Holden models that lived on beyond Australia

Table of Contents

Not all Holden cars have gone without a trace like we thought they had.

During Australia's "Australia's Own" brand's 72-year run, it might be a surprise to find out that a few of 'em kept going somewhere else, even after they stopped makin' 'em here.

Since wasn't provided, there's nothing to paraphrase.

Holden at 75: get to know Australia's favourite even better and smash pub quizzes with the essential facts from every year since '48 to today

Fury Road Commodore at 10: Revisiting the best Aussie family car from a 2023 perspective | Opinion

Ford XF Falcon at 40: how the best-selling Falcon made Ford Australia a global name and led to today's Ford Ranger ... but also serves as a warning about the dangers of complacency

That's why we're shining the light on the Holdens that were designed and/or built in Australia at some point, but kept going in other countries for a bit longer.

G'day then, and welcome to the Holden zombies that time forgot.

Holden Commodore-based Daewoo Royale, Prince, Imperial and Brougham (South Korea)

The models were the '78 VB, 80 VC and 81 VH, and all were very similar.

It wasn't until the VK of 1984 went on sale that major body panel changes occurred, and much more were introduced with the 1986 VL, until the second-generation Commodore came out with the wider and longer VN in 1988.

But the original VB Commodore, the Holden, was also built in South Korea first as the Saehan and then the Daewoo Royale, later also as the Prince, with Commodore bodies engineered by Holden.

They were even made in Australia by Holden till 1985, with the VB-based series still being produced as the Imperial and Brougham – although with plenty of design changes – right up until 1997.

Holden VK and VL Commodore Calais (New Zealand)

The requirements, the earlier VK Commodore went on being built in New Zealand by Holden as the Royale. It's clear there was a shortage of names at General Motors back then.

Commodore Starfire-4 engine, first launched during the 1978 UC Sunbird's run and severely criticised in the VC and VH Commodores in Australia, though surprisingly popular in NZ.

That VK version was upgraded to the more streamlined VL in 1987, but the Kiwis were provided with a 2.0-litre version of the 3.0-litre in-line Nissan six instead of the no longer available Starfire-4. This arrangement continued until 1989 – the year following the VN's launch in Australia.

Holden VN Commodore-resembling... Beijing BJ6490 (China)

Fair dinkum, is this the most unusual Holden you've ever laid eyes on?

According to Unique Cars, the Beijing BJ6490 began in 1993, at a time when the still-developing Chinese car industry desperately needed substantial outside help, and imports were extremely heavily taxed on completion.

Holden was approached by a Bejing-based start-up to provide a test batch of about 500 of the outdated VN wagon's body panels, just as the heavily-updated VR Commodore was unveiling. And just the bodywork, with no interior (China is left-hand drive), engine, transmission or floorpan.

The BJ6490 (Beijing Bus 490cm length, roughly translated) VN was produced during 1994/5, built on a ‘60s-era light-truck chassis (extra strength and ground clearance were deemed vital), with an obsolete ex-Chrysler 2.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a rudimentary dashboard made of folded steel. We can’t imagine what it would have been like to drive.

They later discussed a significantly bigger order after Haylash Communications received a decent initial interest, however, still using a couple of VN components, but Holden didn't have the motivation or capability, so the BJ6490 was left to gather dust in history.

Holden Torana GA (LJ) based... Chevrolet 1700 (South Korea)

Releasing in South Korea in 1972, the Chevrolet 1700 came from the same stable as the Holden LJ Torana, itself a spin-off of the Vauxhall HB Viva from 1966.

Sorry, there's no original text provided to paraphrase.

Clearance gave rise to a redesign and rename in 1976 to the Saehan Camina; however, this one wasn't lucky either and production ended in 1979.

Holden German-derived Gemini-design, based on Daewoo Maepsy (South Korea)

From 1975 was only one vehicle made in Australia labelled as a Holden-Isuzu?

This reflects the high level of Australian and Japanese collaboration that went into developing the Opel Kadett-based T-car for our markets. There wasn't much that was German in the final product.

That also led to a South Korean variant for GM-owned Saehan. Released in 1977, it was originally sold as either a Gemini or Bird, depending on the region, until Daewoo came on board in 1982 and rebadged the model as Maepsy.

Mates, version 14, complete with its Holden-Isuzu genes, right up 'til 1989.

Holden HJ Premier-based... Holden Roadpacer (Australia)

The roadpacer version of the HJ Kingswood-derived Premier lasted almost three years longer than its donor vehicle, as it remained available in Japan after the HX (from 1976) and HZ (from 1977) models were phased in locally.

So, this thing, the Roadpacer, is technically the first car made by General Motors in the world to run on a rotary engine and it went into production – but it was a total dog in Japan. We started building it partly in Australia, but then sent it to Mazda where they slapped in a 13B Wankel engine, gave it a new interior and a few other things. But it had heaps of problems, like being pretty sluggish, being a bit dodgy to fix, chomping through petrol like a galah, and pricing itself out of the market. And let's be fair, the way it looked wasn't exactly flash, either.

G'day mate, this ain't technically a zombie Holden, but the factory kept cranking out the nearly identical HZ model right up to 1980 – and its relative WB lived on till '85, but as an HJ, you could've bought a new one in Japan in '79, but by then, its time had well and truly rolled in Oz.