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Gosh, at least you guys had 6 cylinder options, I'm sure our base options were 4 cylinder here in nz. Maybe that was later on? We had a 1985 Royale, which was a 4 cylinder.

Wouldn’t be too many with T400 transmission I don’t think I have ever seen one

3 things: Golden Fleece ... whoa I remember those service stations, once you were past Katoomba on the GWH (heading to central west NSW) it was "Golden Fleece" all the way (also Mobile) from memory Golden fleece were incorporated into the CA:LTEX service station fleet and now owned by AMPOL. Even though I'm a Ford fan I do quite like the GMH implementation of GM Opel designed instrument panel and gauges right up to VH, the VK were dead set awful and the VL were trying too hard to be "80's computer techy". You forgot to mention the GM Daewoo "Royale" which is the sister "V" car for south Korean market, has HMH Commodore front end wit GM Opel Senator rear end. That mock up (at 7:29) looks very similar t the VL Commodore front end and side guard profile, I've never seen that pic before and assume its from mid 70's? which suggest to me that even back then GMH had issues with the "VB" design but took 10 years to get it right for he VL Commodore wit the bi-focus lights. As always great work Mark.

Excellent upload Mark! The SL/E would have been a nice machine to have back in 1978!

Good vid mate. I remember when these come out. GMs as usual spent a fortune in marketing trying to convince everybody these were a new generation. They were just Kingswoods with a different body. GMs chuck a few bells and whistles like the headlight washer/wipers (WTF). I can’t remember exactly which one but one of the early Commodore models had an economy gauge which worked on engine vacuum.

I owned a VC Commodore and it had the larger 6 cylinder engine and l bought the Commodore second hand a couple of years old it had a few options like air conditioning power steering cloth seats height adjustable drivers seat and was metallic blue with blue interior it was a good car changed the engine on it because the main crankshaft seal went from memory it was pretty cheap

The Repco reliability trials really didn't display their real reliability, as the team changed out major driveline and suspension components before they had a chance to fail! The engines used were basically an XU1 engine!

In 1981 when I lost my beloved A9X to a truck taking it out, I purchased a VC SLE with the turbo 400 and 308V8, this was an awesome car and a chick magnet with the rumble dual exhaust. I later traded it in for a Ford XE ESP 5.8. I loved that car too.

Saw my first one up close in western Qld. Wealthy lady had an Sle. Except the red interior was completely white. With dust. Absolutely no dust sealing for dirt roads. I couldn't believe this plush limousine was a dusty shtbox.

I had a datsun 180b with the fender mirror , they really work , sensible option eliminated blind spot

I remember getting my first EB, it was such an amazing upgrade from anything i had driven before. From the first drive i knew it was the best car i had ever driven. Looking forward to your thoughts on the EA and the disaster that was the toothy grill.

Dreadful engines, all of them.

My dad had the 1st EA Fairmont Ghia delivered in NSW from Brad Garlic Ford in Ryde. It was in that dark navy blue in the brochure.. It was a bucket of S__t. We had fords our hole lives....and dad stopped after that. He DIDN'T go back until the BA. The Falcon was either amazing or a nugget. I srill have 3 Falcons but they did some strange things there for a while.

Mark.... come on the EL.....

Holden Sunbirds were produced until 1979 so also would have been in competition with the Commodore

I also really like the look of the 61, good looking cars, I have a 61 mercury monterey 4 door Sedan which shares a lot period features with the galaxie. Full size fords with a big block FE, what's not to like.

Fantastic video Mark, keep em coming!

Missed the special Starfire 4!!!😂😂😂

I have been hanging out for the history of the Commodore.Thanks mate!!!

Great video. I love the history of local Australian cars. Is there any chance of doing a full history on the Holden Statesman series cars? My late father bought a brand new HX Caprice in blue with a beige vinyl roof. Those were gorgeous cars.

When did Australians start calling two door cars "coops"? They are coupes pronounced "coup-ay" French for two door vehicle, not American for a chicken house..

Good information Mark, very interesting

Really loving your channel, mate. So much info to look back on, and even learn a few things I didn't know. You touched briefly on the Magna. Awesome car. Can you do a Chrysler/Mitsubishi series on the Sigma thru to 380? Keep up the great work!

Of the four generations of Commodores, it definitely went from the worst to the best over the years!

Australian designers don't get the credit they deserved but they're pushed to the back

Australian enginers designed some brilliant cars and ideas Chrysler by Chrysler a good car

Hi Mark. Did the VB not come out with the 1900cc Starfire (misfire) engine for the NZ market? Looking forward to this series.

So many memories! Firstly, I remember seeing a VB commodore split in half after a side impact when it pulled out in front of a Ford Bronco! My mum had a 4.2L manual VC. Dad put heads, cam and exhaust on it, but was never happy with performance...and Mum hated the lumpy idle. Also remember there was only 8 different key styles for the VB making it a breeze to steal!

G'day Mark. Another awesome car story. I've heard of the Holden VB Commodore. 🙂

The dumbest move by Holden they had the HX and Torana then spent 110 million dollars to develop a European chassis for Australian conditions (ie crap roads) I actually heard they gave up and basically used a HQ chassis? Only saved 100-200 kgs in weight best I can tell. Then wait for it with no money left, put the pollution controlled red motor into it, 14mpg 3.3 litre. They also did not even plan a station wagon, ute, panelvan, one tonner or statesman body FFS. So had to keep the HX WB series going anyway! They should have just put the Torana on a diet and spent the dollars on a new or updated 6 and V8 engine. Viewers should also watch your excellent video on the XD falcon to compare what Ford did . What was Holdens marking people thinking. Have you ever tried to put 3 large Australian men across the back seat of a VB commodore! Great video👍

Thanks for the memories. Bought a new VB Commodore in 1979 as an SL with 3.3l engine. Was very reliable for the 7 years I owned it. It was stolen after about 3 years and left running by thieves till it ran out of fuel after I had blacked out the front grill. I think they thought they were getting an S version with V8 when they took it. It still ran ok after the event fortunately. Did have strengthening bars fitted in boot for towing my caravan due to stories of bent panels due to towing. They seemed to work to save the car. After the theft I had a hidden starter cut out fitted as they didnt have much in the way of antitheft items. I hope the new owners found it and were not smokers as it was in the cigarette lighter and was activated by the use of the lighter.

I like how you mentioned the Commodore body structure wasent up to scratch. I remember when I was younger and Commodores were everywhere on our roads, alot of Commodores were splitting in half- Literally-! In heavy impacts such as T-bone, head on or hit a telegraph pole, they would split in half at the B pillar. Terrifying to see it on the news many times!!

A VC SL came up for sale on the GC for $7500 about 10 years ago when I was looking around for a toy. It had 36,000 on the clock and I wish I bought it. But I was really after a SL/E 5.0. 12 months later the prices went through the roof and an SL/E never came up at a reasonable price. Missed the boat sadly and had to settle for a 1977 450SEL but sold that after 2 years as I felt too embarrassed to drive it as I felt like a dictator.

Unlikely has a top loader, Ford stopped making top loaders in 1973, From factory it would have a Brog Warner single rail.

Enjoy your videos Mark. Keep 'em coming. I was working for Bill Patterson Holden in Pre Delivery when the VB was released. We got the cars two weeks before release and test dove them around Ringwood. Used to get a lot of puzzled looks from people trying to work out what sort of car it was. The build quality was a bit rough around the edges. You could drive 4 cars, all the same model and they felt completely different , from gutless and noisy, to smooth and fast . It paid to road test the car you were going to buy first. Personally would have bought a HZ Premier 308 with all the fruit over a Commodore SL/E. Holden really didn't get the build quality up to scratch until the VT. Holdens I have owned were FE Special Sedan, FB Special Sedan, HD Special Sedan, LH Torana Plus 4, UC Torana SL with Luxury Pack and 4 wheel discs, HX Kingswood Sedan and a VN Toyota Lexcen. Current car is a Ford BF2 XR6 .

1993 and my P plate mate bought a VB 4.2 manual commo as his first car from Parramatta Rd. Metallic green, pin strips. Sounded good. I had a hotted up 1275cc mini. Wasn't much in it performance wise. Great times

As a US owner of a VF SS in the form of a Chevy SS, I'm enjoying learning about Aussie automotive history, especially anything Holden. Thanks!

Thanks Mark. The other Achilles heel with the VB was the manufacturing/build quality. My then father-in-law had a new SLE 4.2, a very nice car I thought. He effectively had it mechanically rebuilt over a relatively short ownership period. Pride in ownership dissipated, and his next car was the Honda Prelude 4-wheel steer. Buying a Honda was a struggle for him, as he had been shot at by the Japanese in WW2. However, the need for reliability and the then Honda success in Formula 1 won him over. It too was a very nice car, with great build quality and reliability.

Old man had a VB wagon with exhaust and extractors, used to scare the poop out of me if I was near it on start up/idle hahaha

The first Commodores definitely handled a lot better than the old HQ-HZ cars.

My mate’s mum’s commodore had that “slug” engine in it, it took from Corio to Lara to get up to 100kph.

My first car back in 1998

I agree with the interior colours of those times which were colourful unlike today where they seem to have taken a page out of Henry Ford's book where you can have any interior colour you like as long as its black. It's the same with exterior colours where they've taken a page out of the old communist East European countries where you can have any colour you like as a long as it's bleak. I've had no experience in Holden ownership of any Holden as I've only driven a sort of Holden in the Colorado a work provided car which was probably more Isuzu than Holden and no I didn't like it. Although if truth be told as a kid I always like the VB Commodore especially in the SLE for at the time it just looked right.

Why was the VB so low on power as these motors in the Kingswood had more power, 64 kilowatts from the 2.8 is dreadful when the sunbird had 60 kilowatts from the Starfire motor which was the 2.8 minus two cylinders.

Great vid as always. There seems to be a lot of styling cues of the VL on the v-body 7x concept.

My spies (at the time) told me that a Japanese manufacturer had offered a 4 cyl engine that had way more power than the old 202. Yet Holden went to that stupid Starfire.

👍👍

As a 9 year old child, my relative Gary imported West German cars, the 280S W116, also a 6.9 450SEL, and, gasp, an Opel Monza 2.8. What got me was the same 4bbl carb was used on the Mercedes, 156 HP, and on the the heavy old Six cylinder version of the Opel Cam in Head 1900, it made 140 hp net (104 kW) at 5200 rpm and 160 lb-ft / (218 Nm) at 3400 rpm. Holden had decided to keep the old 9 port headed engine, which had been updated to a 12 port via sedan racing, which made 216 to 235 hp gross in race trim. Holden had access to all the same technology Opel and Vauxhall had. The 4.2 litre was even slated for the Ventora in the United Kingdom. Holden's US overlords, who were making 85 HP Iron Duke 2.5 litre engines at the time, decided to put the restrictions on Holden's advances. Holden easily made 142 hp or 106 kW in the Later 12 port Electronic Injection VK. Despite what people thought was a 32 hp loss over the pre emission rating of 118 hp gross for the 173 ( 2.838 litre) engine, the loss wasn't due to emissions, it was due to the engines being rated as installed, or net hp. Both the Opel 1900 and the Starfire 1.892 litre Four, with two less cylinders made 60 kw or almost 81 hp in 2bbl form that year. Holden had the technology, the problem was, the dollars sucked into making the World Car work cost Holden as more than the whole XD Falcon revision

Hi Mark, a car that looks familiar to me as the Vauxhall Viceroy this car was identical to the Holden Commodore VB. The Viceroy was the front end of the Vauxhall Royale ( Opel Senator ) and the rear end of the Vauxhall Carlton ( Opel Record ) The Viceroy was fitted with a straight six 2.5 litre engine. The Carlton was fitted with a four cylinder 1.8 ,2.0 and 2.3 The Royale was fitted with 2.5 and 3.0 six cylinder engines unfortunately no V8. The Vauxhall range of these cars came out in 1978 about the same time as the Commodore. I think the body panels came from Germany and assembled at the Vauxhall plant in Luton in UK. good story on the VB Commodore as always a great video Take care