The End of the Grey Motor Era

By the early 1960s, the Grey Motor had served Holden faithfully for fourteen years, but it was showing its age. The sidevalve design was a technological dead end, no amount of development could extract serious performance from an engine where the valves sat in the block beside the cylinders. Holden needed a modern overhead-valve engine to compete with the imports flooding into Australia, particularly the Ford Falcon, which arrived in 1960 with a modern OHV six-cylinder.

The answer was the "Red Motor", so named because the first versions were painted red (though later versions came in gold and other colours). The Red Motor family was a clean-sheet design: an inline six with pushrod-operated overhead valves, a cast-iron block and head, and significantly better breathing and power than anything Holden had built before. It would power Holden's cars from 1962 through to the mid-1980s, evolving through multiple displacements from 149ci to 202ci.

The EJ, Red Motor Revolution (1962-1963)

The EJ Holden, launched in April 1962, was the first car to carry the Red Motor. It was a pivotal moment for Holden, the company's first truly modern car.

Design and Engineering

The EJ's body was an evolution of the EK it replaced, with cleaner lines, a wider grille, larger windows, and a more contemporary appearance. The interior was redesigned with an instrument panel that looked forward rather than back, and the overall build quality was a step above the cars that preceded it.

Under the skin, the Red Motor was the headline act. The EJ launched with the 149ci (2,438 cc) version, a relatively small displacement, but the overhead-valve architecture meant it produced approximately 75 hp (56 kW), a substantial improvement over the Grey Motor's 45-52 hp. The engine was smoother, quieter, and more refined. It revved more freely and had better mid-range torque.

The EJ was available in three trim levels:

• Standard: Basic trim, the workhorse
• Special: Upgraded interior, more chrome, two-tone paint options
• Premier: The new luxury model, with the fullest specification Holden had ever offered

Body styles included the sedan, utility (ute), panel van, and station wagon, the first proper Holden wagon, replacing the FC's makeshift "station sedan."

Production and Sales

The EJ was produced for approximately 18 months, with total production around 128,000 units. It sold well, though it was destined to be overshadowed by its successor. The EJ is often described as the "transition car", it introduced the Red Motor and the modern body shape, but it was the EH that perfected the package.

The EH, Holden's Masterpiece (1963-1965)

The EH, launched in August 1963, is arguably the most important and beloved pre-Commodore Holden ever built. It refined everything the EJ introduced and added one crucial ingredient: the 179 cubic inch Red Motor, which transformed Holden from a maker of sensible transport into a maker of genuinely exciting cars.

Design and Engineering

The EH looked similar to the EJ at a glance, but almost every panel was different. The body was subtly wider, the roofline was lower, the window glass was larger, and the front end was revised with a new grille and headlight treatment. The overall effect was a car that looked more confident and purposeful than the EJ.

The 179ci Red Motor: The EH's defining feature was the optional 179ci (2,932 cc) engine, a bored and stroked version of the 149 that produced approximately 115 hp (86 kW) with a twin-barrel Stromberg carburettor. This was a 53% increase over the 149 and it transformed the car's character. The 179 was willing, revvy, and had genuine mid-range punch. It was the engine that Australian enthusiasts had been waiting for.

The 179 was standard in the EH S4 (a new sporty trim level) and the Premier. The combination of the 179 engine, the S4's 4-speed manual floor-shift gearbox, and the EH's well-sorted chassis created a car that was genuinely fun to drive, something no Holden had ever truly been before.

Chassis refinements: The EH received revised suspension tuning, improved brakes (front disc brakes were available on the S4 and Premier), and better noise insulation. The steering was more precise, the ride was more controlled, and the overall driving experience was a generation ahead of the EJ.

Trim Levels

The EH expanded Holden's range significantly:

• Standard: Base model, 149ci engine, 3-speed manual, vinyl interior
• Special: Mid-range, 149ci or 179ci, improved trim, chrome
• S4: The sporting model, 179ci standard, 4-speed manual floor shift, bucket seats, full instrumentation, front disc brakes available
• Premier: The luxury flagship, 179ci, power-assisted steering, comprehensive interior, front disc brakes

The S4 was the game-changer. It was Holden's first car that acknowledged the existence of the enthusiast driver, a car designed to be driven with gusto rather than merely transported in.

Production Numbers, The Biggest Early Holden

The EH had the longest production run and the highest production volume of any early Holden model. Approximately 252,000 EH models were produced between 1963 and 1965, more than any previous Holden and a record for the pre-Kingswood era.

This massive production run has a direct impact on the collector car market today. The EH is paradoxically both common (many were made) and desirable (many people want them), which creates a healthy market with good parts availability and strong club support.

Body Styles

The EH was available as:

• Sedan: The standard 4-door, and by far the most common body style
• Station Wagon: A 5-door wagon with a large cargo area
• Utility (Ute): The quintessential Australian working vehicle
• Panel Van: Enclosed cargo version of the ute

All body styles shared the EH's mechanical improvements and trim level options.

Motorsport, The EH at Bathurst

The EH arrived just as Australian touring car racing was exploding in popularity. The Armstrong 500, the endurance race that would eventually become the Bathurst 1000, was the country's premier motorsport event, and the EH was perfectly timed to compete.

1963 Armstrong 500

The EH debuted at the 1963 Armstrong 500 at Bathurst's Mount Panorama circuit. The race was for showroom-stock cars, modifications were minimal, and the cars that raced were essentially the same as the ones you could buy from a Holden dealer. The EH's 179 engine and improved chassis made it immediately competitive.

The 1963 event saw EH Holdens battling Ford Falcons in what would become the defining rivalry of Australian motorsport. The EH's lighter weight and willing engine offset the Falcon's greater displacement, and the Holdens were competitive throughout the field.

1964 Armstrong 500

The 1964 race saw the EH at the peak of its competitiveness. Holden entries were dominant, with the 179-powered S4 models proving particularly strong. The EH's combination of reliability, adequate power, and good handling made it an ideal endurance racer.

The privateers were the heart of the EH's racing story. These were ordinary Australians, mechanics, farmers, businessmen, who drove their EH Holdens to Bathurst, raced them for 500 miles around the Mountain, and then drove them home again. This accessibility was central to the Armstrong 500's appeal and to the EH's motorsport legend.

The Broader Racing Scene

Beyond Bathurst, the EH was a fixture in Australian motorsport throughout the mid-1960s. EH Holdens competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC), state-level touring car races, rallies, and hillclimbs across the country. The 179 engine was competitive in its class, and the car's simplicity meant that preparation and maintenance were within reach of club-level competitors.

The EH's racing career established a template that Holden would follow for decades: take a popular production car, develop it for competition, and use motorsport success to sell more cars. The EH proved that Australians would buy a car partly because of its racing pedigree, a lesson that directly led to the Monaro, the Torana GTR XU-1, and the Commodore SS.

Cultural Significance

The Everyday Icon

The EH Holden occupied a unique position in Australian culture, it was both aspirational and accessible. The S4 and Premier were cars you worked toward, but the base-model Standard was within reach of almost any working family. The EH was the car that mechanics and bank managers both drove, though in different trim levels.

This universality made the EH a shared experience. If you grew up in Australia in the 1960s, you either rode in an EH, owned an EH, or knew someone who did. It's a car that connects generations.

The Modifiers' Favourite

The EH was one of the first Holdens that inspired a significant modification culture. The 179 engine responded well to tuning, a set of extractors, a hotter cam, twin carburettors, and a free-flowing exhaust could add 30-40 hp. The Red Motor's architecture was strong enough to handle significant power increases, and the aftermarket responded with camshafts, manifolds, carburettor kits, and exhaust systems.

This modification culture was the precursor to the performance car scene that would later coalesce around the Monaro and Torana. The EH taught a generation of Australian mechanics how to extract performance from a simple pushrod six, and many of those mechanics went on to become the engine builders and tuners who prepared Bathurst-winning cars in the following decades.

The Collector Scene

The EH became a collected car earlier than most Holdens. By the 1980s, enthusiasts were already seeking out well-preserved examples, and the EH owners' clubs were among the most active in the country. The car's combination of good looks, willing performance, and massive production numbers made it an ideal collector car, common enough to be affordable, desirable enough to be worth collecting.

Today, the EH is a cornerstone of the Australian classic car scene. Every major car show features EH Holdens, and the EH-specific clubs and Facebook groups are vibrant communities with thousands of active members.

Legacy

The EH's importance in Holden's history cannot be overstated. It proved that Holden could build a car that was both sensible and exciting. The 179 Red Motor demonstrated that an Australian engine could deliver genuine performance. The S4 trim level established the principle that Holden would offer a driver-focused variant, a principle that led directly to the Monaro GTS, the Torana GTR, and the Commodore SS.

The EH also established the production volume and parts supply chain that makes early Holden ownership viable in the 21st century. With a quarter of a million cars produced, the EH created a parts ecosystem, wrecking yards, specialist suppliers, reproduction manufacturers, that sustains the hobby to this day.

Every Holden that came after the EH owes something to it. The Monaro's aggression, the Torana's agility, the Commodore's all-round competence, all trace their lineage back to the EH S4, the car where Holden discovered that building exciting cars was good business.

Timeline

Year	Event
1962	EJ launched, introduces the Red Motor (149ci) to the Holden range
1963	EH launched, introduces 179ci Red Motor, S4 trim, 4-speed manual
1963	EH debuts at Armstrong 500, Bathurst, immediately competitive
1964	EH dominates Australian touring car racing, wins at Bathurst
1965	HD Holden replaces EH, carries the Red Motor forward
1966	HR Holden launches, final evolution of the EH body platform
1980s	EH collector scene begins, well-preserved examples sought after
2000s	EH values climb steadily, S4 and Premier models lead the market
2020s	EH Premier 179 manual in concours condition exceeds $100,000

Production Numbers

Model	Years	Approximate Production
EJ, All variants	1962-1963	~128,000
EJ Standard sedan	1962-1963	~62,000
EJ Special sedan	1962-1963	~38,000
EJ Premier sedan	1962-1963	~12,000
EJ Utility / Van / Wagon	1962-1963	~16,000
EH, All variants	1963-1965	~252,000
EH Standard sedan	1963-1965	~105,000
EH Special sedan	1963-1965	~68,000
EH S4 sedan	1963-1965	~32,000
EH Premier sedan	1963-1965	~22,000
EH Utility / Van / Wagon	1963-1965	~25,000