22 replies to this topic

[yel327]

I've been working on a couple of projects with Press Fleet cars and identifying them.

 

I'm 99% sure I have LJ covered off for both Press Fleet and Press release with PSN's for all cars plus rego numbers. Those were easy compared to HQ.

 

Been working on HQ. Have most of them by PSN but a few I have alternatives for a couple of cars. Looking to get all these sorted by rego numbers. If anyone has obscure magazine articles with identifying features of the cars with rego plates, It'd be much appreciated. I have colour, trim and full option lists for every car so I'll pick the car by that.

 

There were at release, 41 HQ Press Fleet cars. I have the following nailed:

 

NSW:

 

BQV 844, 847, 849, 851

 

VIC:

 

KYR 538, 539

 

With the VIC cars I should be able to find them by engine numbers once I have rego plates.

 

Note that there is a road test on Modern Motor in December 1971 that isn't a GMH Press Fleet car, it's a Salamanca car with white trim, only option 202.

[yel327]

Just to add to the above. I am missing rego plates for 4 of the 21 LJ Press Fleet. The car numbers I have given are sunvisor slip numbers, some of the 21 weren't at the Surfers Paradise Press Release.

 

Car 10 82411, 1300 4spd 1839-40D L193780

Car 13 82311, 2850 4spd ????-??? L193765

Car 15 82469, 1300 auto 1845-49D L193799

Car 20 82569, 2850 auto 1841-48R L193815

[AbsynthHatch]

What makes the press cars special?

Is it different colour & trim options, show casing what was available at the the time.

Good on you for spending the time to compile this information.

[yel327]

Not “special” in the scheme of things. But they are often unique combinations of options, which helps to identify them. They are almost always 000 cars, and if not they are 200 series dealer codes. Once I get the GMH paperwork detailing which State press fleet they belong to and what VAP built it the cars almost always become easy to find. For example a WA press fleet 81569 (HQ Statesman) built at Elizabeth VAP optioned with M40 (Trimatic) and C60 (integrated A/C), it is easy as it’s the only 000 P car with the correct BETSBAC. Normally the lists also give the Car to Sales date which is normally a few weeks prior to vehicle completion.

Edited by yel327, 03 January 2023 - 06:49 PM.

[AbsynthHatch]

Personally I find this really interesting and having someone willing to spend the time to compile this information is really awesome.

Can you share a couple of the more interesting combinations sometime in the future?

People forget options like integrated aircon was a big deal in early 70's, unlike today.

Thanks for keeping the history alive.

[Shiney005]

I will second that. ^^^

I have noticed that Holden held on to some number plates for some time. LFA 006 was a six cylinder LH SL/R, but those plates were released in Victoria in late 1972.

 

 78364457_2852611008105427_1334449731891363840_n.jpg   340.9K   3 downloads

[yel327]

I will second that. ^^^

I have noticed that Holden held on to some number plates for some time. LFA 006 was a six cylinder LH SL/R, but those plates were released in Victoria in late 1972.

 

78364457_2852611008105427_1334449731891363840_n.jpg

 

It isn't a Press Release car. They all had VIC LUK-xxx plates. That plate has probably just been put on for the photo or it has been old-school "photoshopped" onto the image.

[RallyRed]

Little TA , LUK-454
Ex Press fleet?

Attached Files

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Edited by RallyRed, 04 January 2023 - 02:47 PM.

[yel327]

Here is two of the HQ's. Will run through the process.

 

Starting point is the preliminary list of 42 cars required for the Press Fleet. This is a cut of cars 15-17 off that list:

 

 HQ press fleet early snippet cars 15-17.jpg   150.3K   6 downloads

 

The cars of interest here are eventually cars 15 and 17. They had decided upon what the cars were to be at this stage but no info on where they would be built or the Car to Sales date. These three are NSW Press Fleet Cars. Car 16 you can see was to be a HQ GTS coupe, but GMH cancelled the HQ GTS coupe in December 1970, see below. They replaced the GTS's for VIC, QLD and SA fleets with V8 GTS but reduced the numbers from 42 to 41 by removing the NSW GTS.

 

 HQ GTS cancellation.jpg   274.58K   6 downloads

 

And here is the same list but after the cancellation of GTS. you can see "out re letter Dec 11" next to the GTS plus penciled numbers against the cars. They have also written in which VAP were to build the cars:

 

 HQ press fleet snippet after GTS cancellation 15-17.jpg   165.79K   7 downloads

 

Here is the final hand markup. The Car to Sales dates are shown in red pen over to the left, The next red 3-digit number is the order number. Plus some changes to the specs for the cars:

 

 HQ press fleet later snippet cars 15-16.jpg   84.08K   6 downloads

 

There is numerous correspondence about delays, when cars are to be ready etc that helps nail a few of them. Luckily two of the cars that were impossible to nail (VIC Press Fleet, Dandenong build 80169 and 80369) were finished by the time off memo issue and had PSN's against them in one memo I found.

 

End result, here are the two cars off the HQ records, they are the only cars that fit the specs (by BETSBAC) at the VAP with 000 S codes plus with dates that work. As you can see the completion dates are about 3 weeks after the stated Car to Sales dates which is about right in this timeframe. Car to Sales is when the car begins to become a product rather than being a schedule entry. You can see the 000 S against them as they are internal cars, and they are S zone office as they belong to the NSW Press Fleet.

 

 HQ press fleet examples.jpg   31.65K   4 downloads

 

So here is the Belmont I believe. This article tests three NSW Press Fleet cars, and the 202 auto Kingswood sedan is also white but it had a black vinyl roof. This gives me a number plate for a car:

 

 Wheels Sept 1971 page 9.jpg   325.1K   2 downloads

 

 

 

 

[yel327]

Little TA , LUK-454
Ex Press fleet?

 

Yes, car 19 off the Press Fleet and at the Lang Lang Press Release of the LH Torana.

 

 LH 1.jpg   12.87K   3 downloads

 

 LH 2.jpg   20.09K   3 downloads

 

 LH 3.jpg   21.8K   5 downloads

[RallyRed]

Very interesting.
Whats the go with that last listed Monaro?... column auto, but option box has floor shift?
In one sheet it is as above, 2nd sheet they have corrected it?

Edited by RallyRed, 04 January 2023 - 03:48 PM.

[yel327]

The LS you mean? You can see they corrected that in the final version. Perfect example of why I always say I want more than one source of info with GMH stuff before it is proven as fact. Too many people grab incorrect info and run with it.

Edited by yel327, 04 January 2023 - 03:58 PM.

[yel327]

The cars I'm really keen to find in magazines or newspaper tests are the three V8 GTS's. There are three in the HQ Press Fleet, all are listed as standard V8 GTS with the only options being:

 

U63 (11 transistor pushbutton radio

A82 Head rest (QLD Press Fleet car only)

PW6 D70H14 red band tyres

G80 LSD

XS9 cloth inserts

 

QLD car was Amethyst with black cloth (1826-10Y)

VIC car was Baroda Silver with black cloth (1827-10Y)

SA car was Amethyst with Flax cloth (1826-18Y).

 

Why I'd like to see any tests is the only cars that fit in every instance are mechanically standard, ie L32, M20, GV1 with no G80 (253, 4spd, 3.08). Yet all three are called up to be LSD. So any article test should clear this up.

 

Also very weird, when I went looking for these cars there was a huge amount of L32, M21, GV2 (253, M21, 3.36) cars in there, many with LSD, in both GTS and LS. Lots of them were internal cars. If any of these were fitted with dual exhaust, they'd have embarrassed and of the V8 GTS's optioned with 308 (came standard with single exhaust). I'm not sure why there were so many of them as L32 M21 is not something that you ever see on HQ. But them again on those early cars you'd not know as the info wasn't on the tags.

[LC69GTR]

Ian Smith photos 

I would presume press car ?

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Edited by LC69GTR, 04 January 2023 - 04:39 PM.

[yel327]

LOH 296 not in the initial Victorian press fleet cars, they are in the K's. The ones I have are KYR, KYS and KYU. The only VIC Press Fleet Kingswood I have a plate for is KYR 546, but I don't know which one it is. There are to choose from:

 

Kingswood sedan 202 auto with whitewall tyres, cloth trim in SanRemo Gold with Antique Gold cloth trim (will be drums)

 

Kingswood sedan, standard apart from 202 but had buckets, and whitewall tyres, in Salamanca Red with Calypso Red trim

 

V8 Kingswood wagon. Optioned with auto (column), power tailgate, whitewalls and cloth trim. Duchess Gold with Antique Saddle cloth trim.

 

 

LOH 296 is a 202 manual disc brake car so has L20 JL2 options at least. It might be 3spd or 4spd. If you look here you can see Victorian plates in 1973 started at LCK 042 and 1974 started at LTE 459 so LOH 296 will be a 1973 registered car. It has to have been built prior to about 9/73 or thereabouts as it has no ADR27 stuff on the engine. By the firewall it is a Dandenong or Elizabeth car, hard to tell if the BODY ID tag is painted or not in black and white.

 

https://en.wikipedia...tes_of_Victoria

Edited by yel327, 04 January 2023 - 05:11 PM.

[AbsynthHatch]

Fascinating.

This must take a phenomenal amount of research and time.

If you don't mind me asking, where do you get the old GMH letters/information from?

That stuff is priceless.

Press release vehicles always fascinated me, as these were the cars that the motoring press judged the manufacturer by and then either praised or crucified them to the general public.

Sales could be lost or won simply by the performance, look, feel or finish of the supplied car and the review given by the journalist.

Writers like Evan Green could influence or sway the decision of many potential buyers reading their coloumns in newspapers or magazine's of the day.

Makes me feel buying some of these old magazine's off eBay to read the old motor tests.

Keep up the good work.

[Shiney005]

It looks like a young Paul Cockburn driving the HQ above. I'm not sure which magazine he would have been writing for at the time.

[gtr_161]

Are there any lists on these cars around July 71?

[yel327]

There are no lists. Just stuff I have identified from combing original GMH documents. Are you looking for a July 1971 HQ?

[gtr_161]

Nah, 71 GTR 173 car

[yel327]

No chance really. Everything I have is for release vehicles. Mid model stuff was never incorporated into the records. The closest I'm going to have is the odd rego plate of a later LC Press Fleet car where it was replaced by an LJ or a "series2" HQ. All I will have will be something like "Replaces LC Torana rego BQH-045" against a new LJ Press Fleet car.

[gtr_161]

Ah that's a bugger, thanks for replying

[yel327]

If you know which State it was for you might find it in the Service/Warranty report. Will either have a 000M or 000S or 000A or 000B or 000P or a 2xx (like 252 or 256) series dealer code with A. M. B. S or P as the zone office. Every HQ and LJ release Press Fleet car had one of these.

 

I do have all of the details for almost every LC release Press test car including PSN, chassis number, engine number and rego number. I just haven't collated them yet as it is way down my list of interest. I don't have the full details for the 6 x LC XU1's released much later in LC but I can probably find them as I know when they were built, for which State Press Fleet and at which VAP each one was built.