1951 Holden FX 48-215 Sedan

Australia's first commercially successful automobile, the Holden, was launched in November 1948 and featured styling influenced both by American and European design trends - the toothy grille was particularly like contemporary Buicks. The new 48-215 (now commonly called the FX) featured advanced unitary construction and the "Aerobilt" bodywork was remarkably rattle-free. The front and rear bench seats gave plenty of room for six passengers and the Holden was powered by the sturdy OHV "Stovebolt" six-cylinder engine developing 60bhp at 3800rpm - enough to give more than adequate performance on Australia's rough roads. By the time the model was revised in October 1953, 12,402 FX Holdens had been built and these early cars are therefore much harder to find than the FJ that succeeded it. Due to the renewed interest in Australia's automotive heritage and the lack of survivors, the FX/FJ Holdens have begun to appreciate in recent years and good, unrestored examples of this Aussie icon are becoming scarce.