|
Holden Camira JB
|
1982 - 1984 |
Country: |
|
Engine: |
4 cyl. SOHC |
Capacity: |
1600cc |
Power: |
64kw |
Transmission: |
4/5 spd. man.; 3 spd. Auto |
Top Speed: |
n/a |
Number Built: |
85,725 |
Collectability: |
|
|
|
The Holden Camira can be remembered
for many things, but at the time the important issues
were that this was a "World Car", and it
was GMH's first front wheeler.
The Camira was sold in the USA as the Pontiac J2000, in
the UK as the Vauxhall Cavalier, in Germany as the Opel
Ascona and in Japan as the Isuzu Aska.
Manufactured in Australia by Holden, the Camira was designed
by Opel and used an international parts bin that included
an Isuzu dash and transmission.
Apart from these few items,
the Camira was largely built from Australian components,
and boasted more local content than the (VL) Commodore
of the day.
The atmo was imported from GM's HydraMatic division in
the USA (the Turbo-HydraMatic). Powering the Camira was
the Family II 4 cylinder engine being manufactured at
the Fishermans Bend facility.
Although the initial design only catered for a sedan,
Australian designers soon crafted a wagon variant to meet
local demand. In keeping with existing Commodore and Gemini
model designations, the Camira came in SL, SL/X and SL/E
trim levels.
Despite winning a "Car of the Year" award,
the Camira suffered reliability and build quality issues,
and quickly gained a reputation it could well have
done without.
Many believe the key flaw was in the
engines design - one that allowed the motor to reach
normal operating temperature quickly so that it could
cope with Autobahn driving in Europe.
The Camira "SJ" (Sports) version was released
in 1983 and featured go-fast equipment such as alloy
wheels and - you guessed it - matching decals. Unfortunately
no modifications were made to the drivetrain. |