While researching for a book on Kiwis’ passion for Holden cars, Tim caught up with two North Taranaki families with shining examples of Holden wagons from the crossover period from Kingswood to Commodore

At the end of the ’70s Holden went through one of the biggest periods of change in product direction. The big Kingswood era of the ’70s, based on the original and popular HQ model dating back to 1971, was gradually phased out in favour of a smaller German Opel-based car, which was to be the original basic Holden Commodore of 1978.

Long favoured by farmers and later by surfers, Kingswood wagons in top condition are now hard to come by, as many of them have led faithful but hard-working lives and no longer exist, or are in shoddy shape. The same goes for many of the earlier Holden Commodore wagons, worked hard and then scrapped or traded up for newer models.

I’ve never been much of a wagoneer, but while researching for a new book I was recently enlightened about important wagon models from Holden’s change of direction at the tail end of the ’70s. I received a tip-off about one of the last big Kingswood wagons built, now residing in North Taranaki, as well as a lead on a family using a very original, and now rare, early VH Commodore wagon in New Plymouth.

I had never given the old plain versions of the VH the time of day, but rarity and originality were about to shine a new light on what is now almost a vintage GM wagon.

People in New Zealand who had been driving Holden HQ variants, and developments throughout the 1970s in Kingswood, Statesman or Belmont form, were intrigued towards the end of that colourful decade as to what would replace the popular but aging Australian GM family car.

Opel Ascona

Scoop pictures in magazines such as Modern Motor and Wheels eventually confirmed the rumour that Holden was about to downsize, and buy in the GM Euro sedan which was essentially the Opel Ascona/Vauxhall Cavalier from Germany and England.

One couple which drove to a Holden dealership in their HQ Holden wagon at the start of 1980, looking to buy one of the new VB Commodores, was Ted and Noelene Roberts, then living near Te Awamutu as fruiterers. “We drove the HQ wagon that we had at the time to Ted Rogers Ltd of Te Kuiti to look at a VB Commodore,” Ted related. “We took it on a test drive south of Te Kuiti to where Colin Meads lived, and then back into town, and I didn’t think that much of it. I didn’t think the Commodore drove as well as my old HQ!”

A little deflated, the Roberts’ then noticed a brand new ‘last of the line’ V8 HZ wagon gleaming in gold up on the stand at the Te Kuiti dealership.

“The Premier HZ was on the stand brand new,” Ted continued, “so I asked for a test drive of that one and went on the same sort of test drive out to the old Meads farm and back. We said, ‘You can keep your new Commodore, we’ll take the Premier!’”

“Plus we got a bunch of flowers,” Noelene added with a smile. “A bloody great bouquet!” exclaimed Ted, holding his arms wide like a fisherman describing his catch of the day, and still beaming about one of the best motoring decisions the Roberts family had ever made.

Although the Roberts’ now rare factory V8 HZ Premier wagon was registered as new in early 1980, it was built in late 1979 and now, as we almost round off the first decade of the 21st century, the golden Holden still looks brand new and is quite likely one of the best examples of this wagon model left in the world. Although the old HQ wagon they used to own was often loaded to the gunwales with berry fruit during their day-to-day job, the HZ was never used for such a task, and as a result the interior of this old Holden is pristine.

Midget car racing

They were involved in midget car racing though, and did use the HZ for towing racing midgets to speedway circuits such as Rangeview at Matamata, Waihi Speedway circuit (in an old quarry) and the Palmerston North Speedway. This was a role the HZ fulfilled with ease, utilising the full torque of its 5.0-litre (308ci) GM V8. Ted filled me in on the rare Premier. “Most of the HZ wagons at this end of the production run came out with the 253 [4145cc] engine, not the 308 like this one, and there are other rare things too, the tombstone seats for instance are rare, and so is the automatic Turbo-400 gearbox. Most HZ wagons had the ordinary Holden automatic box.” As a brief passenger in Ted and Noelene’s gold Premier wagon I felt as if I’d been transported back to the ’70s and was riding in something brand new from the period, and as you can see from the photographs, I was more or less doing just that! The HZ with the famous 308 engine burbling away quietly felt solid, strong and homely.

Ted has had a few Commodores of later models down through the ensuing years since the early 1980s, many clocking up long kilometres after Ted moved into the rural real estate business.

“The HZ is a great old car, but I have also had some Commodores too for day to day running,” Ted said, “and I can say that the Calais which came out with the Nissan engine was the worst of them, while the best Commodore we’ve owned was the fuel-injected VH.”

Scarce SL/X wagon

After enjoying Ted and Noelene’s hospitality and, of course, their now rare Holden model, I ventured off to a New Plymouth address not far from my own to check out a family who had favourable and happy tales of motoring in a now scarce 1984 VH Holden Commodore SL/X station wagon in very original form.

Ross ‘Rosco’ MacKay has a Torana project on the go and also works for a Holden dealership and so, given his ownership of a VH Commodore, I thought he must know what he is talking about. However, it was the full family of wife Andrea and children Rachel and Callum who piped up and told me what a comfortable and nice car the old early Commodore was to travel in. The family accompanied me to a brief photo-shoot at New Plymouth’s Mt Moturoa, part of the city’s old volcanic underpinnings. While looking closely over a Holden model that I had never really inspected before, Ross brought me up to date on the MacKay’s Holden.

“This car is one of the special SL/X wagons powered by the 3.3-litre six. It’s got power steering and the Holden Trimatic three-speed automatic gearbox. The set-up includes a Strasbourg-Varajet twin-barrel downdraught carburettor.” Not only was Ross quite enthusiastic about the old Commodore, but he was also keen to point out that at the time of purchase the low kilometre VH was a bit of a find after he had caught wind of it coming up for sale.

This example was originally sold new from Baillie-Farmers Ltd, the Napier Holden dealership, before making its way over to Taranaki.

At the time that Ross first heard about the VH no one really wanted it, but now the car gets admiring looks from Holdenphiles and younger people who grew up with these early Commodore wagons as family cars.

The original VB-VC-VH era Commodores are known as the ‘compact Commodores’, from the days before the model name grew in stature to rival the legendary HQ models of old, in both size and status. Of course drivers like Peter Brock, John Harvey, David Oxton, Trevor McLean, Robbie Francevic and others put the SS model into motorsport history, but the ordinary everyday versions have all but been forgotten, though they gave good service to Australian and Kiwi families during day-to-day life.

Some readers will be happy for them to remain obscure, while others will no doubt think recognition for the Holden wagons of the late ’70s and early ’80s is long overdue.

There will be those who favour the Opel-based Commodores, and those who long for the days of the HQ-HZ range. Whatever your preference, in the case of the Roberts and MacKay families, the old Holden wagon lives on.

Words & Photos: Tim Chadwick