Understanding the "Holden" - GM / Pontiac heritage

[ozpont]

.. figured this might give some of forum readers an insight into the history .. over 140 years of it in fact.. longer then GM itself has been around.. that HOLDEN brings into play.... Copied is some of it and the attachment brings it all with a few pictures.. and if you look closely.. you will see deffinate design similarities with the 55--59 era Chevy's too...
__________________________________________________________

When British migrant James Alexander Holden arrived in Adelaide in 1852, he set about establishing a business as a leather worker and saddle-maker. In 1872 he set up a partnership with Birks, only to have it disolved 3 years later.

Following that ill-fated partnership, Holden decided to bring his son into the business in 1879, and then allowed Henry Frost to join as Junior Partner in 1885; Adolf Frost was well respected carriage builder, and the company was soon to become "Holden and Frost".

In 1910 Holden & Frost began trimming motor vehicles and in 1914 they built their first one off car body for an imported Lancia chassis. Larger contracts followed but ironically the first major contract was for Dodge bodies (a later competitor).

By 1917 the Australian government had placed an import embargo on complete vehicles, the First World War having almost entirely involved Britain's industry, and German U Boat Captains were doing their best to ensure that very few cargo ships leaving North America reached their intended destination.

These conditions, combined with the need to save valuable cargo space, restricted imports to chassis and forced local vehicle agents to look to local firms to provide the bodies. In 1919 Edward Wheeldon Holden registered "Holden's Motor Body Builders" as a separate company specialising in car bodies.

At the time they built bodies for Overland, Chevrolet, Durant, Hupmobile and Dodge, and by 1923 they were producing over 12,000 bodies per year. In 1924 "Holden's Motor Body Builders" became the sole Australian body builder for General Motors vehicles and had an output of over 22,000 bodies (over 11,000 for GM) in 65 different body styles.

The famous "Lion and Stone" symbol was designed in 1928 by George Rayner Hoff, and represented the legend of man's invention of the wheel. It was subsequently fitted to all Holden bodies and, although undergoing minor changes over the years, remains to this day.

During the 'Great Depression' in 1930, production fell from 34,000 units per year to a mere 1651 and, in 1931, General Motors were able to buy the entire Holden's Motor Body Builders and merge it with their North American operation to form General Motors - Holdens.

This move was not entirely motivated by taking advantage of the company when it was at an all time low but was mainly occasioned by the Australian government freezing the currency so that money couldn't leave the country during the depression.

The money to pay GM in the United States for the previously imported chassis was trapped in Australia and so was used to finance the buy out which in part took the form of swapping the ordinary shares held by 1550 Australian shareholders in Holdens Motor Body Builders for 561,000 6% 1 pound preference shares (ie 6% of the value of their shares each year) in the new company.

This made the paid up capital of the new company 561,000 pounds Australian capital (37% of the total) and 965,800 pound U.S. capital (63% of the total).

In addition there was tension between the Australian operation and the United States with management in the United States complaining "Amazing people these Australians; they just won't do as they're told" (Inness Randolph head of General Motors Australia to Larry Hartnett in 1929) and a merger/takeover was also a way to solve this little problem.

In 1934 Larry Hartnett (later Sir Laurence Hartnett) was sent to Australia by GM as Managing Director of the Australian company with a directive to either make it profitable or close it down.

Fortunately Hartnett respected the resourceful nature of the Australian operation and stated "The economies achieved by Holden's at Woodville put them, in many ways, years ahead of the rest of the world in manufacturing techniques. The resourcefulness and initiative of the Australians in this industry is beyond praise."

By 1935 the world economy had strengthened and under the leadership of Larry Hartnett GM-H lifted production to 23,129 bodies and a profit of 650,000 pounds. The company also introduced the "Sloper" to the world which was the fore runner of the hatchback and led the rest of the world in producing the first all steel bodies.

In 1936 Larry Hartnett began planning the complete production of a "wholly Australian car", however another World War intervened, with the (Menzies) government of the time putting these plans on hold. After the war the Government asked for proposals from any local company for production of a complete car - and General Motors Holdens were the only company to reply.

On September 20, 1944 Sir Laurence Hartnett and Mr Jack Horn of General Motors - Holdens made a presentation entitled "Australia - GM's Performance and Results - Manufacture of Complete Motor-Cars in Australia" to the Executive Post War Planning Committee of General Motors in New York. This meeting gained approval in principal for GM-H to commence the process of designing and building an Australian car.

A major production which was rehearsed for 3 weeks in New York and involved 18 stenographers, 7 photographers and photographic reproduction men, 2 statisticians plus experts from GM finance, materials and manufacturing divisions all with the aim of convincing the committee of approving the project in principal, it was finally approved in November 1944.

But it almost did not eventuate, with the US deciding that it would not invest in Australia (despite making hefty profits from it's Australian operation) and only when the Commonwealth Bank came up with £2,500,000 pounds and the Bank of Adelaide came up with the balance of £500,000 pounds did the project finally get off the ground.

Continued on:http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/heritage_holden.htm[/url]

[Larry]

Did (does) Holden cast their own engines and other mechanical parts, or are they imported as GM items?

Has ther ever been any other car manufacturers in Australia besides Holden?

Thanks for the interesting article and link.

Hope you are well on your side of the world.
Larry

[ozpont]

.. Holden does cast engines.. and has done for longer then I have been breathing..

.. Exports of the "Holden" V8.. being a 253 cu in & 308 ci engine.. both being passive low HP & higher performance blocks made these often faster then the 283, 307 & 327 they are made to replace, went around southeast Asia, Africa & parts of Europe.

Recently a 1967 Holden Monaro 327 Coupe with log books in original unrestored condition sold for A$683,000, that's about US$580,000.
Not bad for a A$2700 / US$2300 car when it came out.


Holden produces many of the Daewoo Engine, many of the Hyundai blocks, Has exports of their 3.8 litre Buick inspired motor around the world, including GM Shanghai.. where the fully Australian built big car series is sold.. .
The Pontiac GTO. .the US version is up and running GREAT guns here.. as a Holden Monaro.. with 307 & 350 versions.. EXCEPTIONAL CARS.. AND as long as fuel prevails.. should be a shot in the arm for GM Pontiac..

Other production facilities here are mainly Ford & Toyota, Chrysler sold out to Mitsubishi in 1981 but now MAY be selling it back to Chrysler again .. Mitsubishi Australia produce a series of export vehicles to Asia & the middle east.. as does GM Holden ..
The Holden Sedans & Big Coupes (Aka Pontiac GTO) are known a Chevy's in places like Saudi Arabia.. and have GREAT SALES records..
http://www.gmarabia.com/content_data/LAAM/ME/en/GBPME/001/G1/1C/1C_home.html?cntryCd=SA

.. built a long way away... build in Australia.

..then again.. over the sand hills and along a little ..is the worlds most populated country.. China. .. here BUICK & Chevy & Cadillac are household names..

http://www.buick.com.cn/lacrosse/index.aspx

Mind you .. we import bucket loads more cars then we export as a nation.. .. Just received some of the Chinese made Ford Transits Vans.. and the Mercedes vans (Dodge Sprinters for US folk) ..made in China.. also VW Golfs.. Chinese made....
US made cars that are sold here by their makers .. include Ford Explorers & over the last decade Ford Taurus, Capri & Probe .. GM only supplied a bundle of Chevy Suburbans then failed to keep up after sales spares longer then 5 years.. most all GM parts and cars here are local or Asia based. Some of the previous and I understand next series BIG V8's originate from US manufacturing.
Chrysler has the 300 & 300 Wagon, just released the Sebring, & the Cobolt has flopped big time.. but they are still trying to unload them..
All up.. our auto industry is fairly varied .. and interesting.. aligned to US interest.. and .. the need for HORSE-POWER is ever present....

[Larry]

You probably have a much better perspective on the "global" auto manufacturing market than we do over here. We have felt the automotive world revolved around Detroit.
I think most people would be shocked if they realized the full extent to which the US auto companies are involved in overseas production and marketing. Buick a household name in China.... it's hardly a household name in the US any longer. Who woulda thunk it?!
Thanks for the insight.