COMMODORE HISTORY PART 4
IN THIS BONUS FOURTH ROUND OF OUR, UH, THREE-PART COMMODORE HISTORY, WE LOOK AT THE MAKING OF THE FINAL AUSSIE HOLDEN
Our bonus fourth round of Commodore goodness covers the VE-VF models – Holden’s last-ever Aussie-built cars
FOR the past three issues we have been delving into how Holden gradually extricated the Commodore from Opel’s often-forced influence. The errors of the mid 1970s saw the undersized VB series presented as a cookie-cutter copy of the European car but develop into a Bathurst-conquering sales delight. The saviour VL series gave Holden enough moxie to ask for the cash to make the VN, which, despite sharing Opel doors, became a massive success. This afforded Holden the currency and charisma to create the VT, again starting with an Opel base, but deviating so thoroughly that it shared only six parts with the European. Allwheel-drive, cab-chassis, dual-cab and coupe variants all followed, as did export success; it became, in VZ form, Commodore’s high-water mark, with 153,026 made in a single year.
There never was a GM design readymade to slip into duty as a family-sized Holden, but with Opel not replacing the Omega B, there appeared to be nothing that could be adapted to the task either. That didn’t stop Detroit sending Holden engineers down a number of development cul-de-sacs before finally allowing them to create a uniquely Australian design – Holden’s first since the HQ Kingswood.
The VE arrived with a leaner, more focussed range; esoteric variants and exotic drivelines were gone, with export potential integrated into the initial design. Powered by a locally-built V6 or V8 imported from GM Powertrain, the VE owed zero to any Opel variant, and therefore we weren’t going to include it in our three-part adventure across the first three generations of Commodore.
However, it seemed harsh to leave out the Commodore’s Aussie swansong. Holden strived to create the greatest car it had ever made with VE, and it soldiered on in the face of falling sales, increasing irrelevance in the local market, and an unfortunately high recall rate. Still, it begat the VF Commodore, the last local Commodore and one of Australia’s truly great cars.
As Holden’s European-sourced ZB Commodore becomes more common on our roads, we feel we should dedicate a few pages to the rollercoaster ride that was the development of the last Aussie car.