The Holden HR is an automobile 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 ...

in Australia from 1966 to 1968.

Introduction

The Holden HR range was released in April 1966, replacing the

Holden HD The Holden HD series is a range of automobiles which were produced by Holden in Australia from 1965 to 1966. Overview The Holden HD sedans and station wagons were released in February 1965 with coupe utility and panel van body styles following ...

series which had been in production since 1965. In addition to a revised grille, the HR featured a reworked roofline and larger rear window (on the sedans), revised rear lights (on sedans and wagons) and changes to almost all exterior body panels.Holden Heritage, Eighth Edition, 1998, pages 34-35 Other changes included revised ball joint front suspension,Holden HR Technical Specifications at www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au
Retrieved on 21 December 2013 widened track, improved interior trim and woodgrain interior finish for the Premier models. Six months after the launch of the HR, all models were given a safety upgrade with the addition of front safety belts, windscreen washers, reversing lights, padded sun visors and a shatterproof interior rearview mirror.

Model range

The Holden HR passenger vehicle range offered four-door sedan and five-door

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 ( ...

body styles in three trim levels with the six models marketed as follows: * Holden Standard SedanTurbo Smooth Holden, GMH sales brochure for Holden HR Sedans and Station Sedans, April 1966 (HR 215) * Holden Standard Station Sedan (HR 219) * Holden Special Sedan (HR 225) * Holden Special Station Sedan (HR 229) * Holden Premier Sedan (HR 235) * Holden Premier Station Sedan (HR 239) The HR commercial vehicle range was offered in two-door coupe utility and two-door

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. ...

variants, marketed as follows: * Holden UtilityNew Holden, the Turbo-smooth profit pair!, GMH sales brochure for Holden HR utility and panel van, April 1966 (HR 2106) * Holden Panel Van (HR 2104) File:Holden HR Standard Sedan.JPG, Holden Standard Sedan File:1967 Holden HR Special 186 S sedan 02.jpg, Holden Special Sedan File:Holden HR Special 186S Wagon (14905529747).jpg, Holden Special Station Sedan File:1967-68 HR Prem Landale Gold

.JPG, Holden Premier Sedan File:1967 Holden HR Premier sedan (7762163992).jpg, Holden Premier Sedan File: Holden HR Premier Station Sedan (rear).JPG, Holden Premier Station Sedan File:Holden HR Utility.jpg, Holden Utility File:1967 Holden HR utility (5114175066).jpg, Holden Utility File:Holden HR Panel Van.JPG, Holden Panel Van File:1966-1968 Holden HR panel van 02.jpg, Holden Panel Van

Engines and transmissions

The two 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 bloc ...

were carried across from the HD series, both with increased engine capacity and a higher compression ratio (9.2:1). The 114 bhp six was standard in all models except the Premiers. A 126 bhp six was standard on Premiers and optional on all other models. The 145 bhp twin carburettor "X2" version of the "186" was initially available as an option on all models. The "X2" was replaced by the 145 bhp "186S" in June 1967, the new version fitted with a single two barrel carburettor. A lower compression (8.2:1) version of the six was also available. The and Chevrolet six-cylinder engine was fitted for the South African market. This began partway through the HR's existence, with the 194 introduced for the 1967 model year. The Premier Automatic sold in South Africa retained the Australian engine, at least until 1969. The South African Holden Special had power disc brakes in front as standard from 1967. A three-speed manual gearbox with column change was standard on the HR with a two speed "Powerglide" automatic transmission available as an option.Holden HR at www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au
Retrieved from www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au on 24 August 2010 An

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...

four-speed manual gearbox was offered from June 1967.

Production and replacement

A total of 252,352 vehicles were produced up to January 1968 when the HR was replaced by the

Holden HK The Holden HK series is an automobile which was produced by Holden in Australia from 1968 to 1969. Introduced in January 1968, the HK range progressively replaced the Holden HR series which had been in production since 1966. HK models were both ...

series.Norm Darwin, 100 Years of GM in Australia, pages 240-242
The price at release was A$2286 for the Special Sedan manual and A$2856 for the Premier Station Sedan manual.

Body ID Plate Decoder

HR Holden Australian Body Plate example

References

External links

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

{{Holden timeline Cars introduced in 1966 Cars of Australia HR