Nick,
This is a very odd car, archetypal Oz, but hear this.......
The original FX Holden was called the 48-215, and produced just three years after the War in 1948. It was a 132 CID (2.15 litre) straight six of sixty horsepower (45 Kw), derived and scaled down from the original and famous 1928 Maple Leaf Louis Chevrolet Six, a superb motor which survived in various engine configurations until the mid-eighties. This engine had very high torque, inexpensive construction, and a four main bearing crank. An almost identical engine with seven main bearings and 2.25 litres was still being produced by Holden for the Torana in the early seventies! Only emission controls and the thirst for more power killed this seminal motor in the end......
The Holden was fitted with a three speed manual transmission, drum brakes front and rear, coil spring front and leaf spring rear suspension, and weighed just 19 cwt (970 Kg). It could turn in about 1.5 times its own length, and had a lot of interior room - though poor visibility. It was an instant hit with city folk and taxi drivers, and very economical to run. Service life on the engine was exceptional for its era; oils were inferior in those times, and most engines were worn out by 80,000 miles but the Holden six would easily do 100,000 miles. The engine used siamesed ports on the intake and exhaust to greatly simplify manifolding, an oil bath air cleaner (cheap to maintain!) and an unusual gear drive on the camshaft, eliminating one of the big problems on engines of the day - stretched cam chains. The gearbox was weak, and the front suspension gave problems, but it was a very nimble car and much loved for decades, finally stopping production, I believe, around 1958.
But the most significant effect of this car was social. With its lazy six cylinder engine and six person capacity, it was very reliable, and very practical for Australia's huge distances. Think on this a while; Melbourne Sydney - 550 miles. Melbourne Adelaide - 460 miles. Sydney Brisbane - 600 miles. Perth Adelaide - 1400 miles. If you know Australia, you will know there is a lot of desert between these cities, so any car had better be reliable! The FJ had good traction, and would go practically anywhere. You could fix it with wire and string, and it used very little petrol because it was light. But most of all, it was cheap, around 1000 pounds, roughly an average salary for a year. This brought cheap motoring ( the fuel tank was only 43 litres!!) to Joe Average, and the effect on the crushing isolation of this huge land cannot be overestimated, because it enabled the population of Australia to move around, something previously denied the urban and rural poor.
I had a friend at school who owned an original FJ, a gift from his Dad. It would do 85 miles an hour - I know, Peter told me about it! And just up the road from me, about 100 metres, is an FJ in perfect condition owned by an enthusiast now in his early forties.
So for Holden to resurrect its roots, and name its FJ concept car the EFIJY, is poignant in the history of this country. And note that just like the original, all the power technology is essentially American. This is a common thread across Australia's motoring history and reflects our links with US carmakers and the common features of Australia and the US - great distance, and the allure of private travel.
Cheers,
Hugh
