The Holden FJ series is a range of motor vehicles which was produced in Australia 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 1953 until 1956. The FJ was the second model of an "all Australian car" manufactured by Holden and was based upon the established 48-215 series, commonly referred to as the "FX".

Overview

The FJ, of

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

construction, broadly followed the silhouette of its predecessor, but featured a bolder horizontal styled front grille, along with comfort and decoration upgrades in a new sedan model named the 'Holden Special'. Originally specified as achieved at 3,800 rpm, the claimed maximum power output from the six-cylinder engine was increased to achieved at 4,000 rpm. The sedan, in

Standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

Business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

and

Special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

trim levels, and a coupe utility were announced in October 1953 and were followed by a

panel van A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van (United Kingdom) or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. ...

derivative in December of that year. A

wagon A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...

prototype was built but the bodystyle was not put into production. In 1954, Holden's first exports began with sales of the FJ in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. In 1955 the car underwent a mild interior facelift for the Holden Special sedan, along with a variation in paint and trim options. The FJ series was progressively replaced by models from the Holden FE series from July 1956 to May 1957 with a total of 169,969 examples produced.Tony Davis, Aussie Cars, 1987, page 67.
File:1953-56 FJ Standard Sedan Cygnet Blue

.JPG, Holden Standard sedan File:1953-56 FJ Standard rear Birch Grey-.JPG, Holden Standard sedan File:1953-56 FJ Special rear.JPG, Holden Special Sedan File:1953-57 FJ Ute Glenn Green

.JPG, Holden coupe utility File:Holden FJ Ute 02.jpg, Holden coupe utility File:1953-57 FJ Panel Van

.JPG, Holden panel van File:1956 Holden FJ panel van (6101982135).jpg, Holden panel van

Legacy

There are nearly 20 specific FX-FJ Holden Car Clubs of Australia with members committed to preserving them. These clubs organise a national gathering for FX-FJ Holden enthusiasts every second year.

Efijy concept car

2005 Holden Efigy Concept Car (37061851124)

The

Holden Efijy The Holden Efijy is an Australian concept car made by Holden and inspired by the Australian-built 1953 Holden FJ. It debuted in 2005 at the Australian International Motor Show. Design The design of the Efijy pays tribute to the 1953 Holden F ...

concept car, which debuted in 2005 at the

Australian International Motor Show The Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) was an annual auto show held in Australia, alternating between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Prior to the Sydney event in 2010, both cities previously hosted separate annual exhibitions. Melbo ...

, paid tribute to the design of the original 1953 Holden FJ.

References

External links

www.fxfjholden.com - The best place on the net for FX and FJ Holden'sFJ Holden at the National Museum of Australia
{{Holden timeline Cars of Australia FJ Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Sedans Cars introduced in 1953