Time for another trip down under, where everything looks and sounds (sort-of) familiar until one gets a bit closer. This Holden LX Torana certainly has plenty of GM design-school hallmarks, looking quite a bit like a slightly oversize Opel Ascona/1900. It also has plenty of GM names: Sunbird designated for the four-cylinder model, whose engine was dubbed “Starfire”. Is there a Jetaway transmission in there too? Enough: we should have been so lucky as to have the Torana instead of the Vega.
The Torana was available with a four-cylinder, six-cylinder or even a hot V8 engine, the latter mostly to qualify it for Australian Touring Car series racing and the Bathurst 1000 race. The “1900″ script on the deck identifies this one as having the four, specifically the new “Starfire”version that replaced the former high-cam Opel 1900 engine. Essentially, the Starfire was a rather crudely cut-down Holden 173 cu in (2.85-liter) six; maybe they should have borrowed the “Iron Duke” name for it instead, as Starfire is a bit of serious debasement of Oldsmobile’s eponymous, glorious big-V8 coupe.
The Torana also came as a hatchback coupe. Its uncanny resemblance to the Vega reinforces my long-held grudge against the Vega: Why didn’t GM also offer it as a proper, upright four-door sedan like the Torana and the Opel Ascona?
These foreign-market GMs are so interesting to see — they seem like something from a parallel universe where things are just *slightly* off. The front end of this car is a dead ringer for the Chevrolet Monza notchback coupe. Makes sense, I guess, considering the corporate source! These cars look like they would have been a much better match for the competition for sale in the US around the same time (VW Rabbit, Honda Accord, etc.)
WOW — I’m drawn to that very strange LF wheel on the first image. It looks incredibly similar to my personal “Holy Grail” Oldsmobile Super Stock IV Polycast wheel: optional on ’71-’72 Delta 88s. these 5″x5″ wheels are nearly impossible to find in any condition.
I have finally scraped up five of these for my ’73 Delta convertible.
I’ve seen these wheels on a pristine ’71 Delta 88 convertible that an acquaintance owns. I can’t imagine many were ordered that way, but they’re pretty cool.
When I was doing “aluminum can duty” at my father’s old scrapyard in Alabama, this old farmer backed up to the door in a pretty clean mid-70′s C-10 with a load of cans. My eyes bugged out because his truck was wearing a set of these SSIV wheels, complete with center caps & trim rings.
I asked him if there was any way he would sell the wheels off his truck — I offered him some factory Chevy Rally Wheels to replace them but he wasn’t really interested in naming a price. He did say he’d trade me the wheels for an old cast iron bathtub though — he needed another one in his field as a water trough for some of his livestock — of course there were none in the yard & I never saw him again *sob*.
Darn; I meant to point that out in the post; even cropped a close-up of it. Surprised me too!
Unfortunately on that Torana its only a hubcap
..a very nice hubcap though! It’s nice that these small vehicles were actually 5-lug unlike “our” versions. GM really had some sharp wheelcover designs on some of their sorriest vehicles. The early Chevettes & H-body cars offered similar plastic “mag type” wheelcovers that allowed the lug nuts to poke through. Real cool.
I’ve got a pretty big hubcap collection (surprised?) & grab these whenever I find them which is not often. A “favorite hubcap” article would be neat here…but I’d probably max out a server somewhere & put everyone to sleep in the process — too many favorites to list!
I just noticed that now after seeing the car on the main page all day, I finally did a double take and said, is that an Olds SSIV?
Funny how GM in the US was selling these very similar two bodystyles like these as Buick/Opel Isuzus at Buick dealerships instead of the awkward Chevette peddled at Chevy dealers during the same years.
We also got two versions of the Chevette one from Vauxhall and the Holden one from Japan survivors are rare
GM did a lot of mixing and matching with styling cues for their international models. For an American, Holdens are especially interesting with their hodgepodge of Chevrolet, Pontiac and other touches.
Big Opels from the sixties and seventies are fun, too, with the Diplomat A’s Chevelle styling from the side view and ’62-’63 Impala from the front. The Diplomat couple closely resembles a 7/8 scale contemporary Grand Prix, while the Diplomat B’s nose looks like it was taken straight off a ’65 Riviera.
Three versions of the Chevette – we got the Isuzu-badged version too.
Possibly the cheesiest car ad in the history of cheesy car ads. Contains hottie tho.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yx0I8uedL4
Are you ready for bed?
]:)
Hi,
Is this related to the UK Vauxhall Victor FE from 1972 to 1978, which was related to the contemporary Opel Rekord – larger than the Ascona who mention – and used Vauxhall 1.8 and 2.3 litre 4 cylinder engines?
That window line is pretty distinctive!
I believe the LH/LX/UC platform was an all new Australian design with some elements taken from earlier Toranas which were originally based on the Vauxhall Viva.
Obviously the styling is a miss mash of GM design cues in both the sedans and hatch. Overall the Toranas were a fairly average road car but due to an immensely strong chassis and V8 inclusion they were an excellent race car.
Interesting thing about these Toranas they lived on in India after GM stopped using this body The Vauxhall Victor UC Torana became the Hindustan Contessa vwith Isuzu diesel power
Four-door sedan only, no hatch, just like the Victor. Engines were petrol and diesel from Isuzu pickup trucks. A good enough car, but chronically underpowered, especially with aircon on the 48hp(!) diesel. The only thing loveable about the Contessa is its classic design— just like an American car, only smaller. This is to sixties muscle cars what the Morris Oxford is to a `47 Chevy. For that reason it has a cult following. There’s even a Contessa owner’s club forming now that the cars are getting rarer.
Yep in fact the last model Torana the UC 78-80 was the Vauxhall Victor with Holden 6 installed good car I had one it drove well
Similar looking, but the FE Victor and LH/LX/UC Torana were quite different in reality and shared very few, if any, parts. There’s an excellent older book (in our local town library) on Vauxhall’s history which goes into great detail. Despite the looks, the Victor was actually a bigger car – FE Victor wheelbase and length were 2667mm and 4547mm, vs LH/LX/UC Torana’s 2586mm and 4493mm. In fact, the Victor’s wheelbase is basically the same as its replacement, the Carlton, aka Opel/Holden Commodore. The FE Victor is closely related to the Opel Reckord D, but not the Torana. So although, as Bryce correctly noted, the Victor did become the Hindustan Contessa, the Torana most definitely did not as it was a different car to the Victor.
Richard is correct in noting the LH/LX/UC was a unique Australian design. My late Uncle was a Holden salesman in the late 70s/early 80s, and I distinctly remember him bringing a UC Torana/Sunbird over to show us when it was first released in ’78. I wasn’t quite 5, but my memory’s clear because it was the first brand new car I can remember. My grandparents had primed me ready for the excitement, and I can still remember sititng at the dining room window and seeing it driving down the straight towards the house. I don’t remember if we went for a ride in it or not, but an acquaintance had the 6-cylinder LX in the late 80s and I rode in that several times. It was indeed an average and slow but solid car…until he slotted in a Chev 350, then it was a average and very fast solid car!
Sorry to correct you Paul but the LX Sunbirds still had the Opel 1.9 engine.
The Starfire (Backfire/Misfire) engine was first used in the UC Sunbird which was released in 1978
Wikipedia entries conflict each other…what else is new? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Torana I’ll take your word for it.
These Torana got a Holden powertrain but were essentially an Opel GMH spins a good yarn claiming all sorts of local design but its far from the truth. The basic Opel shell was given a different rear panel to the Vauxhall and Different grille and thats about it and for the UC it was pure Vauxhall even the rear suspension pickup points bonnet flutes etc
Sorry Bryce, I disagree, with respect. The Opel Rekord D and FE Victor were closely related to each other, and shared floorpan (which ultimately morphed into the Open Rekord E/Holden Commodore) and minor sundries, but they had different bodies, different suspension and different steering. But they weren’t closely related to the LH/LX/UC Toranas which was a different vehicle and a unique Australian design. That’s not to say they didn’t use the odd bit of the Victor, but Toranas certainly weren’t Victors.
The Starfire fours were awful- some Holden dealers would refuse to trade them! They were always known as the “Backfire” four around my way…
The Starfire was fitted to the Toyota Corona in Australia at the time too. I don’t recall why, but I’m not sure even the Corona deserved that…! Thankfully our Kiwi Coronas stuck with the Toyota motor.
My father owned a Torana at one point, thankfully with the six… I remember the gas filler cap is hidden behind the rear number plate, and when in reverse it illuminated the amber turn signal lights, since it doesn’t have a separate back up light.
Yes! I’d forgotten about the blinkers being used as reversing light until you mentioned it. Was the same for HQ+ Kingswoods too I think? Was so common when I was a kid in the 80s and Kingswoods and Toranas were still very common.