AFTER churning out a tally in excess of 7 million vehicles, today Holden rolled its last cars off the Elizabeth production line, signalling an end to the company’s nearly seven decades of local production.

The final car was a Red Hot SS-V Redline sedan – the last Holden Commodore to be built not only with a V8 engine under the bonnet, but with a H-pattern manual gearbox as well.

Ahead of it on the production line was a Light My Fire automatic SS Ute, a Son of a Gun grey Calais V V6 wagon, and a Switchblade metallic silver V8-powered Caprice V Sportwagon.

The last four cars will join Holden’s heritage collection that will one day be housed on part of the site where they were built

The first car ever built by Holden in Australia was a 48-215, which was produced in Fishermans Bend in Melbourne on November 29, 1948.

On the final day of manufacturing, 945 people were employed at the Elizabeth plant.

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