Holden HK to WB Reviews and Road Tests

Holden HK to WB Reviews and Road Tests

By the time of the release of the HK in 1968, Holden's competitors were well established in a relatively small but extremely competitive marketplace. The era of “race success equals sales success” had begun, and the manufacturers were busy creating cars capable of conquering the sacred bitumen meandering across Mount Panorama. Holden no longer had exclusive rights on the title of “Australia’s Number 1 Car”, and needed to ensure each new model was technically innovative, stylish and affordable. The All-Aussie 253ci V8 would be released with the HT Holden, a small V8 designed to fill the gap between the sixes and large V8’s, and would quickly garner a strong allegiance of fans appreciative of the ample torque on offer, combined with a silky smooth operation.

It was a time when new names would be introduced to the Australian vocabulary, no longer would we refer to a car as “Special”, instead it was the era of the Belmont, Kingswood, Premier and Statesman. There were also a few names that demanded respect, identifying the local manufacturer as more than a mere “box-on-wheels” manufacturer - Monaro, GTS and Brougham. Models of this era have now become highly collectable, and remain highly drivable in today’s traffic conditions. With a large after-market of spare parts manufacturers, they represent a great entrée into the wonderful world of classic car ownership.

Also see: Holden History

		Holden HK 1968 - 1969 The all-new Holden HK was the most ambitious series to date, bringing a large array of additional models and mechanical features - most importantly of which was the imported Chev V8 engine. More>>

		Holden HT 1969 - 1970 Another year, another facelift. The obligatory revisions to the grille and tail lights were completed, but Holden needed to advertise that there were some 65 major improvements over the previous HK model for the buying public to take notice. More>>

		Holden HT Brougham 1969 - 1970 To counter the growing popularity of the Ford Fairlane, the General introduced a lavish luxury "large car", the Brougham. The linage was evident to even the most casual observer, it appearing much like a Premier on steroids. More>>

		Holden HG 1970 - 1971 The HG Holden was the final refinement of the HK-T series and introduced the Australian- Built, Three speed Tri-Matic automatic transmission to the full size Holden. More>>

		Holden HG Brougham 1970 - 1971 The Brougham, with its 111 inch wheelbase, could never hope to match the ride stability and passenger space offered by its competitors. Aware of this, (although not prepared to openly admit it) GMH went to great pains to ensure that the Brougham at least came out ahead in the finish department. More>>

		Holden HQ 1971 - 1974 This model was arguably a high point of GMH styling, and an Australian classic. They still proliferate the Australian landscape (an icon of cars that were "built to last") in their various configurations of body styles and engine combinations. More>>

		Holden HQ Kingswood 202 1971 - 1974 If you were a child of the 1970s, chances are you spent plenty of time in the back seat of a Holden, Ford or Valiant. Of those three, the best seller was the fabulous HQ which launched in 1971. And, of the HQ model lineup, the most common variant purchased was the second tier “Kingswood” fitted with the 202 engine. More>>

		Holden HQ Statesman 1971 - 1974 In the early 1970s the big three Australian auto manufacturers were offering a luxury ride for the up-and-coming Aussie executive. These were prestigious vehicles, to our mind every bit as good as the foreign competition - even if they didn't have the brand cache that the Europeans enjoyed. More>>

		Holden HQ Sandman 1974 - 1974 After the release of the Series II HQ Monaro, Holden took a serious view to making a truly sporty recreational vehicle after the 'sun and surf' youth culture of Australia was starting to take hold. More>>

		Holden HJ 1974 - 1976 The facelifted HQ was released as the HJ model in 1974, and while many improvements were made to the vehicle the re-introduction of the "swipe" style speedo immediately dated the interior and was reminiscent ofthe HK. More>>

		Holden HJ Sandman 1974 - 1976 Released in October 1974, the HJ Sandman followed the lead of the Monaro with the bold blunt front that somehow seemed to suit the van better than the sedan. Once again the Sandman was tricked up with all the GTS options and came equipped with the same decals as the HQ series. More>>

		Holden HX 1976 - 1977 The HX represented only minor cosmetic changes over the HJ, so much so that the HJ and HX are arguably the hardest pre-Commodore Holden models to tell apart. In fact, the major reason for the release of the HX was so that Holden could comply with the new Australian Design Rule 27a, a rule designed to lower exhaust emissions. More>>

		Holden HX Sandman 1976 - 1977 Released in July of '76 the HX Sandman had all the features of the previous model with the major refinement being the steering column mounted windscreen wiper/light dipper switch, however its detoxed engine combinations were a problem as in the Monaro. More>>

		Holden HZ 1977 - 1978 Following on from the HX was the last of the line for the traditional large Holden sedans, the wonderful HZ. There was plenty to celebrate with the new model, and the new Radial Tuned Suspension (RTS) created a revolution in Aussie big car design. The fact that all other local car manufacturers were forced to rush handling modifications into their cars proved just how right GMH got it. More>>

		Holden HZ Sandman 1977 - 1978 The HZ was equipped with all the visual, interior and performance features of a loaded GTS sedan. With the suspension finally cured with the addition of the much-vaunted Radial Tuned Suspension (RTS), the Sandman could truly be considered a 'sports' as well as a 'lifestyle' vehicle. More>>

		Holden WB 1980 - 1985 The introduction of the Commodore by GM in Australia as the new "family sedan" left an important segment of its line up floundering, being the ever popular commercial vehicles and the up-market luxury Deville and Caprice. More>>

We hope you enjoyed Part 2 of "The Holden Story - The First 25 Years". Part 1 is available on the Holden 48/215 to HR review page. We also recommend the Holden Heritage and Holden History pages, along with others dedicated to old Holden radio and TV commercials, along with old Holden Brochures.