73-402: The Holden Commodore (VN) is a full-size car that was produced by Holden 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 , as well as the first Commodore available as a coupé utility . The new range included the luxury variants, Holden Berlina (VN) and Holden Calais (VN) and, from 1990, introduced
146-526: A homologation special , created specifically so a racing optimised version of the Commodore could be utilised for Group A touring car motor racing. In fact, the regulations set down by the international governing body FISA 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
219-615: 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. 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
292-459: 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
365-737: 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
438-481: A lower cost. Into the 1970s, the same vehicles could transport up to six occupants comfortably (or eight in a station wagon), at the expense of high fuel consumption. The sales of full-size vehicles in the United States declined after the early 1970s fuel crisis. In response to the 1978 implementation of CAFE , American manufacturers implemented downsizing to improve fuel economy, with full-size vehicles as
511-645: A name for himself in local competition. Miller did his sailmaking apprenticeship with Norman Wright in Queensland. Miller's designs were highly innovative. His entry, "Taipan" in the 1960 18Footer World Championship started the modern era of the class and Miller won the World Championship in 1961 with the successor, "Venom". With friend Craig Whitworth, he founded a boatbuilding, sail-making and ship-chandlery firm (Miller and Whitworth) and designed boats part-time as well. One of his lasting early successes
584-641: A series of these designs starting with the innovative "Ginkgo". Miller competed in the Soling at the 1972 Munich Olympics representing Australia in sailing with Denis O'Neil and Ken Berkeley as fellow crew members. Miller was commissioned by Alan Bond to build Apollo , an ocean racer. This partnership continued when Bond first challenged for the America's Cup in 1974 with the Miller-designed 12-metre class yacht Southern Cross , named for
657-644: A star pattern with recessed center HSV badge and wheel nuts. 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
730-593: The Australia II team using documentary evidence. The 1983 America's Cup saw Lexcen's Australia II , with John Bertrand at the helm, take on the NYYC skipper Dennis Conner and the defender yacht, Liberty . The Australians were sure they had a fast boat. Australia II had dominated the challenger eliminations just as Liberty had dominated the closer defender trials, honing her tuning and performance. But mechanical failures on Australia II and skillful sailing by
803-478: The Chevrolet Corvair , Ford Falcon and Plymouth Valiant ), the "full-size car" designation came into wider use. In the 1960s, the term was applied to the traditional car lines of lower-price brands, including Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth. As a relative term, full-size cars were marketed by the same brands offering compact cars, with entry-level cars for buyers seeking the roominess of a luxury car at
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#1732794026658876-670: The Chrysler LH cars (Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision, Chrysler Concorde/New Yorker/LHS). The same year, the Buick Roadmaster was introduced, becoming the first rear-wheel drive GM model line adopted outside of Chevrolet and Cadillac since 1985; the Chevrolet Impala was returned for the 1994 model year. The 1989 Lexus LS400 luxury sedan was the first Japanese full-size car sold in North America. Following
949-578: The Closer Economic Relations agreement. 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: Optionals included: 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: Optionals included: The VN Commodore SS
1022-518: The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) giving Holden special dispensation, in the hope of bolstering thinning grids in the 1991 Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC). 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 180 kW (245 PS; 241 hp) 5.0-litre Holden V8 engine. In addition to
1095-583: The Dodge Monaco ). Developed by AMC before its acquisition by Chrysler, the Premier was a version of the front-wheel drive Renault 25 adapted for North America. The Saab 9000 took a special position at the end of the 1980s, as for a long time it was the only imported car to be classified as a "large car" by the EPA. From the 1980s to the 1990s, the market share of full-size cars began to decline; along with
1168-755: The H and C platforms . Only station wagons, the Chevrolet Caprice , and the Cadillac Brougham remained. Initially developed to replace the Ford LTD Crown Victoria, the 1986 Ford Taurus was produced alongside it as the Ford mid-size model line. After largely abandoning the full-size segment for compact cars and minivans, Chrysler gained reentry into the full-size segment in 1988 with the Eagle Premier (also produced as
1241-517: The eighth-generation Hyundai Sonata , is classified by the EPA as full-size despite being marketed as a mid-size model. In 2018, the three highest-selling cars in the full-size sedan category in the United States were the Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Impala, and Chrysler 300. The large car segment has been declining in the United States accounting for 3.6% of new vehicle sales in 2021, down from 6.6% in 2016. The models in this category included
1314-456: The 1920s to the 1950s, most manufacturers produced model lines in a single size, growing in size with each model redesign. While the length and wheelbase varied between model lines, width was a relatively constant dimension, as the American federal government required the addition of clearance lights on a width past 80 inches. In 1960, following the introduction of compact cars (such as
1387-558: The 1950s, and have become increasingly common since the downsizing of full-sized cars in the 1980s. The lineage of mass-produced full-size American cars begins with the 1908 Ford Model T . In 1923, General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Superior , becoming the first vehicle to adopt a common chassis (the A-body ) for several brands. Compared to the cars of the 21st century, these vehicles are small in length and width. From
1460-429: The 1974 Cup challenge, Miller changed his name to avoid confusion with his former company. Keen to prevent the possibility of there being any confusion surrounding his name and business interests in the future, he asked a friend who worked for Reader's Digest to find out the least-used surname within their membership. The result was Lexcen. "Ben" was the name of his dog. Bond challenged for the 1977 America's Cup using
1533-691: The 1980s and 1990s including in Australia , New Zealand , Great Britain , Japan , Italy , Germany and the European Touring Car Championship as well as the one-off 1987 World Touring Car Championship as well as significant races like the Bathurst 1000 , Spa 24 Hours and the RAC Tourist Trophy . Full-size car Full-size car —also known as large car —is a vehicle size class which originated in
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#17327940266581606-496: The 1996 model year, GM ended production of large rear-wheel drive sedans. By 2000, with the sole exception of the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car, full-size cars had abandoned rear-wheel drive and body-on-frame construction. Instead of model lineage, the EPA "large car" definition of over 120 interior cubic feet was widely used. Initially developed for the midsize Oldsmobile Aurora ,
1679-587: 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 -inspired decals on the front guards as well as HSV add-ons that included
1752-565: The Australians' cover. Australia II held on until both boats reached the starboard layline in amongst the spectator fleet and tacked several boat lengths ahead of Liberty and sailed to the finish to take the race. Australia II became the first challenger to wrest the Cup from the United States since its inception in 1870. Lexcen was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his contributions to
1825-718: The Beijing BJ6490 was produced in China under the brand Beijing Travel Vehicle Works for 1997 only. 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. The VN series was assembled in New Zealand between 1988 and 1990. For
1898-738: 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
1971-617: The Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Nissan Maxima, and Toyota Avalon. They have been discontinued after the 2023 or 2024 model years. The trend in the large car market segment in United States is toward the SUV. Ben Lexcen Benjamin Lexcen 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
2044-488: The Executive) included: Optionals included: 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: Optionals included: The 1990 Commodore Vacationer was a limited edition whose features complemented those of the donor Executive model and included: This limited edition of 100 sedans with
2117-818: The Five Hundred was renamed the Taurus. After the 2011 model year, Ford ended production of the Panther platform, shifting to the Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS; in 2017, the latter was replaced by the Lincoln Continental . In 2011, General Motors ended production of the G-body for several chassis (with Cadillac later shifting its largest sedans to rear-wheel drive). In 2012, the Tesla Model S became
2190-744: The GM G-body chassis was expanded into the full-size segment for Cadillac in 2000 (for the Deville, later the DTS) and adapted by Buick (the Lucerne) in 2006. For the 2005 model year, Chrysler replaced the LH cars with the LX cars (returning to rear-wheel drive). The same year, Ford introduced the Five Hundred, its first front-wheel drive full-size car (the first American full-size car offered with all-wheel drive); in 2008,
2263-761: 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 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
Holden Commodore (VN) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2336-469: The Lexcen and Johan Valentijn designed 12M Australia against media mogul Ted Turner and again with a Lexcen modified Australia in 1980 against Dennis Conner , losing both times. After the 1980 challenge Lexcen realised that to win against the defenders, with their 100+ years of America's Cup experience, they would need a superior boat. His next design featured a host of advanced design features, not
2409-521: 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
2482-639: The Opel Senator, the VN also was similarly based on the Opel Omega , but this time, the previous VL Commodore floor pan was widened and stretched. The Commodore could now match the rival Ford Falcon 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
2555-527: 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
2628-552: 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 the executive car , while in Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment . The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fuel Economy Regulations for 1977 and Later Model Year (dated July 1996) includes definitions for classes of automobiles. Based on
2701-686: The above mainstream models, HSV also built the following special editions and prototype, respectively: Limited edition V8 model from August 1989. 110 sedans were built until September 1989, and 80 wagons until January 1990. 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. Group A regulations governed many touring car series between
2774-590: 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
2847-465: The boat confirmed that Australia II complied with both the 12-metre class and the America's Cup rules. The questions on her design origin were not formally answered at the time, but the controversy re-emerged in 2009 (see Later claims of Dutch Design for details). Claims that Peter van Oossanen was the designer of the Australia II 's keel rather than Ben have been strongly rejected by John Bertrand and by John Longley, an important member of
2920-407: 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. 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
2993-409: The breeze was very light and Liberty was vulnerable. Liberty chose a starboard tack leg and declined to cover Australia II which allowed them to run deeper and faster assisted by breeze and windshifts allowing Australia II to overtake the Americans by the leeward mark. Liberty then engaged Australia II in a spectacular tacking duel with nearly 50 tacks and a number of faked "dummy" tacks trying to break
Holden Commodore (VN) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3066-507: The combined passenger and cargo volume, large cars (full-size cars) are defined as having an interior volume index of more than 120 cu ft (3.4 m ) for sedan models, or 160 cu ft (4.5 m ) for station wagons. From the introduction of the Ford Flathead V8 in the 1930s until the 1980s, most North American full-size cars were powered by V8 engines . However, V6 engines and straight-six engines have also been available on American full-size cars, especially until
3139-403: The commercial Holden Utility (VG) . The VN series was released on 17 August 1988 and it was a re-engineered hybrid of the European Opel Omega and Opel Senator - and their corresponding Vauxhall sister models the Carlton II and Senator II. This donor body was paired to a Buick V6 engine or the Holden V8 engine . The project cost some A$ 200 million . As well as being highly based on
3212-421: The defenders caused Australia II to fall behind, losing the first two races. Australia II stormed back to take three of the next four. Dennis Conner had creatively registered three different configurations (sail area, spar length and ballast) for Liberty and he successfully called for lay days to choose advantageous weather to suit his most competitive versions of the boat. This was the first time in history that
3285-426: The design was done before and during the testing of the keel in a Dutch tank testing facility. Australia II was a revolutionary design approach with her winged keel and hull design featuring the shortest waterline length ever measured on a 12-metre. To yachtsmen accustomed to seeing racing yachts out of the water, Australia II is striking. Its conventional long slim topsides flare down to a short waterline hinting at
3358-399: The dramatic, minimal, slippery underwater hull shape which was fast to turn as well as easily driven and quick to accelerate. Ben often remarked that Australia II is a whole boat, not just a keel. The New York Yacht Club , holders of the Cup, formally protested both that Australia II was not a legal 12 metre boat, and that the design itself was not of Australian origin. The ruling arrived at on
3431-429: The finals to Dennis Conner and his American challenger, Stars & Stripes 87 , 4 races to nil. Lexcen died suddenly in Manly, New South Wales on 1 May 1988, of a heart attack at 52 years of age. He is buried at Frenchs Forest Cemetery located in Davidson, New South Wales . In 1989, the Toyota Lexcen was released by Toyota Australia in Ben Lexcen's honour. The car was a rebadged Holden VN Commodore and
3504-438: 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
3577-513: The first fully electric full-size car sold in North America. For the 2013 model year, the Chevrolet Impala became the final American-market full-size sedan sold with a front bench seat . By the mid-2010s, full-size cars began seeing a steep decline in sales in North America, with SUVs replacing much of the full-size segment. At the end of the decade, demand for sedans (of all sizes) shifted towards vehicles of other layouts, reducing or shuttering production of sedans entirely. In 2018, Ford announced
3650-400: The first model lines to see major change. While General Motors and Ford would reduce the exterior footprint of their full-size lines to that of their intermediates, AMC withdrew its Ambassador and Matador full-size lines (to concentrate on production of mid-size vehicles). To save production costs, Chrysler repackaged its intermediates using the erstwhile full-size names, moving on to exiting
3723-595: The first non-American yacht to win the prestigious America's Cup in 132 years. Born in the small town of Boggabri, New South Wales on 19 March 1936. After his parents, labourer Edward William Miller and Ethel Doreen, née Green abandoned him as a child he stayed briefly at Boys' Town, Engadine, before going to his grandfather at Newcastle. He left school at age 14 to pursue a locomotive mechanic's apprenticeship but soon found his attention turning to sailboats. At 16, he designed his first sailboat The Comet with his friend William Bennett in Hamilton, NSW, and began to make
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#17327940266583796-443: The following models (including VQ and VG): The SS Group A SV was a race homologation special based on the VN Commodore SS, which was built at Elizabeth, South Australia (Holden) but extensively modified at Clayton, Victoria by Holden Special Vehicles (HSV). It was powered by a 215 kW (288 hp) 4.9 L HEC 5000i V8 engine , which was mated to a six-speed ZF S6-40 manual . The SS Group A SV existed primarily as
3869-431: The increased use of mid-size cars, vans, and SUVs grew in use as family vehicles. Between 1960 and 1994, the market share of full-size cars declined from 65 to only 8.3 percent. From 1990 until 1992, both GM and Ford redesigned its full-size car lines for the first time since the late 1970s. For the 1992 model year, Chrysler introduced a new front-wheel drive full-size car line, replacing the Eagle Premier/Dodge Monaco with
3942-414: The late America's Cup yacht designer, Ben Lexcen and replaced the previous similar-sized Toyota Crown S120 offered in Australia. Subsequently, the Toyota Corolla and Camry 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
4015-413: The least of which was a revolutionary winged keel, intended to lower the drag and to make the boat more stable and maneuverable in the water. The keel design reduced tip vortex, a turbulence resulting in conventional keels from the pressure differential between the windward (low pressure) and leeward (high pressure) sides. Australia II's design was to prove highly controversial, protested because some part of
4088-650: 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. The Commodore BT1
4161-415: 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 as the Toyota Lexcen, launched in September 1989, named after
4234-497: 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
4307-432: 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
4380-469: The sales of all Ford-branded passenger cars (except for the Mustang ) would end in North America by 2022. General Motors announced the closure of several manufacturing facilities in the United States and Canada, with the production of the Chevrolet Impala and Buick LaCrosse ending in 2020. As of 2022, full-size cars from Asian manufacturers include the Lexus LS , Genesis G80 / G90 , Nissan Maxima , and Toyota Avalon . Another car from an Asian manufacturer,
4453-535: The segment in 1981. During the 1980s, manufacturers further reduced the exterior footprint of several model lines from the full-size segment into the mid-size class to comply with more stringent CAFE standards. With the 1982 model year, Chrysler exited the full-size segment entirely, with the mid-size Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury serving as its largest sedan lines. Following the 1985 model year, General Motors replaced most of its full-size rear-wheel-drive model lines with smaller front-wheel drive sedans on
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#17327940266584526-433: The series depended on the result of the last race, and the pressure of defending the Cup was now firmly on Liberty. In the deciding race on 26 September, Conner prepared Liberty in her very competitive light weather configuration with big sail area and low weight. Australia II won the start and held an early lead but was overtaken by Liberty which built up a substantial margin. At the start of the penultimate leg (a square run)
4599-433: The southern hemisphere constellation . Their challenge for the Cup was unsuccessful but Miller was kept on as the designer for future yachts, all of them designed to the 12-metre class rules as used for America's Cup competition at the time. During the first years of his partnership with Bond, Miller withdrew his partnership from his sail-making company but the company retained its name of Miller and Whitworth. Soon after
4672-417: The winning design. Lexcen was commissioned by Bond once again in 1986 to design a defender for the 1987 America's Cup . He designed Australia III and Australia IV for Bond's two boat defense program. Australia IV was ultimately defeated by the Iain Murray designed and skippered Kookaburra III in the Defender Trials . Steve Ward (builder of all four "Australias" maintains that Lexcen's design
4745-413: 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 ). 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
4818-460: 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
4891-444: 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: The enhanced performance VN range sold by Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) comprised
4964-435: Was built in Australia under the Button Plan . Production lasted until 1997. In 1988 the University of New South Wales named its newly created sports scholarships the Ben Lexcen Sports Scholarships. These scholarships were the first sports scholarships to be offered by an Australian university. In 2006, Lexcen was posthumously inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame . In the 1986 miniseries The Challenge , Lexcen
5037-463: Was imported. The 5.0-litre V8 remained optional and received a power boost to 165 kW (221 hp). 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
5110-399: Was not at fault but that Australia IV was uncompetitive due to last minute design modifications ordered by the upper echelons of Bond Corporation. Australia IV was originally designed to be longer on the waterline with less sail area similar to Conner's winning design. Australia competed in the Cup without a Lexcen designed boat for the first time in ten years. Kookaburra III lost in
5183-421: Was not officially listed as part of the Commodore range. The VN Commodore was also awarded Wheels Car of the Year for a second time in 1988. For the first time since 1984 , Holden again offered a commercial coupe utility 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
5256-461: 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: Optionals included: Colours available: 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
5329-544: Was the design that became the International Contender . It was selected in 1967, in multi boat trials, as a potential Olympic successor to the Finn dinghy. The Contender was awarded International status in 1968 and now has fleets in more than twelve countries throughout the world. His keelboat designs of the early 1970s featured clean, easily driven hulls and relatively small sail area. He had great success with
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