Australia’s Own Car: 60 Years of Holden (2009)

Viavision

Madman

R4 DVD

Reviewer: Bob Estreich

After World War 2 the Australian government decided Australia should have a car industry of its own. Up to then our cars were a mix of imports (mostly British) with some minor local assembly. The cars were completely unsuited to Australia’s primitive roads. General Motors bought into Holden’s, an Australian firm that made saddlery and bodywork and did some local assembly. GM’s engineers set out to design a car that was more suitable for Australia and could be built here. With Government assistance they made it happen. The first Holden rolled off the production line in 1948. Prime Minister Ben Chifley declared “It’s a beauty” and the Holden became part of the Australian scene.

In fairness the car was mostly U.S.-designed, since there were no vehicle engineers or designers here yet. The U.S. staff did a good job with the Australian requirements. The first model known as the 48-215 (more commonly as the FX) was a roomy rugged reliable vehicle, basic but adequate for the time. This documentary traces the course of Holden cars through to the present day, introducing the cars and the personalities who were involved along the way. It also features the advertising which ranges from quaint to downright cheesy.

The show was made for TV so has a number of annoying “right after this commercial” breaks. The restricted time also requires that a lot of good footage be left out. This makes the show seem a little superficial. Worst of all some of the favorite Holdens like the Torana GTR-XU1 and the EH barely rate a mention. The DVD makes up for this with a tremendous range of Extras. Since the show is a birthday party for the Holden it’s only fair that it should leave out some of the early Holden’s less desirable characteristics like pervasive rust, truly amazing body roll and an assembly quality that often had rattles in the car as it rolled off the production line. These problems were overcome with experience and the Holden of today is a far cry from that early FX.

My first Holden was an FC, the fourth model produced. It was spacious, sat well on the road due to its long wheelbase (it tended to trundle over the potholes rather than fall into them like a British car would) and did about ten miles to the gallon (of oil). It was reliable and gave me a feeling of independence and a liking for “going for a drive”. My father opted for the later EK station wagon with its epic bodyroll. This poor vehicle had tail fins, a lot of extra weight, and the same elderly engine as my FC. It could be a bit of a struggle getting it to go sometimes, since the old “Grey” motor was showing its age.

One of my friends bought the later EH and it was a revolution. The new 186 cubic inch “Red” motor really made the car move and they got the styling far better. Gradually the Australian input and engineers were producing a better car.

We are taken through some of the good ideas that Holden came up with, like the Sandman panel van aimed at the surfer crowd (also known as the “microwave oven” because you could do a bird in twenty minutes). The mattress in the back was not a Holden option, but every Sandman seemed to have one anyway. They were often given names like “Mother’s Worry” that seemed quite appropriate. The G-Pak was a set of bolt-on extras that gave a family car a bit of a boy racer image.

One good idea that isn’t mentioned much was the Holden Torana. It was a smaller vehicle, originally a Vauxhall Viva from Britain. How it happened we don’t know, but Holden evolved this into a real car with good sporting capabilities. The best guess I can make is that a group of Holden engineers were sitting around in a mate’s garage one Saturday afternoon with a few beers and one said to another “you know, that car needs a better engine. I wonder could we drop a six-cylinder in there?” They could and did, although it meant extending the body, beefing up the suspension and brakes and a certain amount of trial and error along the “hold me beer and watch this” line. The resulting car was the Torana GTR, a seriously fun car. Then some inspired idiot decided that the engine needed reworking with a new cam, higher compression and triple carburettors and produced the XU1 engine. The Torana GTR XU1 was a winning combination and started to take serious control of the Bathurst 500 motor race, Australia’s leading 500-mile annual race for production cars. This is largely unmentioned in the documentary and it is a serious omission. Rust was no longer the Holden’s natural enemy – it was now the Ford Motor Company.

At least we get a good rundown on the launch of the Holden Monaro, the Torana’s big brother. This vehicle improved the sportiness of the family-sized car and was surprisingly popular, especially in its V8 version.

The Holden evolved to the point that it became exportable. It was sold as far afield as South Africa where its ruggedness was just as much in demand as in Australia. We also look at the “ute” – the utility vehicle, with a passenger cab up front and a useful load tray in the back. It was strong, a useful size, and it quickly became the farmer’s friend.

The Holden Commodore of today has come a long way from the 48-215 which is now prized by collectors. The Monaro version is being exported to the U.S. as a Pontiac. Its configuration is ideal for an increasingly fuel-conscious U.S. – more economic than a U.S. car, still plenty of space inside, and better handling. For most of their models Holden left out the frills and non-essential extras in favour of just building a better car. This may disappoint Jeremy Clarkson but most Australians seemed to get by without satnav and automatic bum-heaters.

While the feature is necessarily brief the DVD more than makes up for this with the extras. There is a huge range of advertising jingles including the dreadful yobbo “football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars” and the sickening “Holding you in my Holden”. There seemed to be an obsession in these ads with driving your Holden along a beach, which Holden owners would avoid like the plague because of the rust problems. There are many historical short films including the design and testing of the 48-215 in the U.S. in 1947 and later cars at Holden’s test track at Lang Lang in Victoria. One of the most interesting is the development process for the first Holden Commodore.

The documentary at 109 minutes is a huge resource for Holden lovers. It will take you off on a nostalgia trip. GM-H is justifiably proud of their car and what it has become to Australia.

This DVD is All-Region PAL format. Non-Australian users should make sure their equipment can display the PAL format correctly.

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This review will appear in Volume 2 No.6 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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