Holden VL Commodore
Manufacturer	Holden
Parent company	General Motors
Also called	Holden VL Calais
Production	February 1986–August 1988
Assembly	Elizabeth, South Australia, Australia
Predecessor	Holden VK Commodore
Successor	Holden VN Commodore
Class	Mid-size
Body style(s)	4-door sedan 5-door station wagon
Platform	GM V platform
Engine(s)	2. The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles GM Holden Ltd is an Australian automaker based in Port Melbourne Victoria. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Elizabeth is a suburb in the northern extent of Adelaide, South Australia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Holden VK Commodore was introduced in 1984 and replaced the VH. The Holden VN Commodore was the sixth model of the Holden Commodore, a Full-size car produced by the Australian automotive marque Holden. Car classification is subjective since many vehicles fall into multiple categories or do not fit well into any A mid-size car (occasionally referred to as an intermediate) is the North American and Australian term for an Automobile with a size between Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production while others are of historical interest only A station wagon (or simply wagon) in American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand usage and an estate car (or just estate An automobile platform is a shared set of common design engineering and production efforts as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of See also GM V platform (FWD The V platform, or V-body, Automobile platform name was used twice by General Motors. 0 L RB20E I6 (New Zealand) 3. The RB engine is a 20L to 30L Straight-6 four-stroke Gasoline Engine from Nissan. The straight-6 or inline-6 engine (often abbreviated I6 or L6) is a six cylinder Internal combustion engine with all six cylinders New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island 0 L RB30E I6 3. The RB engine is a 20L to 30L Straight-6 four-stroke Gasoline Engine from Nissan. The straight-6 or inline-6 engine (often abbreviated I6 or L6) is a six cylinder Internal combustion engine with all six cylinders 0 L RB30ET I6 4. The straight-6 or inline-6 engine (often abbreviated I6 or L6) is a six cylinder Internal combustion engine with all six cylinders 9 L Black V8
Transmission(s)	5-speed manual 3-speed automatic 4-speed automatic
Wheelbase	2668 mm (105 in)
Length	4766 mm (187. A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the Crankcase in two banks of four cylinders in most cases set at a right angle to each other A manual transmission (also known as a stick shift or just 'stick' 'straight drive' or standard transmission) is a type of transmission used in An automatic transmission (commonly "AT" or "Auto" is an Automobile Gearbox that can change Gear ratios automatically as the vehicle In both road and rail Vehicles the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels 6 in)
Width	1722 mm (67. 8 in)
Height	1363 mm (53. 7 in)–1368 mm (53. 9 in)
Curb weight	1250 kg (2756 lb)–1350 kg (2976 lb)

The Holden VL Commodore is a mid-size car manufactured between 1986 and 1988 by the General Motors (GM) Australian arm, Holden. A mid-size car (occasionally referred to as an intermediate) is the North American and Australian term for an Automobile with a size between General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. GM Holden Ltd is an Australian automaker based in Port Melbourne Victoria. The VL series was the final update of the first generation Holden Commodore architecture, heralding imported straight-six engines from Nissan in Japan. The Holden Commodore is an Automobile manufactured by the Holden division of General Motors (GM in Australia and formerly in New Zealand The straight-6 or inline-6 engine (often abbreviated I6 or L6) is a six cylinder Internal combustion engine with all six cylinders For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

The total build number for the VLs was 151,801.

Design

1987 Holden VL Commodore Vacationer station wagon.

The VL Commodore represented a substantial makeover of the VK, and would be the last of the mid-size Commodores. The Holden VK Commodore was introduced in 1984 and replaced the VH. A mid-size car (occasionally referred to as an intermediate) is the North American and Australian term for an Automobile with a size between The engineers sought to soften the lines of the VL, rounding off the panels and introducing a small tail spoiler built into the boot lid. A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion

For the VL, Holden implemented rectangular headlamps as opposed to the square type fitted to earlier models. For the top-of-the-range Calais model, the design incorporated the use of semi-retracting headlight covers, the first for a production Holden. This had been previously attempted on the never released Torana GTR-X which featured fully retractable headlights. The Holden Torana was a car produced by General Motors - Holden (GM-H the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. Interestingly the Calais covered headlights were the same as the regular VL Commodore headlights. Minor changes were made to the interior, such as a new dashboard design with some relocated switches and new instrument cluster. A dashboard, dash, and sometimes fascia (chiefly in British English) is a control panel located under the Windshield of an Automobile

Powertrains

Interior of a 1987 Holden VL Commodore Vacationer.

1986–1988 Holden VL Calais.

1986–1988 Holden VL Calais.

Straight-six engine

A comprehensive makeover for the VK Black engine was completely dropped in favour of an imported 3. The Holden motor is straight-six engine produced by General Motors–Holden's in Australia between 1948 and 1986 0 litre RB30E straight-six unit designed and manufactured by Nissan in Japan. The RB engine is a 20L to 30L Straight-6 four-stroke Gasoline Engine from Nissan. The straight-6 or inline-6 engine (often abbreviated I6 or L6) is a six cylinder Internal combustion engine with all six cylinders For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. This featured an overhead camshaft (OHC) and an alloy cylinder head. Overhead camshaft, commonly abbreviated to OHC, Valvetrain configurations place the engine Camshaft within the Cylinder heads above the An alloy is a Solid solution or Homogeneous mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a Metal, which itself has In an Internal combustion engine, the cylinder head sits atop the cylinders and consists of a platform containing part of the Combustion chamber and the The reason for the Nissan-Holden combination was because all cars manufactured in Australia from January 1, 1987 had to run on unleaded 91 octane fuel. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The octane rating is a measure of the resistance of Gasoline and other Fuels to Detonation ( Engine knocking) in spark-ignition The previous six-cylinder Black motor was unable to do this, as was the V8, hence the later release date of this engine. The Holden motor is straight-six engine produced by General Motors–Holden's in Australia between 1948 and 1986 A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the Crankcase in two banks of four cylinders in most cases set at a right angle to each other As the tooling for the Holden straight-six engine had become worn by this stage, it also was not considered cost-effective to adapt the design to unleaded petrol. The new engines included features such as an Electronic Combustion Control System (ECCS) and a ram-tuned intake manifold.

Six months into its release a 150 kilowatts (200 hp) turbocharged version of the Nissan engine was released. The watt (symbol W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one Joule of energy per Second. A turbocharger, or turbo, is an air Compressor used for forced-induction of an Internal combustion engine. The Garrett turbo unit was fitted inside a water-cooled housing to ensure longevity. Garrett by Honeywell is the consumer brand of Honeywell Turbo Technologies a subsidiary of Honeywell Corporation. The engine received new pistons which lowered the compression ratio, while an updated camshaft was used to reduce overlap. A piston is a component of Reciprocating engines Pumps and Gas compressors It is located in a cylinder and is made gas-tight by Piston The compression ratio is a single number that can be used to predict the performance of any engine particularly piston engines (but can be used on essentially any Internal-combustion The camshaft is an apparatus often used in Piston engines to operate Poppet valves It consists of a cylindrical rod running the length of the Cylinder bank The allure of the Commodore was quickly established particularly when the top speed was 200 kilometres per hour (124 mph) and then extended to 220 kilometres per hour (137 mph) with the addition of the Garret turbocharger. In addition stopping power for the turbo models was upgraded to larger brakes and Girlock finned alloy front callipers. The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a Wheel. The Australian Police commissioned the turbocharged models as their "interceptor" Highway Pursuit cars of choice. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force These interceptors were denoted by "BT1" in their vehicle identification number (VIN).

GM also sourced a Nissan electronic four-speed automatic. An automatic transmission (commonly "AT" or "Auto" is an Automobile Gearbox that can change Gear ratios automatically as the vehicle Those that opted for a manual, received a Nissan MF5 five-speed transmission, with the turbocharged models received a Nissan MX7 unit. A manual transmission (also known as a stick shift or just 'stick' 'straight drive' or standard transmission) is a type of transmission used in A turbocharger, or turbo, is an air Compressor used for forced-induction of an Internal combustion engine.

New Zealand

The New Zealand assembled six-cylinder VLs had the 2. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island 0 litre Nissan RB20 engine six-cylinder as an addition to the 3. The RB engine is a 20L to 30L Straight-6 four-stroke Gasoline Engine from Nissan. 0 litre models. The engine was mated with the Japanese Jatco four-speed automatic; the 5. JATCO ( ジヤトコ株式会社, "Japanese Automatic Transmission Company" is a subsidiary of Nissan which manufactures Automatic transmissions An automatic transmission (commonly "AT" or "Auto" is an Automobile Gearbox that can change Gear ratios automatically as the vehicle 0 litre (4987 cc) V8 remained available in carbureted form with the old three-speed automatic. A carburetor (North American spelling or carburettor ( Commonwealth spelling) is a device that blends air and Fuel for an Internal New Zealand models did not have emission controls fitted. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

V8 engine

Previously, Holden had considered discontinuing the V8 engine rather than adapting it to unleaded petrol. A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the Crankcase in two banks of four cylinders in most cases set at a right angle to each other This was partly in response to Ford Australia's 1983 decision to drop the V8 in its competing Falcon model. Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of The Ford Falcon is a Full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960 However public outcry spearheaded by a media-driven "V8s 'til 98" campaign persuaded Holden to continue production. Eventually with continual developments, the Holden V8 lasted until 1999, before being replaced by an imported unit.

The 5. 0 litre V8 was released in October 1986, it still featured the familiar Rochester four-barrel carburettor, not electronic fuel injection (EFI). Fuel injection is a system for mixing fuel with air in an Internal combustion engine. Now adapted to unleaded fuel, this V8 5. 0 litre was boasting both more power and torque than its predecessor, now at 122 kilowatts (164 hp) with 323 newton metres (238 ft·lbf). A torque (τ in Physics, also called a moment (of force is a pseudo- vector that measures the tendency of a force to rotate an object about GM had fitted the V8 with larger valves carried over from the previous Group A engine. EFI did however make it's V8 debut in the VL Commodore in the evolution version of the Group A touring car homologation special, the SS Group A SV WALKINSHAW, the car which also marked Holden Special Vehicles taking over as Holden's official aftermarket modifier. The Holden Commodore VL SS Group A SV was a vehicle developed and built for Holden by TWR and the newly established Holden Special Vehicles company Holden Special Vehicles, abbreviated HSV is the officially designated performance vehicle division of Australian motor Automobile manufacturer With the 150 kilowatts (200 hp) 3. 0 litre turbocharged engine being the performance flagship, Holden marketed the V8 as ideal for towing due to its low-rpm torque characteristics. The V8 engine was mated with either the existing three-speed TriMatic automatic, or the five-speed Borg-Warner T-5 manual. The TREMEC T-5 is a 5-speed Manual transmission for Longitudinal engine Automobiles It includes one Overdrive gear a light-weight aluminum

Specification levels

Introduced in Commodore SL, Executive and Berlina variants, the VL vehicle line also included a luxury Calais model. ^[1] However, this was known as the Holden Calais as opposed to the Holden Commodore Calais. ^[2] A Calais station wagon and s turbocharged Calais wagon were both produced in extremely limited numbers. A station wagon (or simply wagon) in American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand usage and an estate car (or just estate ^[3] In October of 1986, the V8-powered models were introduced, including the sports-oriented SS. ^[4] The following year, a special edition Commodore Vacationer was offered. The term special edition ( deluxe edition and collector's edition are also used is a term generally used as a Marketing incentive for various kinds of products ^[5] A year later again, to commemorate the Australian Bicentenary in 1988, a Bicentennial sedan; aptly named the "Series 200" was issued in a commemorative champagne colour. The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years Champagne is a Sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle Secondary fermentation of Wine to effect Carbonation.

Notes

References

• Wright, John (1998). Heart of the Lion: The 50 Year History of Australia's Holden. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin, 359. Crows Nest is a Suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Allen & Unwin, formerly a major British publishing house is now an independent book publisher and distributor based in Australia. ISBN 1864487445.