(EP30) VL Commodore! Arrowtown and Cromwell (HubNut Goes Global)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ย. 2024
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The remarkable New Zealand adventure continues, as I manage to track down (and just about avoid buying) one of my favourite Australian classics - the Holden Commodore VL, with Nissan Skyline RB30 power! I still can't quite believe I didn't buy it. Sadly, my bank balance didn't help...
I also do the tourist thing in Arrowtown and Cromwell. Both are well worth a visit.
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You've finally managed to find your holy grail of the Nissan powered VL
A straight six is always interesting.
My Dad had a 1980 Opel Rekord 2.0S Berlina, a big comfy car that couldn't be hurried as it handled like a boat. The more I see of New Zealand the more I realise its a HubNutter's paradise, the cars, the museums and the views are just epic. Thank you for taking us along on this trip Ian, I really do appreciate it.
What a beautiful place, so tempting with the dreariness of the UK at the moment
So that's what Arrowtown looks like in Summer !!! As an Aussie, we've always enjoyed visiting in Winter. Arrowtown can be very bitter in Winter... another great video
In 'Straya, the Berlina range was Holden's luxury package. Between you and me though, Holden's idea of luxury and mine have a giant chasm of difference. 😲
Wasn't the top spec the Calais? I always thought the Berlina replaced the SL trim level? Could be my age tho????
@@alanfunt4013 You are right. I had bought a new VK group A just before the nissan turbo version came out. This reduced the value of my near new car. The Calais was like a specced up Lada.
@@alanfunt4013 The Calais generally had a different front and rear treatment to the base model, and often a longer wheelbase. The Calais was Holden's top spec, bell's & whistles model. BTW ... I used to enjoy your candid camera show. Guess that shows my age too ... hehe.
The VL Calais Turbo is a sought-after variant. A friend used to have a fairly rare base Executive VL sedan, with the unleaded 308 in it. It was a Trimatic.
@@alanfunt4013 Spot on
I had a full 2 weeks over Christmas and new year in Cromwell, just 2 years ago, and it was most agreeable ,,, including a day at the race track ... and planning to do the same in 2020. Great part of the world, and yes some cool old cars about. I spotted an Austin 1100 and a Marina 1800TC Estate in Yellow ... scratch the surface and NZ is hub nut central 👍
"Is where all the hip and happening stuff happens. I'm not there " :D
I owned an ex Vic Police VL turbo, 5 spd manual for about 13 years. It was a country car and I bought it at 60,000 km 1 year old. Thankfully it was metallic bronze and not the acid yellow that the highway cars were painted. Went like stink but it was a very twitchy handler. Much respect needed in the wet. The FE2 'sports' suspension pack certainly stiffened up the ride but it didn't turn the VL into a good handling car. Build quality was generally pretty lacklustre. Because the body on my example was destined to be the base SL trim a lot of corners were cut, for example the exterior welding on the door window frames was just roughly ground off before painting. In the old days we would call this 'elephant snot' welding. I liked the general look of the car but its best feature was the RB30ET motor and Nissan 5 spd box. I should have put it into storage when I got married and put it on the market now. Would have made a motza!
Fun story about VL Turbos in the wet. A friend of mine was impressed with the VL turbo so he traded his dying VH Commodore for a VL Calais Turbo, (top of the trim level), with 4 spd auto. He took his brother out for a test drive, in the wet, with his brother driving. While doing as sedate 70 Km/hr his brother decide to test the acceleration and planted his hoof on the accelerator. Nothing happened for a second or two while the auto downshifted two gears and the turbo spooled up, (max boost came in around 3200rpm), and then all hell broke loose and he ended up doing a 180 degree spin in the middle of Dandenong RD in Melbourne's east. The LSD was part of the cause of the rear-end twitchines as well as the car being very light in the tail. total weight of my SL version was listed as 1290 Kg. 150kW and 295 NM of torque made it a bit of a handful. Basically a lead tipped arrow in the old language.
Love Arrowtown, Cromwell and Wanaka! Beautiful scenery and much better snow in winter than here in Australia and only a 3 hour flight away. I'd happily move there and buy a VL (or a quirky JDM!) and have a happy life!
Cromwell...My birthplace, and a town that saw much change.
The Nissan Skyline sedan was build in Australia at the same time as the VL. Nissan and Holden had a partnership where they rebadged cars and used each other’s parts. They rebadged Nissan Pulsars and called them Holden Astras, for example. So it was very easy to get the Nissan Rb30 engine locally. The reason they couldn’t use the Holden 6 was due to the Unleaded fuel introduction in 1986. They just couldn’t get a decent locally developed engine in time for that change over. In fact so many cars like Holden Camira had very much reduced power in the first years after. So that was the main reason for the Nissan powered VL. Others may have more thoughts...
I had an Australian production (R31) Skyline at the time. Much more refined than the Commodore, despite the fact that the R30s independent rear end was replaced by an Australian live axle. My Australian differential was replaced under warranty... Ian is correct, the 5 speed manual is a Nissan unit. The old 202 six had been modified about as far as it could be by 1985 and unleaded was a step too far. At the time, it was cheaper to bring in drivetrains from Japan. Then the Yen went through the roof and the VN, which was engineered for the RB30, had the Buick V6 (really 3/4 of the Rover V8) shoved under the bonnet. After the silky smooth Nissan engine, those early ecotecs were a revelation. In roughness..
Also in NZ they offered the VL Commodore with a 2 litre engine variant from memory.
Gentle Persuader I think the VN had a 2.0 option too there?
@@cme2cau I had one of the last VK model fuel injected 202 engines, EGR killed them, even with all the whiz bangery Bosch injection, tuned port inlet, and factory tuned length headers it struggled to make 100kW, not sure what that is in Shetland ponies. Then when driven steady it returned about 17 mpg, less than could be had from a careful driven 5 litre V8. The arrival of the VL with 130 something KW in base model spec, smooth running, and over 36 mpg was out of this world. Adelaide to Melbourne that used to be a two tank of fuel trip in a VK could now be done, just, on one tank of fuel in a VL, faster, smoother, quieter. I used to commute a far bit back in the days.
I think our Astras were Vauxhall in New Zealand. I rember dealers removing Vauxhall badges. Crazy times.
The buildings on the historic precinct at Cromwell were moved to higher ground brick by brick when the old town was flooded due to the building of the Clyde Dam. A lovely place, on my recent visit I spent a good half hour talking to an old chap in the museum (in the "new" town mall that was built in 1985) who well remembered what the town was like before the building of the dam and subsequent "drowning" of most of the old town. One wonders whether such an event would be allowed these days...
I never realised these were Nissan powered. The VL series was my favourite sharpe of Commodore, sleeker than the VK it replaced and much better looking than the bloated VN that came out after it. Only produced for two years, last of the “small” Commodores.
Also, more than once on my way to University I had to pull over because a house was coming the other way. 🙂
I remember the old Cromwell before the dam was filled. A friend went up there to look at the new lake in a Mini and a wheel came off and rolled down the bank into the lake. He went for a swim got it and drove home.
Oh well look Ian if you ever need a break from presenting cars you could become a tour guide lol! Lovely place, great finds, love the little Fordson truck. VL Commodore brings back some memories - I test-drove a sedan once (that was manual with the 3-litre engine). Went like snot, should have bought it. Thanks for sharing 😀
That’s an astonishing trailer with the house move.
The most impressive house move ever was when they pulled a trailer like that with a trailer on it up Baldwin Street in Dunedin
It looks like a vauxhaul/opel - the earlier vb/vc models even more so - but the bodyshell had to be heavily re-engineered by holden because the prototype german cars developed significant structural cracks on rough Australian roads. The previous six (known as the 202) wouldn't run on unleaded not matter what they tried. Which was a good thing because they had been stringing it along like a dead donkey for years. In its final iteration it drank fuel like there was no tomorrow, and did little meaningful with that fuel because it was quite gutless. Its only redeeming feature was that it was generally robust. The Nissan engine - and the brilliant Buick 3800 that replaced it were a revelation to Australian drivers.
The Buick 3800 from the US in the first gen VN was junk. Plenty of torque and that was it. Aus got a front wheel drive engine that had a rope rear main and a problematic ignition system. The Aussie made 3800 released in the Gen 2 was a whole lot better, no oil leaks, better inlet manafold and laid out for a rear drive platform.
Always been fond of VL Commodores. The driveline is a huge step up in refinement over the previous VK, much more responsive too. Australian built R31 Skylines are interesting to check out too if you have a chance. Quite different to JDM R31's.
Evening Iron man! Yes the dear old vl, berlina was a step down from the Calais, which famously had half pop up headlights with so much velour, so much! Or your choice of leather! At this time, Holden had discontinued its flagship, Statesman/Caprice variant so the Calais was it in either 3ltr na 3ltr turbo.. little bit of yum there OR the beautiful 5ltr V8 which was horribly castrated by the new omissions laws. Cheers old son
Cromwell, had a lovely sausage roll there by the water. Memories.
A test drive with the Commodore wagon would be so lovely... My kind of car.
The vl is facinating the more you look the more bits you see from elsewhere, a double bin bitsa if you will! Love the little miners houses, so quaint! Thnks mr hubnut!
Loved the VL. My VL wagon was one of my all time favourite cars that I have owned. Glad you found a VL to check out Ian. :-)
Lead us not into the temptations of VL Commodores with Skyline engines. Testing times for our Hubnut.
Nissan made the 3.0 I6 here (Australia) for the local Skyline, car makers shared a lot here at that time, so a convenience. The Skyline was a very nice car and reasonably priced too.
You're in New Zealand now! PPPPPLLLLLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEE!!!!! These are STATION WAGONS!
Gorgeous spot! You'll be goshed out by the time you get home. As tempting as the VL may be let stronger heads prevail. "IF" you do want a car to take back home wait till you get to Oz. Much more variety and "some" decent buys to be had (though I think you'll be in for a surprise at some of the ridiculous prices they want for utter tatt in Sydney). Do yourself a favour and just get on to Gumtree wherever you think you'll be spending the most time and get a feel. Personally though I wouldn't bother with the hassle and cost (and don't forget what a car tart you are lol. Do you reeeeaaallly want to go through the palava on something that would've been better as a "one-drive-stand" or do you think you'll find a "till death do us part" machine)? Not meaning to poo-poo..just a perspective from a mate you don't know, with too much time on his hands!
If you're thinking of buying a vehicle in Australia buy it inland. Country cars don't have rust and while they may have high mileage it won't be high wear, stop start mileage.
Definitely don't buy in Sydney.
While obviously, in terms of numbers the NZ market is smaller than Australia's. Never the less there is no shortage in the variety of vehicles imported into NZ. Including some models not available in Australia. Since the motor trade here has long been deregulated. NZ has, for many years allowed parallel commercial importing. IE. Provided they meet the legal requirements. And can strike a deal with a manufacturer/supplier. Anybody can set up shop and import new and used vehicles in competition with the existing importer/distributor. And often these 'independants' will also import models not sold by the established importer/distributor. As mentioned there is also a significant trade in used imports, particularly from Japan. While these vehicles are sourced from Japan. They are not exclusively Japanese brands. Anyway, they are imported into NZ, refurbished locally etc. - Some even by the established importers. Such as Toyota NZ. Then sold through their dealerships. And a number are then also re-exported to Pacific Island States and territories. Ps love the little Fordson/Thames ute "Lucille".
Welcome to heaven! (not that shitty Aussie car, but the place you're in) :-)
Many thanks for the superb content. Lovely to see all the historic buildings so finely preserved and still serving a purpose. I discovered a bonus at the end of the video, one which I derived much pleasure from, and that was your reference to Eric Whitacre of who'm I had never heard. There, I found music for the soul, contemplative, and healing. My life is enriched, thanks are deserved.
I adored the Carlton and Senator, especially the 3.0iCD Carlton, it was a big comfy family cruiser
Viking Raiders Now you see Vauxhall insignia A20DTHs broken down 😂
Fully Sick Bro
Holden used the RB option because when originally planned due to cost. The euro engines were going to be to expensive and not have enough capacity. They were not a preexisting platform thew were developed For Holden as were the turbo versions. The body may look the same however you would need an Aussie window because they are not the same. The reason why they were only used for the one model was the cost as the Aussie Dollar took a deep dive mid run {back when planned the AU dollar was worth 2 english pounds} and never re floated to it's previous height. They did however decide to continue to make engines in Australia and GM being GM used a GM engine the Buick 3800. Another excellent engine once built in Australia as some of the flakier areas were fixed. They continued to use these up until 2003. The Issue very nearly closed down Holden at the time due to losses on every car sold but GM stepped in and wanted the brand to continue and took a big share of the company unlike what has happened recently. The events marked the end of the average Aussie being happy with an low powered car. Australia used to talk V8's back then but the Vast majority drove and were happy with push rod 6 cylinders.
More interesting cars and travel facts. Good too see a relative made it to Arrowtown and opened a general store 😆😆
Wow, cool car! And very cool Posty - the job has never looked more appealing 😍 amazing 1870s buildings still exist. Fab town to visit
There's quite a back story to the town of Cromwell. At the start of the 80's, the then National Government with its Think Big scheme, built the Clyde Dam (further down the valley) and flooded the river creating lake Dunstan. It caused quite a stink, as it flooded out orchards and farms, caused land slides and made one stretch of road the most expensive in the Southern Hemisphere at the time per kilometre, due to the unstable land.
As a result, the original main street of Cromwell is under water losing historic buildings in the process. Where you parked at 9:32 with the round parking spot in the background was actually the point at which you crossed the river. That bridge is of course under metres of water now.
There's a good photo here of what it used to look like in the early 80's: www.angelfire.com/sd/otagounidive/info_cromwellbridge.html
I remember as a teenager seeing the lake when it was filling and the water very close to the bottom of the bridge.
Sorry, not really car related material but interesting info nonetheless. I can contribute some info about the VL. They offered them in NZ with 2 litre 4 cylinder versions as well.
The Cromwell Gorge cost $1000.000 per kilometer. I was living in Cromwell when the lake was being filled (pre and during), a lot of houses and land got bulldozed to make way for the lake.
No, VL 2.0 was actually a Nissan 6 cylinder. 95 kW I think, and liked to rev
Oh dear, you walked past a Toyota Avensis and didn't comment, as one of the poor sods that own one in Australia I feel neglected, love your work .
JohnE
Thnx for the lovely music suggestion. I already knew and love the Johnny Cash interpretation but this choir performance is nice as well.
great to see some buildings and other stuff along with the lovely Land Rover
I personally always had more of a penchant for the 2nd-gen Commodore models that came after the VL. Had several over the years and they're lovely cars to drive and very well suited to Australia. Hope to see you cover one on your travels!
Arrowtown, ay? Gotta be a "point" to that place!
I visited Queenstown & Arrowtown in 2019. Very nice spot.
That's Some lump under the bonnet In the Holden. I hope you have enjoyed your Christmas in New Zealand.👍👍
Anything derived from work by Trent Reznor is OK by me Mr Hubnut. What another lurverly place in NZ. That little Fordson was just magic.
An offshoot of Senator John Button's "Button" plan to get economies of scale for local manufactures. Among other cars it produced were just rebadging such as Ford Falcon utes badged as Nissan utes, VN Commodores badged as Toyota Lexans, Toyota Camrys and Corollas badged as Holden Apollos and Novas.
I think after the success of the Ford Laser and Ford Telstar being derived from the Mazda 323 and 626, others went down the cheaper rebadging path. The 1984 Holden Astra being a badge engineered Nissan Pulsar had some success. None of these were well liked except the VL Commodore, which was I think the only one that got an engine upgrade. People would buy the oddballs mainly as there was less waiting for delivery or better deals on pricing. Often the Nissan ute buyers would quickly source Ford badging to turn it back to a Falcon ute.
Looking at emissions testing at the time, the Nissan (non turbo) 6 cylinder motor got better emissions than everything for sale in Australia at the time for NOx CO and HC , so no point chasing UK and Euro sourced engines that lagged behind in emissions in the belief that lower fuel consumption meant low emissions. Much later adoption of three way catalysts and unleaded fuel in UK and Europe than Australia in 1986, and far behind Japan in understanding emissions. US lagged in developing engineering solutions to emissions compared to Japan. UK and Europe still attracted to nasty diesels until recently due to thinking fuel consumption was the only important measure.
Didn't realise Holden used a engine with so much potential in the Commodore VL. Could make quite a interesting car. Looks like its earned its keep too. Really enjoy seeing your unexpected finds. NZ really is a place I would love to visit.
Here in Australia the first Holden commodore was released in 1978. Over in England it was called a Vauxhall Viceroy.
It seems the Commodore was an odd mix of Senator and Rekord. There never was a Senator estate for instance. Also sold as Vauxhall Viceroy, Carlton and Royale.
HubNut A one off Vauxhall Viceroy estate was made for the queen of England. It is now in the hands of an enthusiast.
Opel made a commodore , with a 2.5 six and later a gse 2.8 six
The turbo versions were popular with the Highway Patrol units of the state police forces. The Victorian police famously ordered their ones painted a high-visibility yellow not unlike the featured car, and were popular on the used market despite the basic SL trim & the yellow paint as they also had the sports handling package fitted among other goodies & were easily tuned. Survivors are now worth big bucks. The V8 versions (which were still fitted with carbys) were marketed towards those needing towing power as they were no match for the turbos performance-wise.
Watching these videos makes me want to head to NZ even more. Happy New Year Ian and hope 2020 is a good one.
That Postie got lost in a two streets town, LOL.
As soon as i read the caption "Well, that was the plan" I burst out with laughter. I was in Queenstown a few days after this episode would have been filmed.. I hope the rain didnt deter you too much, I know what it caused. All the best with the rest of the trip
My Opel kadett mk1 astra shape was a berlina. Very luxurious for 82! Headlamp washer and everything!
Excellent episode! And as a choir nerd, thank you again for recommending Eric Whitacre. Amazing composer! As mentioned before, you might enjoy Jessica Curry’s choral works as well. Search on “The Light We Cast” and “So Let Us Melt” for a couple of real gems.
Very entertaining indeed. Lovely place
RB30 also available with a factory turbo in Commodores but not sold in Nissan Skyline at the time
That Holden is really the duck-billed platypus of cars! The rear end looks like an Opel Rekord, the front end looks like a Senator and the interior looks like a Nissan. Opel used the "Berlina" designation for the more luxurious cars (the Kadett for instance was available in standard, Luxus and Berlina trim), so that makes sense from a General Motors point of view. But you shouldn't buy one in NZ already.
The Commodore seems to have a different dashboard to the European Carlton/Rekord, except for the outer fresh air vents and the glovebox lid, if memory serves me correctly. I once had a bronze A-reg Carlton with the 2.0 cam-in-head engine, which I got for free.
Earlier VB-VK Commodores would be more familiar to you.
First class , excellent , superb !! ..... Lovely stuff Ian , it's like I'm there ...... Nice , wish I was there ! ..... Stay well and God keep you safe !!!
Cool place, seems to true of all NZ. If you spend time watching the scenery from your car, we get to see much wiper action. Silver linings to the storm clouds then.
Lovely Jubbly, the town really does look like a nice place to live, not like the hassle we put up with.
I wish you could stick around till mid January because there’s a huge Classic car and Hot Rod show in Cromwell that goes down every year and it would be a real bummer if you missed that...
I fly from Auckland on the 20th sadly.
Hmmmm - so will we see the yellow AA Holden again in a future video......? Is it in a container bound for Wales at this very moment.......?
😀👍
Good stuff, as always - look forward to the next one! 👍🏻
Magical Music Hubbers, Eric Whitacre’s ‘hurt’ on a Saturday morning while nibbling breakfast in bed, thanks for that. And thanks for the video round the town, looked beautiful.
Superbly educational vid Mr Seabrook. Excellent.
Head says bring back to UK the Holden, Heart says bring back the Ford!
What does the wallet say though?
That car is currently for sale on Trademe with a start price of $3500.00, still with no WOF. You should have grabbed it while you could! LOL.
It's now in Invercargill with all the sign writing etc removed.
Unfortunately, a windscreen from your Opel Rekord (and the like) will not fit the Aussie Commodore. It was a very involved and expensive mash-up of the Rekord (doors, side body panels, front suspension, and rack steering) and the Senator (some floorpan, bonnet and scuttle section). So basically a Rekord stretched to the width of the Senator, with a local Holden (and briefly Nissan) drivetrain.
Ok a Senator screen might fit
As always ,thanks for bringing these vids to us and showing us your epic adventure ,Cromwell looks very picturesque, take care and rest when you can,drive when you can,film when you can,edit and upload when you can .....no rush..farewell and we will see you on YT very soon.
i think you should do a trade on a nissan skyline.....food for thought ?????
Hi Ian - Another great video on your brilliant adventure! Thanks for keeping us all updated with your travels, NZ looks beautiful compared to a dark, gloomy, rainy Wales at the moment! I was wondering on your next real road test if there was any chance of a close up of dash lights/clocks as you start up? Like your obsession with the triangle of doom, my thing is dash lights/clocks on start up. Im sure im not the only one who likes this - So if you could somehow squeeze them into future videos, myself and other hubnutters im sure would be delighted! Keep up the great work, keep on celebrating the average, but most importantly, keep on enjoying yourself! best wishes for 2020.
The dashboard vents in the corners look very similar to those on my mk1 Astra GTE.
1970s VL Holden Commodore with a Prius Straight Pipe V8 Engine under the bonnet.
Year: 1976
Ex Car 1976-1987
Another beautiful area!
Fantastic cars the VL, have fond memories of my parents white, 88' 2litre sedan
Nice video, but certainly the weariness is shining through at the end. Hopefully the relative lack of videos recently means the batteries are recharged.
That gear lever gaiter looks identical to the one I had on my 1983 Nissan Micra, fwiw.
Yeah, I look a right state in this! I think the next one is even worse...
I would love to see a Hub Nut Tiny house build in Wales. Small house huge garage. :-)
Those wooden houses are sheds from the local big box store. Buck
Loved the LR. Thank you!
I think that's what you call a hybrid car and I don't mean a petrol electric hybrid.
I had one of these back in 1991/1992, the VL Commodore I mean, only car I have ever owned that didn't use oil
whoa snap, it was the only holden that didn't use oil as well!
What a beautiful place 👍
Hope you can find a VT Commodore for a video, it kinda looks like the Omega you had a couple of years ago.
I personally prefer the looks of the Calaise version of the VL commode, which had electric pop-up head lamps.The regular front end treatment of the other models, always reminds me of another smaller holdem offering which was a complete failure at the time, the Holden Camira.
Really enjoying your videos. Thank you
The VL needs to come to England!
Postman same as the ones in Australia on the peds
You mooch like a boss!
We have/had lots of gold rush towns in California.
Excellent video :) Love arrowtown. I myself have a VL Berlina, great car :)
Ian, buy the Commodore, export it back to the UK. :)
Legend of a car here in Australia
hey always great to see your video's and what a great country is New Sealand ...and cool cars there i have never seen before . take good care for yourself there on the other side of the globe .greatings from dordrecht the netherlands ... HUBNUT rules mate
Looks great there Ian.
Owned a 1988 Commy Royale years ago, awful styling and plasticy interior but the engine was a sweet runner even with 260.000 kms on it. Just bought it cheap as an 'in-betweener' car while mine was getting a spray job. Sold it for more than I paid so wasn't all bad.
Most of the original Cromwell was flooded to make way for the lake. They shifted part of the town to it's current location. The bridges are still there underwater.
Was rather hoping you were gonna test drive that delicious early Jeep Cherokee that was parked behind the Holden. Another nice place.
why Jeeps are over-rated rubbish.. they built themselves a reputation as being part of the robber baron class... buy a car and bend over for service and parts
That looks almost exactly like a Chevrolet Cavalier/ Pontiac Sunbird Wagon. Most of them came with a 2.2L 4cyl front wheel drive but I believe they were available with either a 2.8L or 3.1L V6 front wheel drive.
Same design language, little or no parts commonality. The VL was a partly re-skinned VB Commodore, itself a blend of an Opel Rekord and an Opel Senator, wholly European designs from the mid-1970's, running on the Opel R-platform from the mid 1960's, but with a lot of changes, not least the simpler live-axle real suspension..
victorian police anyway had these as pursuit cars. no one who owned one, even downtuned, never had a licence long. this brings back memories. not a bad car, even now, for the money and the miles.
One hell of an upgrade from their horses! 😂
You should buy that AA car. What an amazing show car that would be in the UK! I promise I will come and say hello if you show it.
I want a Skyline engine for my Corsa ! 😁
Also for my ignis!
Try Smith and Smith glass for windshield.
Morning Ian !
Evening!
Love it