The Holden Story: the history of Australia's iconic car brand 

By the end of 2020, the beloved Holden brand will be no more. Tell us what you think in the comments below. And if you like our videos - including the retro ones - subscribe ab.co/2YFO4Go 👍

I wish the other episodes were available to watch. 😢. Still driving around in a Holden.

My father was one of only six men kept on by Holden Body Builders when the factory closed because of the Great Depression. He and the others had to walk around all day wiping down the machinery with an oily rag and run the machines occasionally to keep them in good working order. He quit after the first week because it drove him nuts. Previous to the shutdown, his job was making the sockets for the wooden hoops for the fabric roofs.

I think when our car manufacturing stopped in Australia it was a sad day.

Sad indeed. What a shame letting Holden go.

1948 - 2020 RIP Holden you will be sorely missed.

Sir Lawrence Hartnett, you came from Great Britain and you became a Great Australian. Your knowledge of mass production brought us into the 1940s and pushed us on. But I must say, styling of the Chevrolet was a way along further than your proposals. But the rectangular headlights I feel were missed by GM, and only came along decades after. But, Sir, putting the project together was spectacular. And the GM clip on front was great for service and stacked vehicle repair.

Great Video. Just relate a couple of memories of mine. I served my apprenticeship at Fishermans Bend Plant 3 Experimental as a panel beater while the FJ was still in production. The company gave all us apprentices a day at Lang Lang proving track which included a few circuits. I followed my father who worked there through the war My brother joined me also an apprentice. I was also lucky enough to attend the release of the 48 215 at Fishermans Bend with my Father in 1948 at age 11. I do remember Dad telling me about the bad press the Holden received at the time relating to the fact that it had no chassis and would not be able to tow. GMH reacted and towed a Bedford Bus many thousands of miles and then invited the press to check it. The doors opened and closed perfectly. 48 215 was the first car in the world to have a Mono constructed body (no chassis) An FJ station wagon proto was also built but never went into production. Must mention the legendary FJ ute that done 100 mph at the proving track. Every test car always maxed at around 87 mph approx. They brought it back and the engineers pulled it apart to try to find out why. They put it back together and away it went at 100mph. The only explanation they came up with was it was perfectly balanced. I have read a lot of comments suggesting it was not an Australian car believe me The Holden is as Australian as the Kangaroo.

What a kick in the guts for Sir Lawrence Hartnett not being invited to the First Holden launch after all the the work he did earlier in the 30s and 40s ,, :(

I'm here to learn Holden's history because of my GTO. Definitely was an iconic brand and made cars that were fantastic that no one knew until they were gone.

One thing Holden did better than any other car manufacturer, that was using the car platform to build a station wagon. The Wagons seamlessly carried the saloon style.

My great great Grandfather, James Alexander Holden started a leather goods business in Adelaide in the 1850s. That was the beginning of Holden. Now all gone after 170 years. General Motors effectively destroyed an Australian essential industry.

Even setting in the middle United States I find Holden history extremely interesting. It parallels and many way the car history here in United States. But the hold and Stephanie was unique to itself. I personally would like it if Holden was still making cars.

My dad worked for Holden’s in Elizabeth. He was a. Merchant Engineer before that. So proud of him. From a McCall

To think, when this episode was made, the last year of the FJ Holden, was the same age as 1991 VN Commodore is today.

As an American, all I knew going into this video was that Holden was the name of a car; I didn’t know it was from Australia, and I knew nothing about the history of manufacturing in Australia. I learned a lot! To those who commented on the demise of Australian manufacturing generally- welcome to the new global economy. All the countries of the world have become mutually dependent on one another. Although there has been some retrenchment in the US after COVID and Trump’s trade war with China. Some things you need to keep ‘in house.’ I can sympathize with those who want to make the automobile industry one of that number. (Plus, I hate SUVs.)

Fascinating film, many thanks for posting.

Great historic nostalgia....sad it has all gone.

Barry Humphries "it's very nice of Detroit to let us continue to call Holden 'Australian' ....."

My current car and previous one were both Holden vehicles...total ownership of 39 years ..

When I was 15 I wanted a Torry, I eventually owned a HT Premmy wagon, A long time later I had a Barina four door. Still My favourite car both

Im only young but if i ever own a holden i like im gonna keep it untill i die

The first Holden was *NOT* an FX! It was a 48-215. The F's did not start until the next model to be released in the early 1950s, the *FJ* model, followed in turn by the FE, FC then FB.

GM really should have marketed Holden as their own brand in the US after 2008 killed off Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Hummer.

When the ABC was for us.

Good to see all the Aussies that bought a foreign car. The politicians that changed importation policies. This is why we don't have a car industry anymore. Hope you're all proud of yourselves.

Fascinating. Thanks for posting. 😊

It's wierd that as it turns out the FX was based on an Opel designed in Germany is 1938 and chosen by GM as the size and chassis that would suit Australia. Aussies at least had a say in delivering a torquey 6 cylinder instead of a 1300cc 4 cylinder, which was chosen for it's under-stressed reliabilty and kinder demands on the poorly built gearboxes of the time.

It's sad how many skills have been lost in Australia from the motor industries to Aircraft industries and transport industries having done apprenticeship in the aircraft industry in the late 70s early 80s we definitely have gone backwards.

Awesome piece of History ... a better time

The last model I saw on road in my country was Holden Kingswood.

I have read many websites about Holdens history and none of them mention Holdens project 2008 and how Holden wanted 2008 to be Australia's first car.

Great video

Got any more episodes of this?

So that quote is true "Holden, as Australian as McDonald's"

Back when the ABC made programs that were interesting & pertinent to Australia and the taxpayers who pay for it.

I well remember the launch promo “ HOLDEN YOU IN MY HOLDEN”.

Sunday to far away, Jack Thompson in one great Australian film 🎥

Holden project 2008 was the true Australian Holden. Hartnett put so much effort into designing and developing Project 2008, only to have General Motors rejected it. Then General Motors just went ahead with their own American design, the 48 215 (FX) Holden.

I still do not understand how easy it was to get rid of Holden with the media telling us it is all good? .What was truly behind the stopping of car manufacturing in Australia?

25:15 The 48-215 designation of the first Holden was the *ONLY AND OFFICIAL* designation. FX was dreamed up by some dunderhead somewhere. The first car to have the F in its designation was the FJ in 1953.

They had to convert all the metric to imperial, did nobody think of supplying metric tape measures?

Australia used to be a developed country.In 1948 when many countries still has not got their independence yet,Australia has already launch its own car ( Holden)

😮i owned a 48 215 that was the 10 th car off the assembly line in the seventys sold it and the new owner rolled it over total right off

Even as a merc and ford fan. The Holden was one of the best cars even to be made. I will kill for any holden in good order. Lovely cars GMH was and stilll is.

Parked on a hill the 48/215 doors jammed.

My Grandfather used to drive another true Aussie-built car, the Aussie 6. another one of Hartnett's cars.

i had one in early seventies a 48 model i lost the ability to drive forever in 1971

Thats waay better looking than most computer designed cars of today . not as cool as some fifties and sixties US cars but still pretty cool looking .

Best cars ever

Why do people tink that Holden is an Australian car it never was the only part is Australian is the word Holden the rest is GM American even the lion badge has nothing to do with Australia.

7:18 yop it takes a 6'5'' bloke to sand the corners of the roof, that's what we call the physicality of the job

All of our car's were Holden's

Makes me sad 😔 and a little mad 😠 should not have been allowed to happen.

My first car was an EH Holden.

That is a 48215.

Holden una rara mezcla GM de opel Vauxhall y chevrolet

Ahhh old Australia

Holden are gone............. But Ford are still here.

❤❤❤❤

I wonder if the older generations, who were brought up on horse and cart complained about the new technologies 😂

3:55 What a awesome scene to see, 80s crap boxes sure did look good together back then. Now their probably sitting in a wreckers:(

And then the good old Aussie's stopped buying Australian and fell in love with Toyotas and look where that leads Strayla! Its not good! Holden was an Iconic Brand here in New Zealand! As was the Ford, Chrysler brands. and before the Pomes entered the EEC in 1973 we had heaps of British Brands.

The loss of all those jobs

history met toelichting

Only 25 million people. Too far from the rest of the world. Don't produce steel anymore. I suspect we will never see another car manufacturer in Australia.

Mr Laurence Hartnett(I don't recognise knighthoods, I'd give him something much better, the highest rank in the *Order Of Australia* which is a million times better than a mere knighthood) died the day I turned 31.

NOT HAPPY JAN

On a show up womans was looking the steering wheel and mans the engine bay😂😅

Wtf does 25 shillings mean, compared to what?

0:07

There is no one else to blame for holdens demise than holden themselves....they simply couldnt make a world competitive car and consumers got better educated. In the late 80s manufacturers were going twin over head cam, fuel injection, turbocharging etc....and what did Holden offer? A dirty old red motor....it wasnt until they used a "Nissan" motor until they put a decent motor in there cars...even there last offering was a basic "Rear Wheel" drive car...You just cant survive in a market offering only "One" model...Commodore....all the rest were dam Daewoo's etc

Now America owns the ford v ford race .

And now we manufacture next to nothing and no car industry, who is responsible abbot and Turnbull and a government that no longer represents the public

Bloodyhell.. cant even watch it😢

The General Motors president was spot on correct about Socialism sucking. American free market know how ended up building this car in Australia. The Aussies contribution...just being Aussies! Smart, hardworking people, regardless of the English style socialist government they got stuck with. They have a knack of making anything work out in the end. I thought the Australian front end design was much more streamlined and attractive than the General Motor's final choice they got stuck with. G.M. was the largest cooperation in the world, with over 1 million employees. Ross Perot, who tried to manage them for a while, said the left hand had no idea what the right hand was doing, the company was so big. Too many layers of management. "You can't build a car by committee" he complained, finally resigning in disgust.

USA lateral, neighbours.

Back when cars were decent and lasted

Holden no more Australian the Ford or Chrysler at least we can still get a Ford or Chrysler no such thing as a Holden any more

So basically one single car the VB Commodore destroyed Holden in the 80’s!

Holden made its car about 1930 not 1948

Now there’s nothing!.

Mitsubishi and Toyota were never Australian like Holden.lol😅.

Americans interfering in Australian business. Long history of that.

Why no link to part 2 of the story?

I'm a Holden man thru and thru and am gutted its all gone but the first model 48-215 was so dismally ugly I have never warmed to it

I can understand why Holden is gone. Even during this China virus Chinese car sales here have boomed. So don't piss and moan now because you sold out your once Australian icon.

What happened

Holden is now a huge joke..

All these manufacturers failed to innovate. No wonder the likes of Tesla is blowing them out of the water (it’s not for EV reason!)

The Lucky Country ... sarcasm by Donald Horn run mainly by second rate people who share its luck.

Mark Skaife sends his regards for your trash oi chuck me sum shrimps on me barbie sook dead car 🤣

God I hate it when Australia is pronated with an O instead of an A

is holden asian or is he lying to us?

Just an outdated design shipped in from America so they could scoop more dollars without little effort. Good riddance to bad rubbish. And now GM are back in Australia. Only this time nothing under $100000. I’d rather buy Chinese

To use Australian vernacular, it's a 'dog act' what GM did to Holden. But GM have always been dodgy so we shouldn't be surprised. GM should leave a bitter taste in Aussie motorists' mouths now. Boycott their products everybody. They are a cynical company, devoid of loyalty and the cars they produce are style over substance. An empty building with a stylish exterior. GM were arrogant, ignorant and recalcitrant from the start, and yet we lapped it up like good little convicts on parole. Oh well, I guess you reap what you sow after all.

We made cars, we have everything we need... We can make cars again 🇦🇺❤️

FX FJ what ugly cars compare US at the time