Founded by British immigrant James Alexander
Holden in 1852 as a leather works and saddler,
by 1910 the company would be trimming motor vehicles
and, in 1914, they manufactured their first one-off
car body fitted to an imported Lancia chassis.
The company would go from strength to strength
when, in 1917, the Australian government placed
an embargo on fully assembled vehicles.
Became
the exclusive GM body builder in 1924, and was
subsequently acquired by GM in 1931 during the
depression. Sir Laurence Hartnett was sent to
Australia from the US with a view to making it
profitable, or closing it down. Holding the Australian
work ethos in high regard, he was able to increase
production and efficiency, and court the Australian
government with the idea of building an entirely
Australian car.
Assisted by the Commonwealth
Bank, Hartnett and Jack Horn made a pitch to
the Detroit headquarters for the …”Manufacture
of Complete Motor-Cars in Australia”. The
resultant 48/215 would go on sale in 1948, and
the name Holden would
be indelibly etched into the Australian motoring
landscape for all time. Also see Holden Heritage
1948 - 1953
Prime Minister Ben Chifley launched the car 'made in Australia,
for Australia' in 1948, and nobody guessed what a runaway
success this plain and practical sedan would immediately
prove to be. Australians took the Holden straight to their
hearts, commencing a love affair that continues to this
day. More
>>
1953 - 1956
The FJ came along after five years of producing the 48-215
(FX) and was basically the same car with a few minor alterations
to the body. Nevertheless the FJ proved to be such a marketing
success that there were waiting lists at every dealer!
More >>
1956 - 1958
GMH recognised that buyers wanted their cars to be an
individual statement about themselves, and so introduced
new colour schemes and models - in fact seven distinct
models were now available including, in 1957, the introduction
of a station wagon (at the time referred to as a "Station
Sedan"). More>>
1958 - 1960
As with the introduction of the FJ, Holden had learnt
that to revise or "facelift" a model half way
through its life would maintain interest and therefore
sales. And so the FC was simply an improved version of
the FE, and following the FX to FJ formula it sported
more chrome and a more elegant grille. More>>
1960 - 1961
The FB had its engine size increeased from the original
132ci to 138ci which gave it 3kw more but because of the
heavier body it was actually slower than the older model.
More>>
1961 - 1962
The EK was the first Holden to offer an automatic ("hydramatic")
transmission as an option on all models. This transmission
was imported from America, and was regarded as one of
the best available in the world. More>>
1962 - 1963
The EJ was the last model offered with the popular 'grey
motor', which had been in use since the first Holden produced
in 1948, albeit with a few refinements. More>>
1963 - 1965
Holden Motor Company's greatest seller at the time, this
model introduced the new "Red" motors using an oversquare
design with a seven bearing crankshaft. They were the
first Holden to use hydraulic valve lifters, and external
oil pump and oil filter for easier servicing. More>>
1966 - 1968
Basically a face-lift of the previous HD model, GM's US
stylists redesigned the somewhat unpopular HD shape and
came up with one much more appealing to the Australian
public. This was reflected in sales, with many more HR's
being sold than HD's. More>>
