The Holden Commodore (VB) is a

mid-size car Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...

that was produced by

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thre ...

, from 1978 to 1980. It was the first iteration of the first generation of the

Holden Commodore The Holden Commodore is a full-size car that was sold by Holden from 1978 to 2020. It was manufactured from 1978 to 2017 in Australia and from 1979 to 1990 in New Zealand, with production of the locally manufactured versions in Australia endin ...

. The car was officially launched on 26 October 1978 with showrooms receiving the first examples on 13 November 1978. Production of the VB only lasted seventeen months, the shortest reign of any Commodore. The VB Commodore was effectively the successor of the Holden HZ, although most models in that series continued to be produced until the introduction of the facelifted VC Commodore on 30 March 1980. 95,906 units of the VB Commodore were manufactured during the car's lifespan, and during 1979 the VB became Australia's number one selling car. Also in 1979, the VB won '' Wheels'' Car of the Year award, with the car being praised in the media for its value for money and engineering sophistication.

Design

The VB Commodore was loosely based on the 1977

Opel Rekord E The Opel Rekord Series E is an executive car that replaced the Rekord D on Opel's Rüsselsheim production lines in August 1977, following the end of the summer vacation plant shut-down. It shared its wheelbase and inherited most of its engines fro ...

bodyshell but with the front grafted on from the

Opel Senator The Opel Senator is a full-size executive car (E-segment) produced by the German automaker Opel, two generations of which were sold in Europe from 1978 until 1993. A saloon, its first incarnation was also available with a fastback coupé body ...

to accommodate the larger Holden six-cylinder and V8 engines, giving it a similar appearance to the Opel Commodore, the

Vauxhall Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "ki ...

, sold in the UK and the Chevrolet Commodore, sold in South Africa. Overall, the body was strengthened substantially to withstand the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. Total cost of development is reported to be over A$110 million. The Commodore represented a major shift in thinking for Holden since it was significantly smaller than the previous full-size family car, the Holden Kingswood, but visually similar in size to the mid-size Torana / Sunbird sedans. It essentially came about in response to the

1973 oil crisis The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had supp ...

and the need to produce more fuel-efficient cars. Holden, hedging their bets, initially built the Commodore alongside the other two established body styles, until the Torana was dropped in mid-1979, with only the Sunbird surviving into mid-1980 following release of the updated VC Commodore. The VB was available in three specification levels: Commodore, Commodore SL, and Commodore SL/E. A station wagon variant – not available in SL/E form – was released on 24 July 1979, hitting showrooms on 6 August 1979. It featured a large cargo area and an easy access one-piece lift-up tailgate. As the wagon-specific sheet metal had to be imported from Germany (from the Rekord), the wagon suffered from inevitable component differences from the sedan, confirmed by the separate keys for the ignition system and rear door. The

OHV An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located bel ...

engines were largely carried over from the Kingswood: a 2.85-litre 64-kilowatt (86 hp) straight-six, 3.3-litre 71-kilowatt (96 hp) straight-six, 4.2-litre 87-kilowatt (117 hp) V8, which was also available with dual exhausts to produce 96 kilowatts (129 hp) of power, and a 5.0-litre 114-kilowatt (153 hp) V8, which in dual exhaust form was rated at 125 kilowatts (168 hp). The engine blocks on these motors were painted red and are therefore commonly referred to as the ''Red'' motors. The VB was also available with either a four-speed manual transmission or a three-speed Trimatic automatic transmission, or the Turbo-Hydramatic 350/400 automatic transmission with the 5.0-litre V8.

Specification levels

:''All V8's came with power steering. On the station wagon, there was no 15x6 inch alloy wheels option.''

Commodore

The Commodore was the baseline variant, and was available as a sedan or station wagon. The sedan was priced from A$6,513. :''The VB Commodore standard features included:'' * 2.85-litre Red I6 engine * 4-speed manual transmission * Featured body colour tail panel * Silver finish on instrument surrounds * Vinyl trim * Steel wheels :''The VB Commodore standard optional included:'' * 3.3-litre 66-kilowatt (89 hp) Red I6 engine * 4.2-litre 87-kilowatt (117 hp) Red V8 engine * 3-speed automatic transmission * Air conditioning * Corded cloth interior *

Power steering A power steering is a mechanical device equipped on a motor vehicle that helps drivers steer the vehicle by reducing steering effort needed to turn the steering wheel, making it easier for the vehicle to turn or maneuver at lower speeds. Hydraul ...

* European Pack which incorporated: * 3.3-litre 66-kilowatt (89 hp) Red I6 engine ** Full instrumentation ** Four wheel discs ** Headlight washers / wipers ** 15 inch alloy wheels * Sport Pack on manuals only, which incorporated: * 4.2-litre 87-kilowatt (117 hp) Red V8 engine ** Full instrumentation ** Four wheel discs brakes ** Headlight washers/wipers ** 15x6 inch alloy wheels

Commodore SL

The Commodore SL was the mid-spec variant, and was available as a sedan or station wagon. The sedan was priced from A$7,813. :''The VB Commodore SL standard features included:'' * 3.3-litre Red I6 engine * 3-speed automatic transmission * Bright door mouldings * Chrome wheeltrim rings * Corded velour cloth trim * Extra gauges (volts & oil pressure) * Featured vertical accent bars on the grille * Inertia reel seatbelts for the outer rear passengers * Rear centre armrest * Rosewood dash finish * Silver tail panel * Twin exterior mirrors * Variable intermittent speed wipers * Steel wheels :''The VB Commodore SL optional features included:'' * 4.2-litre Red V8 engine * Air conditioning * Power steering * Full instrumentation * Four wheel discs brakes * Headlight washers/wipers * 4-speed manual transmission * Vinyl upholstery * 15x6 inch alloy wheels

Commodore SL/E

The Commodore SL/E was the top-of-the-line variant. It was available as a sedan only, and was priced from A$10,513. :''The VB Commodore SL/E standard features included:'' * 4.2-litre 87-kilowatt (117 hp) Red V8 engine * 3-speed automatic transmission * Air conditioning * Black door frames and tail panel * Blacked out grille * Burr walnut dash * Chrome exhaust * Chrome door handles * Extended rear bumpers * Blaupunkt stereo radio cassette player * Electric aerial * Headlight wiper/washers * Power steering * Reading lights * Retractable seatbelts * Reversing mirror * Tachometer * Velour trim and cut pile carpet * 4 wheels disc brakes * 15x6 inch alloy wheels :''The VB Commodore SL/E optional features included:'' * 3.3 L 71-kilowatt (89 hp) Red I6 engine available as a reduced cost option * 5.0 L 114-kilowatt (153 hp) Red V8 engine which incorporated: ** Turbo-Hydramatic 350 or 400 transmission * 4-speed manual transmission * Central locking * Power windows

Motorsport

The VB Commodore featured heavily in Australian motorsport in the latter part of 1979 and through most of 1980. In 1979 the factory backed Holden Dealer Team entered a three-car VB Commodore team in the Repco

Round Australia Trial The Round Australia Trial was a long distance rally (a form of motorsport that takes place on public or private roads), which was run on multiple occasions between 1953 and 1998, circumnavigating Australia. Its early years were tremendously popular ...

which started and finished at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds and travelled clockwise around the country over some of the most inhospitable terrain imaginable. The team Commodore's were powered by the 3.3-litre straight-six Holden Red motor rather than the more powerful V8 due to their much lighter weight. Anxious to prove the then new cars reliability, the cars were perfectly prepared and finished first, second and third. Lead HDT driver

Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock (26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006), known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, al ...

won the event along with co-drivers Matt Phillip and Noel Richards. Brock has cited this event as his career highlight as it was an event in which many motor racing experts throughout Australia, as well as the media, did not believe he would do well in despite his previous rally and rallycross exploits. With new regulations for Group C Touring car racing introduced by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport in 1980 which forced teams to use low emission engines, the HDT (by now owned by Brock and with actual support from Holden dealers after Holden had pulled out of racing at the end of 1979) had been secretly testing a VB Commodore as its replacement for the A9X Torana. The new regulations saw that the Holden's racing 5.0-litre V8 engine had a drop in power from 1979's to approximately . However, the new regulations also saw to it that the HDT had arguably the only race ready car for the

1980 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1980 Australian Touring Car Championship was an Australian motor racing competition for Group C Touring Cars.CAMS Manual of Motor Sport 1980 Authorised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as a National Title, it was the 21st Aust ...

. Peter Brock won the championship in his VB Commodore, winning four of the eight rounds while claiming pole position at each and every round. 1979 ATCC winner Bob Morris also won a round of the championship driving his Craven Mild Racing VB Commodore. Brock then won the 1980 CRC 300 at Sydney's Amaroo Park circuit before upgrading to the VC Commodore by the

Hang Ten 400 The Sandown 500 (formally known as the Penrite Oil Sandown 500) is an annual endurance motor race which is staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from 1964. The event's name, distance – and the category of cars c ...

at Sandown Raceway. The VB's final placing in an Australian touring car race was a strong third place by Ian "Pete" Geoghegan and Paul Gulson at the

1980 Bathurst 1000 The 1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 21st running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 5 October 1980 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. The race was open to cars eligible und ...

at Bathurst (Brock and Jim Richards won their third straight Bathurst 1000 in their VC Commodore). The VB is only one of two Commodore models (along with the VN) not to have won the Bathurst 1000.

References

External links

Holden VB Commodore crash test.
This test was conducted on 9 June 1992 by the Roads & Traffic Authority (RTA) as part of a test series to commission the Crashlab test facility at Rosebery, New South Wales, Australia. The test was of the facility's drive system, not the actual car which had the

tail shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft ( Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...

removed, of sand ballast placed in the footwells and

boot A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is cle ...

and a ballast dummy placed on the rear seat. This was supposed to represent a worst-case scenario.
Golden Holdens : VB Commodore (1978–1980)

* ttp://home.iprimus.com.au/jshiong/thecars.htm#vb The Commodore Info Page – Holden Commodore – VB Series November 1978 – March 1980
The Unofficial Holden Commodore Archive – VB Commodore

* ttp://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/car_info_holden_commodore_vb.htm Unique Cars and Parts: Holden Commodore VB {{Holden timeline Cars introduced in 1978 1970s cars 1980s cars Cars of Australia VB Mid-size cars Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Sedans Station wagons