Cars - Holden Commodore

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	Cars - Holden Commodore

The Holden Commodore is a car built by the Holden division of General Motors in Australia. From 1989, it formed the basis of a luxury sedan range called the Holden Statesman, and from 2001, it formed the basis of the Holden Monaro sports coupé. In 2004, Holden released both four-wheel drive and four-door ute versions, called the Adventra and Crewman respectively.

VB–VH Commodore

Introduced in 1978, the original VB Commodore came with 2.9, 3.3, 4.2 or 5.0 L OHV engines and four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmissions, all carried over from the outgoing Holden Kingswood. The original design was actually a rebadged and strengthened Opel Commodore, which was GM's V-car, sold in the UK as the Vauxhall Viceroy, and the Chevrolet Commodore in South Africa. The Commodore was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1978 - at the time it was considered the most sophisticated Australian car and a major departure from the full-size designs from Holden, Ford and Chrysler dating back to the early 1970s.

Only minor cosmetic changes were made from the original 1978 VB Commodore to the updated VC, but the engines were upgraded to 'blue' specification which meant a 12-port cylinder head on the 6-cylinder engine, and decent electronic ignition on all engines. The VB Commodore was also the first to receive the SL/E badge, while the VC was the first to be used with HDT projects with Peter Brock. The VH had some greater sheetmetal changes up front.

As a reaction to the 1979 fuel crisis, Holden also produced the Commodore Four, which sold in only modest numbers on the domestic market. This model used Holden's 1.9 L Starfire engine (a four-cylinder version of the 2.9 L I6 engine) from the defunct Holden Sunbird. The Commodore Four remained popular in some export markets and was sold to the end of the VN series (but by then featuring the Family Two 2.0 L unit) in the late 1980s.

VK Commodore

The VK Commodore was introduced in 1984, and was moslty a restyled VH Commodore. It was the first Commodore to have plastic bumpers. Engine choices were a 4.9 L V8 and a 3.3 L I6, the latter of which was available with either a carburetor or fuel injection. Other engine sizes were discontinued. The VK also introduced new names for the trim levels, such as Calais, Berlina, Executive, and Vacationer to replace previous terms such as SL, SL/X and SL/E.

VL Commodore

Many Holden fans still regard the VL Commodore as the best Commodore ever built. It was the last of the small-body Commodores and the only one to feature an OHC engine — an alloy headed unit designed and manufactured by Nissan. The RB30E 3.0 L engine also saw service in the Nissan Skyline and was available with a turbocharger. The New Zealand assembled 6-cylinder VLs had the Nissan RB30 engine. The 6-cylinder engine was mated with the Japanese 'Jatco' 4-speed automatic; the 5.0 L V8 remained available in carbureted form and the old 3-speed automatic.

Styling changes gave the Commodore a distinctive appearance, with the 1986 VL featuring pop-up headlights (on the Calais model only).

VN–VP Commodore

This and subsequent versions took their bodywork from the slightly larger Opel Senator. The VN Commodore, released in 1988, was similarly based on the Opel Omega, but this time, the European platform was widened and stretched. The Commodore could now match the rival Ford Falcon for size, and for the first time was available as a ute. The VN Commodore was available in Executive, Berlina and Calais models. The Statesman and Caprice, built on an even longer wheelbase, were positioned against Ford Australia's Fairlane and LTD. The Statesman is used as an official car by government ministers in Australia, and some are also converted into hearses for funerals or limousines. The Commodore was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for a second time in 1988.

Changes in the relative values of the Australian dollar, the yen, and the US dollar made it impractical to continue with the well-regarded Nissan engine of the VL. Instead, Holden manufactured their own 90 degree V6 based on an old Buick design from the US, although at first it was imported for a while. The 5.0 L V8 remained optional. Both these engines used multi point GM EFI and the V6 using 3 coil-packs for ignition. A fuel-injected, 2.0 L-engined VN Commodore Four was offered for some export markets (such as New Zealand and Singapore), sharing an engine with the Opel Vectra A.

The VP Commodore update of 1991 featured mainly cosmetic changes; the same 3.8 L V6 and 5.0 L V8 from the VN Commodore was used. The 2.0 L I4 was discontinued.

VR–VS Commodore

The sleeker and more modern looking VR and VS Commodores, with safety enhancements (such as ABS) and revised styling, were launched in 1993 and 1995 respectively. From the side, the biggest change was the use of a round rear wheelarch, instead of a squared-off one. The rear-end treatment saw raised lights, apparently for safety reasons. The VR Commodore was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1993.

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