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 Holden HZ is a full-sized automobile which was produced in Australia between October 1977 and April 1980 by Holden in a variety of equipment levels and in several different body styles. It was also assembled in New Zealand. Characteristics The ...

, 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 A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...

Car of the Year Car of the Year (COTY) is a common abbreviation for numerous automotive awards. The "Car of the Year" phrase is considered to have been introduced by ''Motor Trend'' magazine in 1949 when the new publication named Cadillac as Motor Trend Car of th ...

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 Opel Commodore is an executive car (E-segment) produced by Opel from 1967 to 1982. It is the six-cylinder variant of the Rekord with styling differences. The Commodore nameplate was used by Opel from 1967 to 1982. However, its nameplate/lin ...

, 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 The Opel Commodore is an executive car (E-segment) produced by Opel from 1967 to 1982. It is the six-cylinder variant of the Rekord with styling differences. The Commodore nameplate was used by Opel from 1967 to 1982. However, its nameplate/lin ...

, 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 The Holden Kingswood is a full-size car that was manufactured in Australia by GM Holden, 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 ...

, 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 An ignition system generates a spark or heats an electrode to a high temperature to ignite a fuel-air mixture in spark ignition internal combustion engines, oil-fired and gas-fired boilers, rocket engines, etc. The widest application for spark ig ...

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 A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...

or a three-speed Trimatic

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 ...

, or the

Turbo-Hydramatic Turbo-Hydramatic or Turbo Hydra-Matic is the registered tradename for a family of automatic transmissions developed and produced by General Motors. These transmissions mate a three-element turbine torque converter to a Simpson planetary geartra ...

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 Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

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 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 ...

* 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 The Holden Dealer Team (HDT) was Holden's semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1986, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and Sports Sedan races during the 1970s. From 1980 the Holden Dealer ...

entered a three-car VB Commodore team in the

Repco Repco is an Australian automotive engineering/retailer company. Its name is an abbreviation of Replacement Parts Company and was for many years known for reconditioning engines and for specialized manufacturing, for which they gained a high ...

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 popul ...

which started and finished at the

Royal Melbourne Showgrounds Melbourne Showgrounds is located in the inner north-western suburb of Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia, next door to Flemington Racecourse. The largest and most flexible indoor/outdoor venue space in Melbourne the Showgrounds is the home of the an ...

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 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, ...

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 Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for touring cars and ''Group B'' for GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touri ...

Touring car racing Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition with heavily modified road-going cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States. While the cars do not move ...

introduced by the

Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Motorsport Australia, formerly the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), is the nationally recognised governing and sanctioning body for four-wheeled motorsport in Australia. It is affiliated with the Federation Internationale de l'Au ...

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. 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 Amaroo Park Raceway was a motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day north-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Opened in 1967, the road circuit served as a venue for a variety of competitions including t ...

circuit before upgrading to the VC Commodore by the Hang Ten 400 at

Sandown Raceway Sandown International Raceway is a motor racing circuit in the suburb of Springvale in Melbourne, Victoria, approximately south east of the city centre. Sandown is considered a power circuit with its " drag strip" front and back straights be ...

. 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 at Bathurst (Brock and Jim Richards won their third straight

Bathurst 1000 The Bathurst 1000 (formally known as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supercars Championship, the most recen ...

in their VC Commodore). The VB is only one of two Commodore models (along with the VN) not to have won the

References

External links

Holden VB Commodore crash test.
This test was conducted on 9 June 1992 by the

Roads & Traffic Authority The Roads & Traffic Authority (RTA) was an agency of the New South Wales Government responsible for major road infrastructure, licensing of drivers, and registration of motor vehicles. The RTA directly managed state roads and provided fundin ...

(RTA) as part of a test series to commission the Crashlab test facility at

Rosebery, New South Wales Rosebery is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 6 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government areas of the City of Sydney and the Bayside Council. History Rosebe ...

, 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 Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...

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