48/215 (FX)
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. | FJ
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! | FE
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") |
FC
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 | FB
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 | EK
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. |
EJ
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 | EH
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. | EH Premier Sedan and Wagon
1963 - 1965
The Premier sedan had a top speed of 96 miles per hour, and the wagon was a little slower at 91.8 m.p.h. Zero to 50 m.p.h. would come up in 9.9 sec. and 10.2 sec. respectively. Those figures were mighty impressive in 1963, and put it into the same league as the Valiants |
EF
1965
The original design of the EJ Holden was deemed so dated by Detroit HQ that a major re-work was made, and more attention paid to what the "locals" were desiging. Had that original EJ design made it through untouched, the EF Holden may have become a reality | HD
1965 - 1966
Dubbed 'Holden's Disaster', this model was considered the ugly duckling after the public's acceptance of the EH's shape. | HR
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. |
HR 186S
1966 - 1968
The 186S in “Special” trim had none of the glamor gear of the Falcon GT. There was no tacho, although there were some additional instruments - not beautifully jazzed-up by Stewart Warner and styled into a luxury console as on the Falcon. There were no special seats, accessories or dress-up items. Closer to basics there was no V8 engine, and the gear ratios were not sorted by an engineer with a relief map of Mount Panorama as a starting point |
