Wednesday, March 12, 2008

ABC Wednesdays - H for Holden

"If you can't afford a Ford buy a Holden" - I remember hearing this said while I was growing up. This quote epitomises the rivalry between Ford enthusiasts and their Holden counterparts. The rivalry continues today, especially at the top end of Australian saloon car racing; the V8 Supercar series.

The photo above shows a 1954 FJ Holden; the cute young girl in the car is my wife!

The Holden car was designed and built in Australia; part of the American General Motors group. Throughout its life it has been a favourite for Australian families as it was "designed for Australian conditions". The first Holden was built in 1948; sixty good years and going strong.

The major Holden manufacturing plant in Australia is at Elizabeth, a northern suburb of Adelaide.

This is a current VE model Holden.

To find out more about ABC Wednesdays and see links to other participants' sites go to mrs nesbitts place

21 comments:

JaamZIN said...

what a difference:) this is a great post!

Budapest Daily Photo

Miss_Yves said...

Beautiful pictures !I love old photos (black and white) !
However the violet model is gorgeous !
How handsome is your wife!

Pernille said...

Great choice for the letter H!
Have a nice day:)

mrsnesbitt said...

Wonderful choice! We learn so much on a Wednesday!

Anne-Berit said...

Interesting post for the letter H,and great pictures:o)

DeeMom said...

WOW I learned something, the car is lovely…great lines…how’s the mileage?

Your wife is lovely

Kate said...

Great photos! I especially like the vintage car contrasted with today's.

Gordon said...

Deemon - the official figure for the 3.6l 6 cylinder model is just over 11 litres/100 or about 21mpg.

Daryl said...

Neat comparisons .. old and new .. never heard of the Holden but its a cool car .. then and now

Lilli & Nevada said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE that first photo. Love the color of the second one. Great Photo

Leslie: said...

I'd never heard of that brand before, but I like the lines of the car.

Petunia said...

Love the ols photos and this one is great too! Great choice for H post:D

EG CameraGirl said...

Until today I'd never heard of a Holden. I assume you measure gasoline in litres just like we do in Canada. Do you measure distance in miles or kilometres?

Unknown said...

I've heard of Holden before, in England they are called Vauxhalls, which I think is the parent company. Good old photo. Not a fan of caravans myself, but I guess it was something special during the 1950's.

Andrea said...

Never heard of a Holden but it is a cute little car.

Paulie said...

Interesting comparison and love that purple car! I wonder what color the old one was? Maybe white? The door looks a different color. . . (might be shade)

Dragonstar said...

That first photo is priceless! Your future wife looks totally at home in the driving seat.

Donna said...

Never heard od a Holden!!! Remarkable! Thanks for the info!! Great Picture...hugs

Gordon said...

Paulie - I checked with my father-in-law today; the colour of the FJ was cream

Your eg tour guide - we are fully metric, and have been since the mid 70's.

Neva said...

Things I never knew about the Ford Motor Company!Hopefully, it has good air conditioning! Good "H" post!

Janet said...

Very interesting post as I have never heard of the Holden! I do like that newer version!!