Holden 48-215

The 48-215 was the first General Motors model in Australia to bear the Holden name. With the design originated from an unused Chevrolet model. The car was marketed simply as the Holden, without a model name. It had a cast-iron Holden Grey motor straight-six which produced , connected to a three-speed manual transmission. it had a acceleration time of 18.7 or 27.7 seconds, and a turning circle. In January 1951 the Holden 50-2106 (also known as the Holden Coupe Utility) was released, a coupé utility derivative of the 48-215 sedan. It had a payload capacity of . In July 1953 the Holden "Business Sedan" was added to the range. Originally referred to as the 48-215-257, the Business Sedan was renamed 48-217. The 48-215 and 50-2106 models were replaced by the Holden FJ series in 1953. == Name ==

In mainstream parlance, the official name of "Holden 48-215" was eschewed in favour of the shortened "Holden" designation. Following the replacement of the first Holden, the 48-215 gained the unofficial nickname of Holden FX. This designation was first used in the Drawing Office at GM-H in 1952 as an unofficial means of distinguishing between early 48-215 vehicles with front suspension using lever-action shock absorbers, and those with the new telescopic shock absorber front suspension introduced in 1953 - the term "FX" was pencilled onto a parts list for the new suspension components. The title "FX" later came into use in used car advertisements to describe models with the later suspension, first being used by Melbourne dealer Reg Smith Motors in two advertisements in the 10 February 1960 issue of The Age. ==Pre-production ==

Five prototypes Three prototypes were built by hand in 1946 by American and Australian engineers at the General Motors workshop in Detroit. Months of durability and performance testing were undergone in the US before the three prototypes were shipped to Australia. Prototype number one was first registered (as a Chevrolet) in Victoria as JP-480 on 12 February 1947. It survives as part of the National Museum of Australia collection. Prototypes two and three were registered at the same time as JP-481 and JP-482. A further two prototypes were built in Australia; the first was registered as KJ-400. Owned by Australian businessman Peter Briggs between 1980 and 2013, the car's value was estimated to be worth over when it was put up for auction in the Motorclassica auction Melbourne, in October 2013. The second Australian-built prototype was registered as KY-442. All five prototypes were registered as Chevrolets. Only two were used for photographic purposes. They were: In order to hasten the project to production some simplifications were incorporated. There were no direction indicators, there was no provision for heating or demisting, and at the rear there was only a single, centrally positioned, tail lamp. Because of the mild climate in most of the populated areas of the country, it was found possible to save weight and cost by using a relatively small 6-volt 11-plate battery. Interior trim was minimised: weight reduction was pursued "with great vigour" and, in view of the weight in "running trim", a success. Ten pilot cars • April, the production plant at Woodville, South Australia, begins tooling up to make the bodies. These would be identical to the prototypes. (Body number one, painted black, did not become pilot car number one). Also work begins on the engine assembly line at Fishermans Bend. • 1 September, the decision is made to call the car Holden. • 25 September, engine number 1001 is started up. • 30 September, pilot car number one is completed in the evening. (There was no celebration, as GMH did not designate this vehicle as No. 1 Holden—it came to be known as Old Number One). • 19 October, pilot car number one is registered as MG-501. All four Holden colours were represented: These ten cars were used for testing. Three of them went to the Engineering Department, five went to Manufacturing, one went to the General Sales Manager, and one went to the managing director, H.E. Bettle. == Unveiling ==

at the launching of the Holden 48-215 on 29 November 1948. When all departments were satisfied with the car, volume production began. Black bodies dominated the early roll-out but GMH made sure that each capital city also received examples of cream, blue, and grey. Ultimately, 68 Holdens were distributed to the capital cities before unveiling day. On 21 November 1948 Holden held an open day for Fishermans Bend employees and their families, it to exhibit the entire factory and the car 48-215, GMH estimated that 12,000 guests attended. There were partly assembled cars at various stages along the assembly line as well as finished cars for the guests to inspect. The official launch for Victorian dealers was held at the Oriental Hotel in Melbourne on Friday, 26 November. The official unveiling by Prime Minister Ben Chifley commenced at 2:30 pm on Monday, 29 November 1948, in the Fishermans Bend Social Hall. The 400 guests applauded when silver curtains parted to reveal a cream Holden, in a black velvet setting and sparkling under spotlights, as an orchestra played Brahms' Waltz in A-flat. The celebrations at the plant were attended by 1,200 official guests. The Holden was released for sale to the public at Port Melbourne, Victoria. The car was marketed simply as the Holden, without a model name. File:The First Holden.jpg|The first Holden 48-215 sedan off the production line. File:Holden 48 215 advertisement 01.jpg|Front cover of the sales brochure for the Holden 48-215. The car was marketed simply as the "Holden". File:1951-1953 Holden 50-2106 01.jpg|Holden 50-2106 Coupé Utility File:Queensland launch of the Holden 48-215 at Eagers Motors, Brisbane, 1948.jpg|Queensland launch of the vehicle, 1948 == References ==