Extra Holdens you will have forgotten

Just a few years in the past now, we checked out 10 of probably the most obscure Holdens. We had been simply scratching the floor.

Basic Motors’ Australian model had a popularity for importing automobiles for a single technology – working example, the rebadged Isuzu Piazza, Opel Tigra and Chevrolet Volt coated in that article.

It additionally was recognized for creating homegrown obscurities of its personal, just like the One Tonner Cross6 and Brougham.

Listed here are 5 extra automobiles from the model’s 72-year historical past that had been both short-lived or business flops – or each.

HQ Statesman Customized

There was as soon as a handbook Statesman, however this was no HDT/HSV-fettled sports activities sedan.

The primary Statesman, the HQ, debuted in 1971. It changed the Brougham, a slightly half-arsed try at a flagship Holden sedan that sarcastically had extra of an arse. Holden merely took the Premier and gave it an extended rear overhang, with out rising wheelbase size and even altering the front-end styling.

The Statesman – not the Holden Statesman, I ought to add, as Basic Motors-Holden marketed it as its personal marque – was launched in Customized and de Ville guise.

Customized was truly the identify given to the bottom Ford Fairlane, which the Statesman had been developed to sort out head-on.

Although the Brougham had been supplied completely with an automated transmission, Holden supplied the bottom Statesman with a column-mounted three-speed handbook transmission, also referred to as a 3 on the tree.

It wasn’t fully unorthodox, because the rival ZF Fairlane additionally supplied a three-speed handbook in base Customized guise.

The Customized was obtainable with each 202 cubic-inch (3.3-litre) six-cylinder and 253 cubic-inch (4.1-litre) V8 engines, and each of those may very well be had with the three-speed handbook.

You can go for a floor-mounted four-speed handbook, or a three-speed automated transmission. The latter may very well be had both with a column shifter, or located on a floor-mounted console coupled with entrance bucket seats that changed the usual bench.

Recirculating ball steering was commonplace, although you might go for the variable-ratio energy steering that got here commonplace within the flossier de Ville.

The Statesman Customized may even be had with a 350 cubic-inch (5.7-litre) V8 engine, nonetheless this got here completely mated with a three-speed automated.

Within the Statesman, the Customized trim meant vinyl seats and a entrance bench, with non-compulsory Raydo nylon weave fabric inserts; the de Ville additionally got here commonplace with vinyl, however you might no less than go for fabric, whereas bucket seats had been commonplace.

The de Ville was additionally distinguished by its commonplace vinyl roof – an was possibility on the Customized.

The three-pedal Statesman and Fairlane Customized fashions expired across the similar time. The Fairlane handbook was dropped with the 1973 ZG replace, and with the HJ Statesman of 1974, Holden retired the bottom Customized and as a substitute added a brand new, top-spec Caprice.

The Statesman would by no means be supplied once more with a handbook transmission, even when HSV got here alongside to take a crack at it.

Gemini diesel and ZZ/Z

Diesel-powered small vehicles had grow to be pretty frequent in Europe by the Nineteen Eighties, however in Australia they had been exceedingly uncommon.

Volkswagen supplied a diesel-powered Golf, however in any other case oil burners had been the area of four-wheel drives and business automobiles.

Holden by no means noticed a distinct segment promote it didn’t need to enter no less than as soon as, although, so alongside got here a diesel-powered Gemini in 1981.

Beneath the bonnet was a naturally aspirated, overhead cam 1.8-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that was doing obligation within the Holden Gemini’s Japanese-market cousin, the Isuzu Gemini.

Launched in Japan in 1980, this produced simply 40kW of energy and 105Nm of torque, and was mated completely with a five-speed handbook transmission.

Holden supplied it in only one extremely specified SL/X sedan variant, with the diesel carrying a $1000 premium over the usual 1.6-litre petrol. However it nonetheless massively undercut the Golf diesel, with Volkswagen asking for an additional $3000 or so over the worth of the Holden.

The corporate claimed freeway gas financial system was simply 5L/100km and metropolis gas financial system 7L/100km – enhancements of 1.5L/100km and a pair of.5L/100km, respectively, over the petrol.

It was lavatory sluggish, although. Up to date opinions revealed 0-100km/h instances of round 24 seconds, round 10 seconds slower than a petroleum mannequin – blame not solely the decrease outputs of the diesel engine, but in addition the 172kg improve in weight.

The Gemini diesel by no means actually spurred rival manufacturers to supply oilers of their very own, and petrol costs would come down through the Nineteen Eighties because the OPEC oil crises grew to become distant recollections. The small automotive phase finally noticed a significant variety of diesel contenders right here within the 2000s, however this diesel increase was adopted by a bust.

The TE replace of 1979 had introduced extra squared-off styling to the Gemini that was slightly Commodore-like, although the wagons had carryover sheetmetal behind the A-pillar. The coupe additionally obtained extra squared-off styling, however Australia would by no means see it.

There can be two extra updates of the rear-wheel drive Gemini, which by the the Nineteen Eighties was exhibiting its age – the mannequin had debuted in 1975, although its world GM T-Automobile underpinnings dated additional again to 1973.

There was a minor facelift, referred to as the TF, in 1982, adopted by one other – the TG – in 1983. With every replace, the Gemini appeared increasingly more just like the bigger Commodore, right down to the ribbed tail lights, however gross sales continued to say no as extra fashionable front-wheel drive rivals just like the Ford Laser rose in recognition.

The diesel, which continued to be supplied, was sluggish and smelly, however absolutely this spicy-looking mannequin TG variant was extra thrilling? Nicely, it was quicker, however it was no quicker than common Geminis.

A sporty-looking (however equally no extra highly effective) model of the modern Camira referred to as the SJ, which borrowed a reputation from Pontiac who in flip borrowed from Duesenberg, was mockingly referred to by some because the “Standing Joke”. That was a little bit of a stretch, however with this tarted-up Gemini’s moniker, Holden left the door huge open to mockery.

It was referred to as the ZZ/Z. Sure, like a sleeping caricature character.

What makes this all of the extra galling was the actual fact the Japanese-market Isuzu Gemini was supplied in an array of ZZ-badged variants that packed a fuel-injected 1.8-litre 4.

Not the Holden. It used the identical carbureted 1.6-litre 4 with 49kW of energy and 106Nm of torque as lesser Geminis. That meant the varied add-ons – distinctive entrance and rear spoilers, alloy wheels, a tachometer, and fender-mounted ‘wind splitters’ – had been writing cheques the automotive’s efficiency simply couldn’t money.

It wasn’t round for lengthy. Holden shuttered its Acacia Ridge plant in Queensland in 1984, and with it went the rear-wheel drive Gemini. As for its short-lived alternative, that’s a narrative for an additional day.

Barina Cabriolet

With the folding metallic hardtop convertible craze of the 2000s, manufacturers reminiscent of Mitsubishi and Peugeot all launched droptop variations of their gentle hatchbacks. Rewind to the late Nineteen Nineties, nonetheless, and there was no exercise on this phase in Australia.

You can step as much as a Peugeot 306 or Volkswagen Golf convertible, although, or actually step as much as a high-riding Suzuki Vitara. However if you happen to wished one thing Barina-sized, you had been out of luck.

Holden noticed a possibility right here.

From November 1997 till late 2000, it imported three-door Barina hatchbacks from Spain and had HSV convert them to convertibles in Melbourne.

Again in Europe and the UK, the Opel and Vauxhall Corsa – because the Barina was recognized there – additionally obtained a limited-run cabriolet model with an nearly an identical roof design; reportedly simply 100 Vauxhall Corsa Cabriolets had been bought within the UK.

The Australian-market Barina Cabrio was priced from $19,990 earlier than on-road prices with a five-speed handbook, the identical as the most affordable Vitara convertible, or $21,580 earlier than on-roads with the non-compulsory four-speed auto.

That was $5500 greater than the entry-level Barina Metropolis hatch, although the Cabrio did no less than include body-coloured bumpers, an immobiliser and energy steering as commonplace.

Launched shortly after a mid-life replace for the SB Barina, it got here with the identical 60kW/114Nm naturally aspirated 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine; Holden had mercifully axed the gutless 1.2-litre base engine with the replace.

Barina Cabrio promoting closely focused younger feminine patrons, with one advert seeing an animated feminine protagonist use her automotive to repair her hair.

Up to date opinions discovered physique rigidity didn’t endure following the lack of the Barina’s roof, thanks largely to a ‘basket deal with’ rollbar. Whereas that was a good suggestion from a security standpoint, it meant aesthetically the Barina Cabriolet was slightly awkward; the cheapo trying delicate high didn’t assist issues right here, both.

It was a disgrace because the donor automotive was one of the enticing automobiles in its phase within the Nineteen Nineties.

Holden bought 11 in 1997, rising to 294 models in its first full 12 months on sale. However gross sales dropped to 152 in 1999 after which 123 in 2000, earlier than the Barina Cabriolet was dropped.

It was retired earlier than the brand new XC Barina launched in 2001. Nevertheless, this subsequent technology of Barina/Corsa spawned a folding hardtop convertible spinoff, the Tigra, which was constructed by Heuliez and exported to markets like ours.

The cabriolet is nearly definitely the rarest physique model of this technology of SB Barina/Corsa B.

The Barina/Corsa was additionally supplied in markets like Latin America and China underneath the Chevrolet and Buick manufacturers, and spawned four-door sedan, five-door wagon and even two-door ute physique kinds, with manufacturing lastly ending in 2016 with the demise of the Brazilian Chevrolet Basic sedan.

Suburban

Basic Motors is launching the full-size GMC Yukon Denali SUV in Australia throughout 2025, however this received’t be the primary time it has fielded an enormous American SUV right here.

The GMC Yukon and Yukon XL are intently associated to the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, and it was the latter that Holden selected to import right here again in 1998.

On the time, the Tahoe/Yukon weren’t supplied with a 3rd row of seating, which maybe explains why Holden introduced the jumbo-sized Suburban right here.

At 5575mm lengthy and 1948mm huge on a 3340mm wheelbase, the Suburban was 685mm longer (if solely 8mm wider) on a 490mm longer wheelbase than a 100-series LandCruiser. At 2540kg (kerb), it was additionally round 180kg heavier than a LandCruiser GXL.

Holden was properly conscious of how huge the Suburban was, giving its press fleet automobiles quantity plates that included the phrase ‘HUGE’.

Sourced from Mexico, the Suburban was supplied right here in 1500 and heavier-duty 2500 guise – each with base, LS and LT trim ranges. Solely the LT had a traditional upward swinging tailgate, with the others that includes barn doorways.

The 1500 had a naturally aspirated 5.7-litre Vortec petrol V8 producing 190kW and 447Nm, whereas the 2500 was supplied completely with a 6.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 with 145kW and 583Nm.

Each used a four-speed automated transmission, however the 2500 used a special unit referred to as the 4L-80E. It additionally featured beefier brakes and heavy-duty suspension, plus the next experience peak and a wider monitor.

Braked towing capability was additionally bumped up from 2720kg to 3400kg, whereas the 2500’s gross automobile mass (GVM) was 3900kg – up from 3311kg.

All fashions featured a dwell rear axle with leaf springs, plus a rear limited-slip differential and shift-on-the-fly part-time four-wheel drive with selectable low-range gearing. No locking differentials had been supplied.

Holden mentioned it carried out native tuning of the Suburban, and fitted it with distinctive Bilstein gasoline shock absorbers. However this nonetheless had the soft, comfy experience, spongy brake pedal and imprecise steering you’ll anticipate of a jumbo American truck, although critics praised the graceful, easy powertrain.

The third row seated three occupants and was detachable, although it was saddled with lap belts. It wasn’t the one disappointing security lapse. Twin airbags had been turning into more and more frequent within the late Nineteen Nineties, however the Suburban solely had a driver’s airbag.

All up, the Suburban had seating for eight in most variants, with the bottom petrol and diesel and diesel LS swapping the entrance bucket seats for an additional bench and bumping seating capability as much as 9.

As with nearly all North American GM merchandise from the mid-Nineteen Nineties, the Suburban had a cheap-looking, plasticky inside. Although it was inbuilt right-hand drive on the manufacturing unit and never transformed later, modern opinions nonetheless spoke of trim gaps and rattles.

There have been additionally some issues that weren’t modified with the conversion, like third-row entry being from the motive force’s facet and never the kerb facet, the motive force doing and not using a footrest, and a centre console opening the “unsuitable” means.

Launched in 1998, the Suburban was extraordinarily short-lived. The axe fell in 2000, and simply 746 had been bought throughout its temporary run right here.

Whereas these paltry gross sales figures would look like the reason for the Suburban’s demise, this GMT-400 technology had been launched in North America all the way in which again in 1991, derived from a pickup truck launched in 1987.

A alternative GMT-800 technology was launched in North America in 2000, however it and its shut relations – the Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV – would all be constructed completely in left-hand drive.

Epica 2.0 handbook

I do know that photograph of the Holden Epica put you to sleep, however get up!

You could be considering there’s absolutely nothing attention-grabbing about this blandly styled, Korean-built mid-sized Holden, proper? It was a automotive tailored for witness safety, with a ClipArt design that makes it appear to be a generic automobile in a Yellow Pages advert (bear in mind these?).

Peek underneath the bonnet, nonetheless, and there’s one factor – maybe the one factor – attention-grabbing about it: the inline six-cylinder engine developed in collaboration with Porsche.

Sure, that’s proper: an inline six, transversely mounted in a front-wheel drive automotive – removed from a standard configuration.

Within the 2000s, Holden determined to drop a few of its fashions sourced from Opel in favour of Korean fashions it may promote cheaper – the XC Barina, a critically acclaimed rebadged Opel Corsa, for instance, made means for a rebadged Daewoo Kalos referred to as the TK Barina.

This trio of Korean rebadges additionally included the Viva hatch, sedan and wagon, a rebadged Daewoo Lacetti slotting in underneath the Astra as a extra inexpensive mannequin; and the Epica, a mid-sized sedan bought in Korea because the Daewoo Tosca, which changed the Vectra.

Vectra gross sales had trailed off from their late Nineteen Nineties heights, and regardless of value cuts they didn’t recuperate. Continued value cuts clearly weren’t going to be sustainable, so Holden as a substitute dropped it in 2006, with the Epica arriving in 2007.

At launch, the CDX handbook opened the vary at $25,990 earlier than on-road prices. That was a whopping $9000 lower than the bottom value of the ZC Vectra vary when it had debuted in 2003.

However the place the Vectra had been designed to focus on the likes of Volkswagens, the European Ford Mondeo, and even premium-brand entries from Germany, the Epica – as with the remainder of the Korean Holdens – aspired to adequacy.

The Epica was pitched immediately on the Toyota Camry, however unusually it launched with a pair of double overhead cam inline sixes. This was a phase the place four-cylinder petrol engines dominated, and if you happen to had been fortunate there was a petroleum V6 or a turbo-diesel 4.

These engines had been developed at Daewoo underneath its then-chief engineer Ulrich Bez, previously of BMW and later the CEO of Aston Martin. Designed for the Epica/Tosca’s predecessor, the Magnus, Porsche engineers had been introduced in to seek the advice of.

The bottom 2.0-litre produced 105kW of energy and 195Nm of torque, mated with a five-speed handbook, whereas the two.5-litre bumped these outputs as much as 115kW/237Nm and got here completely with a five-speed automated sourced from Aisin.

However whereas Holden did some native tuning, it got here late to the Epica program. The automotive itself was an evolution of the Daewoo Leganza-replacing Magnus, which entered manufacturing in 2000, so it was a retrograde (if cheaper) step from the Vectra.

Surprisingly, claimed gas financial system for each engines bested the rival Camry. Holden claimed mixed cycle consumption of 8.2L/100km with the two.0-litre and 9.3L/100km with the two.5-litre, towards Toyota’s declare of 9.9L/100km for its Camry (itself merely matching the V6-powered Toyota Aurion).

Evaluations on the time discovered the Epica’s powertrains to be unsurprisingly easy however finally missing in grunt, its experience comfy, and its dynamics to be composed if uninspiring.

The two.0-litre lasted round a 12 months. In 2008, Holden gave the Epica facelift with a bolder look – I mentioned bolder, not daring – in addition to extra security equipment and a six-speed auto. The two.0-litre bought the axe, with the two.5-litre repositioned as the bottom engine and an non-compulsory 110kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel 4 becoming a member of the vary.

Regardless of a $2000 premium over the petrol, the diesel additionally slid (simply) underneath the $30,000 barrier – a number of thousand lower than a diesel Mondeo or Passat.

However although the Epica supplied sharp pricing that undercut the Camry and had even debuted with a 30-day money-back assure, it bought no higher than the ZC Vectra. In 2007, Holden bought 3108 examples; for context, it bought 3496 Vectras in 2004 and 3012 in 2005.

Gross sales continued to slip every year, even with the brand new diesel possibility. Holden bought simply 997 examples in 2011, the 12 months it swung the axe; Korean manufacturing was ending anyway.

Then-chairman Mike Devereux admitted the Epica wasn’t the automotive the model wanted to battle the Camry. The Malibu got here to exchange it in 2013, however it didn’t transform the automotive to battle the Camry both, with annual gross sales hovering within the 1000-1600 vary.

This new, rather more boldly styled mid-sized sedan was additionally sourced from Korea and supplied a alternative of petrol or turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines.

However it was fully unrelated, developed primarily for the North American market and using GM’s Epsilon II platform, as utilized by the Opel Insignia which might later be supplied in Holden showrooms.

Alas, Holden by no means appeared to have the ability to launch a mid-sizer that might outsell the Camry, even when it bought an precise Toyota Camry, the Apollo. Every thing appeared to get misplaced on this vortex between the model’s small automotive providing and the Commodore, from the too-expensive Vectra to the too-cheap Epica.

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