(first posted 11/17/2017) The WB Holden occupies a unique place in the Australian automotive landscape, having been the last ute produced by “Australia’s Own” car maker for many years. While the number has been reduced, there are still a lot of WB Holdens out there earning a living and it was a pretty unique case.
To tell the story of the WB, we need to backtrack to 1978, when the Commodore was released in Australia. The Commodore was smaller than the Holden it had replaced in a reaction to the fuel crises of the 1970s; you could liken it to GM’s 1977 downsizing in North America, but the Commodore was a much more dramatic change. This was because it lost much more size (in width, if not total length) as well as being only built as a sedan and wagon, dropping 3 body styles or 4 if you count the Monaro coupe that had stopped production in 1976.
While keeping HZ Holden in production as a hedge against the acceptance of the new model was not unusual, I don’t imagine there are many cases where there has been a facelift/update of that holdover model after two years that remained in production for 4 more years! This was necessary to continue the long-wheelbase luxury sedan, and the commercial utility, one-tonner and panel van, which were the missing members of the Holden family not included with Commodore.
Things could have been quite different, because there had been a proposed WA/WB model that was cancelled, which would have maintained the mainstream sedan (using the previous long-wheelbase Statesman body) and wagon, but as William Stopford pointed out in his article on the Statesman that was not realistic.
The WB Holden was released in 1980, with the range narrowed to just the long-wheelbase luxury sedan, and the commercial utility, one-tonner and panel van. The Statesman and Caprice had a dramatically-changed and typically GM for the era squared-off rear roofline and boot.
The commercial WB’s had a much more typical light makeover, with the main changes being new front styling and tail lights. The range started with a pretty spartan base model that featured such luxury features such as a heater, seats, mirrors and so forth.
The interior features plenty of vinyl and the dashboard has vacant real estate. Note the inside of the door pillar is bare painted metal.
If you wanted more comforts, there was the Kingswood trim. There was a better-looking front end, with painted mirrors and larger body side mouldings, although I think the alloy wheels were an option.
Inside was where you noticed the difference, starting with cloth trim for the doors and seats, hiding under sheepskin seat covers here. This ute has the optional sports instrumentation full gauge package, that would have originated with the Monaro GTS. The bucket seats, four speed floor shifter and console are obviously a lot less utilitarian than a bench seat.
This red ute has the 253 ci (4.2-litre) V8 that was optional instead of the 173 or 202 ci (2.8-3.3 L) inline sixes. The 308 (5.0) was not available in the commercials for some reason, perhaps due to the change from TH350/400 to Trimatic (aka TH180) automatic transmission. The standard gearbox was a column-shift 3-speed with a 4-speed also available. Front suspension was typical GM A-arms at the front, but leaf spring at the rear – and that was the last for an Australian Holden for 20 years.
The panel van continued with the WB but was overshadowed just by pure weight of numbers, likely making up less than 20% of production. The “sin bin” vanning era was fading, which would have some impact.
Holdens were used for many different applications because they were so much more economical than full-size pickups, which GM was still assembling in Australia at this time. The ambulance trade had taken advantage of the flexibility afforded by the cab-chassis One Tonner to produce a unit suited for rural use where long distances made a sleeker sized vehicle better than larger options. There are stories of ambulances with ‘healthy’ V8 engines making some pretty high-speed runs to take urgent patients to the larger hospitals.
Another surprising use was as a tow truck, because the Holden was really a bit small and light ( kg/lb gross mass) but did find a niche in retrieving cars from multi-level car parks that larger trucks could not access.
A more common aftermarket conversion was adding a third ‘lazy’ axle (ie not driven) to create what was usually known as the “2 tonner” even though the payload didn’t actually double. These had a following probably most frequently among transport operators who wanted to use cheaper local Holden mechanicals.
There was a Series II update in 1983, which featured the updated ‘blue’ engines to address tighter emissions regs plus the usual minor tweaks and upgrades. The engine name came from the new paint colour, replacing the previous red motors and earlier grey motor. Guess what colour they were painted?
Note this ute has a full-width station wagon rear bumper instead of the normal corner bumperettes
After 1984 production of the WB Holden was ceased, but with no direct replacement from Holden a great number of customers simply didn’t replace them. Considering the options were less powerful 4-cylinder Japanese pickups, including Holden’s Isuzu-based Rodeo, which were still rather crude, or changing ‘tribe’ to the Ford Falcon ute and panel van. To replace a One Tonner you might look at a much larger and more expensive full-size pickup, but these were becoming more expensive.
Holden created a Commodore Ute based on the larger second generation car, but with Macpherson struts and a coil-sprung rear axle taken from the station wagon it wasn’t taken as seriously, and in reality was not as robust as the old bangers.
The AU model Falcon ute in 1999 with its separate bed also brought in a new one tonner option as a modern equivalent of the old HQ-WB One Tonner, and many owners finally upgraded their 15-year old utes. Having the strong inline six cylinder engine and leaf springs helped.
A surprising factor that drove some owners out of their old Holdens was insurance premiums, which went up dramatically as the parts supply dried up. If you want a WB headlight, you will have a search on your hands.
But there are still quite a few of these old Holdens on the road earning a living every day, and I can’t see that stopping for many years yet.
Further Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1977-80 HZ Holden One Tonner – A Genuine Grandpa’s Axe
Curbside Classic: 1980-85 Statesman WB by General Motors-Holden – What a Beaut
As always it is so interesting to this American to see all these cars that are obviously GM cars of their periods yet different and often better looking. Holden really seems like a “sixth car division” alongside Chevy, BOP and Cadillac, unlike Vauxhall and Opel which were (until lately) mostly quite different. Like Olds and Pontiac, Aussie-designed Holdens will be missed.
Nice post. Aussi cars are very uncommon in europe, so its very interesting to learn about them. Sad that its all over now. It looks, like GM tried to replace the Aussi models against euopean ones back in those days. The commodore is definetively a Opel Rekord E/Commodore C with another grille
Your Utes are quite compelling to me… I have two vehicles to do what I could have done with one (an HSV Maloo GTS R would suite me just fine, thank you!).
Down Here we did Get Australian Made Chevy Caprices All The Way Till The end.I Guess In USA You Guys Didn’t Get The Caprice After 1996.Australian Cars Are Great Cars.Durable&Fun To Drive.
We got ’em as the 2011-17 Chevrolet Caprice PPV (police patrol vehicle).
Aren’t the Pontiac G8 and Chevrolet SS also on this Holden platform?
That blue station wagon… *drool*
Wagon is the Premier model top of the range the Kingswood only had two headlights and different grille, blue early Commodore is a SLX top of the range cheaper models had steel wheels and sometimes a four cylinder engine.
It is an SL/E actually, the no. 1 VB Commodore off the line, will be seen again on CC soon.
Wow black Kaiser…there’s something I’ve never seen before
Well spotted Jim! I will have to do a mini feature on that. I think it is a US import, and I don’t know that Kaisers were sold here originally, at least not very prominently.
The front end of the blue wagon (3rd picture down) so reminds me of the ’71 Impala a neighbor had. I guess the GM styling studios pass sketches around from one continent to the other.
Also a bit like the FE Vauxhall Transcontinental series (1972), which was styled to fit in with the contemporary Pontiac models.
http://car-from-uk.com/ebay/carphotos/full/ebay903379.jpg
Possibly Leo Pruneau is the connection there; he had been at Vauxhall from 1964-69 and the HB and FD were largely his work. His next move was to become Assistant Design Director at Holden, later becoming the Director there.
Holden utes have become quite collectable here, workhorses are very rare most I see have been done up into show cars.
It is remarkable how many of these good-looking but 35 yo vehicles are still working well past retirement. Being last of the line, etc, probably made them a bit more treasured, however I reckon too that the rustproofing must have improved a lot over the predecessors, which are mostly dead from excessive hole-iness.
I would never have anticipated that insurance angle. Fair dinks, for a crapulous ole ute, mate.
I wonder if some WB’s might have had the older front ends put on for that reason, because they use plain round headlights.
Crash repair can be pretty easy on these or at least it used to be when parts were everywhere. Years ago a mate loaned his ute to his brother, you’d think this would be safe, but he rear-ended a van stopped at a traffic light which mashed the front panel and bent the front guards – the back of the van was caved in several feet apparently. The ute got a new front clip from another car, it all just unbolts and swaps over.
A minor nitpick John. The WB utes/vans never had cloth door trims ex factory. The pictured interior has a steering wheel from a HZ model GTS too.
Thanks for the article, and for bring back memories of the WB ute I used for after hours break down work.
I spoke to the owner of the red ute who had bought it new, I suppose it was possible he had swapped in a set of sedan door trims but I got the impression it was all original. He said he was weighing up whether to restore it, given the stone chips and other wear and tear of 33 years or so careful use.
“Changing tribe” – great allusion! Man is a tribal creature, regardless of how cosmopolitan he may think he is. Navy vs. Army, UCLA vs. USC, Apple vs. Microsoft, Ford vs. Chevy, Astros vs. Dodgers: people love to divide into rival camps, no matter how trivial the difference may be.
Great article John. I blithely assumed you could get a 308 in WB utilities. Your never late in a 308 after all and these were working vehicles. BTW, it may be my Queensland dialect, but the Americanised noun “pickup” just isn’t used generally up here.
There was at least one exception, the 308 was part of the ambulance prep option – apparently guys in the know would order that, I gather it wasn’t restricted availability.
Pickup is partly used due to the North American audience and partly to distinguish those vehicles from ‘actual’ utes. Language is an evolving thing;; apart from the Ford Ranger ads that call them “trucks” and everyone laughs at, any utility vehicle is called a ute everywhere I think.
Thanks John, I see the logic. Utes are, well utes, or backies for our Springbok friends. One tonners are pickups for ourNorth American readers. Yes, I could imagine the mirth/confusion if you went around calling your Ranger a truck.
The 308 ambulance prep, undoubtedly GMH had a three figure option pack number, is very interesting. Those were the days when Ambos were equally high speed drivers and first aid guys. Today, university educated “paramedics”. You are right language is evolving.
I got overtaken on the Newel one night by a WB ambo, i was doing 125 when it ulled out then it was gone,
A minor industry sprang u converting vans into utes when the WB ceased production off with the lid, modify a station wagon roof to suit repaint and a fresh 253 all yours for $7500 on the road they guy I knew doing that couldnt build them fast enough, he was still busy long after the Commodore ute arrived on the scene.
Thick steel and a separate frame helped to keep these on the road longer than unit body commercial vehicles.
The tow truck versions, which I think were a Sydney thing, (I never saw one in Victoria) are a great example of the versatility of BOF construction.
Methinx the author meant the FAKE fuel ‘crisis’ of the late 70s which was done to GOUGE the pubics! (us) It was perpetrated in 1978ish IIRC? I remember the LONG lineups at gas stations!
There is actually a NEVER-ENDING supply of oil bc it regenerates itself underground! (It ‘grows’) It SNOT a ‘fossil fuel’ like most of the us thiMk! That’s just more BALONEY we have been taught!
I DO appreciate a little info on Aussie cars tho! In the 2nd photo I cudda swore that was a Mercedes, on first sight! I’ve never been to Oz but my best friend in 1974-75 was an Aussie in Vancouver! He kept me in stitches, as he had a keen SOH!
Only six years since this post, but how things have topsied and turvied. There’s now none of these old dears in regular use.
Why would you continue to bumble about in one when every second fool is offering you large wads of cash for it? Turns out these old curios are in fact Museum Pieces, and Australia’s Own’s Finest (never mind that Holden was always American): that No-one In The World Made Cars As Good, that these Can Outhandle A Porsche, etc, etc, ad infinitum.
Oh well. So it is.
I liked seeing these rusties as they went about the place. Rather than the idiot over-subscription of their virtues, they to me represented an Australia that was poorer, and more humble, and – in its own slightly stuffed-up way – kinder, surely kinder than the richer, meaner place we’ve become in the last 20 years.