When I first glimpsed this shot, posted at the Cohort by dingleydave, I thought it was a ’55 or ’56 Chevy parked in front of a period-correct house. But no, that’s not correct. Must be its little brother from down under, named Holden and known as EK. If this shot had been taken in the U.S., the date in the title wouldn’t be 1961, but the Holden wouldn’t get a new body until the EK’s successor, the EJ, arrived in 1962.
from this distance and angle that tail-light sure does remind me of a 1957 Pontiac.
Could be an FB whicfh was the 60 model and only differed in side mouldings from the EK, gutless old bombs these 138 cube 6 3 speed tree shift single action drums all round. The EK had Holdens first automatic the old 4speed hydramatic a standing start uphill is a toturous event for the car. Good find a friend of mine in Tas has a 96k original wagon that is immaculate.
I think the full-length chrome strip is an indication of an EK.
My great-grandmother drove a two-tone aqua/white EK for 30+ years, until she was 90, including maneuvering down a laneway with a tight turn into the garage at the rear of her property. No power steering of course, and my grandmother said it was like a truck to drive when it was new so I don’t know how she handled it in the latter years. She didn’t drive it very often then of course, not much more than once a week to bowls.
Even without seeing the RHD parking on that side of the road on an obviously busy street gives its location a big clue.
there’s a school on the street (hence why I was there) but it’s a normal size street.
My family had one of those when I was a toddler. I still remember its weird, yellow band in the speedometer that acts as the speedo’s pointer, and the little green lighted jewels that act as the turn signal indicator. Too bad it’s sold long before I was able to drive…
This looks a little like the results of an orgy between the 57 and one of the other shoebox chevys. It isn’t quite right to be any of them. I sure didn’t know much about Holdens till I started reading this site. Now I think it would be great to have one. If this is about 2/3-3/4 the size of my 57 which seems to be the scale for most of them, I think it would be a great car to own.
The car and the house go so perfect with each other…the California Dream at 3/4 size.
Wasn’t this Holden the Aussie version of a British car? A Vauxhall, maybe?
Looks a lot like a Vauxhall PA Cresta especially the rear glass and fins.Let’s see some more Aussie iron!
The car is narrower and taller than a PA Cresta. The Holden was its own thing, originally designed in the US but later in Australia (with help of course)
Is there room under the “bonnet” for a Small Block?
Small and big block Crestas were a common sight at British drag strips in the 70s and 80s.There’s a good chance some Aussie mechanic has made a home brewed hot rod as left hookers were banned for a long time
Plenty of old Holdens with V8 motors in them often just a 253 depending on the regs of the state you live in but yeah chevies will drop in should you so desire but then you need structural modifications
How about the greenhouse and rear half of a ’57 Pontiac mated to the front end and doors of a Checker Marathon? 🙂
Is it me, or do all Australian cars look like they’re put together by boy scouts out of boxes of left-over parts from any and all makes that wash up on shore from various shipwrecks? – Just kidding – sort of.
I do think this is one of the nicest ones, though!
I like the 1957 Pontiac tail lights…
I love that house!
It does look like a suburban American bungalow. The one-car garage, though, I think went out of style here not long after WW2. In fact it’s an interesting study comparing early- with middle-20th-century houses; the older ones have a one-vehicle carriage-house or garage in back with a one-lane driveway going by the side, if there isn’t an alley access instead. The postwar Pasadena home I was born in had a two-car garage in back with a one-lane driveway by the side. Now a two-car garage & driveway dominates the front of most modern American homes. Yet many people only put their stuff in the garage & park their cars outside!