1946 Prototype No 1 Holden sedan

View this record on the National Museum of Australia's website

Type: Motor cars
Date: 1946
Place: Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
Materials: Glass, Metal - non specific, Mineral oil, Petrol, Plastic - non specific, Rubber, Textile - non specific
Collection: Ian Metherall collection
Accession number: 2004.0033.0001

Description

Prototype No.1 Holden sedan (prototype for the 48/215 Model). A 2.15 litre six cylinder, four door, blue-gunmetal grey sedan with chrome-plated radiator grille, bumper bars, and hub caps. The grille and hub caps all bear a single Holden red lion badge, and the lion on the grille badge has a small gold-coloured frame around it. The paint in the centres of the wheels matches the bodywork but the rims are black. There is a vertical division in the middle of the windscreen. The interior is trimmed in grey cloth.

This is the only known surviving hand-built prototype Holden 48-215 produced in Detroit in 1946. In August 1946, Fisher Body Works in Detroit, USA built the first Holden prototype. It was called the 'Australian Car Style No 19525' and had the letters 'GMH' on the bonnet and the boot. Two more prototypes were built. After months of durability and performance testing, the three vehicles were shipped to Victoria. Legend has it, they were driven under the cover of darkness to the factory at Fishermen's Bend, arriving on 1 January 1947. The first prototype was registered as JP-480. It underwent further testing, on a 138 kilometre circuit east of Melbourne, travelling about 300 miles (482 km) daily. The first production model Holden officially rolled off the assembly line at Fishermen's Bend on 29 November 1948. Starting with the 48-215, known unofficially as the FX, Holden vehicles quickly became an Australian institution and by 1958 claimed 43 percent of car sales in Australia. A million had been sold by 1960.

About the collection

The Ian Metherall Collection comprises the first prototype Holden sedan motor vehicle. It was hand-built at Fisher Works, Detroit, in 1946 and, after extensive testing, was brought to Australia with two other prototypes for road trials under local conditions. Following release of Holden sedans for sale to the public in March 1949 the prototype passed into private hands. It has since been substantially restored. This vehicle is a reflection of national aspirations, a representation of post-WWII industrial development in Australia and an icon of 1950s Australian society. It is the only survivor of the first three prototypes of 'Australia's Own Car'. It marks the beginning of the Australian automobile industry, contributing significantly to the increasing prosperity of Australians in the post-war years. A Holden was the first car owned by many Australians. They have been celebrated in popular culture, including music, film and even pin ball machines.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 6:04:00 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2026-06-19. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.