The Early Days
'Australia's Own Car', the 1948 Holden sedan, was designed by Chevrolet engineers in America. This inexpensive, tough, 60bhp, 132ci six-cylinder, six-seater sedan was the car that put Australia on wheels. It's taken more than half a century, but now Australians have returned the favor--with the grand-daddy of muscle cars, the Pontiac GTO, now designed and built by Holden. The original Holden sedan was an explosive success, establishing the brand and becoming the benchmark family car for 1950s Australian families and businesses. Ute (Aussie for sedan-based pickup) panel van and station sedan (wagon) versions joined the sedan in Holden showrooms between 1952 and 1957. From the 1950s to the '80s, Holden was the best-selling brand in Australia for an amazing 29 years in a row.
AUSTRALIA GETS V-8 CHEV POWER
Holden launched its first 'muscle' car in 1968. It was a stunning two-door coupe, based on the new 'HK' Holden series four-doors (Australians almost exclusively use alphabet codes such as HK or VT, rather than years, to describe models). It was christened Monaro, an aboriginal Australian word that means 'high plain' or 'mountain'. With its name sounding similar to its GM corporate cousin Camaro (not sold in Australia), the Monaro name was seized upon by enthusiasts as Holden's car to win the Bathurst 500 race. This is Australia's most prestigious motor racing event, held on a snaky mountain racetrack that rises and falls several hundred feet over Mount Panorama in the state of New South Wales.
The first Holden was launched...
The first Holden was launched in 1948. It had a six-cylinder engine and was designed for Australia by Chevrolet.
The big news was under the bonnet--the availability of V-8 power for the first time in Holden's history. The engines were the 210bhp Chevy 307 and 250bhp 327ci V-8s with either auto or manual trannies. The 327 was fitted as standard to the Monaro GTS 327, and the 307 was available across the remainder of Holden's model lineup. Monaro lived up to its name in its debut year, with a GTS 327 winning the 1968 race at 'The Mount'.
By 1969, the Chev V-8s were joined by Holden-developed V-8s of 253 and 308 cubes. These all-Australian engines were similar to the Chev, but employed thin-wall block casting techniques, and aluminum for the water pumps and intake manifolds. They were designed with the off-side cylinder bank staggered forward, rather than the near-side as on the Chev, and the starter motor mounted on the near-side, to allow a better fit of Australia's right-hand-drive steering components.
Holden's first two door coupe...
Holden's first two door coupe was launched in 1968, with optional Chevrolet 307 and 327 V-8 power.
The Monaro needed an engine to win Bathurst against the new 351ci Fords, so the 300hp 350 Chev became available in the 1969 Monaro GTS. It worked, with a Chev-powered Monaro GTS winning the Bathurst 500 race for the second year in a row.
But the Chev/Holden relationship was to be short-lived. The lower cost and better fuel economy of the Holden V-8s meant the two smaller Chev V-8s were deleted after just two years. The 350ci remained an option in the Monaro but after its 1969 Bathurst victory, it was not raced again. For the 1970s, Holden's performance focus had shifted from its full-size V-8 Monaro to its new, nimble and compact six-cylinder Torana.
The first 1978 Holden Commodore...
The first 1978 Holden Commodore was smaller than previous 'full-size' Holdens. It was available with six and V-8 power.
HOLDEN DOWNSIZES
The first generation Holden Commodore, launched in 1978, was a GM corporate 'world car' unit-body downsize design shared with Opel, Vauxhall and Chevrolet (outside of the US). It was also adopted by Korean manufacturer Daewoo. With no separate chassis like its previous car designs, Australian engineers beefed up the body shell to use the Holden six-cylinder and V-8 engines and survive the pounding it would receive in rough Australian conditions. It was available as sedan and wagon, with two six cylinder (2.8- and 3.3-litre) and two V-8 (now badged 4.2- and 5.0-litre) engines, in three luxury levels.
The compact Commodore was so successful that Holden hastily decided to cancel the revision of its full-size car. In effect, the fast-growing Commodore cuckooed its bigger brother and became the sole focus of its parent's attention.
The 1986 VL Commodore used...
The 1986 VL Commodore used Nissan engines, including a 150kW Turbo variant.
Later, a four-cylinder version (a sales failure) and a Bosch electronic fuel injected version of the 3.3-litre six were added to the options list. But the all-iron Holden engines, with designs dating from the 1960s, would not meet future exhaust emissions legislation (the Australian Government had announced that lead free fuel would be compulsory from 1986) or customer expectations in the face of more sophisticated competition, especially from Japan.
The obvious solution was to develop new engines using alloy head, OHC and EFI technology. However, the high costs associated with the 'Australianisation' of the Commodore and some loss of market share during the late 1970s left Holden without the funds necessary to do so. Holden's solution, after much deliberation, was to adopt an engine from outside the GM corporate family.
Holden wanted to kill its...
Holden wanted to kill its V-8 in 1986. But public outcry convinced it to continue its availability.
Holden's search for a suitable engine (that allegedly included approaches to Jaguar of England and its arch-rival Ford Australia) was successful. A suitable engine was found to be under development by Nissan of Japan. From a 1983 range of two sixes, two V-8s and the weak four with capacities ranging from 1.9 to 5.0 litres, Holden's 1986 VL series Commodore was to be released with a single powerplant: Nissan's high-tech, fuel injected, 3-litre, alloy-head, OHC inline six-cylinder engine. Its output of 114kW was close to that of the 5-litre V-8 and Nissan also had a 150kW turbo version of the engine. It was to be introduced later to replace the V-8 as the 'performance' engine of the Holden range.
THE ENGINE NIGHTMARE CONTINUES
Once news of Holden's future engine choice was leaked into the media, Australian car enthusiasts went into shock. The death of the V-8 and use of an imported engine in Australia's own car was so significant in Australia that it made front-page news in major metropolitan newspapers. The Nissan engine was almost palatable (By 1984, Holden's sixes sucked big time) but Holden's decision to delete its V-8 spurred Australian Wheels and Street Machine magazines to publish cut-out coupons for readers to protest Holden. Many thousands of these coupons arrived at Holden expressing anger at its decision to drop the V-8.
The 1988 VN Commodore used...
The 1988 VN Commodore used a bigger body over the old floorpan. It used a Buick V-6 and, later, an EFI V-8.
Amazingly, Holden listened to the voice of the people. Humbled by the passion for its brand and realising the heritage and marketing clout of its V-8 engine, it reversed its decision to kill the V-8. The 5-litre V-8 was re-engineered to drink lead-free and, with 122kW (163hp) and teamed with a three-speed automatic transmission, joined the options list several months after its 3-litre 114kW (152hp) Nissan-engined sister in mid-1986. The decision had already been made to market the Turbo 3-litre six as the performance engine of the range, so the V-8 Commodore's promotion was skewed to promote it as a relaxed, no-stress cruiser or tow car. It also continued as the basis for Holden's race program.
But Holden found itself in trouble again when the Aussie dollar devalued against the Japanese currency, doubling the Nissan engine's factory-floor cost. The development of the second-generation 1988 Commodore VN--an almost totally new car with a larger aero-styled body stretched over a widened and lengthened first-gen floorpan and suspension--was well underway using the Nissan engines. Holden insiders admit it was little more than 12 months before the VN's production specifications had to be 'locked in' when Holden, for the second time in five years, began searching for an engine with the power, torque and durability to suit Australia.
The VN's 5.0-litre V-8 used...
The VN's 5.0-litre V-8 used Delco management and a ram-tuned alloy intake manifold. For a time, it was the quickest four-door family car in the world.
The solution was GM US's 3.8-litre fuel-injected V-6, thereby re-establishing a relationship with the US that ended with the deletion of the Chev 350 V-8 option more than a decade previously. The big, torquey, but low-tech pushrod V-6 produced a somewhat harsh, noisy (compared to the silky-smooth Nissan) but surprisingly frugal and fast big-bodied Commodore for launch in August 1988. Its 125kW (167hp) was fed through a Borg Warner T5 five-speed manual or TH700 four-speed auto transmission.
FINALLY--EFI
Initially, as with the 1986 VL Commodore, there was no V-8 option in the 1988 Commodore. The V-8 reappeared on the options list in mid-1989. The Rochester Quaddy that had been fitted to Holden V-8s since the 60s was gone--in its place was multi-point fuel injection and a Chev TPI-style 'ram-tune' alloy intake manifold feeding set of new symmetrical-port, Ford Windsor-style heads (developed from the racing VL Group A V-8 units--see sidebar).
Output was a then-stunning 165kW (220hp), endowing the Commodore with quarter-mile times in the 15s and the title of quickest family four-door on the planet. The new engine's management system, as with the V-6, was a GM Delco system with the familiar blue plug-in mem-cal 'chip'.
Holden's high-tech performance era had begun. Catch the next issue of GMHTP to see how Holden's design studio and race team, combined with American horsepower, created stunner after high-powered stunner--and gave new life to an American legend.
The 1988 VL Group A SS race...
The 1988 VL Group A SS race special made jaws drop. It featured Holden's first-ever EFI V-8.
THE WINGED WARRIOR
Australia's racing regulations in the 1960s, '70s and '80s dictated that race cars be showroom cars with limited modifications. Whether racing under Australian Group C regulations, or from 1985, International Group A regs, the intention was that competition cars closely represent models available to the general public, rather than be 'silhouettes' as in NASCAR. Manufacturers spent big dollars creating special cars in minimal numbers to meet the regulations. These 'production' cars were in fact mildly detuned race cars, requiring little more than roll cages and stiff suspension to be track-ready.
Probably the ultimate Australian example is the 1988 Holden Commodore SS Group A SV. (Pause for breath!) Based on the reprieved (see main story) V-8-powered VL Commodore, this beast featured an almost totally redesigned V-8 engine that shared little more than water pump, mounts and starter motor with the regular Holden V-8. It had new design, symmetrical-port heads (doing away with the Chev-style siamesed center exhaust port that caused a head gasket hot-spot), tougher block, pistons, rods and crank. The exhaust system began with eight stubs flanged just inches from each port, allowing racers to take advantage of the regulation that stated, in principle, 'exhaust: free from the first join.' The most significant addition to this car was fuel injection--Holden's first.
With the VL Commodore's regular production option V-8 breathing through a Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, and the base-model six-cylinder VL Commodore's fuel injection bought from Nissan, the VL Group A was the first opportunity that Holden engineers had to get their teeth into EFI. The management system chosen to run the VL Group A was the GM Delco unit, setting Holden's future powertrain electronics direction.
To take full advantage of the fast-thinking Delco system and allow the 5.0-litre race engine to produce more than 300kW (400hp) in race trim, the intake system featured a huge cast aluminum plenum chamber hiding tuned-length bell-mouthed intake runners fed by two throttle bodies. This required that the bonnet (hood) be cut to give clearance for the box-like plenum above the engine. To comply with Australian road regulations, a broad 'bonnet scoop' incorporating exhaust slots for the radiator and air intake for the twin throttles was installed.
The detuned-for-the-showroom 180kW V-8 and its five-speed T5 transmission was wrapped in a body that was soon given names such as 'The Plastic Pig' and 'Darth Vader'. The fibreglass aerodynamic add-ons were developed at the MIRA wind tunnel in the UK to increase downforce and stability, and reduce overall drag.
After Holden built the basic cars on its production line (now closed) near Melbourne, Victoria, the cars were shipped to HSV where specialised components such as the extensive body panels were fitted. A total of 750 were built. Much of the 1988 Group A's engine and management system technology was used in Holden's first fuel-injected passenger car V-8 in the VN series Commodore in 1989.
Peter Brock is Australia's...
Peter Brock is Australia's most successful motor racing driver. In partnership with Holden, he developed a special range of high-performance Holdens during the 1980s.
THE INFLUENCE OF PETER BROCK
Australian motor racing driver Peter Brock is considered by many to be the father of the modern Australian musclecar. His racing career began in the 1960s driving a self-built, six-cylinder, Holden-powered, British-designed Austin. In 1969, he made his debut in the 500-mile 'Bathurst' race in a Holden Monaro (then, as now, a Chev V-8 powered, two-door coupe version of the Holden's four-door sedan). He scored the first of his nine Bathurst victories in a smaller, more nimble six-cylinder Holden Torana XU-1 after a stunning drive in the rain at the 1972 event.
Brock assisted Holden's development of, and raced, high-performance Holden Torana V-8 sedans and coupes during the 1970s. His folk-hero status was upgraded to 'legend' in 1979 when, driving Holden's new VB Commodore, he won a 15-day, 20,000km (12,000-mile) car-killing around-Australia rally against some of the world's best dirt drivers. He also won the 1979 Bathurst 1000 by six laps, setting a new record on the last lap of the race!
Peter Brock established himself...
Peter Brock established himself as a household name when he raced Holden Torana V-8s during the 1970s.
In 1979/80, Brock's HDT (Holden Dealer Team) and Holden co-jointly developed the high-performance HDT Commodore. This luxury executive sedan featured better-breathing heads and exhaust on its 308ci V-8 and Bilstein-based suspension. Following this, Brock was involved with the development of all of Holden's showroom SS and special race homologation Commodores until Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) was established in 1988.
The ultimate Commodore race...
The ultimate Commodore race car before HSV took over Holden's high-performance mantle was Brock's 1986 HDT VL Group A.
Brock's living brilliance, sense of fair play and candor have made him the most revered and respected autograph giver in the country for two generations, and his HDT and SS road cars (of which several thousand were made) remain highly-prized muscle cars.
Things you should know about Australia
* With just 20 million people, Australia's population is less than one-tenth of the USA
* Australia is right-hand drive. We drive on the left--like England. Or Jamaica
* Australia uses the metric system--our cars do kilometres per hour, not MPH
* Australia has Coca Cola, McDonalds and the Internet
* Our standing start 0-100km/h time takes longer--60mph is only 96km/h
* North remains North when you're upside down
* The sun rises in the East and sets in the West here, too
* Buddies are called 'mates' * Beer is 'beer'
* Hoods are called 'bonnets', trunks are 'boots' and fenders are 'mudguards'
* Christmas is in the middle of summer. Despite this fact, we decorate shops and houses with fake snow at Chrissy time. Weird...
* We call our playthings 'cars', or sometimes 'vehicles' but never automobiles
* We fill our cars with 'unleaded' or 'premium' unleaded 'petrol' or 'fuel,' not lead-free gasoline
* To go fast, Aussies mash down the 'accelerator', not throttle pedal
* Australia is the world's biggest island and smallest continent
* Not all Australians dress or speak like The Crocodile Hunter
* Yes, kangaroos will kill you if you're driving fast enough and hit a big one
* Koalas are NOT 'cuddly little bears'. They smell of stale urine, and scratch and bite
* Koalas are not bears. They are marsupials and have a pouch, like a kangaroo
* Simmons and ROH alloy wheels, PBR brake calipers, Haltech and MoTeC EFI computers, The Matrix movie trilogy and Mitsubishi Diamante sedans all come from Australia