48_215 - The Australian car
On the 29th November 1948, General Motors - Holden released their first Australian Car - the iconic 48_215 model. It was an immediate success and stayed in production with only minor changes until October, 1953. A Coupe Utility derivative, coded as the 50-2106 and marketed as the Holden Coupe Utility, was produced from January 1951.
The design was originally penned in the United States with input from Australia. 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, the second as KY-442. All five prototypes were registered as Chevrolets.
As of 1st January 1950 and after two increases in price since the announcement, unfilled orders on dealers' books stood at 8,916 vehicles. By 15th March 1950, this backlog of demand had increased to more than 52,000 vehicles!
A sound recording of the entire Inauguration Ceremony is available here.
The 48_215 is truely worthy of a page of its own in our Collections!
(Note: A more complete selection of the political background to the program can be found on the Australian Manufacturing Files page.)
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This page is divided into three sections (use links below):
| Year | Title | Description | Link |
| 1948 | Building General Motors' New Australian car | Published early 1948, before start of production. Reprinted 1971. | |
| 1948 | Invitation to Fishermens Bend Launch | Official Invitation to the Inauguration Ceremony and program | |
| 1948 | Menu and entertainment program | Announcement Dinner, Social Centre, Fishermens Bend | |
| 1948 | GMH Postcard | Showing facillities and machines being used to produce the new car | |
| 1950 | The Story of the "Holden" | Public Relations background of Holden history for media |
| Contributor | Year/s | Content | Link |
| Marcus McInnes | 1936/45 | Bill Abbot on early planning for the Australian Car Project. | |
| Marcus McInnes | c1940 | Australia Potentially a Manufacturing Country study | |
| Marcus McInnes | Jun 1942 | Essington Lewis to Hartnett re visit to GM | |
| Marcus McInnes | July 1944 | PM Chifley to Hartnett re visit to GM | |
| Marcus McInnes | Oct 1944 | Govt invitation for GMH to submit proposal to build an Australian car. | |
| Hugh Healey | Oct1944 | GM data "Market, Product and Cost data for proposed Australian car" | |
| Marcus McInnes | Jan 1945 | Hartnett's proposal to Govt to build a car in Australia | |
| Marcus McInnes | Jan 1945 | Hartnett's MD's Directives for the Australian Car Project | |
| Marcus McInnes | Feb 1945 | PM Curtin's response to GMH proposal for a new car | |
| Holden | 1944/45 | Green Light 50 years ago - a summary of Legislative steps by Federal Parliament in the eventual approval of an Australian Car Industry. | |
| Marcus McInnes | 1945 | Bill Abbot's recollections of engineering activities at GM to prepare for 48-215 | |
| Marcus McInnes | Mar 1945 | Bill Abbot's first Engineering report on the Australian Car Project | |
| Hugh Healey | May1945 | Australian Seating Buck testing and approvals | |
| Marcus McInnes | July1945 | Hartnett to Quarry - proto 2008 job local approval push | |
| Marcus McInnes | Aug1945 | Quarry to Hartnett - latest design review in US and reasons for rejection | |
| Graham Hales | Dec 1945 | Project submission for 48/215 Holden manufacture | |
| Holden | 1946-48 | Details of the Melbourne street Circuit used to test the 48_215 | |
| Frank Shetliffe | 1946 | History of GMOO approvals of investments in the New Australian Car | |
| Holden | Mar 1947 | Sunners to Bettle, listing possible names for the new car and Marketing's recommendations | |
| Holden | Apr 1947 | Bettle to Hoglund, need to name the new car, with suggested names | |
| Holden | Dec 1947 | Bettle to Hoglund, advising that the name 'Holden" has been selected. | |
| Marc McInnes | c1948 | "Before Lang Lang" - An account of incidents that occurred while road testing three prototype cars for Project 320 (48-215) - before Lang Lang! | |
| Holden | Jul 1948 | Invitation to Prime Minister Chifley to launch the new car | |
| Holden | Jul 1948 | Launch Invitation to PM Chifley etc, and correspondence re date shift. | |
| Holden | Jul 1948 | GM World: Australia Builds a Motor Car | |
| Holden | cJul 1948 | General Motors New Australian Car | |
| Holden | Sep 1948 | Mr Bettle speaks about the christening of the new Holden | |
| Holden | Sep 1948 | J R Holden to Bettle, expressing thanks on behalf of the family for the choice of 'Holden' name | |
| Holden | Oct 1948 | H E Bettle to E S Hoglund Progress report on building the first cars | |
| Holden | 1948 | Womans Weekly advertising pages, from October and December | |
| Holden | Nov1948 | Speeches made by Prime Minister Chifley and Victorian Premier Thomas Hollway at the Release of the New Australian car | |
| Holden | Nov 1948 | Program details for the release of the New Australian car | |
| Holden | Nov 1948 | Press Releases for the New Australian Car | |
| Holden | Nov 1948 | First Holden Brochure | |
| Holden | Nov 1948 | 48_215 Owners Manual | |
| Roger Gibbs | Nov 1948 | Personal recollections of the launch of the 48/215 Holden | |
| Holden | Nov 1948 | November 29 issue of Sydney Daily Mirror, with Holden announcement | |
| Holden | Nov 1948 | November 29 issue of Sydney Sun, with Holden announcement | |
| Holden | Dec 1948 | F Callahan report to H E Bettle on volumes of car produced in December | |
| Holden | Jan 1949 | Official Presentation of the New Holden | |
| Holden | Jan 1949 | Summary of New Australian Car Publicity and Press releases | |
| Holden | Feb1949 | Customer's receipt for purchase of a 48_215 | |
| Holden | Mar 1949 | Road Test of the new Holden 48-215, March 1949 | |
| Barry Black | c1952 | Nasco Accessories list | |
| Holden | Aug 1952 | Advertisements in "The Australian Womans Weekly" and " Womans Day and Home" magazines | |
| Warwick Bryce | 1953 | The true story of how the 'FX' Holden got its nickname. | |
| Holden | cSep1953 | Brochure advertising a novel by Frank Clune "Land of Australia", recounting a trip around Australia in a Holden, calling at the Plants on the way. | |
| Holden | 2007 | Jack Rawnsley Memoirs : A Talk on Some Unrecorded Items of Holden History | |
| Barry Black | 1948-56 | Restorer's Hints | |
| Barry Black | 1948-56 | Restorer's Hints - Service Bulletins | |
| Contributor | Year/s | Content | Link |
| Holden | c1945 | Clay model of 48-215, side and front quarter views. Note ANZAC badging. | |
| Holden | 1946 | J Rawnsley with No 1 Prototype of the 48-215 at Milford Proving Grounds | |
| Holden | 1946 | Clay modeller developing 48_215 styling | JPG |
| Holden | 1946 | Clay modellers developing 48_215 styling | JPG |
| Holden | 1946 | More photos of the Prototype 48_215 model at Milford PG. | |
| Holden | 1946 | GMOO 48-215 Product Study Team, Australian group, in Detroit. June 1946 | |
| Neil Pogson | 1948 | No 1 Holden 48/215 rolls off the line. | JPG |
| Stewart Underwood | 1948 | Pre-release preview of 48-215 Holden to employees at Woodville | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | Launch of 48-215 at Fishermens Bend - PM Chifley and MD Harold Bettle | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | Launch of 48-215 at Fishermens Bend - PM Chifley and Harold Bettle inspect Cobb & Co coach | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | Launch of 48-215 at Fishermens Bend - Lady Holden arrives (on Right) | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | Launch of 48-215 at Fishermens Bend - Mr Bettle greets distinguished guests | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | Launch of 48-215 at Fishermens Bend - Arriving guests under the Awning | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | Launch of 48-215 at Fishermens Bend - Arriving guests with Holden car | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | Launch of 48-215 at Fishermens Bend - Distinguished guests arriving | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | Launch of 48-215 at Fishermens Bend - Guests around car | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | Launch of 48-215 at Fishermens Bend - Ladies in front of car | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | Sydney Dinner for official dealer launch of 48_215 | |
| Holden | 1948 | Second prototype car in Holden yard | JPG |
| Holden | 1948 | 48_215 with children looking in | JPG |
| Holden | c1948 | Workers assembling Radiator Grilles | JPG |
| Holden | 1949 | 48_215 Fitting Front End Sheet metal | JPG |
| Holden | 1949 | 48_215 Final Assembly Line | JPG |
| Holden | 1949 | 48_215 bodies on carriers ready for shipping | |
| Holden | 1950 | Famous "Dog on the Utility" poster (B&W version) | JPG |
| Holden | 1953 | 100,000th Holden driving through Melbourne streets -19th May 1953 | JPG |
| Holden | 1956 | 250,000th Holden with some of the workers who built it at Fishermens Bend - 19th January, 1956 | JPG |