Hideous Design?
It’s well known that WB is Worlds Best.

Edited by user Monday, 6 April 2020 11:31:59 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

This thing about the HD being ugly & unpopular is just a myth.

The HD was very well received by both the motoring press & the buying public when it was released. In fact May 1965 saw GMH's highest ever monthly sales figures.

The HD also sold more per month than either the HR or EJ, but was outsold on a per month basis by the EH.

The HR was not a Hurried Redesign of the HD, far from it. All of the HR's design & tooling was signed off in mid-64, 6 months before HD's release.

It's only in later years with their 20/20 hindsight that motoring writers have poo-pooed the HD's design. Many of these writers weren't even around in 1965 !!

Dr Terry

Yes I know, it’s a bit like the modern day fallacy that WB’s were a step back from HZ, when in reality they were more popular than the earlier series from 84 through to the early 2000’s. That can be proven by looking in any car magazine from that period and seeing all the earlier series with WB tail lights and fronts.

I reckon the HD is the coolest looking of any 48/215 through to HR. Although FB wagons are funky too, as are FC vans.

HD -Holden's then managing director David Heglands initials reversed . thanks Mark.

Good on ya Mark, correct. AL.

The codes were a year based code, so FB meant 1959, EK meant 1960, EH meant 1963 or something like that. I can't recall exactly (Dr Terry will!) but for the second digit K meant 0 and B was 9 (no I) counting backwards. The first digits had F as 5, and E and 6. A Journo worked it out and then they changed it. Not sure how the H codes worked exactly. It all made sense once the early 70'd came around where you had:

T - small car.
U - 4cyl Torana.
V - 6cyl and V8 Torana - later reallocated to Commodore with all UC becoming U.
W - Holden.

So TA was the first small car, not sure why TX was next but we got TC, TD, TE, TF.
LH was really UA, LX was UB and then UC.
WA was meant to replace HV (HQ 1971-72 then HV but HQ became a "series2" without being called that, and then the HV design became HJ. Followed by WB.
Nopt sure what happened to VA, but we got VB and VC. Not sure what happened after that.

Edited by user Tuesday, 7 April 2020 2:58:54 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

You forgot V2.

Using the following code breaker on Holden model series from FJ to EH (& EF), you can see how it works. They refer to the (planned) released date.
A = 0
B = 9
C = 8
D = 7
E = 6
F = 5
G = 4
H = 3
J = 2
K = 1
The letter ‘I’ is not used as it gets confused with the digit ‘1’.

FJ = 52 had a planned release date of 1952 but was one year late & came in 1953.
FE = 56
FC = 58
FB = 59 (Again one year late 1960)
EK = 61
EJ = 62
EH = 63
EF = 65 (Stillborn - Not released, replaced by HD)

Dr Terry

Edited by user Tuesday, 7 April 2020 6:27:34 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

VA..??? there was a VA. I saw one (of several) in the early V car prototypes Holden got from Opel at FBend and LangLang
...which as we know, came to be called Commodore. REKORD is not really a grab you marketing name is it!

Why no VA released? The VA was 'clinic'd' (as GMH always did via Patterson's) and the result was.... uggggh !
worst result of anything shown in the prior few decades. Most of the GMH Product Approval Group (aka the directors)
hated the front and some parts of the interior. A re-design of the 'hated' parts was hastily done and we got the VB.

btw.. HQ was to be followed by HU (which inhouse at FBend became known as 'Harden the F'Up) but it was writ HV
that never happened as we know and HJ ( a mess styling wise) was what the customers got.

there was never officially a VD Commodore (yes.. for that very obvious reason) but some wags at Pagewood
and Acacia Ridge did get stamped a number of VC Commodore build plates .. VD . A mate has a VC L sedan
with a genuine untampered stamped with VD build plate

Also I could never work out how Gemini got the TX label .. when it was followed by TC-TD-TE-TF-TG
then that awful RB (note an RA Gemini was never mentioned in the GMH docs I saw)

and finally, Torana? given that UC was originally designated UD .. with a V8 included (and no 4 cyl)
after GM Detroit allowed no extension to the L series car line (UC was originally meant to be LU) plus
I don't recall any internal GMH documents or drawings/parts diagrams for a UA or UB . LC/LJ was always
to be followed by further L series Holdens (LH was signed off by Detroit while LC was still on sale)

just to add to the history lesson... should have asked more questions when I was there