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Holden Commodore VN
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1988 - 1991 |
Country: |
|
Engine: |
6 cyl. & V8 |
Capacity: |
3.8 liter EFI V6; 5.0 V8 EFI |
Power: |
125kW (V6) & 165kW (V8) |
Transmission: |
5 spd. manual; 4 speed Turbohydramatic; 6 speed ZF manual (Group A) |
Top Speed: |
na |
Number Built: |
215,180 |
Collectability: |
n/a |
|
Launching the VN Commodore, Holden said the totally
new car had been designed to achieve the dramatic market
impact reserved only for the most historic and significant
Holden models.
And so it proved. There were a few VL
Commodore components still under the skin, but the new
VN had been stretched - in every important dimension.
A major generational change, the 'aero styled' VN returned
Holden to the full-sized family car fold. It won all three
motor magazine 1988 Car of the Year awards and was also
a sales winner right from the start (the Executive model
confidently targeted at fleet buyers), taking Holden back
to its accustomed position on top of the Australian passenger
car market in 1989.
Holden designers and engineers took a wind tunnel-influenced
Opel Omega design and altered it substantially and ingeniously;
widening, re-styling and re-engineering to meet Australian
criteria. Interior roominess, torquey performance and
chassis dynamics topped the list.
Reflecting an emphasis on aerodynamics as a way of improving
performance and fuel consumption, the VN offered such
features as flush-fitting side glass, steeply raked windscreen
and low-profile headlights.
It also introduced as standard
a larger, Buick-sourced 3800 EFI V6 (delivering as much
power as the previous carbureted V8), teamed with locally
made five-speed manual or premium imported 4-speed Turbo
Hydramatic transmission.
Standard on SS and optional across the range came a fuel-injected
5.0 liter V8 producing 165kW. For the first time, the
Commodore wagon was built on a longer wheelbase, and entirely
new interiors featured a one-piece dash fascia with wide
centre console and binnacle-style controls.
After an absence of nearly seven years, the Holden passenger
car derived ute made a comeback in 1990 with an all-new
VN-based VG Utility and S Utility. Model range: Commodore
SL sedan, Commodore Executive sedan and wagon, Commodore
Berlina sedan and wagon, Commodore S sedan and wagon,
Commodore SS sedan, Calais sedan. In all, some 215,
180 VN Commodores would be manufactured, including the
5 millionth Holden. |