Holden does not build many cars like the Holden FE: a 4-door sedan / 5-door station wagon / 2-door coupé utility / 2-door panel van with 2.2L GMH '132' I6, built from 1956 to 1958 at the height of the post-war boom. Its designer of record is Alf Payze.
Where it came from
The Holden FE is an automobile produced by Holden in Australia from 1956 until 1958. It was also the first Holden to be assembled in New Zealand, where General Motors New Zealand built their first example on 31 January 1957.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 2.2L GMH '132' I6. Kerb weight is 2380lb. The gearbox is a 3-speed manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 105.0 inches (2667mm). 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 FJ came before it; the Holden FC followed it. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Nissan Skyline, the Fiat 500, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. 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 FE 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.