196 Holden Special Sedan (1963-70)

Bruce--Great Holden photos....many of us have never seen many Holden's before, so thanks for posting! Best regards, Terry

Holden images recovered from the old website backup folder And a Holden Commodore

Al Thank you very much for resurrecting the above images - most appreciated. I have an email under preparation as a result of our recent communication. Basically, I have located a copy of the Post in which the above images formed part, so will post this discussion again, together with additional images. Kind regards Bruce (150) 11 February 2016 #764

There now follows a restoration of this thread to compile some previously displaced information 3997 dinkycollect Photo Bruce Dave I know your post is old, but reading through this Thread I came across it, and thought I would include a photo of my 196 Holden Special Sedan, still secured in its export box by its rubber bands. You will note that the Holden was in the first batch produced in turquoise as Meccano were using up the bronze painted bonnet/hood, and boot/trunk from the first issue. Bruce Note that this box is printed in American, not in English. see

Al I cannot believe my good fortune, or better still, the members and readers of this Forum have much to thank you for your absolutely incredible diligence and perseverance in having been able to rescue so much of the previously missing Posts within the 196 Holden Special Sedan topic. I had no idea following our last exchange of emails that you were busy burning the midnight oil to bring about such a fantastic result! Coincidentally, I too have been burning the midnight oil, and have located virtually my complete Post which you have numbered 5620. I have just been working on FODENS ON PARADE and my next project was to bring in 5620 as I originally wrote it, including editorial notes where pictures were to be inserted when the Post was first submitted. Here is that Post which actually completes Post #17 above! Kind regards Bruce (150) 11 February 2016 #767 GDay Chris In answer to your question whether GM-H made a utility the answer is yes. The two-door Utility and Panel Van were released in January 1963 and these were only available in the Standard version, although many owners ultimately added extras such as chrome trim. The following is the story of the Holden EJ which Meccano selected to mark the 50th Anniversary of the presence of Meccano in Australia. The Holden EJ on which the Dinky Toys 196 is based, was released on 30 July 1962 in three body types, Standard Sedan, Special Sedan, (the 196 Dinky Toys) and the Premier Sedan. The Standard model was the base version no frills, no chrome trim and was only available in a single colour, costing 885 with the Special costing 935. The Special had plenty of chrome as well as the model was available in a selection of dual colours in addition to a selection of upholstery that matched the exterior paint work. The Premier, the first Holden in this higher quality trim, had leather upholstery, two bucket seats in the front, front seat centre console, glove box and luggage compartment (boot/trunk) lamps, available in an exclusive range of metallic paint (Dinky Toys equivalent of Polychromatic Paint), centre armrest for the back seat passengers, heater, automatic transmission with reversing lamps, narrow band whitewall tyres and other features priced new at 1195. Metallic paint was not available with the other two levels of Standard and Special. Yet, despite all the added luxury equipment, like the Standard and Special, the Premier was not fitted with a radio! The occupants had to actually talk to one another, as well as provide their own music! Insert the two advertisements for the sedan/standard Released at the same time was a four-door station wagon that GM-H referred to as a STATION SEDAN, dispensing with the American Wagon. This version was only available for the Standard and Special models. The Standard cost 960 and the Special 1010. The Premier became available in the Station Sedan with the next model Holden, the EH. Insert the advertisement for the station sedanThe total production for all Holden EJ units was 154,811. On 26 October 1962, the 1,000,000 Holden rolled off the production line that happened to have been a Premier. The first Holden came off the assembly line on 29 November 1948. It took only a further six and a half years until 3 March 1969 when the 2,000,000 vehicle rolled off the assembly line, indicating that by the 1960s, Australian lifestyle was becoming more affluent. The Holden EJ series was replaced by the Holden EH series that incorporated some bodywork changes in August 1963. This model had the highest production figure of 256,959 units from August 1963 to February 1965 until the arrival of the Holden HQ Belmont/Kingswood in July 1971. It was perhaps a little sad that when the Dinky Toys 196 Holden Special Sedan was released in September 1963, the model had just been superseded by Holden EH. Now, lets talk about the 196 Holden Special Sedan that was initially issued in polychromatic bronze with a white roof. Interesting to read in the Dinky Toys News for September 1963 that the Holden was painted in metallic bronze (no mention of polychromatic this time) and has opening bonnet and boot, the first Dinky to have both these features. In addition the model came with a little plastic suitcase, and a new innovation, red and clear jewels for the headlights and taillights that are intended to reflect light giving the appearance that the lights are on. This is how the boys and girls were informed of the arrival of this new model: Insert Meccano Magazine pages However, for the purest, 196 is NOT a Holden Special Sedan for two reasons. Firstly the model is painted in a metallic paint which was not available for the Special Sedan. Secondly, and this one I had not noticed previously until I pulled out my Holden book and read that the seats were those for the Premier individual seats for the front and moulded individual seats for the rear, whereas the Special Sedan had a bench seat front and rear. Never noticed that before now!! It is also of interest that the artists rendition of the model for the advertisement has the roof colour extending to the bottom of the windows Insert photo of Premier Euroa Gold With the Special Sedan being the decided name for the model, there was a similar non-metallic paint used for both the Special and Standard models, a Magic Mirror acrylic lacquer from vivid to the most delicate pastel shades. This was Bunyip Bronze with Atherton Ivory roof, the acrylic lacquer equivalent to the metallic Euroa Gold . Perhaps the word bronze threw Meccano out thinking that bronze equals metallic. Insert Bunyip Bronze photos In fact buyers of the Holden EJ Special Sedan had a choice of 18 colours in two tone, and in many cases, a combination could be selected; the primary body colour could be used for the roof with Atherton Ivory the usual roof colour being the primary body colour . In effect, a buyer had a choice of 32 single or combinations from which to select although not all the primary colours were reversed. For the Premier, there was only a choice of four combinations, Euroa Gold, Theatre Grey, Hotham Blue and Wimmera Green, all having an Atherton Ivory roof. How many modern-day manufacturers offer such a wide choice of not only colours but where each colour was used. Insert Picture of the Dinky model. Three years later, Meccano changed the colour scheme of the 198 Holden Special Sedan with it now having turquoise body with a white roof. This colour was one used for the Special Sedan, and its factory name was Tamar Turquoise with Atherton Ivory roof. Insert picture of Tamar Turquoise Special Sedan The Holden EJ was available in the following colours: Atherton Ivory, Barrier Coral, Bunyip Bronze, Carlsbad Black, Castile Green, Cathay Grey, Coast Ivory (usually the roof colour), Cottesloe Cream, Dartford Grey, Euroa Gold (Metallic), Fowlers Ivory, Garrison Grey, Glade Green, Grenadier Red, Hayman Coral, Honey Beige, Hotham Blue 4644, Katherine Beige, Loddon Green, Madang Maroon, Marine Blue 9897, Namatjira Red, Nepean Grey, Parisian Lilac, Pittwater Green, Pyramid Coral, Riverina Blue 4684, Seagull Grey, Sherwood Green, Silverton Grey, Snowcrest White, Theatre Grey, Ti Tree Green, Twilight Turquoise, Walhalla Gold, Wedgewood Blue, Welland Red, Wimmera Green, Woodsman Green There is also a great video that can be downloaded from YouTube:

Kind regards Bruce (150) 30 March 2015 #514

Thanks Bruce, I've assigned you as the author of my previous post so you can access and edit your content in there.If you have any other posts that are truncated, please send me page links and I will grep scan the old forum tables to check if anything else survives. Doing the migration we knew there would be some ragged edges on the data if more delay was to be avoided. Please email David Kaun or myself about any other known missing or misplaced posts.

i Bruce,
In one of your interesting posts above you wrote that this model was issued in 1963 to mark the CENTENARY of Meccano in Australia.I suppose that you meant ' half centuary as in 1963 - 100 = 1863 Frank Hornby was probably not born.Can you please confirm the aniversary
and correct your post ?

To complete this post, I present you my two Holden just arrived. You will notice that Meccano used two dies for the bonnets. The inside of the turquoise model cover has one 'point' under the 'N' and an injection mark on the left of HOLDEN. The inside of the bronze model cover has two 'points' under the 'N' and an injection mark on the right of HOLDEN. I love this kind of discovery !! Richard

Classic photos : Cheers Richard

And the last one which joined the team today : Kind regards Richard

I guess this thread should have started with the original issue, in bronze with white (sometimes an off-white) roof. This model was released in September 1963, to mark 50 years of Meccano in Australia. Meccano worked in closely with General Motors-Holden in Melbourne, Victoria who provided basic drawings of the prototype that had been in production for about a year. The car was officially referred to as the Holden EJ Special Sedan, the model superceding the Holden EK.However, when it came to the suggested colour scheme, GM-H provided samples, and Meccano selected bronze. However, unbeknown to the fellows at Meccano, they had actually selected the colour scheme for the Holden EJ Premier Sedan, an up-market version of the Special Sedan. This was the first model in the Holden family to have a luxury model added to the range, thus acquiring the title 'Premier', with front bucket seats, metallic paint, automatic transmission as standard (rather than an option as on the Special Sedan), heater-demister, and arm rests. (Not much comparing the features in today's cars!)So we have a mistake with the paintwork, which could have been rectified by simply changing the box, whoops, and the base plate. So the bronze colour continued until Meccano had exhausted the supply of this paint by the beginning of 1966. The second edition of the 1966 catalogue, effective from 21 July 1966 has the Holden in turquoise and white, a colour scheme that I have my doubts was seen on this model, although the 1966 Holden HD, a totally different designed motor vehicle appeared in turquoise and white. The catalogue no doubt reflects the period when the colour changed to turquoise and white.The model was fitted with jewelled headlights and tail lights, the first in the Dinky range to have this feature, opening bonnet and boot (hood and trunk for our brethren in North America!) It was fitted with the smaller Type 2 turned aluminium hubs and its base plate was diecast and painted light grey. The interior seats were a very pale blue, sometimes referred to as 'duck-egg blue'.The Holden was exceedingly well cast, in particular the quarter and three-quarter side window pillars. Today's excellent 1/43 scale models, having finer details, do not include cast pillars for the side windows, instead opting for a transfer. So the casting skills of the Meccano workers in the 1960s far exceeded those in China today!

Jacques I have corrected the appropriate Post, although with most of what I had written manyears ago being screwed up in the transfer process, I can only assume that was the only error. Fortunately, in a later Post with a different layout, I had the correct anniversary. Kind regards Bruce (150) 20190809/2112/1196