Aussie Favourite |
Introduction
Prices and Values
Buying Guide
Modifications
EJ-EH Register
| The
History |
Holden
up to 1948
Holden '48 to now
Holden emblem
EJ History
EH History
EH S4 History
| Specs and Data |
EJ
Specifications
EH Specifications
Nasco Accessory
Paint Codes
Paint/Trim Options
ID Code meanings
Back
to Homepage
Holden
History and how it all started, up to 1948
The Holden tradition was started by an English immigrant James Alexander Holden, who started a leather goods business in Australia, 1857. Later the business expanded into the production of coaches and then truck bodies, by Henry James Holden the son of James Holden, after his death in 1887. The join with Frederick Hack in 1918 formed what was known as Holden Motor Body Builders. The company was building bodies for Chevrolet, Ford, Buick, Essex and Hupmobile by 1920 and was building more than 500 bodies a month by 1922.
In 1924, when production was over 20,000 units a year, Henry Holden made the biggest deal yet. The Holden Motor Body Builders would be contracted to build entire car bodies for all General Motors chassis imported into the country. The deal was ensuring at least 10,000 units per year. Two years on and Henry Holden passed away, leaving the company in the hands of his son Edward Holden. The company was producing 36,000 units per year.
General Motors set up headquarters in Melbourne, Victoria and installed assembly plants in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. By 1927 over 100,000 units per year were being sold.
But the future of the company wasn't looking too good when the depression hit Australia in the early 1930s. With the company having to deal with huge losses every day, and the future of General Motors looking bleaker, a deal had to be made. In 1932 the GM director, Graeme Howard visited to see stockpiles of unsold cars, which would probably never be sold. GM had no other assets to keep itself afloat, whereas the Holden assets included buildings, land and production equipment.
Graeme. Howard and the now Sir Edward Holden agreed that the merge of both companies would enable them to pool resources and survive the low car sales. Vehicle prices dropped and by 1934 sales slowly but steadily increased and when the second World War came about, the economic recovery was complete. The new company, GMH, concentrated on building armaments engines and ships at Fishermen's Bend, Melbourne. When the end of the war came about General Motors Holden had already been considering plans for the first all Australian car. The car would go under the name of it's founder, Holden.
Designers had to design a car which could be used in Australian environments. It had to have enough power and be able to handle the harsh road and bush conditions. "Project 320" was underway, with some assistance of United States engineers and BHP steel.
Production was complete. Australia's first locally produced car was known as the 48-215, but we all know it as the FX Holden. Prototypes were released in 1946, but there were still problems with it. The car went under the biggest stress test to help further develop the design, which was almost going to be thrown out. Finally testing finished and the prototype became a production car. The first 48-215 rolled off the line on the 29th of November 1948. The release of Australia's first car was made by the then Prime Minister JB Chifley. The car was a perfect success and the production created many jobs for Australian people.
Holden 1948 to now, an overview
Australians took the Holden 48/215 - popularly known as the FX - immediately to their hearts, and demand was so strong that waiting lists stretched through 1949 and beyond. With the release of the evolutionary and now-iconic FJ model in 1953, the love affair deepened. These Holdens could cruise smoothly and effortlessly on the speed limit and return brilliant fuel economy figures. Low maintenance, ruggedly reliable and comfortably accommodating, they met the demands of a unique driving environment and represented unbeatable value for money.
The company's great growth period was in the 1950s and 1960s, when it captured more than 50 percent of the market, achieved a sales record of 19,000 Holden cars in one month, and exported cars and components to more than 50 overseas destinations. This winning formula - and its spirit endures to this day - was applied with increasing sophistication to successive models. It represented a genuine response to the voice of the customer and resulted in a domination of the sales charts that endured for almost 30 years.
Exponentially, the Holden brand assumed a unique character and stature, quintessentially Australian, signifying strength and leadership. The car-building division entered the 1990's as General-Motors-Holden's Automotive Limited (GMHA) This followed major restructuring which commenced in December 1986 when General Motors-Holden's was divided into two companies: Holden's Motor Company (HMC) and Holden's Engine Company (HEC). HEC was fully reintegrated into Holden's manufacturing operations in 1996. In November 1994 General Motors-Holden's Automotive Limited unveiled its new corporate identity.
This saw the company move to the use of one name - Holden - in the market place, and a new Lion badge. As of 1998, Holden's registered name also changed from General Motors-Holden's Automotive Limited to Holden Ltd. There are now more Holden cars on Australian roads than any other model, with the vast majority of full-sized family Holdens having claimed the title of Australia's most popular car - and the all-new VT Commodore is no exception.
Today, Holden is recognised as the General Motors engineering and design headquarters for the Asia Pacific Region and locally manufactures Commodore sedans, wagons and utilities plus the long-wheelbase Statesman and Caprice saloons. Holden also imports General Motor's products Astra, Barina, Combo and Vectra from Europe. These models are re-engineered by Holden for Australian conditions with Vectra beginning local production in 1998.
The Holden Japanese-sourced commercial vehicle range includes Frontera, Jackaroo, Monterey and Rodeo while the Holden Suburban is sourced from America. These models are marketed through Isuzu-General Motors Australia (IGM), a joint venture company founded in 1989. Holden's Engine Operations manufactures 3.8 V6 ECOTEC, V6 Supercharged and V8 engines for Holden's local cars. Four-cylinder Family II engines, including 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2-litre versions are manufactured predominantly for export markets.
Holden is Australia's largest exporter of manufactured automotive components and, in 1998, will export its three millionth Family II engine since 1981.
History of the Holden
emblem
The story of the Holden symbol The first Holden emblem was a life-size wooden horse which stood above the entrance of the Holden & Frost Saddlery works in Adelaide. As an emblem, the Holden Lion relates to the time when the general practice by coachbuilders was to have their name or trademark engraved on the door sill or on a large plate fastened to the instrument panel. In the USA, Fisher Body had a neat, embossed replica of its coach trademark attached to the lower part of the cowl.
At this time Holden's Motor Body Builders was using a large engraved brass plate, the foreground of which was a figure representing industry with a background of factory buildings. This design was far too detailed for the embossed treatment on a small plate. A new emblem was needed. A Wembly Lion' medallion was chosen, depicting an Egyptian lion, the symbol of the ' Wembly Exhibition which was held in London in 1924. (Egyptian antiquity heavily influenced fashion themes of the day from clothes and furniture to films and songs.) According to fable, the principle of the wheel was suggested to primitive man when observing a lion rolling a stone.
Several sketches were made and it was decided to go ahead with the design. George Rayner Hoff, one of Australia's leading sculptors, was commissioned to develop the design in the solid. From a plaster model, small metal replicas were produced for nameplates. These were affixed to all bodies built from 1928 to 1939 on the lower near side of the cowl in a similar manner to Fisher. The design was also adopted as a trademark in all Holden advertising. The Holden Lion also became the emblem for the first Australian GM car, the Holden. Although updated, in 1972 and again in 1994 this symbol is still used on all Holden cars.
I shall start here with the car that actually paved the way for the EH, and really did help it become the success that it was and is. Holden owners should have viewed the arrival of Ford's Falcon with a little less scorn, for without it they would have waited much longer for a vehicle that would create such intense public interest. The EJ Holden was released in July 31st 1962 and in it's own right, sold nearly as many cars per day as the EH. The EJ was compact, yet had space for six adults, and luggage. It looked good, handled exceptionally well compared to previous models, except the brakes were overlooked in the revamping of mechanical items.
It was a car that introduced us to a new Holden. The "Premier" model which had a leather interior and metallic paint available. Other features included a Hydramatic auto transmission, a handbrake warning light, hood ornament and twin horns. The EJ retained the 138ci "Grey" motor, and the suspension set up from previous models. The panelvan and utility were released in January 1963, and their rear tail lights, which were based on the sedan, were carried through to the next model to save tooling costs. The EJ was a lower, sleeker and faster Holden than those previous, and it was good (love that panoramic rear screen). Cost of the EJ was $2102 for a Standard sedan, and a total of 154,811 units were built and sold up until August 1963
Here is some original brochure reading material, and pictures for you to look at. They show you the original style of advertising that captured the successful number of sales that Holden endured in the mid-sixties. I must thank Byron for all of his hard work in supplying all of the information and pics in this format.
For more technical info go to the EJ Specifications.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EH History
Released 26th August 1963.
The exhaustive testing that was carried out on these models at Holden's
Lang Lang test ground covered more than a million miles. This paid off,
as the Holden was coming to be known as a very reliable, yet easy to
repair should the need be. Based on the EJ the EH had a much more powerful
engine and clever styling changes. There was a wave of public interest
before the release of this new model, which also contributed to its
success. Central to the new model's appeal were its styling updates,
and the new "Red" motor. This new motor was stronger, smoother, more
economical and more powerful. There was the 149ci at 95 bhp and the
179ci at 115 bhp, which was initially only available with the automatic
transmission. This showed an increase in power of over 50% in the 179ci
motor over the old "Grey" (one of the reasons the public wasn't ready
for a 179ci manual?) The 179 manual option was not available until April
1964.
Other new models were also introduced. They were the Premier wagon,
and the limited edition S4 model. The S4 was introduced in September
1963. It was basically a 179ci manual Special sedan with some changes to gearbox (slightly stronger 179 manual box as fitted to all EH's from early 64 up to HK), larger fuel tank, metal lined
brake shoes with a quick change setup, a larger tailshaft, changes to carburetor jet and float level, Michelin tyres, slightly larger tool kit, and that was about it. Only 126 of
these limited models were made, and some were used for racing by people
like Dick Johnson and Norm Beechy at speeds up to 110mph!
Power steering
was fitted to some EH models, but with units numbering only in the low
thousands fitted, they are rare, and some spares non-existent. These power steering units were fitted to The EJ model, and the only significant difference was the bracket for the pump was to suit a grey motor.
The EH
was still the same price as the EJ being $2102, and a total of 256,959
units were built and sold up until early February 1965.
For more technical info go to the EH Specifications.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EH S4 Holden History
Members of the EH Car Club and the EJ-EH Owners and Drivers Club of NSW held a combined club run to Mt Panorama at Bathurst earlier this year. Apart from providing a great day out, it served as a pilgrimage to the world famous motor racing circuit to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Holden's first serious entry at Bathurst in October 1963.
Cars from the two clubs - predominantly EHs of course - formed up on the starting grid and did several laps of the circuit which, apart from the addition of the chase near the end of Conrod Straight, is the same layout as the first EH encountered in 1963. Members also visited the Mt Panorama Motor Racing Museum located at the track adjacent to Murray's corner leading on to Pit straight. Apart from video movies and still photography from past years there is also an excellent collection of real and replica racecars especially from the `60s and `70s.
THE RACE
The 'Great Race' as it is known today, began as the 'Armstrong 500' for stock standard sedans at Philip Island in November 1960. Back then, the race was for locally manufactured or assembled cars only, imports were not eligible. It was held at this circuit for the first three years until changing its venue to Bathurst and its date to the October long weekend for 1963. Whilst one EK was entered in 1961, and a lone EJ for 1962, the old 'Grey-Motored' early models couldn't keep pace with the competition in those years. But 1963 was altogether different, with the new 179 'Red-Motored' EH 'S4'. The Scuderia Veloce entry of Brian Muir and Spencer Martin was the fastest qualifier for that year (Holden's first), edging out the more nimble factory team of Cortina GTs. In the early days of the Great Race, cars were classified in groups according to their retail price and were started off the grid in these groups; hence there was no `Pole Position' or 'Outright Winner' as such. The Muir car dropped a tail shaft and eventually finished ninth. However, a private entry at the hands of Morgan and Sachs claimed second.
THE S4
The EH 225 179M-S4, to give it its official title, was Holden's first 'toe in the water' exercise into production racing. Many myths exist about Holden's first 'Sports car'.
There were no disc brakes, wide wheels, suspension mods, multiple carburettors or floor shifts. When the EH series was first released, the previous US 'Grey Motor' (or `Sideplater') was replaced by the new 149ci and 179ci 'Red Motors'. The larger 179 was available only with GM's Hydra-Matic automatic. Holden's 3-speed manual box, basically unchanged from the EJ, wasn't up to the task. There was, however an upgraded gearbox in the planning stages and the S4 was used to trial the new stronger gearbox. It was still very similar to the old box, having the same ratios and synchromesh only on second and third gears. The clutch was increased in diameter, as was the tail-shaft.
Aside from slight carburettor alterations (to suit the manual drive-train) and the removal of the transmission cooler from the radiator the S4's engine was standard issue 179. The only other modifications to the cars worthy of note were the upgrading of the brake shoe retaining springs, the enlarging of the fuel tank from 9 to 12 gallons and the addition of a PBR VH24 vacuum booster to the brakes. This would make the EH S4 officially the first Holden with power brakes as standard equipment. A manual version of the 179 was made available across the entire EH range in early 1964 utilising the new `box, clutch and tail-shaft, but without the brake mods and the bigger tank.
One interesting S4 item was the more comprehensive tool kit. This was brought about by one of the Armstrong race rules, which stipulated that all work on the car, for the first half of the race was to be carried out only by the driver and using only the tools provided in the car's tool kit. This applied whether the car broke down around the track or actually in the pits.
Research into some of these cars has shown that a certain amount of factory 'blueprinting' was carried out. Greater than usual care was taken with sizing and assembly of many components. Cylinder heads were chosen for their more even casting in the port and combustion chamber area, so as to have the same size for each cylinder and to be closest to the maximum available compression ratio. Blocks, pistons, conrods and crankshafts were also picked for matching machining, weights and sizes. Suspension components came in for similar treatment, all springs, coils and leaves were chosen at the maximum end of factory tolerance, and front control arms and uprights were precisely measured to attain the desired alignment specs, once again at the required end of the factory tolerance.
GMH only built around 120 S4s, to cover the racing requirement for proof of a minimum of 100 identical vehicles sold and registered to the public, making them reasonably scarce these days. Apart from the six units made in Melbourne, there were exactly 120 S4s manufactured at GMH's Pagewood plant in Sydney, with sequential engine numbers starting at M14000. The only other identifying numbering is 'S4' stamped on the firewall body plate. This stamping alone however does not make an S4. I have found other EHs with S4, S9, and S12 etc stamped on the body plate referring to various option packs suited for taxis, police cars, fleet vehicles, etc. If you are trying to verify the authenticity of an S4 check for all the equipment and all the numbers or better still join an EH car club. Some EH clubs have members with a wealth of knowledge on these cars.
Reprinted from Australian Classic Car Magazine December 2003. Article written by Terry Bebbington
|
EH Holden Car
Club of Victoria Inc. |
Email:
ehccv@ehholden.com.au © 2000 EH Holden Car Club Vic. Inc. |