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Holden History

Holden History

Holden first started off as an independent car manufacturer named “Holden’s Motor Body Builders Ltd”, but was bought over by General Motors in 1931 and henceforth became known as General Motors Holden, or GM Holden. After the end of World War II, the Australian government persuaded General Motors to build “Australia’s own car” in an attempt to encourage an Australian automotive industry. The result was the Holden 48/215 which debuted in 1948. Although not particularly stylish or mechanically sophisticated, it was rugged, simple, more powerful than most competitors, as well as offered fuel economy and reasonable performance in an affordable package. Add to that the fact that it was more suited to the Australian road conditions compared to other imported cars, the 48/125 quickly became Australia’s best selling car. In spite of the arrival of competitors in the 1960s, Holden’s locally produced large six and eight-cylinder cars, such as the Kingswood and Torana, have retained their spot as Australia’s top selling vehicle for most of that time.

From the late 1980s to mid 1990s, a plan to restructure the local motor industry by having local manufacturers share models was introduced by the Australian government. Some of the cars which Holden rebadged included the Nissan Pulsar (as an Holden Astra), the Toyota Corolla (as the Holden Nova) and the Toyota Camry (as the Holden Apollo). However, this proved to be unpopular with buyers. Subsequently, Holden replaced the Toyota based Nova and Apollo, as well as the Suzuki Swift based Barina, with Opel models instead.

Besides the main production arm, Holden also has its own performance vehicle operation named Holden Special Vehicles. Also known as HSV, it sells extensively modified, high performance Commodore variants, including the Monaro and the Statesman.

Popular Holden Cars

Popular Holden Cars

Through the decades, Holden has produced many different models of cars. Here are some of the most popular models.

• Barina : First launched in 1985 as a rebadged version of the Suzuki Swift, the Holden Barina is a small, zippy 1.4 litre supermini-sized car. In 1993, Holden started sourcing its Barina from General Motors’ Spanish factory. These cars were exactly the same as the Opel Corsa B. The Opel sourced Barina was finally dropped in December 2005, and Holden rebadged the Daewoo Kalos hatchwood as the new TK Holden Barina. Although the Barina is a small car, it incorporates the latest engineering advancements to ensure a responsive and lively drive, as well as a lot of manoeuvrability for easy parking. Safety is also not compromised. Every Barina comes standard with safety features such as drivers and front passenger airbags, strengthened front seats, a pedal release system, front and rear crumple zones, front seat belt force limiters, side impact protection beams and brake assist.

• Astra : A compact car sold by General Motors Holden, the Astra is loved for it confident road hugging stance, distinctive line and dynamic 1.8 litre engine which takes driving small cars to a new level. The LB and LC series Astras, produced between 1984 and 1989, were actually rebadged Nissan Pulsars that were manufactured and sold only in Australia. In 1987, the Astra went through a model change as with the Pulsar. Known as the LD Astra, this model was produced until 1989 when Holden replaced the Astra with a rebadged Toyota Corolla. Other Astra models included the TR (imported version of the Opel Astra A) and the TS (Opel Astra B/G range). The AH Astra (Astra C or Astra H) 5 door started selling in Australia from December 2004, together with the Polish manufactured Astra B/G which was named Astra Classic. In late 2005, the Astra Classic was dropped from production and replaced by the new Holden Viva, a rebadged Daewoo Lacetti.

• Commodore : The Holden Commodore is currently one of Australia’s top selling passenger car. When the Commodore was first launched in October 1978, it was a Holden unlike any of the 17 new family Holdens that came before it and was the most sophisticated and advanced passenger car ever produced in Australia. The VB Commodore, which combined a General Motors German body design with Australian mechanical components, started off an internationalisation process at Holden that today sees the company playing an increasingly important role on the General Motors global stage. In total, 11 different models have carried the Commodore name tag. They are the VB (1978), VH (1981), VK (1984), VL (1986), VN (1988), VP (1991), VR (1993), VS (1995), VT (1997) and the VZ (2004). To date, the VT Commodore still remains the best selling Holden Commodore.

• Ute : The ute (short for coupe utility), a vehicle based on a sedan equivalent and has a load bed integral with the cabin, first started gaining popularity in the mid 1930s when several manufacturers made their own versions. At that time, although General Motors Holden built coupe ute bodies for other manufacturers such as Chevrolet, Vauxhall and Bedford, it was until 1951 that the first Holden Ute appeared. Right from the start, Holden got the formula right. Not only did it look good, it was also versatile, durable, and affordable. Today, more than 50 years later, the Holden Ute has evolved from workhorse to thoroughbred, from tradesman’s transport to sports machine. However one thing is certain, the Holden Ute reputation for performance, practicality and handling has made it a genuine Australian automotive icon and it is here to stay.

• Statesman : The Holden Statesman is a full size luxury automobile that started production in 1971. However, production ceased in 1984 and it wasn’t until 1990 that Holden started producing the model again. The Statesman was originally a replacement for the Holden Brougham and was based on a long-wheelbase version of the Holden Kingswood HQ series. Models included the HJ series (1974), HX series (1976) and HZ series (1977). The final Statesman of this era was the WB of 1980. Mid-term ‘Series II’ revisions came in 1983 before the model was discontinued in 1984. This was to be the last Holden that did not have some Opel R&D influences. In 1990, demand for a full size luxury sedan in Australia was high and Holden decided to resurrect the Statesman on a long-wheelbase version of its Holden Commodore. Models after that included the VQ series (1990), VR series (1994), VS series (1995) and the WH series (1999). As of 2005, the Holden Statesman is the largest rear wheel drive sedan offered by General Motors and sold as a Holden, Chevrolet, Daewoo and Buick in different markets. It is also very popular as a chauffeured car, especially by Federal and State governments.

• Monaro : When the first striking new HK model Monaro first made its debut in July 1968, it was the first Australian muscle car to be fully designed and built in Australia. Holden described it as “…the biggest step we have taken since the manufacture of the first Holden in 1948”. The first Holden Monaro offered buyers a choice of at least 19 engine and transmission combinations. As the Monaro met with unprecedented success in races and rallies, its street credibility was boosted and drivers scrambled to tap into the excitement. The Monaro sports car was a charismatic vehicle that had rakish good looks as well as the Holden trademark of toughness and durability. During its 11 year reign as one of the top Australian muscle car back in the late 1960s and 1970s, it went through a variety of model changes including the HQ Monaro, HX Monaro and the HZ GTS (also known as the Monaro GTS sedan). In 2001, Holden resurrected the model with the V2 series Monaro, consisting of the Monaro CV6 and Monaro CV8. This was followed by the Monaro series II in 2003 and the series III in 2004. Soon after the Monaro series 1 edition, a Holden Special Vehicle (HSV) version was released in GTO and GTS models. In August 2005, 1200 Monaro CV8-Z were produced, after which production of the Monaro ceased.

Find Holden Cars on eBay Australia

Find Holden Cars on eBay Australia

Once you have decided on which Monaro you want, go to the Cars, Bikes & Boats portal. Click Holden under Cars and start searching for item listings on eBay Australia.

• Cars Finder: Use the Cars Finder to help narrow down your choices by manufacturer, model, type, kilometres and year of manufacture.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Barina, Commodore, HSV, Monaro, Torana and more.

• Keyword Search: Search eBay Australia listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find Barinas, type “barina” (without the quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay Australia's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Australia Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay Australia will email you when a match becomes available.

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Legal Disclaimer

Legal Disclaimer

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