Holden VE Commodore: Celebrating 10 years

SIMPLY ask what is the most Australian car ever built and you will get an array of answers.

It’s a controversial topic, and one that divides automotive enthusiasts.

Regardless of what you think deserves the moniker, the VE Holden Commodore must at least be considered.

Holden’s ‘billion dollar baby’ was the first ever clean-sheet Holden Commodore.

Starting with a blank slate, a dedicated team of Australians, led by design guru Michael Simcoe, designed and built arguably the most Australian car ever.

Built by Aussies, for Aussies, the Holden VE Commodore became an instant classic.

This weekend marks 10 years since the VE was launched, and Wheels has been there all the way. We first spied the car in 2005, revealing exclusive computer generations of what would be one of the most important cars in Holden’s history.

And this weekend we will be celebrating the incredible achievement of creating the VE with a series of features. We’ve dug into our expansive archives to help retell the story of how the all-Aussie Commodore came to be, how it performed, and the legacy it left.

With local manufacturing coming to a close, Australia is unlikely to see a car like it again. As a proud motoring country, we can all stand with our heads high looking back at what we could achieve.