I'll list a few of the rebadges. 9:25 Gemini is an Isuzu, based on the Opel Kadett 12:25 Camira, is the "World J car" you had a Chev version and Cadillac Cimaron (spelling?) 13:35 Jackaroo another Isuzu 14:00 First Gen Barina - Suzuki Swift 14:25 Gemini RB Isuzu built in Oz 14:45 Drover - Suzuki Jimny (Samurai in the US?) 14:55 Scurry - Suzuki Carry 15:08 Shuttle - Isuzu 15:55 Rodeo - Isuzu, same platform and a few panels as your SUV by the same name 16:15 Apollo - Toyota Camry 16:36 Barina Gen 3 - Opel Corsa built in Spain 17:20 Vectra - Opel Vectra from Europe 17:42 Astra - Opel Astra Europe 18:00 Combo - Opel (based on the Corsa) 18:35 Viva - Daewoo Korea 23:00 Barina - Daewoo Kalos (Chevy Spark in the USA?)
Camira was sold in the US as (according to wikipedia): Buick Skyhawk Cadillac Cimarron Chevrolet Cavalier Oldsmobile Firenza Pontiac J2000 In Europe as Opel Ascona C and in the UK as Vauxhall Cavalier.
It is an Isuzu branded as an Opel, Holden, Vauxhall in various markets. Aussie Gemeni was Isuzu powered, most of the Euro ones had heavy ancient Opel motors of various sizes
The Chevrolet Caprice police vehicle was a re-baged Holden. During the 60s & 70s Holden Kingswood & Monaros were exported to South Africa & South America re-baged as Chevys.
Holden assembled Chevys and Pontiacs up until 1968. My grandfather bought a '63 Impala and a '65 Pontiac Parisienne new. Holden also used to sell Bedford trucks, you could get a Bedford Van with a Red 6 and TK Bedfords with Holden V8s. I believe Isuzu trucks was involved with Holden in the late 70s too. Bedford and Isuzu were both subsidiaries of GM though.
My first car was a Powder Blue, white roof 1970 HT Kingswood Sedan ,Holden inline red 6 cylinder motor, 3 on the tree, no seat belts in the back. She even had Venetian blinds in the back window. I loved that car.
The Powerglide was a two-speed automatic transmission designed by General Motors. It was available primarily on Chevrolet from January 1950 through 1973 Powerglides were used extensively on Pontiacs produced for the Canadian market with Chevrolet powertrains. They were also used with Nova engines in the DJ-5A Jeeps produced 1968-1970 by Kaiser-Jeep and widely used as delivery vehicles by the United States Post Office. When introduced on upper-level Chevrolet models in 1950, the Powerglide represented the first automatic transmission offered in a low-priced automobile; in contrast, Ford did not offer their automatic transmission until 1951, while Plymouth car buyers had to wait until 1954. The transmission was simple and very durable, which satisfied customers. Peace out
@@griff420blazer4 Didn't know the old AP Val's had a trimatic also. Love the old Vals, had the last CM in between my Holdens, like driving on a lounge chair.
My dad always bought a "demo" holden , which is short for 'demonstrator'. That is a vehicle that the dealer used for demonstration/test drives for/with potential customers... when sold they had very few miles on them but were heavily deduced in price, so our family always had a brand new car in the driveway.
You can still do that with every brand, they all sell demo cars usually 30-40% off but even with low milage those are usually very abused and in lowest trim.
A mate worked for a dealer and had a demo as the company car as was the norm,on the weekend he launched his boat with it and it was regularly up to the sills in sea water. 😙🙃
Omg the memories! I bought a 1969 Torana GTR from a mechanic friend of mine. Same colour! Cost me $400, but also came with spare engine, gearbox. He also put new tires on it for me. The thing went like the clappers and I loved her to bits! Took her bush a few times too! (She did get stuck a few times, but small enough for 4 people to pick it up and wriggle her free..lol). Sold it (with spares) for $1500 to a guy who wanted her for the speedway. Friggin awesome car!
My father had a HR wagon in the 70s it had a 2 speed and my dad said 1st gear means GO, and 2nd gear means GO FASTER. He had the following Holdens: FC, HR, HQ, HJ and the Jackaroo.
Sandman vans with crushed velvet interiors, built-in sound system, double mattress... yeah I remember them! usually the owners were seriously sketchy dudes.
My family has always been Holden apart from a few cars. My dads first car was an FJ which he kept until couple years after I was born. Then he had a Kingswood station wagon. After many years and it eventually falling apart came a Mazda 929 wagon then a Nissan Bluebird wagon and then a VC Commodore, then a VN Commodore then a VR then a Cruze before finally a Honda Jazz a couple years ago after Holden's closed. My wife used to have a VT Commodore SS gen III and now drives a VY. I have a VZ SVZ after previously having a Nissan Pintara. So you can see there is a big history of Holden cars in my family
We had a Coupe Gemini ( has a boot, no hatch. ) When the second generation Torana became big, Holden needed a new small car, to compete with Ford Escort. So a rebadged, but locally made Opel Kadett. With 1.6 litre Isuzu 4 cyl. Coupe, sedan, 2 door wagon, and 2 door panel van. Also a diesel. So popular it had its own racing series. Updated for long time - rwd. Replaced in 1985. Becomes complex 😅. Won Wheels Car of the Year, on release. Awesome steering. Dynamics. Good rally cars. Cool colours. Many limited editions. Sandpiper. ZZ/Z Last one. Looks good.
a lot of Holdens were Opels (Astra, Barina - Corsa, Frontera, Insignia) The only German brand that was under GM was Opel (from 1957 to 2017). In 2017 Opel was bought by PSA ( Peugeot-Citroen), and PSA is now a part of Stellantis
In 1984, a mate & I drove a 1971 HG Wagon, double mattress in the back, about 3000kms over a week, through outback Qld & NSW.. had to repair the water pump 3 times in 40C heat. A hell of a time though.. almost bulletproof. Great reaction..
my dad worked for Ford Australia and leased two cars from them for himself and my mum. they'd get a new car each every 6-9 months and could choose which colour and trim level they wanted etc. I remember very fondly him bringing home the booklet for each model with all the paint samples etc, and giving input on what they should order (not that they ever listened to my suggestions!).
I had a 1978 Holden vacationer station wagon 253 v8 back in the early 90s loved it A wb ute and a vl commodore ,currently a Holden Colorado twin cab tray back :)
I worked for a dealer in 71/2 and was able to order from the options list cars for "floor stock" so it might be a Premier wagon with 308 V8,four speed manual,full instrument dash,Rallye wheels,A/C,Limited slip rear,tow pack option with bigger radiator etc,two tone paint.When the floor shift trans was ordered,it included a console and bucket seats. there were so many combinations to choose from it was "kid in a candy shop" time. 👍🙃
The Elizabeth plant is 5 minutes from my place. When they closed a lot of people were without jobs, had a huge effect here. Gemini's were built by Izuzu. The HZ we would pronounce it H Zed
i have owned a few holdens and loved them all i had a 67 hr premier, 79 gemini slx which had the 80 model commodre front grill, 2 1980 commodores, a 1972 hq, a vn and vp commodore, holden Jackaroo 4wd and i currently have a 2003 rodeo crewcab 4x4
As a lifelong Holden person, part of me vanished when Holden ceased production. As much as I love the Jimmy Barnes song "Shutting Down our Town," every time I listen to it, it tears my heart out and have a tear or two.
My Granddad had a 1977 (HZ) Holden Kingswood, factory yellow. With a 186 red straight 6 with 3 on the tree. I loved that car, it is still driving around, not as much. As it's now owned by a Holden collector. He's told me that it was one of the best kept Kingswood he ever bought. My granddad kept it meticulously clean & factory standard. When he died, I went to claim it, but my bloody cousin got in before me. I made sure he didn't trash it. Then he sold it to the collector. I miss those days live was somewhat easier. Love ya Granddad, miss ya old mate.
The 1965 HD Holden was the first Holden that used the Powerglide 2 speed auto trans and was an American transmission that you used in many GM cars well before we used these by GM-Holden and other GM products and cars sold in Australia like Pontiac Laurentians and Chevy impalas, Bel-airs and Biscaynes etc here and as a matter of fact as an example your 1957 Chevy’s actually had three different auto trans you could get in them the 2 speed powerglide, a 3 speed unit and a believe it or not what is relatively unknown even in the US was a SINGLE speed auto trans that was available but this had issues and was discontinued after a very short period, now don’t forget Australia also had an automatic option prior to the later introduction of the Powerglide 2 speed and this was introduced during the introduction of the EK model in late 61 into 62 and the EJ model in late 62 and the EH model in late 63 into 64 and this was the US Hydra-Matic which was a very early GM transmission and was a very slow changing 3 (& actually 4 forward ratios) and these were called “Slush boxes” and boy did they Sap the extremely limited power from those early side plate grey Holden sixes and as a matter of fact they couldn’t “Pull a sailor from your sister” the performance if you could call it that was absolutely atrocious and a sidevalve Morris minor would have a good chance of beating it in a drag race! These Hydra-Matics really took a lot of horsepower out of the engines just driving the things, they were really that bad! But GM sold these early transmissions to other car makers and also sold their auto trans to Rolls Royce up to the Turbo-Hydramatics along with another GM product, Frigidaire air conditioning, back to the 2 speed autos, Ford Australia had 2 speed autos, Fordamatics for many years and models from the 1950’s in our Aussie cars like the “ Star Model” Ford Customlines behind 272 V8 Y blocks, 332 V8 “Tank” Fairlane sedans and Ranchwagons, “Compact” Windsor powered Fairlanes of the early 60’s the very first Aussie built 1960 Ford falcons, the XK, XL, XM all had 2 Speed Fordamatics until the XP Falcon introduced the 3 speed type 35 Borg Warners, I still have a 2 Speed Powerglide from my 1968 Chevy Impala (Australian RHD delivered) that I changed to a Turbo 400 a few years back and is/was in good order, these are sought after for drag racing and are quite scarce nowadays
The original Holden Astra, introduced in August 1984 as the LB series was a badge engineered Nissan Pulsar (N12). The Pulsar, a Japanese designed model, sold alongside the unique to Australia Astra line-up. The Pulsar for Australia was assembled in Clayton, Victoria;
Holden Acclaim when it came out in 1993 was based off a base model Commodore called an executive with a live rear axle. Holden changed the rear axle to fully independent. They added a drivers side airbag, cruise control, different seating material and different wheel covers. It was meant to be a model with more safety features at an affordable price.
24:43 The Holden Volt is actually a rebadged Opel Ambera . The was developed in Germany and it was sold as The Chevrolet Volt in North America and as the Holden Volt in Australia
I’ve read that the Gemini is the most rebranded car ever. It was sold as a Chevrolet something or other in Asian markets from memory), as a Buick Vauxhall etc in all sorts of markets around the world. The ones for the Australian market were built by Isuzu in Brisbane and the Queensland Gemini Car Club had some absolutely insane examples.
My Dad always told me how when i was born he borrowed his brother's brand new EK Holden 61 model to drive up the NSW North Coast no freeways in those days . We had and FC that i learnt to drive when i was 9 a HD HR and HQ . At 17 i brought a HX Sandman too much drama so i sold it and brought a HK 327 GTS Monaro . Then i had a Statesman then a VB Commodore ,now i would love an A9X SLR 5000 wouldn't we all . The Two speed is the Power Glide, the later Three speed was the Tri Matic
I'm still driving my 2008 Holden Astra, 2 litre, Turbo, 6 speed manual. I'm 62,but in 84 I bought my first car which was a 78/79 Gemini. The Astra (a German opal motor car) was my Gemini upgrade. Love ya vids bloke.👍
Hi Ian. The Gemini was basically a rebadged Opel Kadett with a few very minor sheet metal changes. The Camira was/ is a steaming pile of shit (haven't seen one on the road in over 20 years). The Jackaroo was holdens first go at trying to take on vehicles like the Mitsubishi Pajero & Nissan Patrol & failed dismally. The barinas were all rebadged versions of other cars ( the 2nd gen was based on the early 90s Suzuki Swift & was actually a half decent car... My mates wife had one & my mate thrashed the hell out of it, but it didn't die). The suburban was also a huge failure here, my guess is it was around 20 years early meaning that Australians weren't really ready for vehicles so large ( now RAM 1500s & silverados are everywhere). As far as the commodores go, yes the vb-vk have the crispest lines & look very sharp thanks to them, but my preference is the first shape of the 2nd gen commodores vn-vp. In saying that I can't ever go past a sandman panelvan without staring at it. My all time favourite Holden that I wish I still owned
I had to drive a brand new Camira (not sure of the year or model) as a courtesy car to take home the car dealers clients who left their cars for repairs. The frustrating thing I found was the 'front wheel drive'. This gave it a poor turning circle and the steering was only 'power assisted'.
So many memories of these old Holden's, my brother rolled his HD Sedan & got me to help get rid of the scratches, yes scratches not dents, with Ajax in my parents driveway before they saw it. Oh he rolled a few cars this was the only one that survived
24:10 - You had the Chevy Volt, the aussies had the Holden Volt and we had the Opel Ampera, just to be different. But hey, volts, amps, it's all electricity-related! 😄
Hi Ian My car now is a 2002 Opel Zafira, alors known as a Holden Zafira. This model was sold as Vauxhall (UK)/Chevrolet (part of Asia and South America) and as a Subaru Traviq in Japan (also sold there as an Opel Zafira). Recently I saw in Paris a Holden Zafira with New Caledonian plates. New Caledonia is a French island near Australia.
The 60s Holden's 2 speed auto was the "Powerglide" imported from GM USA. The Gemini was an Isuzu. In New Zealand you could buy the Gemini badged either way. A Holden Jackaroo is an Isuzu Rodeo Bighorn, Isuzu Bighorn, Chevrolet Trooper. Yeah, 1st gen Barina is a badged import. All the "small" vehicles were badged imports, from Isuzu, Toyota, Suzuki, Daihatsu, Nissan & Opel. Holden even has swap deals with Toyota and Mazda. Holden Rodeo is indeed an Isuzu Rodeo. The Holden Vectra was actually a Vauxhall Vectra from the UK which was an Opel from Germany. The Holden Viva as also based on a Vauxhall Viva (UK) (So was the original Torana BTW) Holden Frontera = Isuzu MU, Isuzu Wizard, Isuzu Rodeo Sport (US), Opel Frontera Sport (EU), Vauxhall Frontera Sport (UK). Holden (Chevy) Suburban was Mexican assembled RHD. Didn't have the Suburban/truck dash though, they used a modified Blazer dash instead.
15:24 we have the Opel Astra and the British got the Vauxhall Astra. The thing is.... not in 86..... By that time it would have been a Kadett! That Holden is an original Holden(as far as I can tell)!!!! Our Opel Kadett got replaced by the Astra mid to late 90´s!! Holden came up with the Astra name! I´m flabbergasted!
Cars like the Combo (18:06) we in Germany call them by the template Caddy after the VW of the same designation, bigger is Bully after the same VW vehicle and above that comes Sprinter after the Mercedes line of, mainly, cargo movers. Weight wise Combo/Caddy up to 2 ton Bully up to 4 ton, with structural modifications 5 Ton Sprinter any tonnage up to 7,5 After which there are light truck trucks, i.e. MB ATEGO or the MAN TGL line. Anything upwards 8 Ton load capacity
The 1978 VB Commodore was a German based Opel that Holden bought to replace the L series cars like the LH Torana sedan . The Commodore came with a Red Motor 202 6 cylinder or a 4.2 or 5 litre V8 . So even then car manufacturers did the steal a model that suits our purpose . It's known by Australians all that long ago lol .
The Jackaroo is what you call an Isuzu Bighorn, there was a related work ute version called the Rodeo which started from the same model line that sold in the US as the Chevy KB.
Just a note on the FJ Station Wagon. that wasnt actually a prototype. because Holden's didnt build wagons then, there were a couple of coach/body builders here that did conversions on the sedans. so you could take you FJ Holden sedan to them, and they would convert it to a Station wagon for you. I dont have any idea on the numbers of them that were built, but there wasnt that many. and very few survive to this day, making them extremely rare.
Memory lane, indeed, Ian. My older brother had an HD ute and I had a chocolate coloured HR sedan. The HR came with two versions of the inline, six-cylinder Holden Red motor from the previous HD series both with increased engine capacity and a higher compression ratio, and a three-speed manual gearbox with column change and synchronization on the top two gears was standard, with a two-speed "Powerglide" automatic transmission available as an option. I had the latter and I can tell you it was a smooth as silk.
Holden, founded in lil ol' RAdelaide!! We also had Valiant/Chrysler here, and 70% of their production like was CHARGERS!! 2 speed auto, low and hi.. hits the magical 88MPH!! 3:57 Belmont!! The LOWEST production spec you could get!!! Lucky to have a radio! The times listed in seconds is to 100kmh AFAIK..
A good friend of mine, still a good friend, had a HK Holden with a factory 307 chevy and a 2 speed powerglide, that mother could pull 70 miles per hour in first gear, it was a weapon.
Belmont was the name given to the base spec, poverty package version of the Holdens. Going up the range there was Kingswood next, then Premier. Later there was the longer wheelbase Statesman models. These had two trim specs. Base was Statesman DeVille and top spec was Statesman Caprice. In the Commodore era, the cars had the names Executive, Berlina and Calais to denote trim spec.
As a European, I really envy Australia for their used car market. Stretched/widened Opel chassis with 6 or 8 cylinders, we had a bunch of boring 2.0 litres. BTW there are lots of Suburbans in Norway, had a 97 1500 5.7 myself. Probably the most numerous Chevrolet here as there aren't that many other models.
Hi Ian Richard from the UK .lots of the Holdens you showed were sold here under the Vauhhaul name.I drive a Skoda but if I lift the hood and peel back the Skoda badge they did not even take the Audi badge off the engine just stuck the Skoda badge on top so I think a hell of a lot of cars are now world wide just with a different badge on. Always enjoy your content. Regards Rich.
when the 3 speed transmissions were common a lot of the guys pulled them out and fitted the 2 speed Ford transmission for its shift point and also its strength drag racing especially in GM vehicles who have weak transmissions and final drives, fitting a Ford 9-inch differential for its centre strength, LSD lock up and stronger axles that didnt slide out of the housings when the GM units failed.
Some of the cars are similar to Opel (GM european brand) and many of the rebadges are sold in europe with other brands and names. Some that i can identify: 12:04 Opel Rekord 12:16 Opel Kadet 13:27 Opel Omega 13:37 Seems an old Mitsubishi Pajero. 13:49 Opel Corsa A 14:47 Suzuki Samurai 14:52 Suzuki Minivan 15:06 Isuzu Midi 15:52 Mitsubishi work truck thing The Isuzo rodeo in the US is know as the Opel Frontera in europe. After this point most holdens are copy of euro designed gm cars branded as Opel. 16:35 Opel Corsa B 16:55 Opel Calibra 17:21 Opel Vectra B 17:45 Opel Astra G 17:51 Opel Corsa C 18:01 Opel Combo 18:34 Chevrolet Nubira 19:08 Opel Astra H 20:00 Opel Frontera 23:00 Opel Agila 23:06 Mitsubishi L400 23:57 Opel Ampera 24:57 Opel Insignia
@@larrylongprong5219 Yeah I found it a bit excessive for its age a mileage. If it was a few thousand cheaper, I would have bought it as I was shopping around at the time.
The 90s Holden Barina started life in Germany as the Opel Corsa and was produced all over the world as the Chevrolet Corsa (South America, Mexico, South Africa) Buick Sail (Asia) and Vauxhall Corsa (UK). I owned a 90s Opel Corsa.. almost becoming a classic here in Germany by now..
14:03 - Reminds me of the Fiat from the old days. In our country, such cars appeared on the street until the mid-2000s. square nasties. And this next one looks identical to the 1990 Volkswagen Jetta. Maybe Volkswagen modeled it after this Holden. Nothing new, many things in the world are modeled after something else. In some Fast and Furious movie, one of the characters was driving a white VW Jetta. It's that moment in the movie where he lost the race to an Asian guy who had a jacked-up Honda S2000 or something like that. The guy ran away and cried. 16:35 - that's Opel Corsa. I don't know much about cars but it seems to me that some brands sell their cars under a different name. Because this is literally a Corsa. Opel in UK calls cars differently for some reason. Vauxhall. And here 17:20 - that's Open Vectra. They are still driving on Polish roads. Quite a popular car here. 17:34 - This one here is a Vauxhall Monaro VXR in Europe. I remember it in the 2005 NFS Most Wanted. I don't know who was the first one or for what reason the name was changed, but it's not important to me. I am a simple man. The sound of the engine and the appearance of the car are menacing in my opinion. Cool design. and 17:41 - Open Astra. Super popular and good looking car in basic version. To edgy for me with this blue color. I searched the Internet for what this one in 18:38 That car reminds me of and was surprised because it is called differently in each country. I think it's a record breaker. In South Korea and Poland it's a Daewoo Lacetti Sedan/Combi, Malaysian Chevrolet Optra, American Suzuki Forenza, Chinese Buick Excelle, Uzbek Ravon Gentra. What's going on here?! There's some mixing and mingling going on. It's worth typing Holden Viva Sedan into Wikipedia and you'll see it all. I like that if it's not as big as American cars it's Silly, dorky ;D Cool, I'm fine with that. For us Europeans small cars are even smaller than for you our normal cars ;D Usually for us small cars are manufactured in Asia. Although there is one. Sometimes I see him and I always smile because it is like a toy. Smart Fortwo. And here we go again in 25:03 another Opel.
Hi @IWrocker, great vid. 3 I MUST mention IS the Torana GTR XU1. 186 bored out to a 192 and POWERFUL as it was a 2 door tiny car. They also made ONLY 6 GTR XU2.Only 6 as they put a 253 V8= Way too much Power for the cars size. 🚀 Another "Beauty" was the Torana SLR 5000 which had a 308 V8.🤩
@@Fwdking Off the Net = Let’s wind back a little. The original HB Torana series of 1967 was effectively an upgraded Vauxhall Viva. The subsequent 1969 LC platform spawned the first XU-1, based around the 186 powerplant but more grunt was clearly required, so the Holden crew, including legendary tuner Harry Firth, went back to the proverbial drawing board. The result appeared with the LJ series cars, this time with a hotted-up 202 cubic-inch (3310cc) engine. This one boasted an altered cylinder head, wilder cam, triple carburetors (175 Strombergs on the road version). The bodywork/aero package was tweaked and the car even scored a slight lengthening of the trailing arms at the rear to aid high-speed stability. It worked brilliantly, winning a wet Bathurst in 1972, with Peter Brock at the tiller.
The original little Toranas, were based on the English Vauxhall Viva - with the sixes, having a longer nose to fit in. The next generation, larger one was Australian designed with some resemblance to Opel. Our sixes and V8s. Yes - you would have a little transparent plastic film chart of the different car bodies and were able to place this over the colour chart, to see how the car looked. Plus interior colours, vinyl, cloth and leather. Green, red, cream, blue, grey, black, brown, tan, white. Colour charts online. Only remember Renault 12's rivaling the local cars for colours. But they were usually Pastels. Also solid and metallic. Sedans, coupes, wagons, panel vans, Utes, long wheel base coupes, tray Utes, long wheel base luxury sedans and even limited 4wd wagons. Trim levels including special packs like Sandman, Sundowner, Drifter, Rallye,. Today it's just all black interiors unless it's very expensive. Thank goodness for Volvo and their still available cream vegan interiors. 😊😅
I knew of some Italian dude who worked at Elizabeth plant for over twenty years without a day off and some of his generation bought cars brand new off the line for themselves and some still have today.
Innovation never came from the manufacturer but the Street, I remember playing with better breathing carbs, tuning, balance timing not to mention ability, which some didn't great times
The first Colorado was a rebadged Isuzu Dmax. A replacement for the Rodeo. The Trooper is a Jackaroo in Australian and a Bighorn in the UK, Also known as the Subaru Bighorn, Acura SLX, Vauxhall Monterey, all Isuzu's
the holden jackaroo is the first 4x4 built specifically for aus aka it's not just a rebadged nissan that was allready being sold here (ford maverick). though yes it was based on the isuzu bighorn/trooper GMH helped isuzu get it ready for the aus market with upgreded suspension and different tuning. it was also a good rally car as it won the stock class in the aus safari witch impresed isuzu enough that they entered multiple bighorns in later events
If only I could have seen into the future and not driven every old holden down to the ground until every the last trip to the wrecking yard to sell them for $50 if I was lucky. I had an FC, EH, HD, HR, HK/T/G kingas and prems, as few HQ's, kinga wagons, prem sedan and a panel van, every kinga to the WB ute then every model Commodore up to VZ. Scraped them all. Now I'm driving a duelcab traytop never die Rodeo.
The Holden Astra SRI sedan is a Rebadged Opel Astra OPC . The Holden Vectra is a Rebadged Opel Vectra B . The Holden Astra SRI is a Rebadged Opel Astra H GTC . The Holden Frontera is an OPEL Frontera !
The camira was a front wheel drive east /west engine. It didn't last long and was discontinued in the 80s. I worked in a car dealership and drove the first model that came out, I was not impressed. I believe they were very good on fuel.
The Holden Barina was made by Suzuki for a few years, even had the big Suzuki name right across the motor. They were sent to Australia to have the Holden badges put on.
Holden had to import something to compete with the Ford F-150 in the 90's , so yeh , they had the suburbans. They were used alot in Government fleet for Ambulances and Police Rescue/ Paddy wagons.
The Holden Insignia you showed was not branded as such! When the last Australian built Commodore, the VF stopped production GM imported the Opel Insignia into Australia and had the hide to rebage it as a Commodore. True Holden fans were totally enraged by this. The Holden Commodore, the flagship Holden for approx 40 years was Front engined, rear wheel drive 4 door sedan. For GM through Holden to think that we would accept a front wheel drive, east west engined 5 door hatchback as a commodore was an insult.
if only you realized that the commodore was nothing more than a rebadged opel commodore/senator/omega in the end as well... at least Holden did keep the platform alive longer than opel (which I must applaud them for, because we only saw the limit of its potential once with the lotus carlton/omega)
The Viva was built when GM owned Daewoo Korea, I believe. The motor for the Epica was built in Australia the car was a GM/Daewoo. One of the Barina's was but by Opel as well I think. Pretty sure the others were Asian or Korean made. The Suburban didn't really take off here. Australians haven't been welcoming of your big vehicles. We are more open to them now but still struggle because they're often wider in our tracks and support here isn't really available in the outback. We also pay a damn site more for them due to the cost of converting them to right have drive. They have to be done by an approved conversion shop to be road legal. You guys can do so much more legally in terms of your vehicles. We need a different licence to operate a vehicle with a GVM over 4.5t.
The crewman Ute was an interesting one they built also a two door Ute that also came out in a crewman cross which came out in a 6 and 8 banger was jacked up a little more for higher clearance for whatever sticky situation may arise😅
The first car I can remember, and the first car I learnt to drive, was my dad’s HD Ute. It had “Three in the Tree” transmission, and so was a three speed + reverse. Never heard of a 2-speed HD! Or any Holden I have driven. (Might it be an error?)
The 2 speed automatic would have been a Powerglide, my HK Premier had a two speed auto. The Powerglide is a two-speed automatic transmission designed by General Motors. It was available primarily on Chevrolet from January 1950 through 1973, .
We were a Holden family. My dad had an HK Kingwood station wagon (white), an HJ Caprice (blue), a WB Caprice (white), a VS Caprice (white) and WK Statesman (silver) and I have owned a VH Commodore (white), a VN Commodore station wagon (red), a VS Commodore station wagon (white) and a VX Commodore (bronze). It was very sad when Holden finally stopped making cars in 2017. I now drive a Tesla Model 3.
The hq body was kept into the HJ/HX/HZed just the tail lights were removed out of the bumper bar hq, and they designed them to go into the body HJ-hz, coupe’s were not as accepted here as were in the states
So when the old gemini finished, they brought in that new sedan you saw, you thought looked like a Dodge but needed a 4 door hatch for competition. So that particular Astra - first time used in Australia, is a rebadged Nissan Pulsar. Sometimes called Sunny or Cherry overseas.
Im from NZ but my hole family is Holden crazy one he did miss was the crewman awesome vehicle just drank a LOT but my mum had one a crewman cross 6 did come in 8 but with all wheel drive granty motor up front and decent ground clearance she loved it with sport bars and blackouted out expected the wheels now ive got the commodore ute version of it and my grandma even has a Holden ute that she brought brand new in 2002 and bombed it up and down a gravel road for 17 years she still has it. Still miss Holden dearly and GM won't let it die or live 😢
Ian,delve deeper into American auto transmissions From memory there were a number of GM cars with 2 speed autos ( powerglide ?). The Holden Belmont was the base model but ordering new you could get almost unlimited options. The one-tonners were workers but,again you could get surprising option lists when new.
Just woke up, getting ready for work by making some French Press Coffee and you have a fresh vid hot off the presses (just a minute old). HEck yeah, you've got a great voice for waking up to (even when you get excited you sound smooth as jazz). Also.... Is it just me or does that Commodore HDT look a bit like an Opel Manta B2 (which is a bit different than the Vauxhall Cavalier)? Also, that Scurry looks a lot like a Bedford Rascal/Suzuki (Super) Carry, which is basically a Japanese Kei van (Richard Hammond can do a fun trick in them🤣)😁 ... Wow, wow, wow.... _Holden_ Vectra, Astra and Combo?! Those are Opel/Vauxhall😆 Opel Frontera😋 Folks at Holden like to rummage around in Opels design department, eh?😂 Oh, hang on... Frontera started as an Isuzu😅 And, yep.... The Insignia is an Opel too😆 Looks like I got the first comment in😎
The Astra Sri which happens to my daily driver is a rebadged Vauxhall/Opel Astra from Europe, 2.0 litre turbo. They also released it in a HSV Model as a VXR which it’s known by in England ect..Parts are so hard to come by here for this particular model. Mine is the the standard six speed manual which is quick enough to dust some 8 bangers and to get me in to trouble with the boys in blue lol
Best car I’ve ever had was my Holden Astra hatch, so reliable and great power. Next best is my current Barina Sport hatch, so light, and with the turbo it is a little rocket. It’s just turned over 60,000km and only ever needed regular servicing and a new battery. My husband keeps trying to talk me into getting a new car, then he’ll drive mine somewhere and realises why I don’t want to change.
You guessed it with the rebadged Holdens such as Gemini, Barina, Astra, Camira, Shuttle, Scurry etc. Mostly rebadged vehicles were from Isuzu, Opel, Vaxhall, Suzuki etc. That Holden Jackaroo for instance was in the US an Isuzu Trooper.
The Holden RC Colorado ( not the RG ) came off the same assembly line as the same year Isuzu Dmax ( the RC just got a different front end ) everything else is the same from the powerhouse 4jj1 3ltr turbo diesel to the brake lights lol the only thing the Aussie colorado shared with the US Colorado was the name thankfully ( i own a 2010 RC 4x4 3ltr dual cab)
Grew up in Opels in the 90´s, theres a lot i instantly recognise although they have the "wrong" badge, besides the new obvious ones like the Astra/Insignia of course. Speaking of the Insignia, (or Buick Regal GS) it was built at the Opel parent plant in Rüsselsheim Germany as both of the three models/versions. It was the successor of the Omega and the flagship until shortly, the workers were really proud of building it. Theres rumors of a new Insignia under PSA(Stellantis), but lets see. Opel engineered a lot of GM cars in Rüsselsheim, but somehow they never utilized the full GM parts catalog, speaking of the V8s here. Theres a lot of Opel enthusiasts who would die for a modern RWD LS V8 Opel sedan or coupe here, sadly that never happened and now is never going to happen anyways. Although it was there all the fucking time, the Holden Commodore which actually was a Opel Commodore and later a Opel Omega. The last Aussie built Commodore was completely new engineered, because the Opel Omega and so the platform, was ended. The last Commodore was an Insignia and not Aussie built, without a V8. It flopped. The VE/VF Commodore was sold in GB as a Vauxhall and ALSO sold in the US as Pontiac G8 and later Chevy SS. This car with an Opel badge would have been a crazy f you to BMW,Merc, Audi and *especially* VW. Like the Lotus Omega back then. Which makes the Lotus Omega even crazier when you know about the relation of Opel, Chevy and Holden. Like, why would they ship their V6 sedan to Lotus to tune it and effectively double the price when they just could have slapped a Chevy V8 in it? We willl never know. All rumor there is, is that GM was to supply a V8 for the 2nd gen Opel Omega (Cadillac Catera), but no transmission. Reason for that could have been a deal with BMW since the 2nd gen Omega had a BMW turbodiesel and GM supposedly supplied trannys for a performance BMW at the time. The V8 Omega was cancelled just weeks prior to delivery, supposedly because of transmission problems. The few that have been built are doomed to never hit the road, although they look perfect. Even the engine cover is done... Funny shit, shortly before Opel was sold to PSA, you could go to a random Opel dealer and order a Camaro V8 (think SS trim), about 60.000 Euro. They NEVER advertised it. Yet you have Mustang GTs all over at every random Ford dealer here. I can only think of one V8 Opel, thats the Diplomat V8, a 70´s full size sedan. Only about 300 left. It was one of the best luxurious cars, before the S-Class came up. Why do i write all that shit? Well, Opel had lost all of its prestige over the decades. From being market leaders together with Mercedes-Benz to a boring econoshitbox manufacturer that gets joked upon by everyone... They were in need for a halo product, for decades. And V8 sedans just worked until the big SUV boom and they still do. BMW, Merc, Audi. They all did it. Especially AMG with the w204, no one cared for an AMG before the V8s came in. Obviously you cant sell an Opel for an AMG price, but that is where GM just should have stepped in. They have cheap V8s, which are proven. Many say, GM did Opel dirty and i feel like that could be true. Im glad they sold Opel instead of killing the brand, like they did with Holden. They tried to establish the Chevrolet brand here through Opel dealerships, but were never successful.
You focus a lot on the Ford/Holden thing but have you heard of the Leyland P76? It was an Australian made car produced in the early 1970's in both 6 and 8 cylinder variants. It was large (the boot -trunk- could hold a 44 gallon drum easily) and people either loved it or hated it. It had more success in modern day long distance rallies than on the racetrack. Also, you follow rallies. Try the London Sydney rallies or the Redex Time Trials around Australia. A modern day rally event you might like which is on you tube is the Finke Desert Rally
From Switzerland, I know many of these as Opel models from Germany. It's always strange to immediately assume "that came from Opel!" and then having to think about whether it was just some Isuzu or Daihatsu rebadge-stories that became more and more prevalent over time as well. There's a list of similar pictures for Opel's history from 1899-2020. Lemme find the link...
Ah yes: Here it is... -> ruclips.net/video/bUmBKhNey64/видео.html (Opel was bought up by GM at some point, but a few years ago, GM sold them to PSA (now Stellantis). So no more new Opel models for Holden and GM. :)
Trailblazer is basically a wagon version of the Colorado ute - in turn an Isuzu D-max. D-max still sold here by Isuzu. Which like Suzuki are still in Australia. Daewoo is not. Used by Surf Life saving and police and SES etc .
Toyota did a Commodore version, called the Lexcen. Named in honour of the man who designed the famous keel on the Australian winning America's Cup boat. First time. A thing in Australia and many funny ads on it with Commodore v8. Flag with Kangaroo and the bald eagle - ill let you research 😅 - our Prime Minister footage is hilarious.
EJ 1962 came with GM hydramatic 3 speed automatic, then HD 1965 came with GM powerglide 2 speed automatic, HG 1970 came with trimatic 3 speed automatic, VN Commodore 1988 turbo Hydra Matic 700 4 speed automatic.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
I'll list a few of the rebadges.
9:25 Gemini is an Isuzu, based on the Opel Kadett
12:25 Camira, is the "World J car" you had a Chev version and Cadillac Cimaron (spelling?)
13:35 Jackaroo another Isuzu
14:00 First Gen Barina - Suzuki Swift
14:25 Gemini RB Isuzu built in Oz
14:45 Drover - Suzuki Jimny (Samurai in the US?)
14:55 Scurry - Suzuki Carry
15:08 Shuttle - Isuzu
15:55 Rodeo - Isuzu, same platform and a few panels as your SUV by the same name
16:15 Apollo - Toyota Camry
16:36 Barina Gen 3 - Opel Corsa built in Spain
17:20 Vectra - Opel Vectra from Europe
17:42 Astra - Opel Astra Europe
18:00 Combo - Opel (based on the Corsa)
18:35 Viva - Daewoo Korea
23:00 Barina - Daewoo Kalos (Chevy Spark in the USA?)
The J car in Europe would have been the Opel Ascona C. That was my first car, a 1.6S with 90hp
Camira was sold in the US as (according to wikipedia):
Buick Skyhawk
Cadillac Cimarron
Chevrolet Cavalier
Oldsmobile Firenza
Pontiac J2000
In Europe as Opel Ascona C and in the UK as Vauxhall Cavalier.
11:30 its old Opel Manta gts
12:15 Opel Commodore
14:55 Suzuki MikroVan
20:00 Opel Frontera
It is an Isuzu branded as an Opel, Holden, Vauxhall in various markets. Aussie Gemeni was Isuzu powered, most of the Euro ones had heavy ancient Opel motors of various sizes
GM US had a version of the J car in every brand at the time, different engines to us though.
The Chevrolet Caprice police vehicle was a re-baged Holden. During the 60s & 70s Holden Kingswood & Monaros were exported to South Africa & South America re-baged as Chevys.
Holden assembled Chevys and Pontiacs up until 1968. My grandfather bought a '63 Impala and a '65 Pontiac Parisienne new.
Holden also used to sell Bedford trucks, you could get a Bedford Van with a Red 6 and TK Bedfords with Holden V8s. I believe Isuzu trucks was involved with Holden in the late 70s too. Bedford and Isuzu were both subsidiaries of GM though.
My first car was a Powder Blue, white roof 1970 HT Kingswood Sedan ,Holden inline red 6 cylinder motor, 3 on the tree, no seat belts in the back. She even had Venetian blinds in the back window. I loved that car.
The Powerglide was a two-speed automatic transmission designed by General Motors. It was available primarily on Chevrolet from January 1950 through 1973 Powerglides were used extensively on Pontiacs produced for the Canadian market with Chevrolet powertrains. They were also used with Nova engines in the DJ-5A Jeeps produced 1968-1970 by Kaiser-Jeep and widely used as delivery vehicles by the United States Post Office. When introduced on upper-level Chevrolet models in 1950, the Powerglide represented the first automatic transmission offered in a low-priced automobile; in contrast, Ford did not offer their automatic transmission until 1951, while Plymouth car buyers had to wait until 1954. The transmission was simple and very durable, which satisfied customers. Peace out
That was replaced by the traumatic, I mean trimatic 3 speed auto.
Trimatic torqueflight in the early oz valiant. Ap6 ap5
Also common in drag cars
@@griff420blazer4 Didn't know the old AP Val's had a trimatic also. Love the old Vals, had the last CM in between my Holdens, like driving on a lounge chair.
@@zalired8925 yeah bro old aus vals are mint. Had an ap6 regal for 12years. Wish i never sold her
My dad always bought a "demo" holden , which is short for 'demonstrator'. That is a vehicle that the dealer used for demonstration/test drives for/with potential customers... when sold they had very few miles on them but were heavily deduced in price, so our family always had a brand new car in the driveway.
that's epic. ah the good old days
You can still do that with every brand, they all sell demo cars usually 30-40% off but even with low milage those are usually very abused and in lowest trim.
Remeber when car dealer used to have ex-demo run out sales?
A mate worked for a dealer and had a demo as the company car as was the norm,on the weekend he launched his boat with it and it was regularly up to the sills in sea water. 😙🙃
Omg the memories! I bought a 1969 Torana GTR from a mechanic friend of mine. Same colour! Cost me $400, but also came with spare engine, gearbox. He also put new tires on it for me. The thing went like the clappers and I loved her to bits! Took her bush a few times too! (She did get stuck a few times, but small enough for 4 people to pick it up and wriggle her free..lol). Sold it (with spares) for $1500 to a guy who wanted her for the speedway. Friggin awesome car!
My father had a HR wagon in the 70s it had a 2 speed and my dad said 1st gear means GO, and 2nd gear means GO FASTER.
He had the following Holdens: FC, HR, HQ, HJ and the Jackaroo.
Sandman vans with crushed velvet interiors, built-in sound system, double mattress... yeah I remember them! usually the owners were seriously sketchy dudes.
My family has always been Holden apart from a few cars. My dads first car was an FJ which he kept until couple years after I was born. Then he had a Kingswood station wagon. After many years and it eventually falling apart came a Mazda 929 wagon then a Nissan Bluebird wagon and then a VC Commodore, then a VN Commodore then a VR then a Cruze before finally a Honda Jazz a couple years ago after Holden's closed. My wife used to have a VT Commodore SS gen III and now drives a VY. I have a VZ SVZ after previously having a Nissan Pintara. So you can see there is a big history of Holden cars in my family
We had a Coupe Gemini ( has a boot, no hatch. ) When the second generation Torana became big, Holden needed a new small car, to compete with Ford Escort. So a rebadged, but locally made Opel Kadett. With 1.6 litre Isuzu 4 cyl. Coupe, sedan, 2 door wagon, and 2 door panel van. Also a diesel. So popular it had its own racing series. Updated for long time - rwd.
Replaced in 1985. Becomes complex 😅. Won Wheels Car of the Year, on release. Awesome steering. Dynamics. Good rally cars. Cool colours. Many limited editions. Sandpiper. ZZ/Z Last one. Looks good.
a lot of Holdens were Opels (Astra, Barina - Corsa, Frontera, Insignia) The only German brand that was under GM was Opel (from 1957 to 2017). In 2017 Opel was bought by PSA ( Peugeot-Citroen), and PSA is now a part of Stellantis
GM took a major stake in Opel in 1929 and full ownership in 1931 than sold it in 2017
@@mista2621 oh, tnx for the info, I tought that happened later
In 1984, a mate & I drove a 1971 HG Wagon, double mattress in the back, about 3000kms over a week, through outback Qld & NSW.. had to repair the water pump 3 times in 40C heat. A hell of a time though.. almost bulletproof. Great reaction..
my dad worked for Ford Australia and leased two cars from them for himself and my mum. they'd get a new car each every 6-9 months and could choose which colour and trim level they wanted etc. I remember very fondly him bringing home the booklet for each model with all the paint samples etc, and giving input on what they should order (not that they ever listened to my suggestions!).
My husband and I both own Holden's, his is a 1970 Ht Holden ute, mine is a 2009 SS Commodore 6 speed manual
I had a 1978 Holden vacationer station wagon 253 v8 back in the early 90s loved it
A wb ute and a vl commodore ,currently a Holden Colorado twin cab tray back :)
I worked for a dealer in 71/2 and was able to order from the options list cars for "floor stock" so it might be a Premier wagon with 308 V8,four speed manual,full instrument dash,Rallye wheels,A/C,Limited slip rear,tow pack option with bigger radiator etc,two tone paint.When the floor shift trans was ordered,it included a console and bucket seats. there were so many combinations to choose from it was "kid in a candy shop" time. 👍🙃
The Elizabeth plant is 5 minutes from my place. When they closed a lot of people were without jobs, had a huge effect here. Gemini's were built by Izuzu. The HZ we would pronounce it H Zed
i have owned a few holdens and loved them all i had a 67 hr premier, 79 gemini slx which had the 80 model commodre front grill, 2 1980 commodores, a 1972 hq, a vn and vp commodore, holden Jackaroo 4wd and i currently have a 2003 rodeo crewcab 4x4
As a South Australian I'm very proud and saddened by Holden shutting down.
But you will soon have submarine production, hopefully!
I once visited the Holden engine plant in Fisherman's Bend, Melbourne. It was hot, noisy and awesome.
why are you proud of them closing?
As a lifelong Holden person, part of me vanished when Holden ceased production. As much as I love the Jimmy Barnes song "Shutting Down our Town," every time I listen to it, it tears my heart out and have a tear or two.
As a holden man until I die I will a lways hate gm for what did to us
My Granddad had a 1977 (HZ) Holden Kingswood, factory yellow. With a 186 red straight 6 with 3 on the tree. I loved that car, it is still driving around, not as much. As it's now owned by a Holden collector. He's told me that it was one of the best kept Kingswood he ever bought. My granddad kept it meticulously clean & factory standard. When he died, I went to claim it, but my bloody cousin got in before me. I made sure he didn't trash it. Then he sold it to the collector. I miss those days live was somewhat easier. Love ya Granddad, miss ya old mate.
The 1965 HD Holden was the first Holden that used the Powerglide 2 speed auto trans and was an American transmission that you used in many GM cars well before we used these by GM-Holden and other GM products and cars sold in Australia like Pontiac Laurentians and Chevy impalas, Bel-airs and Biscaynes etc here and as a matter of fact as an example your 1957 Chevy’s actually had three different auto trans you could get in them the 2 speed powerglide, a 3 speed unit and a believe it or not what is relatively unknown even in the US was a SINGLE speed auto trans that was available but this had issues and was discontinued after a very short period, now don’t forget Australia also had an automatic option prior to the later introduction of the Powerglide 2 speed and this was introduced during the introduction of the EK model in late 61 into 62 and the EJ model in late 62 and the EH model in late 63 into 64 and this was the US Hydra-Matic which was a very early GM transmission and was a very slow changing 3 (& actually 4 forward ratios) and these were called “Slush boxes” and boy did they Sap the extremely limited power from those early side plate grey Holden sixes and as a matter of fact they couldn’t “Pull a sailor from your sister” the performance if you could call it that was absolutely atrocious and a sidevalve Morris minor would have a good chance of beating it in a drag race! These Hydra-Matics really took a lot of horsepower out of the engines just driving the things, they were really that bad! But GM sold these early transmissions to other car makers and also sold their auto trans to Rolls Royce up to the Turbo-Hydramatics along with another GM product, Frigidaire air conditioning, back to the 2 speed autos, Ford Australia had 2 speed autos, Fordamatics for many years and models from the 1950’s in our Aussie cars like the “ Star Model” Ford Customlines behind 272 V8 Y blocks, 332 V8 “Tank” Fairlane sedans and Ranchwagons, “Compact” Windsor powered Fairlanes of the early 60’s the very first Aussie built 1960 Ford falcons, the XK, XL, XM all had 2 Speed Fordamatics until the XP Falcon introduced the 3 speed type 35 Borg Warners, I still have a 2 Speed Powerglide from my 1968 Chevy Impala (Australian RHD delivered) that I changed to a Turbo 400 a few years back and is/was in good order, these are sought after for drag racing and are quite scarce nowadays
My wife had a 4 door Gemini sedan and I had a Gemini panel van awesome little cars fun to drive
The original Holden Astra, introduced in August 1984 as the LB series was a badge engineered Nissan Pulsar (N12). The Pulsar, a Japanese designed model, sold alongside the unique to Australia Astra line-up. The Pulsar for Australia was assembled in Clayton, Victoria;
Holden Acclaim when it came out in 1993 was based off a base model Commodore called an executive with a live rear axle. Holden changed the rear axle to fully independent. They added a drivers side airbag, cruise control, different seating material and different wheel covers. It was meant to be a model with more safety features at an affordable price.
24:43 The Holden Volt is actually a rebadged Opel Ambera . The was developed in Germany and it was sold as The Chevrolet Volt in North America and as the Holden Volt in Australia
17:17 My VR commo is exactly the same
I’ve read that the Gemini is the most rebranded car ever. It was sold as a Chevrolet something or other in Asian markets from memory), as a Buick Vauxhall etc in all sorts of markets around the world. The ones for the Australian market were built by Isuzu in Brisbane and the Queensland Gemini Car Club had some absolutely insane examples.
The Camira had a far larger range of badging, sold in most placesworld wide. Generally with the Family 4 engines of various capacities.
@@ldnwholesale8552 Seems plausible. Camira was GM’s first concerted effort at a “world car”, wasn’t it?
My Dad always told me how when i was born he borrowed his brother's brand new EK Holden 61 model to drive up the NSW North Coast no freeways in those days . We had and FC that i learnt to drive when i was 9 a HD HR and HQ . At 17 i brought a HX Sandman too much drama so i sold it and brought a HK 327 GTS Monaro . Then i had a Statesman then a VB Commodore ,now i would love an A9X SLR 5000 wouldn't we all . The Two speed is the Power Glide, the later Three speed was the Tri Matic
I'm still driving my 2008 Holden Astra, 2 litre, Turbo, 6 speed manual. I'm 62,but in 84 I bought my first car which was a 78/79 Gemini. The Astra (a German opal motor car) was my Gemini upgrade.
Love ya vids bloke.👍
Hi Ian. The Gemini was basically a rebadged Opel Kadett with a few very minor sheet metal changes. The Camira was/ is a steaming pile of shit (haven't seen one on the road in over 20 years). The Jackaroo was holdens first go at trying to take on vehicles like the Mitsubishi Pajero & Nissan Patrol & failed dismally. The barinas were all rebadged versions of other cars ( the 2nd gen was based on the early 90s Suzuki Swift & was actually a half decent car... My mates wife had one & my mate thrashed the hell out of it, but it didn't die). The suburban was also a huge failure here, my guess is it was around 20 years early meaning that Australians weren't really ready for vehicles so large ( now RAM 1500s & silverados are everywhere). As far as the commodores go, yes the vb-vk have the crispest lines & look very sharp thanks to them, but my preference is the first shape of the 2nd gen commodores vn-vp. In saying that I can't ever go past a sandman panelvan without staring at it. My all time favourite Holden that I wish I still owned
Camira was fucked front wheel drive pos. Not like newer jap fwd. Propper shit
I had to drive a brand new Camira (not sure of the year or model) as a courtesy car to take home the car dealers clients who left their cars for repairs. The frustrating thing I found was the 'front wheel drive'. This gave it a poor turning circle and the steering was only 'power assisted'.
So many memories of these old Holden's, my brother rolled his HD Sedan & got me to help get rid of the scratches, yes scratches not dents, with Ajax in my parents driveway before they saw it. Oh he rolled a few cars this was the only one that survived
24:10 - You had the Chevy Volt, the aussies had the Holden Volt and we had the Opel Ampera, just to be different. But hey, volts, amps, it's all electricity-related! 😄
Hi Ian
My car now is a 2002 Opel Zafira, alors known as a Holden Zafira. This model was sold as Vauxhall (UK)/Chevrolet (part of Asia and South America) and as a Subaru Traviq in Japan (also sold there as an Opel Zafira).
Recently I saw in Paris a Holden Zafira with New Caledonian plates. New Caledonia is a French island near Australia.
The Sandman pick was a 5ltr 4- speed manual,but you could get 4.2ltr V8 in both vans or utes, (manual or auto). The Jackeroo was also an Isuzu.
Ian, I saw an old bloke driving a first gen barina a couple weeks ago, did a double take and thought. Jeez I haven’t seen one of them in years.
The 60s Holden's 2 speed auto was the "Powerglide" imported from GM USA.
The Gemini was an Isuzu. In New Zealand you could buy the Gemini badged either way.
A Holden Jackaroo is an Isuzu Rodeo Bighorn, Isuzu Bighorn, Chevrolet Trooper.
Yeah, 1st gen Barina is a badged import. All the "small" vehicles were badged imports, from Isuzu, Toyota, Suzuki, Daihatsu, Nissan & Opel. Holden even has swap deals with Toyota and Mazda.
Holden Rodeo is indeed an Isuzu Rodeo.
The Holden Vectra was actually a Vauxhall Vectra from the UK which was an Opel from Germany.
The Holden Viva as also based on a Vauxhall Viva (UK) (So was the original Torana BTW)
Holden Frontera = Isuzu MU, Isuzu Wizard, Isuzu Rodeo Sport (US), Opel Frontera Sport (EU), Vauxhall Frontera Sport (UK).
Holden (Chevy) Suburban was Mexican assembled RHD. Didn't have the Suburban/truck dash though, they used a modified Blazer dash instead.
15:24 we have the Opel Astra and the British got the Vauxhall Astra.
The thing is.... not in 86.....
By that time it would have been a Kadett! That Holden is an original Holden(as far as I can tell)!!!!
Our Opel Kadett got replaced by the Astra mid to late 90´s!!
Holden came up with the Astra name! I´m flabbergasted!
The Gemini were Isuzu,
Scurry{ Daihatsu Hijet,
Rodeo: Isuzu,
Shuttle: Isuzu Fargo,
Astra: Nissan Pulsar
Barina: Suzuki Swift,
Apollo: Toyota Camry,
Vectra: Opel Vectra,
Viva: probably a rebadged Vauxhall Viva from Opel,
Frontera: Isuzu,
Jackaroo: Isuzu.
Insignia: Opel Insignia ( wagon looks amazing)
Cars like the Combo (18:06) we in Germany call them by the template Caddy after the VW of the same designation, bigger is Bully after the same VW vehicle and above that comes Sprinter after the Mercedes line of, mainly, cargo movers.
Weight wise
Combo/Caddy up to 2 ton
Bully up to 4 ton, with structural modifications 5 Ton
Sprinter any tonnage up to 7,5
After which there are light truck trucks, i.e. MB ATEGO or the MAN TGL line. Anything upwards 8 Ton load capacity
The barinas and vectras and astras are European opels vaxhall
The 1978 VB Commodore was a German based Opel that Holden bought to replace the L series cars like the LH Torana sedan . The Commodore came with a Red Motor 202 6 cylinder or a 4.2 or 5 litre V8 . So even then car manufacturers did the steal a model that suits our purpose . It's known by Australians all that long ago lol .
The Jackaroo is what you call an Isuzu Bighorn, there was a related work ute version called the Rodeo which started from the same model line that sold in the US as the Chevy KB.
22:22 Whats funny about that specific Suburban is that one is Imported and Registered in the UK.
Just a note on the FJ Station Wagon. that wasnt actually a prototype. because Holden's didnt build wagons then, there were a couple of coach/body builders here that did conversions on the sedans. so you could take you FJ Holden sedan to them, and they would convert it to a Station wagon for you. I dont have any idea on the numbers of them that were built, but there wasnt that many. and very few survive to this day, making them extremely rare.
Memory lane, indeed, Ian. My older brother had an HD ute and I had a chocolate coloured HR sedan. The HR came with two versions of the inline, six-cylinder Holden Red motor from the previous HD series both with increased engine capacity and a higher compression ratio, and a three-speed manual gearbox with column change and synchronization on the top two gears was standard, with a two-speed "Powerglide" automatic transmission available as an option. I had the latter and I can tell you it was a smooth as silk.
There was also the X2 version of the 179 ci six which had the twin carbs as an option. Pretty rare these days.
@@farnthboy Correct. The HR had an optional 186X2 twin carburettor, and later a 2 barrel carb.
Holden, founded in lil ol' RAdelaide!!
We also had Valiant/Chrysler here, and 70% of their production like was CHARGERS!!
2 speed auto, low and hi.. hits the magical 88MPH!!
3:57 Belmont!! The LOWEST production spec you could get!!! Lucky to have a radio!
The times listed in seconds is to 100kmh AFAIK..
A good friend of mine, still a good friend, had a HK Holden with a factory 307 chevy and a 2 speed powerglide, that mother could pull 70 miles per hour in first gear, it was a weapon.
Belmont was the name given to the base spec, poverty package version of the Holdens. Going up the range there was Kingswood next, then Premier. Later there was the longer wheelbase Statesman models. These had two trim specs. Base was Statesman DeVille and top spec was Statesman Caprice.
In the Commodore era, the cars had the names Executive, Berlina and Calais to denote trim spec.
Belmonts are with more than Kingswood now by far.
As a European, I really envy Australia for their used car market. Stretched/widened Opel chassis with 6 or 8 cylinders, we had a bunch of boring 2.0 litres. BTW there are lots of Suburbans in Norway, had a 97 1500 5.7 myself. Probably the most numerous Chevrolet here as there aren't that many other models.
true. They had it all there.
Hi Ian
Richard from the UK .lots of the Holdens you showed were sold here under the Vauhhaul name.I drive a Skoda but if I lift the hood and peel back the Skoda badge they did not even take the Audi badge off the engine just stuck the Skoda badge on top so I think a hell of a lot of cars are now world wide just with a different badge on. Always enjoy your content. Regards Rich.
You mean VW badge not Audi !
I learnt to drive in a old Belmont in the back paddock with dad In the passenger seat with a beer great days
when the 3 speed transmissions were common a lot of the guys pulled them out and fitted the 2 speed Ford transmission for its shift point and also its strength drag racing especially in GM vehicles who have weak transmissions and final drives, fitting a Ford 9-inch differential for its centre strength, LSD lock up and stronger axles that didnt slide out of the housings when the GM units failed.
Some of the cars are similar to Opel (GM european brand) and many of the rebadges are sold in europe with other brands and names.
Some that i can identify:
12:04 Opel Rekord
12:16 Opel Kadet
13:27 Opel Omega
13:37 Seems an old Mitsubishi Pajero.
13:49 Opel Corsa A
14:47 Suzuki Samurai
14:52 Suzuki Minivan
15:06 Isuzu Midi
15:52 Mitsubishi work truck thing
The Isuzo rodeo in the US is know as the Opel Frontera in europe.
After this point most holdens are copy of euro designed gm cars branded as Opel.
16:35 Opel Corsa B
16:55 Opel Calibra
17:21 Opel Vectra B
17:45 Opel Astra G
17:51 Opel Corsa C
18:01 Opel Combo
18:34 Chevrolet Nubira
19:08 Opel Astra H
20:00 Opel Frontera
23:00 Opel Agila
23:06 Mitsubishi L400
23:57 Opel Ampera
24:57 Opel Insignia
You missed the best Holden ever made! The Holden Adventra wagon had the distinction of being the first Australian-made all-wheel drive.
I still look at purchasing the v8 bit I'm unsure about parts etc would be so cool though for landbased fishing and camping
Ford's XY Falcon 4WD Ute has entered the chat.
@@paspax Right you are that's wicked i had no idea!
@@DogFish-NZ Yeah is going to get harder and harder for sure. Great facebook owner groups help heaps though.
The Holden drover is a rare bomb.
There was one for sale in my area. They wanted $8500.
@@truesouth4784 not something you’d jump on to buy, unless of course you’re rich.
@@larrylongprong5219 Yeah I found it a bit excessive for its age a mileage. If it was a few thousand cheaper, I would have bought it as I was shopping around at the time.
the old powerglide two auto transmission were very good and excellent to drive
at 7:14 that is a LC Torana GTX not a LJ
The 90s Holden Barina started life in Germany as the Opel Corsa and was produced all over the world as the Chevrolet Corsa (South America, Mexico, South Africa) Buick Sail (Asia) and Vauxhall Corsa (UK). I owned a 90s Opel Corsa.. almost becoming a classic here in Germany by now..
Ahhh, the Isuzu Trooper is our Jackaroo. The UK also calls it that.
Our Toyota Tarago MPV is your Toyota Space Shuttle.
Barina is a rebadged Suzuki Swift.
14:03 - Reminds me of the Fiat from the old days. In our country, such cars appeared on the street until the mid-2000s. square nasties.
And this next one looks identical to the 1990 Volkswagen Jetta. Maybe Volkswagen modeled it after this Holden. Nothing new, many things in the world are modeled after something else.
In some Fast and Furious movie, one of the characters was driving a white VW Jetta. It's that moment in the movie where he lost the race to an Asian guy who had a jacked-up Honda S2000 or something like that. The guy ran away and cried.
16:35 - that's Opel Corsa. I don't know much about cars but it seems to me that some brands sell their cars under a different name. Because this is literally a Corsa. Opel in UK calls cars differently for some reason. Vauxhall.
And here 17:20 - that's Open Vectra. They are still driving on Polish roads. Quite a popular car here.
17:34 - This one here is a Vauxhall Monaro VXR in Europe. I remember it in the 2005 NFS Most Wanted. I don't know who was the first one or for what reason the name was changed, but it's not important to me. I am a simple man. The sound of the engine and the appearance of the car are menacing in my opinion. Cool design.
and 17:41 - Open Astra. Super popular and good looking car in basic version. To edgy for me with this blue color.
I searched the Internet for what this one in 18:38 That car reminds me of and was surprised because it is called differently in each country. I think it's a record breaker. In South Korea and Poland it's a Daewoo Lacetti Sedan/Combi, Malaysian Chevrolet Optra, American Suzuki Forenza, Chinese Buick Excelle, Uzbek Ravon Gentra. What's going on here?! There's some mixing and mingling going on. It's worth typing Holden Viva Sedan into Wikipedia and you'll see it all.
I like that if it's not as big as American cars it's Silly, dorky ;D Cool, I'm fine with that. For us Europeans small cars are even smaller than for you our normal cars ;D Usually for us small cars are manufactured in Asia. Although there is one. Sometimes I see him and I always smile because it is like a toy. Smart Fortwo.
And here we go again in 25:03 another Opel.
Also the Camtech 4 cyl engines, for most of the world market, were made in Australia. Was Australia's biggest export product at the time.
Astra, Barina (Corsa), Combo, Frontera, Vectra and Insignia are just renamed scrap carts from OPEL in Germany,
known for their rust problems.
Hi @IWrocker, great vid. 3 I MUST mention IS the Torana GTR XU1. 186 bored out to a 192 and POWERFUL as it was a 2 door tiny car. They also made ONLY 6 GTR XU2.Only 6 as they put a 253 V8= Way too much Power for the cars size. 🚀 Another "Beauty" was the Torana SLR 5000 which had a 308 V8.🤩
For some reason, I always thought XU1 had 202 engines.
@@Fwdking Off the Net = Let’s wind back a little. The original HB Torana series of 1967 was effectively an upgraded Vauxhall Viva. The subsequent 1969 LC platform spawned the first XU-1, based around the 186 powerplant but more grunt was clearly required, so the Holden crew, including legendary tuner Harry Firth, went back to the proverbial drawing board.
The result appeared with the LJ series cars, this time with a hotted-up 202 cubic-inch (3310cc) engine. This one boasted an altered cylinder head, wilder cam, triple carburetors (175 Strombergs on the road version). The bodywork/aero package was tweaked and the car even scored a slight lengthening of the trailing arms at the rear to aid high-speed stability. It worked brilliantly, winning a wet Bathurst in 1972, with Peter Brock at the tiller.
The original little Toranas, were based on the English Vauxhall Viva - with the sixes, having a longer nose to fit in.
The next generation, larger one was Australian designed with some resemblance to Opel. Our sixes and V8s. Yes - you would have a little transparent plastic film chart of the different car bodies and were able to place this over the colour chart, to see how the car looked. Plus interior colours, vinyl, cloth and leather. Green, red, cream, blue, grey, black, brown, tan, white. Colour charts online. Only remember Renault 12's rivaling the local cars for colours. But they were usually Pastels. Also solid and metallic. Sedans, coupes, wagons, panel vans, Utes, long wheel base coupes, tray Utes, long wheel base luxury sedans and even limited 4wd wagons. Trim levels including special packs like Sandman, Sundowner, Drifter, Rallye,. Today it's just all black interiors unless it's very expensive. Thank goodness for Volvo and their still available cream vegan interiors. 😊😅
I knew of some Italian dude who worked at Elizabeth plant for over twenty years without a day off and some of his generation bought cars brand new off the line for themselves and some still have today.
Innovation never came from the manufacturer but the Street, I remember playing with better breathing carbs, tuning, balance timing not to mention ability, which some didn't great times
The first Colorado was a rebadged Isuzu Dmax. A replacement for the Rodeo. The Trooper is a Jackaroo in Australian and a Bighorn in the UK, Also known as the Subaru Bighorn, Acura SLX, Vauxhall Monterey, all Isuzu's
the holden jackaroo is the first 4x4 built specifically for aus aka it's not just a rebadged nissan that was allready being sold here (ford maverick). though yes it was based on the isuzu bighorn/trooper GMH helped isuzu get it ready for the aus market with upgreded suspension and different tuning. it was also a good rally car as it won the stock class in the aus safari witch impresed isuzu enough that they entered multiple bighorns in later events
If only I could have seen into the future and not driven every old holden down to the ground until every the last trip to the wrecking yard to sell them for $50 if I was lucky. I had an FC, EH, HD, HR, HK/T/G kingas and prems, as few HQ's, kinga wagons, prem sedan and a panel van, every kinga to the WB ute then every model Commodore up to VZ. Scraped them all. Now I'm driving a duelcab traytop never die Rodeo.
The Holden Astra SRI sedan is a Rebadged Opel Astra OPC . The Holden Vectra is a Rebadged Opel Vectra B . The Holden Astra SRI is a Rebadged Opel Astra H GTC . The Holden Frontera is an OPEL Frontera !
The camira was a front wheel drive east /west engine. It didn't last long and was discontinued in the 80s. I worked in a car dealership and drove the first model that came out, I was not impressed. I believe they were very good on fuel.
holden camira was a joke of a car, renowned as the worst Australian built vehicle
The Holden Barina was made by Suzuki for a few years, even had the big Suzuki name right across the motor. They were sent to Australia to have the Holden badges put on.
Holden had to import something to compete with the Ford F-150 in the 90's , so yeh , they had the suburbans. They were used alot in Government fleet for Ambulances and Police Rescue/ Paddy wagons.
The Holden Insignia you showed was not branded as such! When the last Australian built Commodore, the VF stopped production GM imported the Opel Insignia into Australia and had the hide to rebage it as a Commodore. True Holden fans were totally enraged by this. The Holden Commodore, the flagship Holden for approx 40 years was Front engined, rear wheel drive 4 door sedan. For GM through Holden to think that we would accept a front wheel drive, east west engined 5 door hatchback as a commodore was an insult.
if only you realized that the commodore was nothing more than a rebadged opel commodore/senator/omega in the end as well... at least Holden did keep the platform alive longer than opel (which I must applaud them for, because we only saw the limit of its potential once with the lotus carlton/omega)
Holden Barina is Opel Corsa and Astra is also Opel and frontera as well.
The Viva was built when GM owned Daewoo Korea, I believe. The motor for the Epica was built in Australia the car was a GM/Daewoo. One of the Barina's was but by Opel as well I think. Pretty sure the others were Asian or Korean made. The Suburban didn't really take off here. Australians haven't been welcoming of your big vehicles. We are more open to them now but still struggle because they're often wider in our tracks and support here isn't really available in the outback. We also pay a damn site more for them due to the cost of converting them to right have drive. They have to be done by an approved conversion shop to be road legal. You guys can do so much more legally in terms of your vehicles. We need a different licence to operate a vehicle with a GVM over 4.5t.
The Viva was a Vauxhall design from about '66 and was rebadged as a Torana HB in Australia,all 4cyl then came the LC then LJ,
The crewman Ute was an interesting one they built also a two door Ute that also came out in a crewman cross which came out in a 6 and 8 banger was jacked up a little more for higher clearance for whatever sticky situation may arise😅
The first car I can remember, and the first car I learnt to drive, was my dad’s HD Ute. It had “Three in the Tree” transmission, and so was a three speed + reverse. Never heard of a 2-speed HD! Or any Holden I have driven. (Might it be an error?)
The 2 speed automatic would have been a Powerglide, my HK Premier had a two speed auto.
The Powerglide is a two-speed automatic transmission designed by General Motors. It was available primarily on Chevrolet from January 1950 through 1973, .
We were a Holden family. My dad had an HK Kingwood station wagon (white), an HJ Caprice (blue), a WB Caprice (white), a VS Caprice (white) and WK Statesman (silver) and I have owned a VH Commodore (white), a VN Commodore station wagon (red), a VS Commodore station wagon (white) and a VX Commodore (bronze). It was very sad when Holden finally stopped making cars in 2017. I now drive a Tesla Model 3.
Last sentence, wtf going the EV.
The hq body was kept into the HJ/HX/HZed just the tail lights were removed out of the bumper bar hq, and they designed them to go into the body HJ-hz, coupe’s were not as accepted here as were in the states
So when the old gemini finished, they brought in that new sedan you saw, you thought looked like a Dodge but needed a 4 door hatch for competition. So that particular Astra - first time used in Australia, is a rebadged Nissan Pulsar. Sometimes called Sunny or Cherry overseas.
Sandman..."If you see it rockin', don't come knockin"
Im from NZ but my hole family is Holden crazy one he did miss was the crewman awesome vehicle just drank a LOT but my mum had one a crewman cross 6 did come in 8 but with all wheel drive granty motor up front and decent ground clearance she loved it with sport bars and blackouted out expected the wheels now ive got the commodore ute version of it and my grandma even has a Holden ute that she brought brand new in 2002 and bombed it up and down a gravel road for 17 years she still has it. Still miss Holden dearly and GM won't let it die or live 😢
Ian,delve deeper into American auto transmissions From memory there were a number of GM cars with 2 speed autos ( powerglide ?). The Holden Belmont was the base model but ordering new you could get almost unlimited options. The one-tonners were workers but,again you could get surprising option lists when new.
Just woke up, getting ready for work by making some French Press Coffee and you have a fresh vid hot off the presses (just a minute old). HEck yeah, you've got a great voice for waking up to (even when you get excited you sound smooth as jazz).
Also.... Is it just me or does that Commodore HDT look a bit like an Opel Manta B2 (which is a bit different than the Vauxhall Cavalier)?
Also, that Scurry looks a lot like a Bedford Rascal/Suzuki (Super) Carry, which is basically a Japanese Kei van (Richard Hammond can do a fun trick in them🤣)😁
...
Wow, wow, wow.... _Holden_ Vectra, Astra and Combo?! Those are Opel/Vauxhall😆
Opel Frontera😋 Folks at Holden like to rummage around in Opels design department, eh?😂 Oh, hang on... Frontera started as an Isuzu😅
And, yep.... The Insignia is an Opel too😆
Looks like I got the first comment in😎
The Astra Sri which happens to my daily driver is a rebadged Vauxhall/Opel Astra from Europe, 2.0 litre turbo. They also released it in a HSV Model as a VXR which it’s known by in England ect..Parts are so hard to come by here for this particular model. Mine is the the standard six speed manual which is quick enough to dust some 8 bangers and to get me in to trouble with the boys in blue lol
Best car I’ve ever had was my Holden Astra hatch, so reliable and great power. Next best is my current Barina Sport hatch, so light, and with the turbo it is a little rocket. It’s just turned over 60,000km and only ever needed regular servicing and a new battery. My husband keeps trying to talk me into getting a new car, then he’ll drive mine somewhere and realises why I don’t want to change.
You guessed it with the rebadged Holdens such as Gemini, Barina, Astra, Camira, Shuttle, Scurry etc. Mostly rebadged vehicles were from Isuzu, Opel, Vaxhall, Suzuki etc. That Holden Jackaroo for instance was in the US an Isuzu Trooper.
The Holden RC Colorado ( not the RG ) came off the same assembly line as the same year Isuzu Dmax ( the RC just got a different front end ) everything else is the same from the powerhouse 4jj1 3ltr turbo diesel to the brake lights lol the only thing the Aussie colorado shared with the US Colorado was the name thankfully ( i own a 2010 RC 4x4 3ltr dual cab)
Grew up in Opels in the 90´s, theres a lot i instantly recognise although they have the "wrong" badge, besides the new obvious ones like the Astra/Insignia of course.
Speaking of the Insignia, (or Buick Regal GS) it was built at the Opel parent plant in Rüsselsheim Germany as both of the three models/versions. It was the successor of the Omega and the flagship until shortly, the workers were really proud of building it. Theres rumors of a new Insignia under PSA(Stellantis), but lets see.
Opel engineered a lot of GM cars in Rüsselsheim, but somehow they never utilized the full GM parts catalog, speaking of the V8s here.
Theres a lot of Opel enthusiasts who would die for a modern RWD LS V8 Opel sedan or coupe here, sadly that never happened and now is never going to happen anyways.
Although it was there all the fucking time, the Holden Commodore which actually was a Opel Commodore and later a Opel Omega. The last Aussie built Commodore was completely new engineered, because the Opel Omega and so the platform, was ended. The last Commodore was an Insignia and not Aussie built, without a V8. It flopped.
The VE/VF Commodore was sold in GB as a Vauxhall and ALSO sold in the US as Pontiac G8 and later Chevy SS. This car with an Opel badge would have been a crazy f you to BMW,Merc, Audi and *especially* VW. Like the Lotus Omega back then. Which makes the Lotus Omega even crazier when you know about the relation of Opel, Chevy and Holden. Like, why would they ship their V6 sedan to Lotus to tune it and effectively double the price when they just could have slapped a Chevy V8 in it? We willl never know. All rumor there is, is that GM was to supply a V8 for the 2nd gen Opel Omega (Cadillac Catera), but no transmission. Reason for that could have been a deal with BMW since the 2nd gen Omega had a BMW turbodiesel and GM supposedly supplied trannys for a performance BMW at the time.
The V8 Omega was cancelled just weeks prior to delivery, supposedly because of transmission problems. The few that have been built are doomed to never hit the road, although they look perfect. Even the engine cover is done...
Funny shit, shortly before Opel was sold to PSA, you could go to a random Opel dealer and order a Camaro V8 (think SS trim), about 60.000 Euro. They NEVER advertised it.
Yet you have Mustang GTs all over at every random Ford dealer here.
I can only think of one V8 Opel, thats the Diplomat V8, a 70´s full size sedan. Only about 300 left. It was one of the best luxurious cars, before the S-Class came up.
Why do i write all that shit? Well, Opel had lost all of its prestige over the decades. From being market leaders together with Mercedes-Benz to a boring econoshitbox manufacturer that gets joked upon by everyone... They were in need for a halo product, for decades. And V8 sedans just worked until the big SUV boom and they still do. BMW, Merc, Audi. They all did it. Especially AMG with the w204, no one cared for an AMG before the V8s came in. Obviously you cant sell an Opel for an AMG price, but that is where GM just should have stepped in. They have cheap V8s, which are proven.
Many say, GM did Opel dirty and i feel like that could be true. Im glad they sold Opel instead of killing the brand, like they did with Holden. They tried to establish the Chevrolet brand here through Opel dealerships, but were never successful.
11:10 - Yeah I can definitely see second gen Chevy Camaro in the rear end.
The Gemini was an Isuzu,much loved by many in Oz.
You focus a lot on the Ford/Holden thing but have you heard of the Leyland P76? It was an Australian made car produced in the early 1970's in both 6 and 8 cylinder variants. It was large (the boot -trunk- could hold a 44 gallon drum easily) and people either loved it or hated it. It had more success in modern day long distance rallies than on the racetrack.
Also, you follow rallies. Try the London Sydney rallies or the Redex Time Trials around Australia. A modern day rally event you might like which is on you tube is the Finke Desert Rally
the holdon Berina Sri is actually an Opel Corsa, and the holdon combo is an Opel combo
From Switzerland, I know many of these as Opel models from Germany. It's always strange to immediately assume "that came from Opel!" and then having to think about whether it was just some Isuzu or Daihatsu rebadge-stories that became more and more prevalent over time as well. There's a list of similar pictures for Opel's history from 1899-2020. Lemme find the link...
Ah yes: Here it is... -> ruclips.net/video/bUmBKhNey64/видео.html (Opel was bought up by GM at some point, but a few years ago, GM sold them to PSA (now Stellantis). So no more new Opel models for Holden and GM. :)
Trailblazer is basically a wagon version of the Colorado ute - in turn an Isuzu D-max. D-max still sold here by Isuzu. Which like Suzuki are still in Australia. Daewoo is not. Used by Surf Life saving and police and SES etc .
Toyota did a Commodore version, called the Lexcen. Named in honour of the man who designed the famous keel on the Australian winning America's Cup boat. First time. A thing in Australia and many funny ads on it with Commodore v8. Flag with Kangaroo and the bald eagle - ill let you research 😅 - our Prime Minister footage is hilarious.
EJ 1962 came with GM hydramatic 3 speed automatic, then HD 1965 came with GM powerglide 2 speed automatic, HG 1970 came with trimatic 3 speed automatic, VN Commodore 1988 turbo Hydra Matic 700 4 speed automatic.