The Holden HD series is a range of automobiles which were 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 ...

in Australia from 1965 to 1966.

Overview

The Holden HD sedans and

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

s were released in February 1965 with

coupe utility A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

and

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. ...

body styles following in July of that year.Norm Darwin, 100 Years of GM in Australia, pages 234-238 The HD range replaced the

Holden EH The Holden EH is an automobile produced by General Motors-Holden in Australia from 1963 to 1965. The EH was released in August 1963 replacing the Holden EJ series, and was the first Holden to incorporate the new "Red" engine, with a seven main ...

series which had been in production since 1963. The HD had a completely new body, which was wider and longer than that of the EH and offered significant increases in passenger space, load space and equipment levels.Tony Davis, Ewan Kennedy and Alistair Kennedy, The Holden Heritage – Eighth Edition, January 1998, page 32 Body styling exhibited strong similarities to Vauxhall's FC Victor of the previous year, including that car's unusual concave rear window. Disc brakes were offered for the first time on a Holden model Holden HD at www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au
Retrieved on 14 October 2010 and the optional Hydramatic three–speed automatic transmission as used in the EH was replaced by a Powerglide two– speed unit. The HD was also the first Holden to be offered with a factory performance engine option, the "X2". The HD is often confused with the later HR but can be recognised by the front indicators being mounted under the bumper (the HR had round indicators mounted in the grille) and the wrap around tail lights at the back (the HR had narrow lights that extended up the end of the rear fins but not around the edge)

Model range

The Holden HD passenger vehicle range offered 4 door sedan and 5 door

bodystyles in three trim levels with the six models marketed as: * Holden Standard SedanHolden, GMH sales brochure for Holden HD Sedans and Station Sedans, January 1965 * Holden Standard Station Sedan * Holden Special Sedan * Holden Special Station Sedan * Holden Premier Sedan * Holden Premier Station Sedan The HD commercial vehicle range was offered in 2 door

and 2 door

variants, marketed as: * Holden UtilityHolden Utility and Panel Van!, GMH sales brochure for Holden HD Utility and Panel Van, April 1965 * Holden Panel Van File:1966 Holden HD Special X2 (5689334997).jpg, Holden Special Sedan File:1966 Holden Special (HD) Station Sedan station wagon (2016-07-07) 02.jpg, Holden Special Station Sedan File:1965-66 HD Premier

.JPG, Holden Premier Sedan File:Holden HD Premier X2 (5095868415).jpg, Holden Premier Sedan File:1965 Holden HD Premier station wagon (6106042986).jpg, Holden Premier Station Sedan File:1965 Holden HD Utility (22064451352).jpg, Holden Utility File:1965 Holden HD X2 utility (20998671870).jpg, Holden Utility File:NRMA Motoring and Services 1950's - Current day - Flickr - NRMA New Cars (15) (cropped).jpg, Holden Panel Van File:1965 Holden HD panel van - NRMA Road Service (7762278608).jpg, Holden Panel Van

Engines and transmissions

Three versions of the inline six cylinder

Holden Red motor The Holden straight-six motor is a series of straight-six engine that were produced by General Motors Holden at their Port Melbourne plant between 1948 and 1986. The initial ''Grey'' motor was so dubbed because of the colour of the cylinder block, ...

were available. The 100 bhp six was standard in all models except the Premiers and a 115 bhp six was standard on Premiers and optional on all other models. A 140 bhp "X2" version of the "179" was also available as an option on all models. The "X2" featured twin carburettors, a high-lift camshaft, new inlet and exhaust manifolds and a low-restriction exhaust system. It also included a special instrument cluster and external "X2" badges. A three speed manual transmission was standard on all models with a two speed "Powerglide" automatic gearbox available as an option. A Chevrolet six was fitted for the South African market.

Production and replacement

A total of 178,927 vehicles were produced up to April 1966 when the HD was replaced by the

Holden HR The Holden HR is an automobile that was produced by Holden in Australia from 1966 to 1968. Introduction The Holden HR range was released in April 1966, replacing the Holden HD series which had been in production since 1965. In addition to a rev ...

series.Norm Darwin, 100 Years of GM in Australia, pages 238-240

References

External links

A Brief History of the HD Holden at "The Sixties Holden Archives"
Includes sales brochures

{{Holden timeline Cars of Australia HD Cars introduced in 1965