Holden 1948

Queensland launch of the Holden 48-215 at Eagers Motors Brisbane.

Od 1926 roku firma Holden's Body Builders Ltd, reprezentuje w Australii amerykański koncern General Motors. W 1931 rozpoczęto wytwarzanie nadwozi do sprzedawanych na tutejszym rynku samochodów GM, a w 1932 firma weszła w skład koncernu - powstał General Motors-Holden's Pty. W 1936 roku w Fishermans Bend w Melbourne powstała siedziba i fabryka Holdena. Pierwszy w Australii opracowany samochód tej marki zjechał z taśmy montażowej pod koniec roku. Jest to model 48-215. Liczby te wskazują rocznik i pojemność silnika R6-2,15 litra. 4-drzwiowa limuzyna ma rozstaw osi 261,5 cm i długość 437 cm. Jest to konstrukcja Buicka z 1938 roku, która nie została wprowadzona do produkcji w USA, przystosowana do specyficznych, australijskich warunków.

The design of the first Australian car was originally penned in the United States by Chevrolet for a 1938 model, but was rejected because it was deemed too small for the U.S. market. Instead the design became the basis of the Holden 48-215 model. Development of the 48-215 began in 1944. Three prototypes were built by hand in 1946 by American and Australian engineers at the General Motors workshop in Detroit. Months of durability and performance testing were undergone in the US before the three prototypes were shipped to Australia.
The Holden was released for sale to the public in 1948 at Port Melbourne, Victoria, by the then Australian Prime Minister, Ben Chifley. The car is marketed simply as the “Holden”, without a model name. It have a 132.5 cu in (2,171 cc) cast-iron straight six engine which produce 60 hp, connected to a three-speed manual transmission. It have a dust proof body, and a small 37ft turning circle

Who and What is Behind Holden

The General Motors Corporation, with its 41 divisions and subsidiaries and with a production record of over 33 million motor vehicles, is behind the new Holden car.
General Motors-Holden's Ltd. is the biggest automotive organisation n Australia and has been completely organised for the manufacture of the new car. American and Australian engineers have been working side by side for over three years, during which time new buildings have been erected and equipped with the world's most modern machine tools. The new Engine Manufacturing Plant at fishermen's Bend, Melbourne, is as advanced as any in operation anywhere to-day. Its cost, including the new mechanised foundry, exceeds £2,100,000. The body-building plant at Woodville, South Australia, has also been re-organised at an additional cost of £1,750,000.
The new Holden joins such a distinguished family of General Motors cars as Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet and Vauxhall.
General Motors tests all its cars and all its equipment at the General Motors Proving Ground the most complete outdoor laboratory in the world. Since its inception in 1924, the General Motors Proving ground has conducted tests extending over 100,000,000 miles. The Holden car went through its preliminary tests at this Proving Ground.
The General Motors Research Laboratories have originated or developed many of the most important automotive improvements battery ignition, the self-starter, independent front wheel springing, synchromesh transmission are some. This world famous institution contributed both directly and indirectly to the design of the Holden car.

How the Holden Car was Designed and Built

The Holden car was designed specially for Australian rquirements. A survey conducted in Australia established that the outstanding characteristics required for an Australian car were: dependability ... low first cost ... low fuel consumption ... roominess without unnecessary bulk ... good performance on all roads ... modern styling ... nation-wide service and spare parts availability. All these characteristics were designed into Holden. Using these basic requirements, the Holden car was then designed by the Central Engineering Department of General Motors Corporation. The first car was put through a complete series of tests at the Research Laboratories, the Proving Ground, and at the Fisher Body Division. Only after all tests had shown that the design was fundamentally right were the entire design team and their families brought to Australia to carry on further operations.

How Holden has been Tested and Proved

A test route was selected near Melbourne having a great diversity of road surfaces. This test route closely parallels the General Motors Proving Ground in the number of miles of each different type of road surface; if anything, the Australian route may be more severe.
Each test car was driven every day over this test route under all weather conditions for at least 50,000 miles.
50,000 miles of durability testing is so severe that it is estimated to be equal to 200,000 miles of owner driving. Even a brand-new set of tyres sometimes lasted only 3,000 miles, compared to 20,000 or 30,000 miles in normal driving.
After nearly two years of this kind of testing, a"pilot run" on the new plant at Fishermen's Bend was made. The cars produced in the pilot run were again turned back to the Engineering Department for inspection and further tests before the O.K. was given to start full-scale production.