HOLDEN VK-VL CALAIS
DEMAND FOR THESE LUXURY VARIANTS OF THE COMMODORE CONTINUES TO CLIMB
ust what Australian car companies thought they were doing in the 1980s is best described as bewildering.
Ford in 1983 decided it couldn’t make money selling V8s so stopped building them for almost a decade.
Holden had similar thoughts but its 3.3-litre six was so ancient and appalling it could not give up entirely on the addition of bent-eight performance. They just made the motors that had underpinned their range since 1968 more expensive and difficult to buy.
If you were Peter Brock or a police force Purchasing office, you could have as many V8-powered Commodores as were needed. But getting one fitted to a civilian-spec VK or the more luxurious and Calais was difficult and $2000 more expensive than the same car with a six-cylinder engine.
When announcing its revamped VK range in 1984, Holden needed some kind of media and dealer drawcard. The Calais was that car. With fuel injection boosting response and performance of its elderly 3.3-litre engine and new styling a plus point, reaction to the interior was mixed. and highlighted by a questionable set of electronic instruments.
However, with its revamped side window design and chassis tweaks, the VK Calais looked and felt more modern than the previous SL/Es that had served almost unchanged since 1978.
The next issue that GMH had to face was unleaded fuel or ULP. Its 3.3, even when fuel injected, would not handle the new brew, so crateloads of RB30 engines were acquired from Nissan and Holden played ‘let’s pretend’ until the VN arrived. However, there still was no V8 available at the February 1986 launch of the VL and buyers needed to wait until October before they got one.
What distracted attention away from engine issues was the shape of the VL and – once again - the very classy Calais.
On the list of factory-installed goodies were distinctive 15-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, cruise control and power windows. Leather trim was optional, but most buyers couldn’t see the value in it and stayed with the velour.
The nose was longer and the rear sheet-metal reshaped, however it was the half-hidden headlamp units and Cadillac-inspired grille that enticed onlookers and closed sales.
In addition to the restyle, Holden had done plenty of work on noise abatement. Extensive use of sound deadening made the VL a noticeably quieter car than the VK and the ambience was helped by reworked suspension. Modifications included softer springs to improve ride comfort and faster-ratio power steering. Alloy wheels and better tyres were a help in the cause of cornering balance and hardly hurt ride quality at all.
Today the VK and VL rate among the most popular and valuable of 1980s Commodores. Survivors can be adorned with fancy paint, huge wheels and seriously potent engines; however, the cars’ longer-term prospects will lie with the small number that have been preserved in showroom condition with documented history.
VL V8 Calais realise slightly more than the VK, however excellent low kilometre examples of both models sell at more than $40,000 and will climb further in a market where these cars enjoy strong demand.