VK COMMODORE [135,705 BUILT]

LARGE WRAP-AROUND moulded plastic bumpers, a three-slat plastic grille and extra side windows behind the rear doors’ window frames were the controversial styling updates for the VK Commodore in February 1984. There were also new badges: Executive, Berlina, SS and Calais were the steps up the range from the base SL. Australian-made six-cylinder power remained but was 3.3-litres only (except outside Australia where the four-cylinder was still available) with option of five-speed but had extra tech of Electronic Spark Timing (EST) and now-black paint. Bosch electronic multi-point fuel injection, badged Ei, was standard on Calais and optional on others. Calais had oh-so-1980s video-game electronic instruments, too. The optional V8 is now 5.0-litre only… and news of the V8’s planned demise kick-started the now famous “V8s ’til ’98” campaign by Street Machine and

Wheels magazines. HDT had a bigger role in assembling the SS models as well as the Formula Blue-hued SS Group A.