Retro Stories by David Burrell
One of the magazines in AMHF’s 12,000+ collection is the January 1967 edition of Australian Motor Sports and Automobile (AMSA).
AMSA is largely forgotten these days. Launched in 1946 it was called Australian Motor Sports, with a focus on racing. During 1960 “and Automobile” was added and the content widened to include general motoring news. The opinions and bylines of Bill Tuckey and Mike Kable first came to prominence in AMSA.
From May 1967, another byline graced its pages, that of the AMHF’s Peter Robinson. Robbo was with the journal until he moved to edit Wheels in early 1971. AMSA closed with its April 1971 edition.
My long-time fascination with the January 1967 edition is because its front cover is emblazoned with the banner headline NEW HOLDEN SCOOP!
Scoops were not something AMSA was known for. But, somehow, AMSA had uncovered information that Holden was planning to release a V8 in the HR range and add a hardtop coupe. This was big news back then.
And why was Holden doing this? AMSA reasoned that the V8 and coupe were intended to halt the company’s declining market share, which had slipped from 45% to 35% since 1964. The magazine pointed out that during the same period Ford had climbed from 15% to 22% and Chrysler was up from 9.5% to 13%. The cause of this situation, said AMSA, was because Holden did not have a V8. Unnamed “industry executives” were quoted in support:
“the boys at GMH have been left holding the six cylinder baby (and)… GMH has missed the bus on V8s and will have to do something drastic to catch up.”
AMSA suggested GMH would insert a 283 cubic inch/4.6 litre Chevrolet V8 under the HR’s bonnet, and it would be released in March 1967:
“ …it will be available only in the Premier range and only with automatic transmission and disc brakes”
And the HR coupe? Well, AMSA said that:
“…the company has played with the idea of grafting imported Opel panels on the current model to create a two door coupe.”
And they ran a photo of such a coupe, seen below.
Just how AMSA came to have this information and whether the photo was of an actual Holden prototype is still a mystery. The story had no byline, so it has always been assumed it was written by the editor, Pat Hayes
Holden denied they were planning a V8, and avoided the mention of the coupe. AMSA printed their denial.
“(we) will definitely NOT be producing a V8 enqined Holden in the next 12 months… the company’s policy (is) to include maximum Australian content in its cars and would not consider a V8 until it could produce one here. Our six-cylinder manufacturing plant is not suitable for V8 production and it would cost millions to set up a plant.”
AMSA’s prediction of a V8 HR and coupe never eventuated. Interestingly, there was no follow up in later editions.
Despite Holden’s denial, AMSA had uncovered a well-kept secret about a coupe and a V8. Previously confidential internal Holden memos and design studio photos reveal that, as far back as August 1963, Holden had been actively costing and styling a coupe for the HD and HR models. Internally it was called the Super Sports. And serious planning for a V8 had started in 1965, aimed for release with the HK range.
The HD/HR coupe’s styling project was led by Alf Payze. These August 1963 proposals were for either a semi fast-back or formal-roofed HD coupe. The project was overseen by one of GM’s most senior American designers, Joe Schemanky. In April 1964 Joe would be appointed GMH’s first design director.
In parallel with the styling, the business case for the coupe was being assembled. Internal Holden memos dated 13th and 16th December, 1963 reviewed the alternatives. With the HD’s release only 13 months away, the focus shifted to the HR, to be launched in April 1966. The coupe would cost £1.5 million to develop.
The project progressed to a stage where an HR coupe mock-up was built. In his book Monaro Magic, Dr Norm Darwin notes that Holden’s design staff recalled a two door HR was created by cutting up sedan body and applying fibreglass panels and roof.
In mid-1964 Joe Schemansky realised that the HD’s shape might be too “innovative” for the Australian car buyer, and successfully argued that the HR needed to be a major restyling of the HD. The cost of doing this left no money in the design and development budgets for a HR coupe. And so, it was cancelled.
The coupe and V8 would appear in the HK range, which offered clean sheet styling possibilities. Indeed, a svelte shape for the HK coupe was already emerging in the design studio, and would be called Monaro.
The closest we will ever come to understanding what an HR coupe may have looked like are the sketches that accompany this story and the photo in that January 1967 edition of AMSA.
