COMMODORE HISTORY PART 3
IN THE LATEST INSTALMENT OF OUR MULTI-PART HISTORY OF THE COMMODORE, A CASHED-UP HOLDEN GOES IT ALONE TO CREATE A LEGEND
The third instalment of our Commodore survey sees the VT-VZ take Holden to a new level of prosperity
OVER the past two issues, we’ve seen how hard Holden worked to Australianise the Commodore. From the very first tests of the wobbly Opel Rekord in the mid-1970s, it was clear Holden’s engineering knowhow was required to ensure the new car survived in Australia. The original Commodore’s mechanical, structural and styling improvements had been gold, but the first-gen V-car was simply too small.
Were it not for the tenacity and passion of Holden workers at all levels, the next-generation VN may well also have been an all-too-narrow Opel Omega. Although an international mish-mash – a widened Aussie body over an updated VL chassis with German doors and an American engine – the VN was a uniquely Australian combination and a roaring success. It begat a long-wheelbase luxury series, reintroduced the ute, spawned three subsequent updates, and even a Toyota. More importantly, though, it put Holden back on the top of the sales charts.
Yet despite these successes, funding for an all-new third-generation Commodore was far from guaranteed. Again, there was an Opel that could almost do the job, and again, it was up to the Aussies to prove that ‘almost’ wasn’t good enough. Read on.
THE LAST VESTIGE OF THE OPEL OMEGA B WAS ERADICATED; HOLDEN WAS BUILDING ITS OWN CAR
COMPARED to the tumultuous tenure of outgoing chief Chuck Chapman, John Bagshaw’s stint at the helm of Holden was brief yet measured. Having been Holden’s director of sales from 1966 to 1978, a golden time of muscle cars and market success, his return to the fold in late 1987 was welcomed with enthusiasm. Holden was back on top of the sales charts, and his appointment was seen as a chance for stability, to forge forward off the size of the big VN Commodore.
Following Bagshaw’s retirement in 1990, deputy managing director Bill Hamel was next to fill the top office. Although hailing from America’s Midwest, Hamel had been Holden’s director of manufacturing from 1976 to 1980, so he knew Holden was an Aussie brand that needed to make Aussie cars. Even so, it was hard for the new MD to deflect pressure from GM to use the GM2800 platform for the next Commodore. Destined to become the Opel Omega B, the GM2800 promised to be a bigger car than its predecessor, but in a story all too familiar, it was just not big enough for the Aussie market.
Holden’s team needed an extra 1520mm of rear shoulder room to ensure the next Commodore remained competitive against Ford’s Falcon.
Hamel had banked enough cash to fund an independent Commodore project, yet still had to lobby GM HQ for the right to build it. Between 1990 and 1993, four international reviews conspired to bring the VT unstuck; that magic number of 1520mm pushed every aspect of the VT outwards, including the cost. But at the final review, approval was granted to change the rear door openings, and with that, the last vestige of the Omega B was eradicated; Holden was building its own car.
Underneath, engineers avoided the pitfalls that affected the VN, which suffered from a carryover front end no wider than that of the outgoing VL. Instead, the VT received a comprehensive suspension upgrade, including a 78mm increase in front track width over the GM2800 to match the wider body. Steering geometry was revised, redesigned to work with power assistance from the outset rather than the compromised system used on all previous models.
At the back, Holden’s IRS system was fitted across the range, including under the wagon for the first time, with a full 92mm rear track-width increase over the Opel platform to ensure the wheels sat nicely in the guards. Braking received the first major upgrade since the first Commodore, with larger, thicker rotors all ’round, bigger calipers and a larger master cylinder.
Should those larger brakes not succeed, Laurie Sparke and 17 engineers at Holden’s Advanced Engineering Department developed a new crash structure for the VT that absorbed and deflected impacts with greater efficiency than previous Holdens. Furthermore, the powertrain module was programmed to cut the engine and fuel pump in the event of a crash, while the body computer knew to unlock the doors and activate the interior lights if the seatbelt pre-tensioners or airbags were triggered.
Holden’s Buick-sourced Ecotec V6 carried
over from the VS with minor changes to the exhaust manifolds and fuel injectors. Still rated at 147kw, it had enough shove to shift the weighty VT, which came in at 150kg heavier than the base Omega B and a hefty 166kg more than the outgoing VS.
Speculation throughout the mid-1990s that the venerable Holden V8 would be killed off for the VT was well-founded, but the plan to fit GM’S 5.7-litre ‘Gen III’ LS1 V8 did not align with the car’s projected launch date. Instead, the Aussie 5.0-litre was given a stay of execution via a chump-change $2 million upgrade. A compression increase, lighter pistons, thinner rings, trick hydraulic lifters and a new EFI system ensured the V8 complied with incoming ADR 37/01 emissions requirements, as well as keeping ahead of the supercharged V6 at the drag strip.
Backing up the three launch engines and later LS1 was GM’S Us-sourced 4L65E four-speed slushbox, while self-shifters got a Getrag fivespeed replacing the old Borgwarner T5. For the 5.7-litre Gen III, the chunky Borgwarner T56 got the nod – the first six-speed manual to be fitted to volume-selling Holdens.
Drivetrains aside, only a handful of interior components – under-dash HVAC parts, electric mirror switchgear and blinker stalks – carried over from the VS Commodore.
Holden invested deeply in the VT; $275 million went to upgrading the Elizabeth plant alone, including 130 new robots. Computercontrolled jigs automatically adjusted size and shape after scanning a car’s ID tag, allowing the VT sedan and wagon, VS ute and Statesman/caprice to be built on the same line at the same time.
The VB Commodore was a compromise; although Opel in origin, Aussie engineers worked to ensure the new Holden could survive in our country. The second-gen VN Commodore shared doors with Opel, but was wider and stronger than the European offering; more importantly, it put Holden in good stead for the all-australian VT development. When the third-gen VT Commodore was finally released, 19 years after the original hit the streets, it bagged the
Wheels Car Of The Year award for 1997 and sparked a renaissance within Holden. For the next decade, Holden would dominate local motorshows with an array of dazzling concept cars, apply various bodystyles to the VT platform – including the new Monaro coupe and the return of the One Tonner – and introduce a robust export scheme.
Powered by a combination of Aussie and Detroit iron, it shared styling cues with its German cousin, but only the black plastic B-pillar garnish and four interior grab handles were interchangeable with the Opel. The VT Commodore was about as Australian as they get – until they designed VE.