Citroen 5CV and Holden prototype car no. 1 Road Test

Testing Australia's Motoring History

In April 2009, NRMA's Motoring Specialists Scott Nargar and Tim Pomroy road tested two slightly unusual vehicles at Oran Park raceway. The first was the Holden prototype car no. 1, the "Australian Car", and the second was a Citroen 5CV that was the first car to travel around Australia. Both vehicles, two of the most important cars in Australia's automotive history, were acquired by the National Museum of Australia, which gave NRMA Motoring & Services the privilege of putting them to the test.

Holden prototype No 1

The Holden was the first and only survivor of three prototypes built by hand in 1946 at the General Motors workshops in Detroit by Australian and American engineers. After several months of exhaustive durability testing at General Motors' Milford proving grounds in the US, prototype no. 1 was shipped to Australia where it underwent further testing on a circuit specifically designed to replicate Australian conditions.

During this time engineers continued to make further modifications to prototype no. 1 while General Motors-Holden executives searched for a name for the new car. Prospective names included GeM, Austral, Melba, Woomerah, Boomerang and Emu. The car also narrowly avoided the name Canbra. Finally it was decided that it would be known as the Holden after the company's first chairman, Sir Edward Holden.

The first Holdens - coded the 48-215, or more commonly known as the FX - rolled off the assembly line at the Fisherman's Bend plant on the 29th November 1948. Prototype no. 1 was eventually sold to a Holden plant foreman and later traded in at a Holden dealership where it sat for 40 years, falling into disrepair. In 1999 two Holden enthusiasts spent a year restoring the car to its final pre-production form. The car was sold again shortly after and then finally purchased by the National Museum of Australia in 2004.

Insured for over $700,000, the Holden is part of the motoring display at the National Museum of Australia and is cared for by a team of automotive conservation engineers. The 48-215 prototype has not been driven on the test track since 1948, so being chosen to run it through a test program was a privilege for NRMA Motoring & Services.

Citroen 5CV

The second vehicle is a yellow, boat-tailed 1923 Citroen 5CV. In 1925 this car was the first to travel around Australia. Its owner, Neville Westwood, was a 22-year old Seventh Day Adventist missionary who purchased the car second-hand with 48,000 km on the clock. He left Perth on 4th August 1925 with one companion.

While travelling through the Northern Territory, the two men had to do many on-road repairs, included filling punctured tyres with grass and cowhide. His companion left the journey in Albury and Westwood continued to Melbourne then Adelaide before returning to Perth on the 30th December 1925 escorted by a welcoming convoy of motorists.

The 5CV was sold by Neville's brother in 1926 then repurchased by Neville shortly after as he recognised its significance to Australian motoring history. The Citroen remained with Neville until his death in 1969, after which it was passed to his son Ron. The 5CV was restored in 1975 and Ron hoped to retrace his father's journey in 2000 for the 75th anniversary but this never eventuated.

The National Museum of Australia acquired the Citroen from Ron in 2005. The museum's conservation experts completely dismantled the vehicle to start on conservation treatment. The chassis was treated and repainted but the body finish retains the form of its 1970 restoration. The running gear has also been treated and reconditioned to functional condition.

The NRMA's road test team was joined by the Channel Nine Today show team and various other newspaper and motoring publications, including a Channel Nine cameraman that filmed the testing throughout the afternoon.

NRMA has a proud history of testing cars. Since 1928 NRMA has continually maintained a new vehicle road test program, keeping NRMA members and the wider motoring public informed about changes in motoring technology, safety and new model releases. This is done through comprehensive and independent road testing that includes performance and fuel consumption testing in real world conditions to give members a more informed reflection of a newly released car.

The first road test report was printed in the Open Road on the 25th September 1928 - on an Austin Roadster. NRMA has previously tested and published two road tests on the FX Holden, one on the 1st January 1949 and the second on the 1st January 1952.

The National Museum of Australia invited NRMA to compare the two older cars with current Holden and Citroen models. The two current models completed the full NRMA test performance testing while the older cars under took some milder testing using the team's satellite data acquisition equipment. The Citroen was limited to some laps around the circuit as it suffered clutch problems, while the Holden completed acceleration testing that involved 0-400m performance tests, acceleration test from 50 to 80km/h and emergency braking test from 80km/h. Tim Pomroy tried to do the NRMA acceleration test from 60 to 100km/h but he ran out of straight track before the vehicle could get up to speed.

Both of NRMA's Motoring Specialists were very surprised at how well the Holden handled considering its age. "It was amazing to see how the body panels were hand beaten and stitch welded to get the shapes and curves," Scott said. "The surprise was under the car as the floor was made up of around 25 different plates welded together to form the different shapes over the running gear."

Tim Pomroy was handed the keys for testing of the 48-215 and was astounded at how well the vehicle performed on the track.

"It doesn't have any of the luxuries of today's cars, not even seat belts or a heater," he said. "But this is where Australian production started and I am proud to have had the opportunity to test this vehicle."

The Holden has the three signatures of the General Motors engineers that completed the testing in Detroit and the date "1946" on the radiator support.

The cars are displayed in turn at the Museum in Canberra. When not on display, they are stored in a government facility in plastic oxygen bubbles (car cocoon) to keep them in pristine condition.

This was a great experience for the NRMA Motoring Specialists as both cars are very unlikely to ever be driven again, especially on a race track under test conditions.

Sections of this article were produced with assistance from the National Museum of Australia.