Holden VN Commodore
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The Holden Commodore (VN) is a
full-size car Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars. It is the largest size class for cars. In the United Kingdom, this class is referred to as ...
that was produced by
Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
from 1988 to 1991. It was the first iteration of the second generation of this Australian made model, which was previously a
mid-size car Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in ...
, as well as the first Commodore available as a
coupé utility A coupé utility is a vehicle with a passenger compartment at the front and an integrated tray#cargo tray, cargo tray at the rear, with the front of the cargo bed doubling as the rear of the passenger compartment. The term originated in the 19 ...
. The new range included the luxury variants, Holden Berlina (VN) and Holden Calais (VN) and, from 1990, introduced the commercial Holden Utility (VG).


Overview

The VN series was released on 17 August 1988 and it was a re-engineered hybrid of the European
Opel Omega The Opel Omega is an executive car engineered and manufactured by German automaker Opel between 1986 and 2003. The first generation, the Omega A (1986–1994), superseded the Opel Rekord. It was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, and was ...
and
Opel Senator The Opel Senator is a full-size executive car (E-segment) produced by the German automaker Opel, two generations of which were sold in Europe from 1978 until 1993. A sedan (automobile), saloon, its first incarnation was also available with a fast ...
- and their corresponding
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sister models the Carlton II and Senator II. This donor body was paired to a
Buick V6 engine The Buick V6 is an Overhead valve engine, OHV V6 engine developed by the Buick division of General Motors Corporation, General Motors and first introduced in 1962. The engine was originally and was marketed as the ''Fireball'' engine. GM continue ...
or the
Holden V8 engine The Holden V8 engine, also known colloquially as the Iron Lion, is an overhead valve (OHV) V8 engine that was produced by the Australian General Motors subsidiary, Holden (GMH), between 1969 and 2000. The engine was initially fitted to the H ...
. The project cost some . As well as being highly based on the Opel Senator, the VN also was similarly based on the
Opel Omega The Opel Omega is an executive car engineered and manufactured by German automaker Opel between 1986 and 2003. The first generation, the Omega A (1986–1994), superseded the Opel Rekord. It was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, and was ...
, but this time, the previous VL Commodore floor pan was widened and stretched. The Commodore could now match the rival
Ford Falcon The Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate by Ford Motor Company, Ford that applied to several vehicles worldwide. * Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970. * Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford ...
for size. The VN Commodore was available in Executive, S, SS, Berlina and Calais specification levels, although a more basic SL model (opt. code A9K) was supposedly offered to government and fleet buyers, as it was not officially listed as part of the Commodore range. The VN Commodore was also awarded ''
Wheels Car of the Year ''Wheels'' Car of the Year (commonly abbreviated to COTY) is an annual automotive ''Car of the Year'' award presented by ''Wheels'' magazine. The publisher claims that it is the world's oldest continuous motoring award of its kind. The award is gi ...
'' for a second time in 1988. For the first time since
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
, Holden again offered a commercial
coupe utility A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...
with the first-Commodore based VG Utility sold from August 1990. The Holden Statesman and Caprice (VQ) models, which were introduced in March 1990, were also VN Commodore based, but shared a longer wheelbase with the VN Commodore wagon and VG Utility. Changes in the relative values of the Australian dollar, the Japanese yen, alongside the US dollar made it impractical to continue with the well-regarded Nissan engine of the VL. Instead, Holden adopted and domestically manufactured their own variant of the Buick LN3 V6 which was adopted from US market GM vehicles, although initially it was imported. The 5.0-litre V8 remained optional and received a power boost to . Both these engines used multi point GM EFI and the V6 using 3 coil-packs for ignition. Although not known for its smoothness or quietness, the V6 was nevertheless praised for its performance at the time. A fuel-injected, 2.0-litre four-cylinder VN Commodore model was offered for some export markets including New Zealand and Singapore, which were sold as the Holden Berlina sharing an engine with the Opel Vectra A. Accompanying the changes to engines, the four-speed Jatco automatic transmission was replaced by the GM TH700 (also with four speeds) and the
Borg-Warner T-5 The BorgWarner T-5 is a 5-speed manual transmission for longitudinal engine automobiles. It includes one Overdrive (mechanics), overdrive gear, a lightweight aluminum housing, and adaptability for four wheel drive use. It is currently manufactur ...
five-speed manual gearbox. A centre high-mount stoplight (CHMSL) was introduced prior to 1 July 1989 due to regulations in Australia requiring them to be fitted to all passenger cars manufactured from this date. In September 1989 the Series II of the VN Commodore was released with the EV6 engine. Some of the changes included a new cast exhaust manifold, new camshaft sprocket profile and timing chain, improved air and fuel distribution to combustion chamber, recalibrated ignition and injector firing within the engine management computer, wider conrod bearings and revised throttle uptake. The automatic transmission was also recalibrated to match the new engines torque characteristics. These revisions helped reduce initial torque levels whilst also improving the noise and vibration levels of the V6 engine. Under the Hawke government's Button car plan, which saw a reduction in the number of models manufactured locally, and the introduction of model sharing, the VN Commodore was
rebadged In the automotive industry, rebadging (also known as badge engineering, an intentionally ironic misnomer in that little or no actual engineering takes place) is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. T ...
as the Toyota Lexcen, launched in September 1989, named after the late
America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...
yacht designer,
Ben Lexcen Benjamin Lexcen Order of Australia, AM (born Robert Clyde Miller, 19 March 1936 – 1 May 1988) was an Australian yachtsman and marine architect. He is famous for the winged keel design applied to ''Australia II'' which, in 1983, became the fir ...
and replaced the previous similar-sized Toyota Crown S120 offered in Australia. Subsequently, the
Toyota Corolla The is a series of compact cars (formerly Subcompact car, subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has bee ...
and
Camry The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Cam ...
were, similarly, badged as the Holden Nova and Holden Apollo. A total of 215,180 VN Commodores were manufactured during the model's 3-year lifespan, before production ended in September 1991. A clone of the Commodore called the Beijing BJ6490 was produced in China under the brand Beijing Travel Vehicle Works for 1997 only, built on a BAW BJ212 chassis on a with authentic body parts shipped in from the Holden Elizabeth plant. The car was powered by a 2.2 liter 4 cylinder engine and a hybrid version, the BJ6490D was shown at an Auto Show in 1998 and was priced at 140,000 yuan (US$20,180). The engine was supplied from the Sichuan Electric Motor Factory.


New Zealand

The VN series was assembled in New Zealand between 1988 and 1990. For the first few months of production it was actually assembled alongside its predecessor, the VL. This was due to the VL Commodore being slightly smaller, and offering a 2.0 L inline-six Nissan RB20E (for New Zealand only) or 3.0 L RB30E straight-six engine, also by Nissan. A unique situation of the New Zealand VN Commodore was its trim levels. Where in Australia, Berlina was of higher spec than Executive; in New Zealand the roles were actually reversed. Commodore Executive was the Australian Berlina spec, while Berlina – had a similar spec to the Australian Executive models – and utilised a 2.0-litre '' Family II 20SE'' four-cylinder engine. The Berlina four-cylinder model was a unique car for New Zealand (as well as a few other export markets) and was unavailable to Australia. The four-cylinder Berlina was developed in Australia primarily for the New Zealand market, it was equipped with an unemissionised fuel-injected 2.0 L motor (tuned to run on 96 octane fuel), essentially that of the Opel Vectra A mounted north–south, driving the rear wheels. The Berlina was available in both sedan and wagon body styles. The Calais models were also offered to New Zealand, primarily in V6 form. In fact, due to a cancelled Singapore order, twenty fully equipped VN Calais models were sold in New Zealand – utilizing the Berlina's four-cylinder motor. Additionally, it is believed that there are a few VN Calais wagons in existence in New Zealand. An indigenous sports model, the Commodore GTS, was also offered to the New Zealand market during 1990. Based on the New Zealand Executive models, the GTS featured a 3.8 L V6 engine, manual or automatic transmission, bodykit (similar to that of the VN Commodore SS), alloys and FE2 suspension. It was a limited build, available in either White or Dark Blue. The VN was the last Commodore to be assembled in New Zealand, after General Motors New Zealand closed its plant in Trentham in late 1990. The last locally assembled model was a 3.8-litre Commodore V6, which came off the assembly lines on 21 November of that year. Thereafter, Holden cars sold in New Zealand came fully built up from Australia, from where they could be imported duty-free under the
Closer Economic Relations The Australia–New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement, commonly known as Closer Economic Relations (CER), is a free trade agreement between Australia and New Zealand. It came into force on 1 January 1983, but the actual treaty w ...
agreement.


Models


Commodore Executive

The Commodore Executive was the base model of the VN Commodore range and was priced from A$20,014 when new. Its standard features included: * 3.8-litre V6 engine * 5-speed manual transmission *
Power steering Power steering is a system for reducing a driver's effort to turn a steering wheel of a motor vehicle, by using a power source to assist steering. Hydraulic or electric actuators add controlled energy to the steering mechanism, so the driver can ...
* Power assisted disc brakes on all four wheels * 14 inch steel wheels Optionals included: * 5.0 L V8 engine * 4-speed automatic transmission or * 5-speed manual transmission *
Air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...
*
Cruise control Cruise control (also known as speed control, cruise command, autocruise, or tempomat) is a system that automatically controls the speed of an automobile. The system is a servomechanism that takes over the car's throttle to maintain a steady sp ...
* Holden Formula Bodykit * 15 inch alloy wheels


Commodore S

The VN Commodore S was the entry sports variant of the VN Commodore range and was priced from A$21,665 when new. Its features (in addition to or replacing those of the Executive) included: * Basic bodykit * Sports trim interior * Sports badging & exterior striping * FE2 Suspension Optionals included: * Air conditioning * Cruise control * Holden Formula Bodykit * Optional Power Pack which incorporated: ** Front and rear
power window Power windows or electric windows are automobile windows which can be raised and lowered by pressing a button or switch, as opposed to using a crank handle. History A small number of cars in the 1920s, such as the 1925 Flint Model E-55, f ...
s ** Power antenna ** Power mirrors * 15 inch alloy wheels (usually colour-coded) * Metallic Paint


Commodore SS

The VN Commodore SS was released in March 1989 and was the top of the range sports model of the VN Commodore range and was priced from A$25,375 when new. Its features (in addition to or replacing those of the S model) included: * 5.0-litre V8 engine * Limited Slip Differential * TH700 Automatic or T5 manual transmission * Driving lights * FE2 sports suspension * Body kit including front & rear bumper lip, side skirts, boot lip spoiler * SS decals and striping * SS interior fabrics incorporating a grey/red checker design * Unique SS alloy wheels Optionals included: * Air conditioning * Holden Formula Bodykit * Power Pack which incorporated: ** Front and rear power windows ** Power antenna ** Power mirrors ** Cruise control (Automatic only) Colours available: * ''Atlas Grey'' * ''Phoenix Red'' * ''Alpine White'' (available later in the VN lifespan).


Berlina

The Berlina was the entry luxury version of the VN Commodore range and was priced from A$24,781 when new. Its features (in addition to or replacing those of the Executive) included: * 4-speed automatic transmission * Air conditioning Optionals included: * 5.0-litre V8 engine * 5-speed manual transmission * Cruise control * Holden Formula Bodykit * Power Pack which incorporated: ** Front and rear power windows ** Power antenna ** Power mirrors * 15 inch alloy wheels


Calais

The Calais was the top of the range luxury version of the VN Commodore range and was priced from A$31,265 when new. Its features (in addition to or replacing those of the Berlina) included: * Cruise control * Power Pack which incorporated: ** Front and rear power windows ** Power antenna ** Power mirrors * 15 inch alloy wheels * Computer assisted trip/
odometer An odometer or odograph is an instrument used for measuring the distance traveled by a vehicle, such as a bicycle or car. The device may be electronic, mechanical, or a combination of the two (electromechanical). The noun derives from ancient Gr ...
* Climate control (introduced in 1990) * Remote central locking * Alarm Optionals included: * 5.0-litre V8 engine, incorporating LSD * 5-speed manual transmission * Country pack suspension * Holden Formula Body kit * Leather
upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English wor ...
*
Limited slip differential A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential gear train that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the ...
(LSD) * Sports suspension File:Holden Calais, with Formula body kit (1988-1990 VN series) 01.jpg, Holden Calais, with Formula body kit File:Holden Calais, with Formula body kit (1988-1990 VN series) 02.jpg, Holden Calais, with Formula body kit


Limited edition and other specification levels


Commodore Vacationer

The 1990 Commodore Vacationer was a limited edition whose features complemented those of the donor Executive model and included: * Special "Vacationer" badging * Body coloured front and rear bumper and rocker panel (grey on Executive) * Air conditioning * Electric mirrors * Tachometer * Unique 14-inch wheel covers * Two paint colours only—''Alpine White'' or ''Azure Blue'' * Commodore S seat trim (with red detail) minus driver's side lumbar support * Optional 4-speed automatic transmission.


Commodore LE

This limited edition of 100 sedans with the 3.8-litre V6 engine was exclusively made available to the Holden dealer group of New South Wales, for sale at the Sydney Motor Show in October 1989 at a price of $43,200. Its production ended in January 1990. Production totalled 100 units. Codenamed "8VK19 V6M", it was based on a Commodore S and was featured
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
-inspired decals on the front guards as well as HSV add-ons that included a SV3800 body kit and Momo steering wheel. It was available only painted in ''Alpine White''. It was part of the long-running Sydney-only Opera House models. An unrelated version, known only as LE, was released in April 1991 with a limited number of cars available nationwide. File:1991 Holden Commodore (VN) LE sedan (2016-01-04) 01.jpg , Holden Commodore LE sedan File:1991 Holden Commodore (VN) LE sedan (2016-01-04) 02.jpg , Holden Commodore LE sedan


Commodore LS

This limited edition was released in July 1991 and totalled 300 sedans for Australia (sold for $28,990) plus 130 sedans and 20 wagons for export to New Zealand, powered by the base 3.8-litre V6 engine. It was the last released and cheapest VN Commodore, coinciding with the then imminent launch of the Ford Falcon (EB). Reportedly, at least one Australian sedan was fitted with a 5.0-Litre V8 engine and although no LS wagons were released in Australia, an enhancement pack was made available as an optional on any Commodore wagon. Its interior features a Calais steering wheel, HSV retrimmed seats with matching Statesman striped velour inserts in seats and diagonal pattern door trims as part of the optional "Power Pack" (fitted as standard on the Calais). Externally, the car was available painted either ''Atlas Grey'' or ''Imperial Blue'' over ''Asteroid Silver'' two tone paint scheme, SV3800 body kit, body coloured boot garnish, smoked tail light lenses, LS decals on rear of front wheel arches, HSV logo moulded into driver side rear spoiler and Commodore LS decals on passenger side rear spoiler. The wheels consisted of HSV Sports Equipment alloy rims with 7 pairs of silver spokes forming a star pattern with recessed center HSV badge and wheel nuts.


Commodore Challenger

This limited edition of 50 sedans was available between June 1990 and June 1991 exclusively for the Holden dealer group in Canberra. Codenamed "8VK19 A9W", it was based on a Commodore Executive but upgraded to the S pack. In addition to body-coloured wheel covers, bumper bars and bonnet garnish the car also featured the HSV 8 Plus grille, SV3800 red and silver pin stripes and Challenger decal pack on driver's side of the bootlid and trailing edges of rear doors below the body mouldings. It was only available in ''Alpine White'' and the interior featured a black Calais steering wheel, rear headrests and Challenger badge in dash pad.


Commodore GTS

The GTS of early 1990 was a limited run of 510 units for the New Zealand market. Powered by the base 3.8-Litre V6 engine it was based on the Executive model but featured upgrades including a body kit, 5-spoke alloy wheels and FE2 sports suspension (with upgraded springs and stabiliser bar for the front end and gas filled shocks absorbers at the back), larger front brake discs and master brake cylinder. The front suspension geometry was also modified to lower ride height by 35 mm for improved road handling. Inside, the car had power windows, central locking, electric antenna and four speaker radio cassette sound system. Suggested retail was $35,995 GTS and $37,295 GTS for the manual and automatic versions, respectively. It was available painted ''Vivid White'' or ''GTS Blue'' metallic (in Australia, ''Alpine White'' or ''Imperial Blue'').


Commodore DMG 90

This limited edition of 50 units was exclusively made available to the Holden dealer group of Queensland, for sale at the Brisbane Motor Show in April 1990. DMG stands for "Dealer Marketing Group" who commissioned the model, but they were built by HSV and then sold through Holden (not HSV) dealerships. They are a standalone HSV model, recognised as such, and wear HSV ID. However, they basically a parts-bin special. DMG 90 was akin to a V6 Clubsport but was based on the Commodore S pack and featured: ''Alpine White'' paint; SV 3800 bodykit; VL Calais 15-inch alloys; Commodore SS brakes; FE2 suspension with strengthened Panhard rod and wider front track; strengthened boot; front and rear power windows and power mirrors; air conditioning; power steering with Momo wheel; 3.8-litre V6 engine with extractors and big bore exhaust system.


Commodore BT1 (police pack)

The Commodore BT1 was a special pack for the VN Commodore that was available to the Australian and New Zealand police forces. They were based on the Executive and were fitted with either the 3.8 V6 or 5.0-litre V8. The features of this model superseded and added to those of the donor Executive model. Although the pack varied by police force, they were commonly fitted with: * 3.8-litre V6 or 5.0-litre V8 engines * Engine tuning stage 5 * Extractors * Larger capacity V8 fuel tank * 15x6 steel wheels with centre caps * 4-speed automatic transmission * FE2 sports suspension * Oil sump protector * Unique instrument cluster with 200 km/h speedometer * Unique interior lighting * SS exhaust pack * Transmission cooler * Automatic gear selector allows selection of "2" without use of shift lock button * larger 22mm wheel nuts (larger tyre iron supplied with vehicle).


HSV range

The enhanced performance VN range sold by Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) comprised the following models (including VQ and VG): * SV3800 – 1988 onwards * SV89 – 200 built March 1989 – July 1989 * SV90 Statesman – 135 built July 1990 – September 1991 * SV91 – 1 built April 1991 * SV100 – unknown * SV6 – 64 built April 1989 – May 1991 * SV LE – 110 sedans August 1989 – September 1989; 80 wagons August 1989 – January 1990 * SV5000 – 359 built September 1989 – August 1991 * LE – 100 built October 1989 – January 1990 * Plus 8 – 80 built March 1990 – April 1990 * DMG 90 – 50 built April 1990 * T30 – 30 built June 1990; 10 built May 1991 – July 1991 * Challenger – 50 built June 1990 * Club Sport – 410 built June 1990 – August 1991 * Holden Commodore SS Group A SV – 302 Built November 1990 – March 1991 * + Six – 1991 100 built March 1991 – August 1991 * Statesman 5000i – 8 Built May 1991 * LS – 450 built July 1991 – September 1991 * LS Utility – (VG and VP) 54 built September 1991 – June 1993 * Maloo – 132 built October 1990 – April 1993


Commodore SS Group A SV

The SS Group A SV was a race homologation special based on the VN Commodore SS, which was built at
Elizabeth, South Australia Elizabeth is an outer northern suburb of the Adelaide metropolitan area, South Australia, 24 km north of the Adelaide city centre. It is located in the City of Playford. At the 2021 census, Elizabeth had a population of 40,343. Establi ...
(Holden) but extensively modified at
Clayton, Victoria Clayton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District,Holden Special Vehicles Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) was the officially designated performance vehicle division for Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the privately owned company modified Holden models such as the standard wheelbase Holden Comm ...
(HSV). It was powered by a 4.9 L '' HEC 5000i''
V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight- cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, a ...
, which was mated to a six-speed ZF S6-40 manual. The SS Group A SV existed primarily as a homologation special, created specifically so a racing optimised version of the Commodore could be utilised for
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived touring cars for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles wer ...
touring car motor racing. In fact, the regulations set down by the international governing body
FISA The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA, , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the surveillance and collection of foreign intelligence on domestic soil.
at the time required a minimum of 500 road-going versions. HSV produced only 302 units in total. This shortened production run did not affect the SS Group A SV's homologation thanks to the
Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Motorsport Australia, formerly the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), is the nationally recognised governing and sanctioning body for four-wheeled motorsport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and relate ...
(CAMS) giving Holden special dispensation, in the hope of bolstering thinning grids in the 1991 Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC).


Clubsport

The VN Series HSV Clubsport was released in June 1990 and was based on the VN Commodore. It was offered as a four-door sedan with a 5.0-litre Holden V8 engine.


Maloo

:''refer VG Maloo''


Special editions

In addition to the above mainstream models, HSV also built the following special editions and prototype, respectively: ;SV LE Limited edition V8 model from August 1989. 110 sedans were built until September 1989, and 80 wagons until January 1990. ;Convertible prototype Built in 1989 as a feasibility study—and bearing the eventual front styling of the VP series—this car never made it into production and is now displayed at the National Holden Motor Museum in Echuca, Victoria.


Motorsport


Group A

Group A regulations governed many touring car series between the 1980s and 1990s including in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
,
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and the
European Touring Car Championship The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004. In 2005 it was superseded by the World ...
as well as the one-off 1987 World Touring Car Championship as well as significant races like the
Bathurst 1000 The Bathurst 1000 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a Touring car racing, touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supe ...
,
Spa 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by CrowdStrike. History The Spa 24 Hours was conceived by Jules de Their and ...
and the
RAC Tourist Trophy The RAC Tourist Trophy (sometimes called the International Tourist Trophy) is a motor racing award presented by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) to the overall victor of a motor race in the United Kingdom. Established in 1905, it is the world's o ...
. The arrival of the Commodore SS Group A SV, coincided with the return of former Holden racing driver,
Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock (26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006), known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, al ...
, for the first time since their acrimonious split in 1987. Brock teamed with former three time Bathurst co-winner and HDT driver,
Larry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins (born 18 March 1950) is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia. Biography Early years Growing up on a farm in Cowangie in the Mallee region of Victoria, Larry, the son of racing driver Edd ...
and his team for the first time since 1985 to run two cars under Brock's
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sponsorship. The team formed a two-pronged attack by Holden, which also comprised
Holden Racing Team Walkinshaw Andretti United is an Australian motor racing team based in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton. The team, initially branded as the Holden Racing Team, used to field Holden Commodores in the Supercars Championship before making the swit ...
led by British driver Win Percy. Engine outputs of this race car produced approximately , enabling it to reach with suitable gearing. It was also equipped with a specially homologated Holinger six-speed transmission, and their homologated racing weight was , down from the VL SV's . The SS Group A SV — as was the rest of the field that included
Ford Sierra RS500 The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth is a high-performance version of the Ford Sierra that was built by Ford Europe from 1986 to 1992. It was the result of a Ford Motorsport project with the purpose of producing an outright winner for Group A racing in ...
and the BMW M3 Evolution teams — was outclassed in the 1991 ATCC by the Gibson Motor Sport built Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R' of reigning champion Jim Richards and his teammate,
Mark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife (born 3 April 1967) is an Australian former racing driver. Skaife is a five-time champion of the Supercars Championship, V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor, the Australian Touring Car Championship, a ...
. Major complaints by Holden drivers included that the VN SS Group A SV lacked
downforce Downforce is a downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more gri ...
compared to the VL series SV. Reportedly, this was a consequence of Holden demanding that the car be more eye pleasing to its predecessor, which was given various nicknames including the " plastic pig". While the car had a better
aerodynamic drag In fluid dynamics, drag, sometimes referred to as fluid resistance, is a force acting opposite to the direction of motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid. This can exist between two fluid layers, two solid surfaces, or b ...
and was significantly faster in a straight line than the VL (at Bathurst that year, Brock recorded in the Tooheys Top 10 runoff, and aided by a tow from the Sierra of Dick Johnson was recorded at in the race compared to around for the VL the year before), it was slower through the corners due to the lack of downforce. This meant that while lap times at most of the shorter ATCC tracks stayed almost the same as with the VL, the VN's were actually slower at Bathurst by around two seconds, though in fairness the VL series had 3 years development compared to less than 1 year for the VN. Brock gave the VN its only win in Group A racing when he won the opening heat of the first round of the 1992 Australian Touring Car Championship at Amaroo Park in Sydney, though both he and HRT were again uncompetitive during the season to the point that the leading Holden runner became Larry Perkins running a privately entered VL model. In September 1992 the VN was replaced as Holden's front line touring car for
Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, England. The neighbouring resort of Shanklin and the settlement of Lake, Isle of Wight, Lake are sited just to the south of t ...
and Bathurst by its VP series successor. Brock's
team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to in ...
was the only top team to run the VN Group A in the endurance races as the team's second car driven by
Andrew Miedecke Miedecke Motorsport is an Australian motor racing team from Port Macquarie that is competing in GT4 Australia. It has previously competed in touring car racing between 1987 and 1989, and an earlier form of the team also competed in open wheel r ...
and Troy Dunston. The VN continued to be used by various privateers in
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
and
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
and last raced in the 1994 Australian Touring Car Championship by long time Holden running Sydney-based privateer, Terry Finnigan.


AUSCAR

The VN model was introduced to
Bob Jane Robert Frederick Jane (18 December 1929 – 28 September 2018) was an Australian race car driver and prominent entrepreneur and business tycoon. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a ...
's AUSCAR category in the 1990/91 season. AUSCAR was based on America's
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...
, with the major differences being that the cars were based on the Holden Commodore and
Ford Falcon The Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate by Ford Motor Company, Ford that applied to several vehicles worldwide. * Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970. * Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford ...
road cars and were not pure
space frame In architecture and structural engineering, a space frame or space structure (Three-dimensional space, 3D truss) is a rigid, lightweight, truss-like structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometry, geometric pattern. Space frames can ...
chassis like NASCAR. AUSCAR's also ran smaller V8 engines (5.0 L compared to 6.0 L) which developed less power, and as the cars are right hand drive, raced
clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions or senses of rotation. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands relative to the observer: from the top to the right, then down and then to ...
on the ovals tracks (the Jane owned
Calder Park Thunderdome Calder Park Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The complex includes a dragstrip, a road circuit with several possible configurations, and the "Thunderdome", a high-speed banked oval equipped to race either cl ...
and the ½ mile Speedway Super Bowl at the
Adelaide International Raceway The Adelaide International Raceway (also known as Adelaide International or AIR) is a permanent circuit owned by Australian Motorsport Club Limited under the auspices of the Bob Jane Corporation. The circuit is located north of Adelaide in So ...
) whereas the NASCAR's being left hand drive raced
anticlockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions or senses of rotation. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands relative to the observer: from the top to the right, then down and then to ...
. The theory being that the driver was positioned on the side of the car that was furthest from the outside wall. Also unlike NASCAR, AUSCAR's used a control tyre with tread that was more like a road tyre than a pure
racing slick A racing slick or slick tyre is a type of tyre that has a smooth tread used mostly in auto racing. The first production slick tyre was developed by M&H Tires in the early 1950s for use in drag racing. By eliminating any grooves cut into the tre ...
. The VN was instantly successful in AUSCAR racing and was soon a popular choice as a replacement for the older VK and VL models.
Albury Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the Murray River, Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury–Wodonga, Albury-Wodonga and is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of ...
based touring car driver Brad Jones won three straight Australian championships driving his CooperTools Racing VN Commodore in 1990/91, 1991/92 and 1992/93.


NASCAR

A VN model Commodore was also developed for
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
racing in Australia. Bob Jane, wanting local involvement from Holden ( Ford was already represented with the American Thunderbird model), pushed development of a left hand drive VN. Highly respected
Roadways Racing Roadways Racing was an Australian motor racing team that competed in Australian Touring Car racing in the 1980s. It also competed in the 1986 European Touring Car Championship. Roadways Racing Roadways Racing’s origins can be traced back to ...
chief mechanic Les Small developed the car which
Allan Grice Allan Maxwell Grice (born 21 October 1942), known to motor-racing fans as "Gricey", is an Australian former racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 (1986 and 1990), and as a privateer driver of ...
drove to a number of race wins in 1990 at both the Calder Thunderdome and Adelaide. The VN used a 358-cubic-inch (6.0 L)
Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
engine such as used in the
Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a two-door coupe that was manufactured and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Deriving its name from the Monte Carlo, city in Monaco, the Monte Carlo was marketed as the first personal luxury car ...
,
Chevrolet Lumina The Chevrolet Lumina is a mid-size car that was produced and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from 1989 until 2001. Background The first generation of the Lumina replaced the Chevrolet Celebrity and Chevrolet Monte Carlo ...
and
Pontiac Grand Prix The Grand Prix is a line of automobiles produced by the Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac Division of General Motors from 1962 until 2002 as coupes and from 1989 through 2008 model years as four-door sedans. First introduced as a full-size car, full ...
NASCAR's. Bob Jane had hoped to take the VN NASCAR for Grice to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
to race in the
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
's
Winston Cup The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
series, but a fallout between himself as the sanctioning body in Australia, and NASCAR in the USA saw the VN remain in Australia. However, Bob Jane's dream of bringing a Commodore to race in NASCAR in the United States would come into fruition in 2013 with NASCAR's premiership, as General Motors made the decision to use a VF Commodore for the series in the United States, as the VF is sold in the United States as a niche market performance sedan known to Americans as the Chevrolet SS.


Notes and references


External links


Holden Model History – Holden Commodore / Calais – VN Series 17 August 1988 – October 1991


* ttp://www.users.on.net/~%20nweber/commodore/vn/index.html The Unofficial Holden Commodore Archive – VN Commodore / Calais
The Unofficial Holden Commodore Archive – VN Commodore / Calais Specifications


{{Holden timeline Cars of Australia Cars of China VN Full-size vehicles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Coupé utilities Sedans Station wagons Cars introduced in 1988 1990s cars Cars discontinued in 1991