Holden Commodore VC

After the wonderful success of the VB Commodore, Holden launched its next model in the Commodore series, the VC Commodore, in March 1980. The VC Commodore was a slightly more refined version of the VB Commodore, as it offered a 4-cylinder engine apart from the standard 6-cylinder and V8 engines. Many other design features and technical superiorities were added to this model to ensure that Holden would succeed in delivering the kind of car that Australians had come to expect. Holden fulfilled its promise and the Australian people welcomed this new car with great delight! The performance of the VC Commodore and its success was recognized by Wheels magazine, which declared that it was the best-ever car in Australia! 

Enhanced features of the VC Commodore

The VC Commodore was distinguished by an 'egg-crate' style grille.
Holden had put considerable effort into increasing the performance of its cars, so the engine modifications had increased their power up to 25% and their fuel economy by 15% compared to previous models. This increased power and economy was achieved with a redesigned cylinder head, a camshaft, a carburetor, an inlet and exhaust manifold, and electronic ignition. Holden had made every effort to incorporate the technology that was rocking the automobile industry at the time, so that Australia would not be left behind in its quest to produce the best car in the world.

The VB Commodore had already successfully addressed the harsh Australian road conditions, but the VC Commodore provided more smoothness, as it used an upgraded suspension system, which ensured improved riding and handling conditions. The VC also had a distinct visual feature—it reintroduced shadow-tone exterior paintwork, which was truly special, considering that shadow tones had not been seen on new Holdens for almost 20 long years. The tail-lights of the VC were also changed, from 'red' plastic surrounds to 'black' plastic surrounds. In addition, cruise control was added to the Commodore VC to make it more versatile in its operation and performance. All these features added a rich variety to the already-successful Commodore VB, and the VC again won the best-selling car of Australia award. The impact of the Commodore VC’s success was so great that the company discontinued the production of the Holden HZ line, which had, until then, continued to be produced alongside the Commodore.