It Came From a Land Down Under

When most people think of Australian automobiles they picture the custom rods from the Mad Max movies. What most don't realize is that, at one time, Australia was producing their own cars and even exported some to be badged as American models. Though mostly an importer who badge engineered numerous models for the Australian market, Holden actually got its start making saddles back in 1856.

James Holden moved from England to Australia in 1852 and was soon overseeing a thriving saddle business. By 1908 the firm was working in the interior repair business and before long they were making motorcycle side cars. They then turned to producing car bodies, first for Ford but soon they were the exclusive body supplier of General Motors in Australia. By the 1930s they were also producing bodies for such brands as Austin, Chrysler, De Soto, Morris, Hillman, and even Willys-Overland.

Following World War II the company began in earnest on the task of producing a purely Australian automobile. They successfully launched their first model in 1948. During the 1950s Holden dominated the Australian automobile market. They even began exporting cars to New Zealand.

Around this same time they began to badge existing cars, mostly from GM but also from Vauxhall (which was a GM owned manufacturer in England) while continuing to turn out their own models. Because of the rugged driving conditions in much of Australia, the Holden got a solid reputation for being durable and were soon exported throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

By the 1980s the economics of auto manufacturing were rearing their heads and Holden felt the pinch. They were bailed out a number of times and were even absorbed into the GM fold. The company still exists, selling badge engineered GM cars.

The car seen here is a 1964 EH. The EH was introduced the year before and brought with it a more powerful engine than its predecessor. The predecessors, the EK and EJ, were introduced in 1961 and 1962 to counter the influx of the Ford Falcon that was imported in 1960. The Falcon found the rough Australian conditions very difficult and the Holden models vastly outsold them.

The owner of this car is from Melbourne and his family has owned the car for 17 years. It now looks out of place with its right hand drive tooling around American streets with most people not knowing at all what it is.