Holden FX debuts today -- 56 years ago
Anniversary of the first Holden
On this day in 1948, the first all-Australian car was launched. Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley and 1,200 hundred other people attended the unveiling of the first car to be manufactured entirely in Australia -- an ivory-coloured machine officially designated the 48-215, but best-known as the Holden FX (top right).
In 1945, the Australian government had invited Australia's auto-part manufacturers to create an all-Australian car. Car body manufacturer General Motors-Holden's Automotive responded, and produced the 48-215, a six-cylinder, four-door saloon.
The FX's six-cylinder 2.1-litre engine generated 60bhp at 3,800rpm and 100 lb-ft of torque at 2,000rpm, married to a three-speed manual gearbox. The 48-215 was a success with 100,000 Holden FXs sold in the first five years of production. Some still survive today (bottom right).
During succeeding decades, General Motors-Holden's Automotive went on to introduce a number of other successful marques, including the Torana and the Commodore.
Four million Holdens, with their trademark "Lion-and-Stone" emblem, were sold in Australia and exported around the world by the 1980s. In 1994, General Motors-Holden's Automotive finally adopted Holden as its official company name, and today Holden makes some of the world's most exciting muscle cars.
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