Another barn find, prototype 1979 Commodore

[jaydee]

https://www.9news.com.au/national/ho...e9872da6d461#1

I see it's fitted with the good old Uniroyal Steel cats, great tyre in their day.
Apparently 1 of 3, 2 destroyed, this one was given to a local TAFE for students to study. When the TAFE closed down one of the tutors hid it.
I'd be checking on ownership on this one.

[wodahs]

for an exquisite prototype model of what was to become with a grill expertly crafted from wood that's done like 2 meters
it looks like the grills been pushed in and dislodged and who ever tried to place it back was no expert craftsman

[CATXR8]

What proto type.
Its an opel.
Opels where in Asia before gm/gmh brought it into Australia.

[MFL]

that brings back a few memories, my 1st V8 was a VB SLE 4.2 I bought from my dad - the 2 bbl carb & single exhaust made for memorable power - handled well though ...

[Itsme]

Certainly looks VH 82 onwards not the 79 VB or VC 80 model as released in Australia, also noticed red engine not the familiar blue colour.

[DTFRMONT]

Lloyds listing, which explains a few things about the car.

https://www.lloydsonline.com.au/LotD...gs=100&gv=True

This one was a design prototype for the VH made from a VB shell, which would account for the 1979 build date. The VB came out late 81, so this was probably a final design prototype that was shown to senior management for approval, given it was also an SL/E. Even the radio is a mock up, and not the real thing. Actually not in bad condition considering what it ended up being used for.

[MFL]

Originally Posted by Itsme

Certainly looks VH 82 onwards not the 79 VB or VC 80 model as released in Australia, also noticed red engine not the familiar blue colour.

Your are right, the lights & grille looks more like my VH SLE, the VB had a different grille, bigger headlights and headlight wiper/washers.

The steering wheel and centre console are also VH. The VB was different again.

[.:4:.]

Well, it looks very vh. Maybe it is what holden invisioned the car to look like. If thats the case, yeah, the longer rear bumper was only for the 308 models. The starfire 4's, 202's and 253's got the shorter rear bumper. Grill is very vh looking. Seats look a bit off, rear headrests look very vh sle. So maybe it was what holden wanted to build but people up top said no.

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by CATXR8

What proto type.
Its an opel.
Opels where in Asia before gm/gmh brought it into Australia.

Not quite. Yes, the Opel Rekord E was released about 1 year before the VB Commodore, but they are very different cars underneath.

The Aust Commodore used the basic Rekord E body but with the Senator A front fitted. This meant a longer wheelbase & more room for 6 & V8 engines (Rekord was only a 4-cyl).

The Aust. Commodore also got proper rack & pinion steering which none of the Opels had.

The car pictured is also an update of the original with new longer front panels & different headlights.

So about the only parts this car shares with the 1977 Opel is the bare body (firewall back) & the dash. All mechanicals & driveline, HVAC & electricals are Aussie.

Dr Terry

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

If thats the case, yeah, the longer rear bumper was only for the 308 models. The starfire 4's, 202's and 253's got the shorter rear bumper.

The length of the rear bar side extensions has nothing to do with the size of the engine.

All SL/Es from VB to VH have the longer extensions, regardless of whether they have 3.3, 4.2 or 5.0 engines.

A Berlina with a 5.0 did not get the extensions.

The only SL/E to miss out on them was the VC Brock, because they wouldn't clear the wheel arch flares.

Dr Terry

[Tonz]

would it be street legal?
Could it be registered on standard plates?

otherwise why spend $$ on something that would supposedly need to be trailered

[pwr4ce]

I had all 3 series back in the ‘80s

VB and VC were quite similar - main changes that I recall were grill and blue vs red engine in the 3.3L models (probably in V8 versions too)

The VH was a much sleeker look with different headlights/ taillights and grill and dashboard instruments. It also came out with the first SL/X model.

In summary they were a great car for their time and I think the Radial Tuned Suspension (RTS) just might have had it over the Falcons of the day


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[MDS69]

Originally Posted by Dr Terry

The length of the rear bar side extensions has nothing to do with the size of the engine.

All SL/Es from VB to VH have the longer extensions, regardless of whether they have 3.3, 4.2 or 5.0 engines.

A Berlina with a 5.0 did not get the extensions.

The only SL/E to miss out on them was the VC Brock, because they wouldn't clear the wheel arch flares.

Dr Terry

The Berlina designation is a VK thing which you would know has plastic bumpers

[pwr4ce]

Originally Posted by MDS69

The Berlina designation is a VK thing which you would know has plastic bumpers

Agreed - Berlina was VK model onwards. SL/E was dropped and became Calais in the VK model as well


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[MDS69]

Certainly a bitsa. VB/C air conditioning, VH/K front sheet metal, no rear seat belts, VH interior, one side mirror, no bumper over riders for a SLE, no brake fluid for the rear brakes, still has the bracket for the VC twin horns on SLE on the inner guard.

[pwr4ce]

Originally Posted by MDS69

Certainly a bitsa. VB/C air conditioning, VH/K front sheet metal, no rear seat belts, VH interior, one side mirror, no bumper over riders for a SLE, no brake fluid for the rear brakes, still has the bracket for the VC twin horns on SLE on the inner guard.

You probably wouldn’t register it or drive it. I think you would have to be a die hard collector for this one


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[jpd80]

Not saying anything is off but of the zeros in the odometer is not in line with the others…..

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Not saying anything is off but of the zeros in the odometer is not in line with the others…..

yep, dodge as

[FairmontGS]

Any hard-copy provenance that states it is what it proclaims to be? Otherwise it's just a bodged-up VB/C/H...

[marty351]

Belongs in a museum.

[PG2]

Originally Posted by pwr4ce

Agreed - Berlina was VK model onwards. SL/E was dropped and became Calais in the VK model as well


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Before the VK Berlina wasn't the VH equivalent called a SL/X?

[pwr4ce]

Originally Posted by PG2

Before the VK Berlina wasn't the VH equivalent called a SL/X?

Yeah probably- I actually think it was somewhere between SL/X and Calais


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[BENT_8]

VK Berlina was probably more VH SL/E in certain area's than a direct SL/X replacement.

[bigwil]

It's in the latest issue of survivor car australia and if I remember correctly lots of parts are made out of wood

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by DTFRMONT

Lloyds listing, which explains a few things about the car.

https://www.lloydsonline.com.au/LotD...gs=100&gv=True

This one was a design prototype for the VH made from a VB shell, which would account for the 1979 build date. The VB came out late 81, so this was probably a final design prototype that was shown to senior management for approval, given it was also an SL/E. Even the radio is a mock up, and not the real thing. Actually not in bad condition considering what it ended up being used for.

DTFRMONT post certainly explains it all with the VB model being a VH prototype, interesting reading from Lloyds auction.

https://www.lloydsonline.com.au/LotD...&pgn=4&pgs=100

[lra]

I can't see what is the excitement about this.
The most you could do with it, (if you bought it) is sit in the drivers seat and make "Vroom Vroom" noises, and charge an viewing fee to see it.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by pwr4ce

In summary they were a great car for their time and I think the Radial Tuned Suspension (RTS) just might have had it over the Falcons of the day

Yeah nah
Those early commodores were lamentable pieces of ****. Even die-hard Holden buyers hated them, and they drove Holden Bankrupt. GM had contingency plans in place to dump local production and start selling Chevies, and Holden were only saved by a massive parent bailout.

My dad a string of Company Premiers, so naturally at the appropriate time he was given an SL/E.
He hated it so much that he started driving his XC Ute to work, until the employer relented and bought him an XD Fairmont.

[Crazy Dazz]

Gifted to a local SA Tafe for Automotive studies the prototype was squirreled away by one of the tutors when it closed down.

So it went to a TAFE, and ya reckon they never started the engine?

And then somebody stole it, and hid it.

So it belongs either to Holden, or to the SA government, and the former TAFE employee should be facing charges

[marty351]

Gifted, so probably not owned by gmh anymore. when tafe went bye-bye, was it on a list of assets?
Statute of limitations applicable? Posession 9/10ths of the law?

[Trevor 57]

A driver training company I worked for from the mid 80's had the first Commodore, body number VB0000000, it was actually a German Opel fitted out as a Commodore, it was also a SLE, had a v8, even had wipers on the headlights. It was built as a demo model for delaers

We trashed it on the skid pan for years, I don't know where it finished up, it was green in colour

Ford, Holden and Nissan would give the company prototype cars for skid pan use only