8-215 (FX) HOLDEN HISTORY
On 29 November 1948, 1200 men and women, including Prime Minister Ben Chifley, stood around a humble-looking ivory-coloured motor car. The car had appeared from behind silver curtains to strains of a ten-piece orchestra and the crowd greeted it with loud applause. It was the first Holden, a completely new six-cylinder sedan destined to become Australia's first successfully mass-produced car. James Robert Holden, the Resident Director of Holden in Adelaide, represented the Holden family at the launch.

The first Holden, designated the 48-215 (and later commonly known as the FX), was a four-door, six-seater. Although adapted from an American design, it was built almost entirely in Australia. It incorporated advanced features including a unitary construction body. Powered by a torquey 2.15-litre engine and weighing less than one tonne, it had exceptional performance for a low-cost family car. Buyers boasted of '80mph and 30mpg' and the dust sealing and rough road ride were exceptional. The 54kW 'grey engine' (named after the colour of its painted block) proved a remarkably durable unit. As word spread, the waiting list grew longer and longer. The following quote from the RACV's newspaper, 'The Radiator', was typical of press comment: 'As cars go today... it is not a big car but it rides like one, has equivalent passenger comfort and performs like one'. In 1951, the first Holden utility was launched. It was an immediate hit with urban businesses as well as the man on the land.

HOLDEN HIGHLIGHTS
1948 A modest total of 112 examples of the first Holden car, designated 48-215, rolls off Holden's Firshermans Bend production line by year's end. Thousands of orders are taken.

1949 The demand for Holden cars astounds everybody. the company advertises that the 'Holden is worth waiting for' and makes every effort to increase the production capacity as quickly as possible. Holden continues to import chassis and components to assemble British and US cars and trucks.

1950 Holden production is lifted to 80 units a day. The number of Holden employees now exceeds 10,000 and during the year more than $43 million is paid to outside suppliers for materials, components and services.

1951 All Holden plants expand and the company purchases 60 hectares of land at Dandenong, Victoria for future development. Holden production reaches 100 units a day. The total production (since 1948) passes 50,000. Holden produces its first coupe-utility. Based on the 48-215 sedan, the 'ute' has an offical model code of 50-2106.

1952 The demand for Holden cars continues to grow and plans are laid for further expansion of production facilities. Holden sales for the year reach 32,000. Source: The Holden Heritage (Holden Ltd)