Hi from Australia

[isszy]

Hey guys,

My name is Brett and I am from Melbourne Australia. I don't have a Caprice, but I do have a couple of VY Commodore Berlina's - a sedan and a wagon. The wagon is built on the same wheelbase as the previous Caprice (WL).

Good to see just how many of these cars have ended up in private use.

I get to drive past the Holden manufacturing plant fairly often, and get to see some interesting stuff. I saw an interesting civilian high end Caprice yesterday with Chevy badges - if I can get some pics I will post.

[Navy Lifer]

Welcome, Brett--perhaps the proper greeting is G'day!!!

We're a small but growing group, on a mission to make this car (PPV) matter beyond it's law enforcement destiny. GM North America is not too interested in helping with some of the more challenging issues, so we're going to have to figure out some things on our own.

Regarding the Chevy-badged Caprice, was it LHD (I assume anything with Chevy badging is)--since Caprice is sold in the Middle East with LHD, is it likely that could be what you saw?

As far as the Melbourne Holden operations, what is actually there? I understood that VF & WM/WN cars are built in Elizabeth (Adelaide).....is there vehicle production in Melbourne also?

Great to have another Aussie in our midst! My niece has just relocated to Sydney--she married an Australian back in 2011, and he took a re-assignment from London to Sydney with his work...her father (my brother) and I have been commiserating on the options and excuses to use to make the trip down under in the coming months/years. I've been to Australia several times over the years, thanks to the US Navy....never for long enough, and anxious to get back!

[isszy]

Thanks.

Yes the Caprice was almost certainly a WN. It was too far away to see whether it was LHD, but with a Chev badge it would have been. The front clip looked different to the WM Holden but also different to the PPV front - more classy with unique 19" wheels.

The Melbourne Holden plant is in a portside suburb of Melbourne called Fisherman's Bend. Although Holden started in the mid 1800's in Adelaide as a saddler, the company's head office and main manufacturing plant moved to Melbourne in the 1930's.

Holden had around 10 plants around the country in it's heyday, but now has just two. Elizabeth which is a suburb of Adelaide (where I am at the moment for work) in South Australia is home to the vehicle manufacture and assembly plant. Fisherman's Bend is in the state of Victoria and is still corporate head office. In addition to head office, there is an engine plant which manufactures the alloytech V6 is sizes from 2.6 to 3.6 litre for the Commodore and various exports, and the Holden R&D and design departments.

Holden also has a proving ground at Lang Lang, about 90 minutes drive south east from Fisherman's Bend. I often see camoflaged cars on their way to and from Lang Lang, as well as on various test routes around Melbourne.

Here is a US spec SS I caught on the way home the other night in Melbourne :



And another shot at the Holden plant (probably the same car):


And here is one of the holding yard at the Elizabeth plant:


We love the US ships coming into port. About 15 years ago I was in Sydney for work when the USS Missouri was in town - the whole city turned out for a party !

[Pursuit]

Isszy, Welcome!

As stated earlier. there are a few dedicated caprice owners here in the States. We are a pretty passionate group. We are all looking for information on anything and everything Holden Caprice.
Looking at the back window of the SS, the banner does say Left Hand Drive.
Look forward to your insight!

Thanks,

Maurice

[Tom Slick]

Hey Isszy!

Welcome to the group!!!

Tom Slick

[Navy Lifer]

Thanks.

And here is one of the holding yard at the Elizabeth plant:


We love the US ships coming into port. About 15 years ago I was in Sydney for work when the USS Missouri was in town - the whole city turned out for a party !

Brett, in regard to your photos....I edited to this one. Did I understand that the cars with green wheels (a couple of Sportwagons visible) are destined to become HSV cars?

Thanks for the brief rundown on Holden's Australian operations. One of my goals is to get back to Adelaide some day when V8SC is racing in the streets. I've been to Perth/Fremantle, Esperance, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane during my US Navy years, and enjoyed it all!

Also, USS Missouri has now been in Hawaii for 15 years, since 1998, and it was towed there from Bremerton Washington...time flies when you're having fun! She was decommissioned in 1992 and struck from the US Navy official ship records in 1995--she's now a museum and bookend for WWII in the Pacific, literally, bow-on to USS Arizona at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. So, it's been a little bit more than 20 years, but I can't know when--Missouri did pretty much a "round of the world" victory lap on her last deployment, I recall, so it was likely in that last couple of years before final deactivation, after supporting events in the Middle East - Desert Storm & Desert Shield.

[isszy]

Isszy, Welcome!

As stated earlier. there are a few dedicated caprice owners here in the States. We are a pretty passionate group. We are all looking for information on anything and everything Holden Caprice.
Looking at the back window of the SS, the banner does say Left Hand Drive.
Look forward to your insight!

Thanks,

Maurice

Thanks.

Yes the sticker says LEFT HAND DRIVE. The rules vary from state to state, but basically there are only a couple of ways you can drive a LHD car in Australia. If it is an historic (older that 30 years) you can register a LHD car. A mate of mine has an immaculate 1973 Buick Skylark that he imported as LHD. Historics do not need the sticker. The other way is if you are a vehicle manufacturer and you have a dirty great LEFT HAND DRIVE sticker on the back. These are typically evaluation cars, and are crushed after they have served their purpose.

[isszy]

Thanks.

And here is one of the holding yard at the Elizabeth plant:


We love the US ships coming into port. About 15 years ago I was in Sydney for work when the USS Missouri was in town - the whole city turned out for a party !

Brett, in regard to your photos....I edited to this one. Did I understand that the cars with green wheels (a couple of Sportwagons visible) are destined to become HSV cars?

Thanks for the brief rundown on Holden's Australian operations. One of my goals is to get back to Adelaide some day when V8SC is racing in the streets. I've been to Perth/Fremantle, Esperance, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane during my US Navy years, and enjoyed it all!

Also, USS Missouri has now been in Hawaii for 15 years, since 1998, and it was towed there from Bremerton Washington...time flies when you're having fun! She was decommissioned in 1992 and struck from the US Navy official ship records in 1995--she's now a museum and bookend for WWII in the Pacific, literally, bow-on to USS Arizona at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. So, it's been a little bit more than 20 years, but I can't know when--Missouri did pretty much a "round of the world" victory lap on her last deployment, I recall, so it was likely in that last couple of years before final deactivation, after supporting events in the Middle East - Desert Storm & Desert Shield.

Yes the cars with the green wheels and black bumpers are on their way to HSV's factory in Clayton, Victoria. Apparently VE's had orange wheels, VF's have green.

You should try to get to Melbourne for the Formula 1 event. It has full V8SC races plus the F1's over four days.

Time does fly. After your response, I thought some more about when it was I saw the Missouri. I have been in my current job for 17 years, and it was at least two years before I left the previous job so it must have been at least 19 years, and maybe more.

[isszy]

Thanks.

And here is one of the holding yard at the Elizabeth plant:

We love the US ships coming into port. About 15 years ago I was in Sydney for work when the USS Missouri was in town - the whole city turned out for a party !

Brett, in regard to your photos....I edited to this one. Did I understand that the cars with green wheels (a couple of Sportwagons visible) are destined to become HSV cars?

Thanks for the brief rundown on Holden's Australian operations. One of my goals is to get back to Adelaide some day when V8SC is racing in the streets. I've been to Perth/Fremantle, Esperance, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane during my US Navy years, and enjoyed it all!

Also, USS Missouri has now been in Hawaii for 15 years, since 1998, and it was towed there from Bremerton Washington...time flies when you're having fun! She was decommissioned in 1992 and struck from the US Navy official ship records in 1995--she's now a museum and bookend for WWII in the Pacific, literally, bow-on to USS Arizona at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. So, it's been a little bit more than 20 years, but I can't know when--Missouri did pretty much a "round of the world" victory lap on her last deployment, I recall, so it was likely in that last couple of years before final deactivation, after supporting events in the Middle East - Desert Storm & Desert Shield.

Yes the cars with the green wheels and black bumpers are on their way to HSV's factory in Clayton, Victoria. Apparently VE's had orange wheels, VF's have green.

You should try to get to Melbourne for the Formula 1 event. It has full V8SC races plus the F1's over four days.

Time does fly. After your response, I thought some more about when it was I saw the Missouri. I have been in my current job for 17 years, and it was at least two years before I left the previous job so it must have been at least 19 years, and maybe more.

[Tom Slick]

Isszy,

Are you able to purchase factory service manuals there? If so, there are a few of us that want to buy them!

Later,
Tom Slick