The Holden Commodore: All About the Aussie Muscle Car You’ve Probably Never Heard About
With the closing of Australia’s last factory, the Holden Commodore is no longer in production. The beloved muscle car symbolizes the end of an era and is worth a lot of money.
, like Chrysler and Ford, in the Australian market.
Holden officially folded in 2020 after shutting down the country’s last factory near Adelaide. Domestic production and export manufacturing was no longer sustainable. The Commodore remains a symbol of Australians’ love for power and performance.
The iconic Holden Commodore
The car made its official debut in 1978 on the ever popular race scene, rivaling the Ford XD Falcon. As laid out by
, it evolved into the distinctive VC Commodore and the VK Commodore throughout the ‘80s, closing out the decade with a special release in 1988. That’s when the Holden Commodore SS Group A SV came on the scene.
This model was known colloquially as the “Walkinshaw,” or “Walky,” due to Tom Walkinshaw‘s involvement in its conception. The retired Scottish racing driver’s company partnered with Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) to build the Commodore SS Group A SV. It’s aerodynamic body kit, reducing drag by over 25%, also earned it the “Batmobile” nickname.
This Holden Commodore came with a 5.0-liter V8 engine and it was the first model to include electronic fuel injection. Power was upgraded from 180 kW to 210 kW in the ‘90s. It had the same six-speed ZF S6-40 manual transmission as the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1. Weighing in at 1,340 kg, it was considerably lighter than future HSVs. With a conservative 245 hp, the car could accelerate from 0-60 mph in under seven seconds.
Impressive features at the time included its radio-cassette player as well as the tweed and cloth velour upholstered sports seats. All of the 1988 Holden Commodores were finished in a panorama silver body color. Financial struggle led the company to release a second batch of 250 cars, in addition to the 500 initially produced.
Holden has been integral to Australian transportation from its start as a saddle maker back in 1856! The company began producing vehicles in 1908, and was bought by General Motors in 1931. After weathering the oil crisis and politicized “supercar scare” of the ‘70s, Holden finally came to an end in 2020. Australia has put car manufacturing to rest.
Now a collector’s dream, the Holden Commodore symbolizes an era that’s passed. A Walkinshaw model with only 69,000 kms sold for $204,709 in 2020 after being parked in a shed for 30 years. Another sold for $340,000 in 2018, beating out a 1969 Corvette Stingray 427 Coupe and a 1970 GTS Monaro as the most expensive car at the auction.
reports that the final Holden Commodore ever built has sold for $750,000. The 2017 Holden VF Series II sedan was advertised as the last car ever produced in Australia. While it was indeed the last car to see the factory’s body and paint shop, GM is adamant that it was not the last car to roll off the general assembly line in 2017.
That car is not for sale as it is currently on display at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood, South Australia.
Other vehicles that kept the Holden Commodore company
highlights the manufacturer’s most classic models. The Holden Commodore undoubtedly made the list, including the VF Commodore, which was brought to the U.S. as the Chevrolet SS.
Also worth a mention was the large HK Kingswood that remained popular in Australia long after the station wagon disappeared from American life.The high-performance HK Monaro made history in 1968 as Holden’s first victory in the famous Bathurst 500 race. Then the 1979 film “Mad Max” made the V6 HQ Monaro famous. GTS models were built with V8 power. There was even a Pontiac GTO version of the Monaro that resembled the U.S. Cadillac Catera.
The LJ Torana started off as a compact 4-cylinder engine that graduated to a V6 and a V8 that satisfied the Australian taste for power. The luxurious and elongated HQ Statesman was so distinguished that it held its own without the Holden branding. Not terribly exciting, but really fun to drive, was the TX Gemini. It was never made with any high-performance engines, but was available as a sedan, coupe or station wagon.
Enter the famous “ute,” short for “utility vehicle.” An important piece of Australian car culture, it combines the front end of a passenger car with a pickup truck’s cargo area. The HZ Sandman had V8 power and lots of space, rivaling the Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero. A modern version launched in 2000 as the VU Ute SS.
Americans were never in the market for a Holden Commodore, and obviously never will be. But that’s not to say the U.S. doesn’t have a plethora of vintage muscle cars to choose from. Find the best insurance coverage for your classic car with
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