The
Holden Commodore is a car series built by the
Holden division of
General Motors in
Australia, available as a sedan, wagon or, from 1989, utility). From 1989, it formed the basis of a luxury sedan range called the
Holden Statesman, and from 2001, it formed the basis of the
Holden Monaro sports coupé. In 2004, Holden announced both
four wheel drive and four-door ute versions, called the
Adventra and
Crewman respectively.
VB–VH Commodore
1981 Holden Commodore SL/E, VC series, with optional two-tone paintwork.
Introduced in 1978, the original VB Commodore came with 2.85, 3.3, 4.2 or 5 litre pushrod engines and four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmissions, all carried over from the outgoing
Holden Kingswood. The original design was actually a rebadged and strengthened
Opel Commodore, which was GM's
V-car, sold in the
UK as the
Vauxhall Viceroy, and the
Chevrolet Commodore in
South Africa. The Commodore was
Wheels magazine's
Car of the Year for 1978—at the time it was considered the most sophisticated Australian car and a major departure from the full-size designs from Holden,
Ford and Chrysler dating back to the early
1970s.
Only minor cosmetic changes were made from the original 1978 VB Commodore to the updated VC, but the engines were upgraded to
blue specification which meant a 12 port cylinder head on the 6 cylinder engine, and decent electronic ignition on all engines. The VC Commodore was also the first to receive the SL/E badge, and also be used with HDT projects with
Peter Brock. The VH had some greater sheetmetal changes up front.
As a reaction to the fuel crisis, Holden also produced the Commodore Four, which sold in only modest numbers on the domestic market. This model used Holden's 1.9-litre Starfire engine (a four-cylinder version of the 2.85 L inline six engine) from the defunct
Holden Sunbird. The Commodore Four remained popular in some export markets and was sold to the end of the VN series (but by then featuring the Family Two 2·0 L unit) in the late
1980s.
VK Commodore
A revised VH shape with plastic bumpers and accessories, and a six-light bodyshell for the sedans, based on the
Opel Senator, were the biggest noticeable differences between the VH and VK Commodore. The same 3.3 litre 6 cylinder motor was connected to the same three-speed Trimatic transmission, however this time the engine was
black spec 12 port, and an EFI version was available. The 8 cyl engines (4.2 and 5 litre) were also available. The 4 cyl was dropped.
Badging was interesting: there was a three-slat plastic grille. Basic models had the Holden badge on the top slat; intermediate models on the centre one; while the
Holden Calais, an upmarket model intended to fill the gap left by the departing full-size Statesman limousine, featured the Holden badge on the bottom slat. The Calais was not marketed in New Zealand initially, with a locally assembled Commodore Royale model offered instead.
VL Commodore
Many Holden fans still regard the VL Commodore as the best Commodore ever built. It was the last of the small-body Commodores and the only one to feature a modern overhead cam engine — an all-alloy unit designed and manufactured by Nissan. The RB30 3.0 L engine also saw service in the
Nissan Skyline. Outclassed by the new 6-cylinder engine, the 4.2 litre V8 was dropped, but the 5 litre V8 remained available.
Styling changes gave the Commodore a distinctive appearance, with the 1986 VL featuring pop-up headlights (on luxury Calais model only).
VN–VS Commodore
Image:commodorevn.jpg
1990 VN Holden Commodore |
This and subsequent versions took their bodywork from the slightly larger
Opel Senator. The VN Commodore, released in 1988, was similarly based on the Opel Omega, but this time the European platform was widened and stretched. The Commodore could now match the rival Ford Falcon for size, and for the first time, was available as a ute. The
Statesman and
Caprice, built on an even longer wheelbase, were positioned against
Ford Australias Fairlane and LTD. The Statesman is used as an official car by government ministers in Australia, and some are also converted into hearses for funerals or limousines. The Commodore was Wheels magazines
Car of the Year for a second time in 1988.
Changes in the relative values of the
Australian Dollar, the Yen, and the US Dollar made it impractical to continue with the well-regarded Nissan engine of the VL. Instead, Holden manufactured their own 90 degree V6 based on an old Buick design from the US. The 5 litre V8 remained optional. Both these engines used multi point GM EFI. A fuel-injected, two-litre VN Commodore Four was offered for some export markets (such as New Zealand and Singapore), sharing an engine with the
Opel Vectra A.
The VP Commodore update of 1991 featured mainly cosmetic changes. The same 3.8-litre V6 and 5 litre V8 from the VN Commodore was used. The two-litre was deleted.
The sleeker and more modern looking VR and VS Commodores, with safety enhancements (such as ABS) and revised styling, were launched in 1993 and 1995 respectively. From the side, the biggest change was the use of a round rear wheelarch, instead of a squared-off one. The rear-end treatment saw raised lights, apparently for safety reasons. The VR Commodore was
Wheels magazine's
Car of the Year for 1993.
Undoubtedly the biggest drawcard to the
April 1995-released VS Commodore, the last of the second generation Commodores, was that it was the first to have the Australian Ecotec (Emissions and Consumption Optimisation through TEChnology) 3·8 L V6 engine (not to be mistaken for the four-cylinder
Ecotec engine). Based on the old Buick designs, the new model saw power output rise from 130 to 147 kW. Whilst fuel consumption dropped, the Ecotec ran noticeably smoother and was much quieter. The differences were mainly at the top of the engine; the cast iron block was retained.
VT–VZ Commodore
The VT Commodore, released in 1997, was similarly based on the Omega (GM2800)
platform, and saw a coupe version, the
Monaro, which resurrected a famous Holden brand name from the
1960s and
1970s, as well as a four-wheel-drive version of the Commodore wagon, the
Adventra. A long-wheelbase, four-door ute called the
Crewman is also available, including a four-wheel-drive variant, the Cross8 (named after an earlier show car that resembled the production model closely).
The new Monaro is available in the US as the
Pontiac GTO and is sold in the UK with
Vauxhall badges. The Commodore was
Wheels magazine's
Car of the Year for a fourth time in 1997.
The VZ Commodore of 2004 débuts a new generation of 175 and 190 kW
Alloytec engines which may even wind up in
Alfa Romeos. These engines are completely new and feature DOHC. They will carry through to the VE series in 2006.
VE Commodore
A VE Commodore is expected on a new platform for 2006 and may form the basis of a large sedan in the Opel range in Europe. The VE's underpinnings have already been previewed in the Opel Insignia show car of 2003.
Commodore exports
UAE]]
The Commodore was also assembled in
New Zealand, but is now exported completely built up. It has also traditionally been also exported to other right hand drive markets in the region such as
Papua New Guinea,
Fiji,
Indonesia and
Brunei. It is sold in
South Africa and
Thailand, badged as the
Chevrolet Lumina. The Chevrolet Lumina is also produced in left hand drive for the
Middle East (with the Statesman being branded as the
Chevrolet Caprice), and to
Brazil as the
Chevrolet Omega. Today, export success means that there are more VT–VZs outside Australia than within.
Toyota Lexcen (1989–96)
Image:lexcenvn.jpg
1990 Toyota Lexcen |
Between 1989 and 1996, the Commodore also was sold by Toyota in Australia,
badged as a
Toyota Lexcen. Named after the late
Ben Lexcen who designed Australia's 1983
America’s Cup winning yacht,
Australia II, the model sold in limited numbers, as buyers preferred the original Holden model. Early versions of the Lexcen were only distinguishable from the VN Commodore by the amber lens indicators (and badges).
External links
Commodore