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The Holden Kingswood is a
full-size car Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment. Af ...
that was manufactured in Australia by GM
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 the beginning of the HK series in 1968 through to the conclusion of the WB series in 1984. Prior to 1968, the full-size Holden range of family cars comprised the
Holden Standard 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 brand, marque in Australia. In its las ...
, the
Holden Special The Holden Special is a mid-size car that was manufactured by Holden for Australasia. Introduced as the top-level trim in the new Holden FJ range of 1953, the Special was complemented by the entry-level Holden Standard and the mid-range Holden B ...
, and
Holden Premier The Holden Premier is an automobile that was produced by Holden for Australasia between 1962 and 1980. The Premier was an upmarket version of the: * Holden Standard/Special: between 1962 and 1968. * Holden Belmont/Kingswood: between 1968 and ...
models. Initially, the HK range of models included the basic Holden Belmont (replacing the Standard), the Kingswood (replacing the Special), and the luxury-oriented Holden Premier, all of which were manufactured in a choice of sedan and station wagon bodies. Commercial variants were offered in three types:
coupé utility A coupé utility is a vehicle with a passenger compartment at the front and an integrated cargo tray at the rear, with the front of the cargo bed doubling as the rear of the passenger compartment. The term originated in the 1930s, where it wa ...
,
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. ...
, and later from 1971, a heavy-duty Holden One Tonner
cab chassis A chassis cab, also called a cab chassis or half truck, is a type of vehicle construction, often found in medium duty truck commercial vehicles. Instead of supplying the customer with a factory pre-assembled flatbed, cargo container, or other e ...
. The utility (ute) version was originally marketed in both Belmont and Kingswood configurations. However, after the Belmont name was deleted from commercials at the end of HQ in late 1974, the base model commercials were sold only with the "Holden" badge (the Belmont name continued on sedan and wagon variants until the end of the HX series). A two-door
Holden Monaro The Holden Monaro ( ) is a rear-wheel drive coupé manufactured by General Motors Holden in Australia from 1968 to 1975 and later reintroduced from 2001 to 2005. It was also manufactured as a 4-door sedan from 1973 to 1977. Three generations of ...
coupé and extended-length luxury
Holden Brougham The Holden Brougham is a large, luxury automobile that was produced by Holden in Australia between July 1968 and 1971. It was based on the mainstream Holden Premier of the same years, but with a lengthened rear body. The boot was simply exte ...
were also introduced in mid 1968. For HK, HT, HG and HQ the Holden Monaro carried the ID plate luxury level coding for a Kingswood but never wore Kingswood badges as a production car. HQ-HJ Monaro LS and HQ Monaro LS V8 shared luxury level coding with their respective Premier but also never wore Premier badges. HK-HJ Monaro GTS coupe, HJ Monaro GTS sedan, HT-HQ Monaro GTS V8 coupe and Monaro GTS327/350 coupe (HK-HQ) carried unique luxury level coding. HQ Monaro GTS sedan and HQ Monaro GTS350 sedan shared Kingswood luxury level coding with later examples actually displaying the GTS coupe's Q code on the VIN plate but still retaining the HQ V8 Kingswood's 80469 model coding on the body plate. The Brougham was replaced in 1971 by the
Statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...
brand, based upon the station wagon chassis of the then new HQ series. For a complete listing of the HK–WB series Holden cars, see:
list of Holden vehicles by series Holden, officially GM Holden Ltd was the Australian subsidiary of General Motors (GM), the world’s second largest automaker. Holden vehicles, in addition to nameplate, are designated by a series code. For example, the 1971–1974 Holden King ...
. A new Kingswood model was introduced at the start of the HX Holden series in mid 1976, the Kingswood panel van. Outside of Australia, the Holden range (including Kingswoods in various body styles) and its derivatives have been sold in New Zealand, parts of Asia, and parts of the South Pacific branded as Holdens. Following the late-1960s import cessation of the Canadian-sourced
Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala () is a full-size car built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles in ...
and Chevelle in South Africa, the Holden Kingswood / Premier and Holden Brougham models were
badge engineered In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a manu ...
as Chevrolet Kommando and
Chevrolet Constantia The Chevrolet Constantia is an automobile which was marketed by Chevrolet in South Africa from 1969 to 1978. First series The first series Chevrolet Constantia went on sale in May 1969, along with the lower priced Kommando. It was based on the ...
, respectively. Holden-based style-side utilities in South Africa were known as the Chevrolet El Camino.1971 South African Chevrolet El Camino brochure cover, www.moby302.co.za, as archived at web.archive.org
/ref> Between 1974 and 1978, the one-tonne cab-chassis utility was sold as the Chevrolet El Toro. The Kingswood
passenger car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...
and Kingswood panel van ceased production with the demise of the HZ series in 1980, the passenger range succeeded by the smaller
Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...
released two years earlier. However, the Kingswood name survived via the
utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...
that comprised part of the WB series range manufactured between 1980 and 1984, sold alongside the WB Statesman and the WB Holden utility, panel van and cab-chassis. A first generation Holden Kingswood sedan is featured in the New Zealand television series, ''
The Brokenwood Mysteries ''The Brokenwood Mysteries'' is a New Zealand television detective drama series that premiered on Prime in 2014. Each of the first six series comprises four distinct episodes. Series 7 began streaming on 29 March 2021 on Acorn TV, comprises six ...
'' as the vehicle driven by the series star, Neill Rea, in his role as Detective Sergeant Mike Shepherd. Apparently, the car is intended to represent the least glamorous transportation that D.S. Shepherd could possibly obtain. Passengers in Shepherd's car are subjected to his favorite country songs (both well-known and obscure), always played on the car's cassette player. The same array of country songs make up the soundtrack for the series.


First generation (1968–1971)


HK

The Kingswood sedan and wagon were released as part of the new HK series of Holdens in January 1968 (commercials: March 1968). This was an all-new body design, larger and heavier than the previous HR series. The HK series carried over the same local six-cylinder engines, but introduced the first V8 into the Holden range, the fully imported
Chevrolet small-block engine Chevrolet small-block engine refers to one of a number of gasoline-powered vehicle engines manufactured by the General Motors company. These include: * The III, IV, V generation of LS-based GM engines. * The I, II generation of non-LS Chevrolet ...
. The Monaro and the
Brougham Brougham may refer to: Transport * Brougham (carriage), a light four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage * Brougham (car body), an automobile with a similar style Automobile models * Cadillac Brougham, 1987–1992 * Chrysler New Yorker Brougham, c. 1 ...
were introduced mid-year of 1968, thereby broadening GM's range of locally built full-size cars in Australia.


HT

The HT series launched in May 1969 and with it the introduction of a new locally manufactured Holden and V8 engines. The 253 was available on all HT models except Brougham, and the 308 was available only in Brougham. The Chevrolet V8 engine had remained an option for all HT series models except Brougham until stocks were depleted and it was replaced with the 308. The advertising campaign for this model was 'Never Late, in a Three-Oh-Eight'. The range of three six-cylinder engines carried over to the HT series, however the transmission options for the V8 engines were many and varied. Initially, the 253 V8 only came with either three-speed column- or four-speed floor-mounted manual transmissions. The 307 V8 was only available with two-speed ''
Powerglide The Powerglide is a two-speed automatic transmission designed by General Motors. It was available primarily on Chevrolet from January 1950 through 1973, although some Pontiac models also used this automatic transmission after the fire at the Hyd ...
'' automatic. This arrangement continued until the 307 stocks were exhausted, following which the 253 and 308 locally built V8 engines could then be ordered with any manual or automatic transmission across the range, excepting the Holden Brougham which was always specified as a 308 automatic. A new locally manufactured three-speed automatic transmission, the ''Tri-Matic'', was introduced late in the life of the HT range, except on HT Brougham which retained the two-speed automatic ''Powerglide'' transmission.


HG

The HG series of July 1970 was a minor refinement of the existing formula, adopted as the marketing platform for the new three-speed automatic transmission option called ''Tri-Matic''. The first of these locally made transmissions actually found their way into the last of the HT series cars. These transmissions were later criticised for unreliability and became colloquially known by dispondants, as the ''Traumatic''. Only the HG Monaro GTS350 retained the ''Powerglide'' transmission if an automatic preference was optioned. HG commercial variants continued to be built and sold alongside the HQ series passenger vehicles until very late in 1971 when the HQ commercials were released. These HG commercials were upgraded to the newer specification HQ 173ci and 202ci 6cyl engines but retained the HG specification transmissions (cable kickdown 6cyl and V8 Trimatics and V8 M21 Saginaw) and V8 engines which are believed to have been stockpiled in sufficient quantity to cover expected requirements. These HG commercials can easily be identified by the A prefix on the chassis number appearing on the firewall and for vehicles built for sale inside Australia on the Safety Compliance Plate.


Second generation (1971–1984)


HQ

The HQ series of 1971 was a completely new design, introducing larger capacity 173-cubic-inch (2.85 L) and 202-cubic-inch (3.3 L) six-cylinder engines, with the continued availability of 253-cubic-inch (4.2 L), 308-cubic-inch (5.0 L) Holden and 350-cubic-inch (5.7 L) Chevrolet V8 engines.Davis, Kennedy, Kennedy (Part Two), pp. 67–68. HQ was the most radically engineered Holden since the introduction of the original 48-215 model of 23 years prior. It featured a perimeter frame and semi-
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, ...
(unibody) construction, and was the first full-size Holden to have
coil spring A selection of conical coil springs The most common type of spring is the coil spring, which is made out of a long piece of metal that is wound around itself. Coil springs were in use in Roman times, evidence of this can be found in bronze Fib ...
rear suspension. As a cost-saving measure, HQ was only engineered for
right-hand drive Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes referred to ...
, hence it was not feasible to sell the car in left-hand drive markets. Thus Holden exports declined from 41,181 in 1973 to just 7,440 in 1975. Over the following years this led to a large decline in export vehicle revenue needed to fund the HQ-HZ series replacement. Despite this, HQ became Holden's most popular car, selling 485,650 units, a total yet to be surpassed in a Holden. It was however, sold over a longer timeframe than previous models. At the time, Holden's then Chief Engineer, an American named George Roberts, insisted that the HQ Holdens should "ride like a
Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
" and that the front suspension be engineered to make the car prone to
understeer Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of a vehicle to steering. Oversteer is what occurs when a car turns (steers) by more than the amount commanded by the driver. Conversely, understeer is what occu ...
for "safety reasons". Advertising of the car promoted its "jet-smooth ride" over rough roads. Notwithstanding persistent criticism from many motoring journalists, this policy persisted with the subsequent HJ and HX facelift models. It was arguable whether Australian buyers favoured this engineering philosophy and it was not until the 1977 HZ facelift that radical changes were made to the suspension to improve handling. In Mid 1972, Holden released a limited edition version of the HQ Belmont sedan, named 'SS' Adopted from Chevrolet Super Sport Models in the United States and other markets, Option code 'XV2' Included the choice of three very 70's Colours: Infra Red (Dark Orange), Lettuce Alone (Light Green) or Ultraviolet (Purpleish - Grey Metallic), Vinyl Stripe and 'SS' Decal kit supplied by 3M Australia, a choice between 253 (4.2L) or 308 (5.0L)
Holden V8 engine The Holden V8 engine is an overhead valve (OHV) V8 engine that was produced by the Australian General Motors subsidiary, Holden (GMH), between 1969 and 2000. The engine was initially fitted to the Holden HT series in 1969 and was later utilis ...
mated to a 4 Speed Manual Gearbox backed by a 10-Bolt Salisbury Differential with a 3.36:1 Ratio (and painted.. unusually, White, Along with the driveshaft), along with Pontiac-style Rallye weels. On the inside: Standard Black Belmont Door trims, Optional armrests, However, unusual to the Belmont, A full Sport Gauge Cluster, Steering Wheel, Carpet, Floor Shift, Center Console and Bucket Seats in Black Vinyl with
Houndstooth Houndstooth, hounds tooth check or hound's tooth (and similar spellings), also known as dogstooth, dogtooth, dog's tooth, (), (), is a duotone textile pattern characterized by broken checks or abstract four-pointed shapes, traditionally in black ...
or Flax inserts, The SS was initially limited to 1800 units, but extended by 1300 due to unprecedented sales demand. In late 1972, Holden released a special edition version of the HQ Kingswood sedan and wagon, named Kingswood Vacationer. This value package of options proved popular and made return appearances on various Holden models during the next twenty years or so. Holden, in 1974 introduced the Sandman, a version of the utility or panel van designed to incorporate many of the features of the Monaro, such as sports instrumentation, sports steering wheel and
bucket seat A bucket seat is a car seat contoured to hold one person, distinct from a flat bench seat designed to fit multiple people. In its simplest form it is a rounded seat for one person with high sides, but may have curved sides that partially enclose ...
s, and "rally" road wheels with a choice of two six-cylinder and two V8 engines. Other available options included
automatic transmission An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...
,
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 ...
, and
air-conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
. Sandmans were visually identified by stick-on vinyl
decal A decal (, , ) or transfer is a plastic, cloth, paper, or ceramic substrate that has printed on it a pattern or image that can be moved to another surface upon contact, usually with the aid of heat or water. The word is short for ''decalcom ...
s on the exterior. It gained notoriety during the latter half of the 1970s as a mobile venue for
sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...
. Vans earned nicknames as ''shaggin' wagons'' and ''sinbins''. In 1971 CKD HQ production started in Thailand. HQ's were also CKD manufactured in Indonesia and the Philippines for many years. There was also a program for Mazda in Japan to produce the HQ from CKD kits, which is believed not to have gone beyond the pilot stage.


HJ

Released in 1974, the HJ series received some major frontal appearance styling changes, taking away some of the "softness" of the HQ cars. HJ saw the Belmont name disappear off utilities and panel vans to be replaced with an "unbadged" specification. HJ also saw the demise of separate models for V8 powered variants, for example in HQ a V8 Kingswood sedan had model code 0469 and its six-cylinder version was 0369. In HJ all Kingswoods were a single model—WN69—regardless of engine.
Engine displacement Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as a loose indicator of the ...
was now expressed in
metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathem ...
terms, and the six-cylinder engine became the standard power unit for all Kingswood variants and higher luxury levels. The six remained the standard engine for the entry-level Belmont and "unbadged" commercials. As with the engine, the Belmont also saw the omission of front disc brakes, now a standard fitment on all Kingswood models. A couple of special-build variants emerged later in production, initially with the Kingswood Deluxe sedan in July 1975 and later the Kingswood Vacationer II sedan and wagon in November 1975. Added features for these cars included automatic transmission, radial tyres, floor carpeting, radio, and a range of two-tone body colours. Some HJ series Premier based vehicles were assembled by
Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
in Japan, which fitted with the company's
rotary engine The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration. The engine's crankshaft remained stationary in operation, while the entire crankcase and i ...
. The car, manufactured between 1975 and 1977 sold as the
Mazda Roadpacer The Mazda Roadpacer AP (Anti-Pollution) is a full-size sedan that was sold by Mazda in Japan between 1975 and 1977, although the last car was not sold until 1979. It was based on the Australian Holden HJ and HX series Premier. Premiers were ship ...
was quite heavy and the rotary engine of the time was severely underpowered. To compensate for the lack of performance, Mazda endowed the car with a myriad of electrical gadgets, thus making the performance even worse.


HX

The HX series release of 1976 saw only minor updates to the exterior, notably the grille and badgework, although base specification utilities and panel vans retained the HJ grill (except Sandman which got HX Kingswood frontal treatment). When the HX was released, government emissions controls had been tightened and Holden needed to make significant changes to their engines. This resulted in a loss of performance across the range and the deletion of the 2.84-litre straight-six. In addition, a Kingswood panel van was introduced to the range of commercial vehicle offerings. The HX Sandman introduced a large 'Sandman' logo on the tailgate and stripes down the sides. During the course of the HX series, front bucket seats were adopted as standard equipment for Kingswood-badged vehicles. As with the previous series, a couple of special-build HX Kingswood variants emerged later in production, initially with the Kingswood 50th Anniversary sedan in November 1976 and also a repeat appearance of the Kingswood Deluxe sedan.


HZ

The 1977 HZ series received minor updates to the exterior, and saw the introduction of what Holden termed "Radial Tuned Suspension" (RTS) on all models. RTS made significant changes to the
suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...
of the car, greatly improving the handling finesse, while at the same time not compromising ride quality. '' Modern Motor'' magazine described the HZ as "a great handler spoiled by the car" in a comparison against the
BMW 528i The BMW 5 Series is an executive car manufactured and marketed by BMW since 1972, succeeding the New Class Sedans, and currently in its seventh generation. The 5 Series was initially available as a sedan, with a wagon/estate body style (market ...
, contrasted as "a great car spoiled by the handling". To illustrate, photos were taken of the Holden cornering hard but smoothly, while the BMW spun out of control. However BMW forced the magazine to admit that it had instructed its test driver to throw the BMW into the corner at much higher speed and in a deliberately unstable attitude. In this series, the lower-end Belmont was deleted and the Kingswood became the base model for sedans and wagons, with a new model the slightly more upmarket Kingswood SL introduced. Commercial vehicles—the ute, panel van and cab chassis—were not affected by the rationalisation, with the practice of "unbadged" commercial vehicles continuing. During the course of the HZ series, equipment levels were upgraded in 1978 effectively to match improvements in the opposition Ford Falcon range, but the life of the Kingswood looked set to end following Holden's release of the VB Commodore range of sedans and wagons in November 1978. After 1980, Kingswood passenger cars were cancelled—replaced by the downsized
Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...
. The final HZ Sandman, featured a choice of V8 engines only, along with a four-headlight grille and under bumper front spoiler. According to a GMH Price List dated 25 January 1979, a basic HZ Holden panel van was priced at A$6,076, with the Sandman option package an additional A$1,700. The further optional components also included 5.0-litre V8 engine and a limited slip differential. If a buyer selected every Sandman extra, the price would be more than 150 percent of the cost of the basic HZ model. By the end of 1979, the Sandman had largely lost its place in the contemporary Australian youth culture—order figures were down and many of the vehicles were now being sold with the stripes and tailgate logos deleted. The Sandman ute was phased out of production prior to the van, the last of which was manufactured around October 1979.


WB

The last Holden to wear the Kingswood badge was one of the variants of the WB series utility released in 1980. Although the WA and WB projects at Holden were meant to have resulted in all-new full-size cars, the 1973 fuel crisis and cost-cutting meant the scope of changes became more limited each time. Eventually, the WB project was condensed into a major upgrade of the luxury Statesman models and a facelift of the HZ-series commercial models with new headlights, tail lights, grilles and the updated Holden "Blue"
six-cylinder The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...
engine (4.2-litre V8 optional). The Kingswood was now available on utility only with the panel van joining the One Tonner, but the 5.0-litre V8 engine was no longer officially offered as an available performance option although some were built. There were no passenger car versions of the Kingswood, their place in the Holden range having been absorbed by the Commodore. Production of the entire WB-series finished in 1984 when Holden announced they were vacating local production of large luxury and commercial vehicles—due to economics—to concentrate on their medium car range, i.e. Camira and Commodore, and imported Isuzu commercial product.


Third generation (proposed)


WA

After the development of the HQ series and the delays to the facelifted HJ which saw the revised HQ released in 1973, Holden intended to replace the second generations cars with a heavily revised WA series. Several design sketches in various forms have surfaced since the early-1990s, including a
liftback A liftback is a variation of hatchback with a sloping roofline between 45 and 5 degrees. Traditional hatchback designs usually have a 90 to 46 degree slope on the tailgate or rear door. As such the liftback is essentially a hatchback with a more ...
body style. The 1973 fuel crisis along with a worsening financial situation, partly caused by the decision to build the HQ in right-hand drive only, thus limiting the previously highly profitable left-hand drive exports, meant that the project was eventually abandoned. GM instead utilised the then forthcoming 1977
Opel Rekord The Opel Rekord is a large family car which was built in eight generations by the German car manufacturer Opel. Between 1953 and 1986, approximately ten million were sold. In 1986, the Rekord nameplate was replaced by the Opel Omega. Naming T ...
, which was significantly re-engineered and released as the
Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...
in 1978 with Holden's own powertrains.


Exports

Early Holdens were manufactured 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 ...
at the General Motors New Zealand plant in
Petone Petone (Māori: ''Pito-one''), a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. The Māori name means "end of the sand beach". Europeans first settled in Pe ...
until 1967, and Kingswoods plus other Holden luxury levels were later assembled from
complete knock down A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, then exported to another country or region ...
(CKD) kits at the new car plant at Trentham
Upper Hutt Upper Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. Geography The Upper Hutt city cent ...
further up the Hutt Valley from
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
. Other Holden models like Monaro were imported completely built up (CBU) from Australia. From the 1960s Australian-made models were exported to Southeast Asia, and also to the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
—the Kingswood was assembled in
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
.''Report of Working Group on the Motor Vehicle Assembly Industry of Trinidad and Tobago''
Ministry of Industry and Commerce, 1977, page 19
Some of these HQ-series models—assembled in Australia—were sold in New Zealand as the "Chevrolet 350" from 1971 to 1974. They differed little from the locally assembled V8
Statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...
apart from the larger US made engine, a new grille with the Chevrolet logo, badges and hub caps, and effectively replaced the Canadian-sourced
Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala () is a full-size car built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles in ...
s last sold in 1969.


South Africa

Until the late 1960s, the Special, Kingswood (from HK), Premier, and Monaro were sold in South Africa as Holdens, before the demise of Canadian-sourced
Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala () is a full-size car built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles in ...
and Chevelle, which led to the introduction of the Chevrolet Kommando and Chevrolet Constantia, which were based on the HT, HG, and later HQ Kingswood and Premier respectively, using either Holden's straight-six, V8, or later the Chevrolet sixes. There was a short period when HT and HG variants were sold with both Holden and Chevrolet badging, the Holden versions shared nose styling with Australian cars. Some surviving examples of both brands, especially Monaro coupes (HT badged Holden Monaro; HG Chevrolet SS) have been 'reimported' to Australia by classic car enthusiasts. Some were exported to a few Southeast Asian markets (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore) and marketed in their respective markets. The Constantia name was in reference to the grand
Groot Constantia Groot Constantia is the oldest wine estate in South Africa and provincial heritage site in the suburb of Constantia in Cape Town, South Africa. "Groot" in Dutch and Afrikaans translates as "great" (as in large) in English. History In 1685, ...
wine estate, with its world-famous gabled Cape-Dutch homestead featuring as the model's emblem, while Kommando referred to the
Boer Commando The Boer Commandos or "Kommandos" were volunteer military units of guerilla militia organized by the Boer people of South Africa. From this came the term "commando" into the English language during the Second Boer War of 1899-1902 as per Costica ...
squads during the
Anglo-Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
. The South African version of the HQ was coded AQ, and was very similar to the Chevrolet 350 sold by Chevrolet/Vauxhall dealers in New Zealand. In 1971, following the dropping of the Holden brand in South Africa, the Holden utility became known as the Chevrolet El Camino. Between 1974 and 1978, the one-tonne utility sold as the Chevrolet El Torro. Also in 1971, the Holden Monaro was made available locally as the Chevrolet SS. In late 1975, for the 1976 model year, updated models were introduced, again as a Kommando with the straight-six, Constantia with the 250 and V8, and the Caprice Classic, also with the 308. The inline-six was modified for better economy, but sales never climbed to their previous levels after 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 ...
. There was also a better equipped Kommando LS, with standard automatic transmission. The Constantia station wagon was a new model for 1976. In 1979 the Holden-sourced models were replaced by Chevrolet-badged versions of the
Opel Rekord The Opel Rekord is a large family car which was built in eight generations by the German car manufacturer Opel. Between 1953 and 1986, approximately ten million were sold. In 1986, the Rekord nameplate was replaced by the Opel Omega. Naming T ...
,
Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...
(similar to Holden's own VB Commodore) and
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. It would not be until 2001 that a Holden-sourced Chevrolet, the
Lumina Lumina may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Lumina'', a literary journal published by Sarah Lawrence College * ''World of Lumina'' or ''Lumina'', a graphic novel by Emanuele Tenderini and Linda Cavallini Music * "Lumina", ...
, was sold in South Africa.


Notes


References

* * *


External links


Holden Sandman technical details, including model-by-model identification
{{Holden timeline Cars of Australia Kingswood Pickup trucks Sedans Station wagons Cars introduced in 1968 1970s cars 1980s cars