Holden Body Builders Production 1917 - 1949

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Holden Body Builders Production 1917 - 1949


excerpt from the Unique Cars and Parts Holden Heritage feature...

James Alexander Holden



When British migrant James Alexander Holden arrived in Adelaide in 1852, he set about establishing a business as a leather worker and saddle-maker. In 1872 he set up a partnership with Birks, only to have it disolved 3 years later. Following that ill-fated partnership, Holden decided to bring his son into the business in 1879, and then allowed Henry Frost to join as Junior Partner in 1885; Adolf Frost was well respected carriage builder, and the company was soon to become "Holden and Frost". In 1910 Holden & Frost began trimming motor vehicles and in 1914 they built their first one off car body for an imported Lancia chassis. Larger contracts followed but ironically the first major contract was for Dodge bodies (a later competitor).

The Import Embaro On Complete Vehicles



By 1917 the Australian government had placed an import embargo on complete vehicles, the First World War having almost entirely involved Britain's industry, and German U Boat Captains were doing their best to ensure that very few cargo ships leaving North America reached their intended destination. These conditions, combined with the need to save valuable cargo space, restricted imports to chassis and forced local vehicle agents to look to local firms to provide the bodies. In 1919 Edward Wheeldon Holden registered "Holden's Motor Body Builders" as a separate company specialising in car bodies.

At the time they built bodies for Overland, Chevrolet, Durant, Hupmobile and Dodge, and by 1923 they were producing over 12,000 bodies per year. In 1924 "Holden's Motor Body Builders" became the sole Australian body builder for General Motors vehicles and had an output of over 22,000 bodies (over 11,000 for GM) in 65 different body styles.

Holdens and G.M. Holdens Ltd. Woodville, South Australia 1917 - August 1949

1917
-
2
-
2
-
1918
-
587
-
587
-
1919
-
1595
-
1595
 
1920
-
3077
-
3077
-
1921
-
2338
-
2338
-
1922
-
6661
-
6661
-
1923
-
11827
-
11827
-
1924
11060
11000
-
22060
Various Bodies estimated
1925
20000
12292
-
32292
Various Bodies estimated
1926
22000
14171
-
36171
Various Bodies estimated
1927
20407
13902
-
34309
-
1928
19134
15562
-
34696
-
1929
11050
6840
-
17890
-
1930
6000
3292
-
9292
-
1931
1200
451
-
1651
-
1932
2500
724
-
3224
-
1933
4500
2470
-
6970
-
1934
10914
4548
-
15462
-
1935
20345
4788
-
25133
-
1936
24054
2399
-
26453
-
1937
30276
2418
-
32694
-
1938
25211
2966
-
31177
-
1939
26751
3047
-
29798
Includes 50 Chev. Ambulances for Army
1940
19702
1559
-
21261
-
1941
11763
668
-
12436
Includes 5,177 Chev. Cab for defence
1942
5258
197
9297
14752
Includes 4,453 Chev. Old & Pontiac Sedans & Chev. Cabs for defence
1943
517
6
5534
6057
-
1944
515
-
6522
7037
-
1945
257
-
2140
2397
-
1946
9737
1000
-
10737
-
1947
18142
-
-
18142
-
1948
23565
-
-
23565
-
1949
23117
-
-
23117
8 Months
Total :
367975
130387
23493
524860
Includes 9,680 units delivered to Australian & U.S. Armies
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