watching this more than a decade after, brings back great memories

The beautiful Australia that we need back

I was 19, March 1981, I bought my 1st car, a 1967 HR Holden from Muir's Motors Ashfield, $1450..Freedom, good times, mates, girls..

Great story. I remember a lot of it well.

My first car in 1985. HQ Prem, 253 V8 Auto.  Ten bucks in your pocket, a pack of Ciggies NO mobile phone. That is FREEDOM. Things have changed and not for the better.

I have photographs where my father would buy cars in the 1940s/50s and cut the back down and make utes. This was in the Macleay River Valley in NSW. Dad wasn't a sportsman but his passion was cars. He couldn't get a job as a licensed mechanic because he didn't have sufficient education but he could repair any of the car sin that era. Mum used to go him for buying and selling cars but she couldn't stop him. There was an interesting incident in Kempsey in one of these utes. I was in the front with dad and my older sister was in the back of the ute and as we were going past the PO in Kempsey a bystander shouted out, " Hey mister you've lost something. Dad stopped and we found that my sister had fallen out of the ute and luckily she wasn't hurt.

Just a point to clarify about Holdens. ( and I'm not putting them down, I have owned many over the years but not since they started making the Commodore,despite my spending 10 years working at the Elizabeth plant from '87 to '97.) when the challenge was originally put out by Chifley, Lawrence Hartnett who was GM's Aussie manager at the time, approached GM's management in Detroit with his plan to build cars here in Australia. they declined repeatedly, wanting to build cars in the US and ship them here to sell rather than manufacture them here. However, Hartnett persisted and finally GM relented with one caveat. Lawrence Hartnett could  set up manufacturing  here in Australia, but GM refused to provide so much as   a single penny towards the costs. so he approached Chifley, and he, eager to get Australia back on its feet after the war, working together with the Commonwealth bank came up with the initial 3,000,000 pounds needed to get things up and running. once GM got wind of this, they then stepped back into  the picture, taking control of the project from then on.

Memories. I am 80 and I still remember all of this. Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!

One aspect of the advent of the motor car that didn't get much of a mention (if any) was the liberating effect it had on people's lives, and on women in particular. People were now able to go where they wanted, when they wanted, in a timely manner and in relative comfort and safety. In particular, women were not tied to the home, and could become independent, empowered and self-determining. Their participation in the workforce increased significantly, as did their particpation in other non-work activities.

The term 'love affair with cars' is currently used perjoratively, as if it were an unhleathy obsession. People these days forget how benefical it was (and still is) for the population in general and women in particular.

The beautiful FJ Holden was our 1st Aussie family car in 1960. My earliest memories is as a 4-5 year old standing on the floor in the back and just being able to touch the top of the front seat, which were all bench seats by the way.🦘🐨

My family had one of each - my eldest brother had a VJ Valiant, the next brother had an LJ Torana and I had an XY Falcon. Dad had a HQ. What a pity that Australia isn't capable of manufacturing such things anymore.

what a great story of old beth , and its great to seea time when  only aussies were  out enjoying life  in the aussie car

My first car was an FJ. That car led me on many an adventure.

Every man needs these kinds, were we drive cars and not like the ones now where they drive us (no fun)

So nice to hear the word "kilometre" spoken correctly for a change. Man I'd forgotten the Hey Charger ads on telly.

Bloody brilliant. Grandad was an investor, dad could fix everything, & if he couldn't get a car part, he just made it himself. No such thing as can't in my family.

As a young apprentice mechanic in 1973 I used to work on all those old cars  (1948 onwards models )  those were the days ,bad brakes ,unreliable engines ,  terrible cross-ply  tyres and re treads ......then the later cars ..Monaro's ,GT Falcons ,Chargers ,Cooper s ,   Fun Times .....

A different world. Australia that will never be again

I worked at Holden’s Woodville South Australia in 1970

Very nice story.
I am a vintage American and got a real kick seeing the Holden and other makers products for the first time.
I find them very interesting and somewhat  unsettling.
At first glance on many of them I see something both nostalgic and familiar .  Then I realize I have no idea what they are.
One looked to me like a  `55 Chevy with 56 Ford trim and paint. I am not certain I could tell unless I looked at the engine.
I`d like to see more of these!