Welcome to Australia, where the flora, the fauna, and even the automobiles are different. Here’s GM Australia’s new offering for 1956, the Holden FE.
“It’s hard to believe now what a major event the new Holden was in 1956,” an Australian friend observed the other day. “It was front page news.” We were discussing this wonderful color cinema commercial for the Holden FE, a brand new model for 1956. Clearly, Australians were proud of their locally produced car.
While Holden was owned by General Motors, the Holden company itself was very much a home-grown institution, dating back to 1856, and the vehicles bore little resemblance to GM’s Detroit-made products. Holden’s original marketing slogan was “Australia’s Own Car.” Later, when Chevrolet adopted the tagline “baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet,” the Australian brand answered with “football, meat pies, kangaroos, and Holden cars.”
Rolled out to the public in July of ’56, the FE was longer, lower, and more luxurious than the 1953-56 FJ Holden, which had grown dated in appearance, sharing its basic sheet metal with the original 1948 Holden. “There’s a wonderful new look to Holden, both inside and out,” the announcer boasts. Mechanical upgrades included a 12-volt ignition system, improved steering and suspension, and more power for the little Holden straight six, known to Australian gearheads as the “Grey Motor.” In this spot, a fashionably dressed urban couple admire the glamorous new Holden. Video below.
The side view of this Holden reminds me, somewhat, of the American Hudson Jet, though the Holden is proportioned quite a bit better. The front end view, especially the grille and hooded headlamps, reminds me of the American ’55 Chevrolet. The rear end view is, I think, uniquely all Holden.
Nice post.
Front favors a 55 Chevy, rear looks like a 54 Chevy, top, well, it looks borrowed from something too, I just can’t place it right now, but I’m thinking 52 Buick 4 door. Holden must have had access to GM’s US styling department drawings, and took a little of what they liked from different models and combined it.
My first road car was an FE. The FE was quite a step up from the humpy 48s and FJs. Better handling and generally nicer to drive. Far less body roll. Styling is GM corporate though entirely designed here. Trim echoed what was happening in the US in that period.
Mechanicals though were simply FJ, engine gearbox and diff. 4 main132ci of in hindsight asthma!! FE front suspension was all new, rear suspension was simple leaf spring. Brakes were the same dimensions but seemed to work better. With the reservoirs on the firewall instead of under the floor like the humpies were. Probably better pedal ratio. Diff housing was different however with bolt in axles instead of the humpies taper and key brake drums. Axles drove the car instead of brake drums. PCD was 5×4.1/4 which was used on full size Holdens until 71 and Torana to 1980.Surprisingly though these were never raced much in comparison to Humpies which were a little lighter. And then dirt cheap.
This basic car was used from 56-62. FB EK had small fins, different front guards and roof with wrap around screens. But most underpinnings were the same as were the basic doors. etc. FB EK had a 138ci engine and a little more compression. Same engine but bigger bore. As did the newer shaped EJ also. The EH was the first with the 7 main red motor in 149 and 179 ci capacities and were a large step up over the grey. And that basic design was used up until 85.