1996 Holden VS Calais V8 Sedan                         

Description

In 1993 Holden introduced its VR series of Commodores. Holden’s safety engineer Laurie Sparke – working in consultation with academics at Monash University on crash survivability – had done a superb job not only of making the Commodore safer but in highlighting safety as a major issue in the car-buying public’s mind. The new Acclaim variant packaged the three standout safety features on offer: airbag, independent rear suspension (IRS), anti-lock brakes (ABS) with automatic transmission. Cleverly aimed at both the fleet and private customer, the Acclaim was immediately successful and within weeks was accounting for 15 per cent of VR sales.
The VS Commodore was introduced in April 1995 with a number of refinements over the outgoing VR Series, notably a more refined ‘Ecotec’ edition of the 3.8-litre V6 engine. The range still comprised Executive, Acclaim, Berlina and the Calais as flagship of the standard-wheelbase variants. Of course, the pick of all these was a Calais equipped with the optional V8 engine. With 165kW of power, independent rear suspension and plush interior (climate control air-conditioning, genuine Australian-supplied timber inserts in the doors – topline Ford Australia and Holden models were thus equipped for a very brief window in the mid-1990s!) the Calais was essentially the equal of German mid-sized models costing at least twice as much.