Holden Commodore (VB)

Holden does not build many cars like the Holden Commodore (VB): a 4-door sedan / 5-door station wagon with 2.85&nbsp, built from 1978 to 1980 as the oil crises and the first emissions rules rewired the industry. Its designer of record is Leo Pruneau.

Where it came from

The Holden Commodore (VB) is a mid-size car that was produced by Holden, from 1978 to 1980. It was the first iteration of the first generation of the Holden Commodore, and was the Holden version of the General Motors V-body (V78) platform - developed primarily as the Opel Rekord E/Commodore C. The car was officially launched on 26 October 1978 with showrooms receiving the first examples on 13 November 1978.

Production of the VB only lasted seventeen months, the shortest life span of any Commodore. The VB Commodore was effectively the successor of the Holden HZ, although most models in that series continued to be produced until the introduction of the facelifted VC Commodore on 30 March 1980. The VB became Australia's number one selling car in 1979, the model's first full year of production. The VB also won Wheels Car of the Year award for 1978, with the car being praised for its value for money and referred to as "the best Australian car ever."

Under the skin

Under the skin sits 2.85  other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The gearbox is a 4-speed manual / 3-speed Tri-Matic automatic / 3-speed THM350 automatic (5.0 L V8) / 3-speed THM400 automatic (5.0 L V8). The wheelbase is 2668 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

In context

Where it sits in Holden's history is not in doubt: the Holden HZ came before it; the Holden Commodore (VC) followed it; it was built at Sydney, New South Wales (Pagewood), Melbourne, Victoria. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Mazda RX-7, the GM (General Motors) Saab 900, the Toyota Supra. Nearby in the Holden catalogue sit the Holden 48-215 and the Holden Adventra.

The money

MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Holden Commodore (VB) has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.