The Holden Story

It took three years to design, build and test the 48/215 Holden. Autralian conditions were kept in mind every step of the way. The aim of the car was to have good performance, economy, well-proven features, reliability and ease of service.

The story of the first Holden really went back to World War 2 when GMH's technical and manufacturing expertise advanced through wartime mobilization.

The Commonwealth Government wanted to consolidate those advances. In the early 40's there had been a recognition of the need to make Australia independant in motor transport production. The building of an Autralian car was a good method of achieving industrial advancement.

Early in 1944 the Government asked manufacturers to submit proposals for the production of an Australian car. GMH was confident in Australia as a market and 1945 the company agreed to build a complete car without any subsidy or tariff protection. There was no guarantee if the project failed.

GMH conducted a survey to find out what the Australian motorist wanted. The resulsts were submitted to General Motors in Detroit, where the engineering staff, including several Australians, worked on a design. A car was designed in 18 months. Three were built and tested at GM's testing ground at Milford Michigan.

In November 1946 the project was transferred to Fisherman's Bend. The three American cars and two Australian built prototypes were subjected to severe testing under Australian driving conditions in early 1947.

Meanwhile production facilities were being built in Australia. The first production schedule was available on April 5, 1948.

On November 29, 1948, the first Holden officially rolled of the assembly line at Fisherman's Bend and into Australian history.

The four-door, 5-6 seater sedan sold for about 733 pounds. It was powered by a 132.5 cu. in. OHV six. The six cylinder engine was chosen because of efficiency and durability.

The car was built on the integral or body-frame principle to reduce weight and increase rigity.

The conventionl suspension, in association with the weight distribution, low centre of gravity and torsional stiffness, gave a comfortable ride.

Both sedan and utility body styles were built.