Holden began as a saddlery business in Sydney, but it wasn't until 1913 that it came close to the internal combustion engine when the company began to produce complete motorcycle sidecar bodies. . . .all you need to know. about Holden.
That led, a year later, to the production of the first complete custom-made car body.
In 1917, it commenced large-scale production of car bodies. The successful reception of this resulted in the formation of Holden Motor Body Builders (HMBB).
Six years later, HMMB boasted the most modern production line in Australia, becoming the sole local body supplier for GM vehicles in Australia. In 1925, the first closed body car ran down the line, and that same year the company achieved the status of being the largest car body building operation outside Europe and North America. In 1926, General Motors Australia (GMA) was formed, and five years later the two companies merged.
In 1934, the first coupe-utility, or pickup, was produced, laying down what was to become an Australian iconic form of vehicle. During the second Word War, GM Holden produced engines for automotive, air and marine applications. At the end of the war, it responded to an Australian Federal Government invitation to produce an Australian car, which was subsequently launched in 1948 as the 48-215.
The 100,000th Holden was produced in 1954, an FX model, and two years later the total production had run to 250,000, with the milestone model being an FJ. An FE Station Wagon followed the next year, the same one in which the company produced its millionth body.
In 1958 the 500,000th Holden, an FC, was produced, and just four years later the millionth.
Seat belts were fitted on all Holdens in 1966, and in 1967 the company produced its first small car, the Torano. The first Australian sports coupe, the HK Monaro, was rolled out in 1968, and the name is still in use today. In 1969, Holden showed the first Australian-made V8 in the Holden Hurricane experimental car. That same year, the company built its two millionth car. The 3 millionth was achieved in 1973.
The first Holden Commodore, a V8, was launched in 1978, and in 1981, one of those same cars became the 4 millionth. In 1995, a new 3.8-litre ECOTEC V6 engine made its appearance, and in 1997, a brand new VT Commodore won Australian Car of the Year.
Since then, Holden's Commodore has retained the title of Australia's best-selling car, and a hybrid concept version, the ECOCommodore has been unveiled. The long-standing relationship with Opel is increasingly reflected by the introduction of locally-built Vectra and Zafire models.
Best Car: Commodore
Worst Car: Some early versions of what locals call "code-share" models with Opel aren't well considered.
Weirdest Car: Nobody would notice.