history that’s important. The fact that Holden is a GM subsidiary is really beside the point. We did great work and produced (mostly) great cars. As I said previously, that’s all the history I need.

      Reply
  5. Anthony,
    With genuine respect, I have never questioned the historical fact that General Motors provided employment and life long career opportunités for thousands of Australians and I agree that this fact was particularly true in immediate post Second World War decades 50s, 60s and 70s when GMH were assembling Pontiac, Chevrolet, Vauxhall as well as Holdens.

    General Motors at its height, with the single exception of Tasmania boasted an assembly plant in every state of Australia. Of course in more recent times only two plants operated Fishermans Bend and Elizabeth in South Australia. Now its just one admin building and the Lang Lang proving ground.

    You have to recall that it was not just General Motors who were offering these employment opportunities. Australian electronic companies such Philip’s Industries who manufactured televisions in Australia offered similar job opportunités. Australia at one point even built its own aircraft!

    Certainly the build quality of GMH built 1960 ‘FB’ Holdens and 1961 ‘EK’ Holdens was second to none, but as well built as these cars were, they were at the time, still at least 10 years behind the rest of the world in design. You could not option air conditioning on a Holden until the 1968 ‘HK’ models. Chevrolet offered air conditioning from 1953!

    There have been many outstanding Holden designs. When Ford Australia only offered its Falcon GT as a conventional 4 door sedan GMH offered the Monaro GTS 327 as a 2 door pillarless hardtop. Even the Chrysler Charger was not built as a true 2 door pillarless hardtop as it’s rear side windows were fixed. They did not roll up or down!

    Today probably the best cars on the Australian used car market are the final examples of rear wheel drive Holdens and long wheel base Holden Caprices. I agree that GMs Holden division built and designed some excellent cars, but the history of GMH, even the post Second World War history of GMH is NOT exclusively about Holden as many want to believe.

    Pontiac, Chevrolet, Vauxhall and Bedford played a big part in supporting the Holden brand for GMH from 1949 until 1970 and this fact is often over looked.

    Recently I read an article where the writer claimed that GMH first offered V8 engine cars from the release of the HK Holden! This of course is totally wrong! Australian GMH dealers first offered a V8 in 1955. The GMH supplied Pontiac for that year was a V8. The first GMH supplied car with automatic transmission was the GMH supplied 1959 Chevrolet.

    GM-H has a rich history in Australia, but for most if not all its history it was NOT just about the Holden brand. The Holden was simply a brand it sold by GMH dealers at one time alongside Pontiac, Chevrolet, Vauxhall and Bedford.

    Reply

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