Commodore Celebrates 35th Anniversary

The most successful nameplate in Australian motor racing history, the Holden Commodore, celebrates its 35th birthday tomorrow at the ARMOR ALL Gold Coast 600. 

The original VB Commodore was officially launched on October 26, 1978, marking a new era for Holden. It was instant hit, becoming Australia’s best selling car and winning the prestigious Wheels Car of the Year award.

Commodore’s showroom success was mirrored in competition from the start, Peter Brock with co-driver Matt Phillip and navigator Noel Richards leading the Holden Dealer Team’s three-car campaign for the grueling 1979 Repco Around Australia Reliability Trial to a dominant 1, 2, 3 finish.

Its circuit racing debut was equally successful, Brock and HDT claiming the coveted touring car triple-crown in 1980; the Australian Touring Car Championship, Sandown and Bathurst. 

“Commodore’s acceptance by Australians and its outstanding success set the scene for decades to follow,” Holden Motorsport and Sponsorship Manager Simon McNamara said. 

“Australia’s favourite family car is also the most successful nameplate on the race track – an achievement of which we are proud.”

Commodore’s 15 model variants have won a record 394 ATCC/V8 Supercars Championship races, 22 Bathurst 1000 crowns and 12 ATCC/V8SC titles. Commodore also holds the record for most consecutive Bathurst wins: seven from 1999 to 2005.

Its motor racing success has not been limited to Australia, Commodore having won in New Zealand, China, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Europe and the United States of America.

One of its most significant yet often overlooked triumphs came in 1987, when Allan Moffat and John Harvey drove their Australian-built VL Commodore SS Group A to victory in the first-ever World Touring Car Championship race, held at Italy’s famous Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, upsetting a number of the world’s great marques.

Commodore won two races during the inaugural WTCC season, the second coming with Brock’s ninth and final Bathurst 1000 crown.

The most winning model has been the VE Series, which amassed a record 103 V8SC race victories, three championships and four straight Bathurst 1000s.

The latest generation, VF Commodore, the first to be built to V8 Car of the Future specifications, has extended Commodore’s successful motorsport legacy, already winning 22 championship races in 2013 and having secured Holden the V8 Manufacturer’s Championship by the season’s halfway point.

Commodore drivers Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes lead the current V8 Supercars title chase with just seven races across three events remaining.

“Commodore has evolved considerably over its 35 years, with the new VF Commodore the most advanced vehicle ever developed in Australia,” McNamara said. 

“Not only does its contemporary design, innovative technology, standard safety features and build quality make it a truly world-class vehicle, its performance and driving capabilities have made VF Commodore a winner on the race track.”