1963 Holden EH Special Station Wagon

In 1963, Holden responded to the challenge of Ford's new locally made Falcons by releasing a model still widely regarded as being one of the best ever to wear the Holden badge. The new EH may have looked similar to the EJ it replaced, but underneath were some pretty significant changes and the overall package certainly struck a cord with buyers - Holden sold more than 250,000 units in the eighteen months the EH remained in production, making it the fastest selling Australian car of all time. Holden revamped the look of the old EJ, with a new squared-off roofline and grille to achieve a very modern looking and attractively styled car. The new look was dubbed 'Power-Swept' styling and was the work of Stan Parker from the Design and Technical Centre in Detroit. The EH brought with it a host of mechanical improvements, most significantly a brand new engine to replace the ageing grey motor. Dubbed the red engine (in deference to the colour the blocks were painted), the new unit had a bigger bore and shorter stroke, plus higher compression ratio to boost output and was offered in either 149-cid or 179-cid guise. Either way, the red engine was a big improvement, with state of the art features like a seven-bearing crankshaft, hydraulic valve lifters, new pistons and head to give plenty of additional power and better fuel economy. Transmissions available were a three-speed column-change manual 'box or the Hydramatic auto, also with three forward gears. Three trim levels were offered, the Standard (aimed at fleet buyers or taxi operators), Special and more luxurious Premier, and Holden billed the wagon, or Special Station Sedan as it was known in the day, as being a "...new fun-filled family favourite!".