The development of Australian automotive design: General Motors Holden, 1923-1953

The merger of General Motors Australia and Holden Motor Body Builders in 1931 not only established Australia's leading automotive company it formalised Automotive Design in this country. This paper, for the first time, will examine and disclose the initial 30 years of Automotive design at GM-H and expose the original designers, their origins and achievements. Initially located in Adelaide from 1923, Holden's design section produced unique body styles, like the streamline styled All-Enclosed Coupé and provided solutions not only for dust sealing, ventilation and motor body strength but solved complex engineering problems with innovative design during WWII. The initial designers were trained internally by one man, Bert Wylie, who understood that good body design lay in precise drawings and not a chalk board. The team he built, with American input, applied considerable knowledge and expertise to ensure the Holden car, when released in 1948, was exactly what the Australian market wanted. Design at GM-H evolved from American practice through a small team who were provided the opportunity to be innovative and progressive. This paper explores the emergence of the Holden design team and their place in the general design sphere. The paper will argue that by the mid-1940s the GM-H design group were capable of producing a complete Australian car and that this expertise elevated the Holden design team to a position of respect within the GM Corporation.