Australia's Own - The History Of Holden (Paperback Edition)

Author: Shane Birney, Softbound, 1260 Pages, ASIN: B01DV8PNYA, ISBN: 9780730203069, This Edition, 1986 **Second-hand book in good condition**

The Holden car has been with us now for close to forty years. In that time it has progressed from a basic, utilitarian automobile designed to appeal to the average Australian's taste and the average Australian's wallet to a modern car available in a wide range of models from the basic to the luxurious.

At first associated with saddles and leathergoods in Adelaide, as the motor car dawned around the turn of the century the Holden name quickly began to appear on various bespoke car bodies built on to imported chassis. As Holden's grew established itself as the pre-eminent heavy industry in South Australia with a huge assembly plant at Woodville. The Holden family retained control of the business until the the Depression forced its sale to General Motors.

Without doubt the Holden car made it on to the roads of Australia in 1948 as a result of the vision and determination of two men: Laurence Hartnett, Managing Director General Motors - Holden's, and Joseph Benedict 'Ben' Chifley, Prime Minister Australia. Hartnett, a dynamic go-getter whose ideas were way ahead of the corporation which employed him, was positive that Australians wanted and would buy their own car ....

- from the Introduction