HZ sandman were Kingswood i thought
It's an epicyclic gear train that permits two shafts to rotate at different speeds while being driven by a third shaft.
No need to, you've essentially nailed it!
The HOLDEN terminology is really only something I use as that is the form of and what the badges and transfers say on HQ-WB cab-chassis and HJ-WB base spec ute and van. In reality though they are simply for example HJ utility, HQ cab-chassis (2 x models for HQ: 6cyl and V8) or HX panel van, only in HQ does Belmont get used for ute and van (so for example HQ V8 Belmont panel van or HQ 6cyl Kingswood utility). The next level up is for example WB Kingswood utility, HZ Kingswood panel van.
Never been 100% sure why GMH played around with naming and luxury levels. it can only be based upon marketing and sales I guess - as logic seems to go out the window in many cases. As Innuendo says HJ-HX still had Belmont sedans and wagons yet that name had gone from commercials by HJ. In HZ they tinkered again and made the base sedan and wagon an option package (A9K) on a Kingswood SL. The Kingswood luxury level existed in its own right on HZ ute and van, but it became an option on a Kingswood SL for passenger vehicles. Go figure? So in HZ there was no longer an alignment between the base commercial and the base sedan/wagon. Given how rare a HX Belmont sedan or wagon is today my guess is they were no longer selling many and fleet buyers were opting for the HX Kingswood, hence GMH realised the need for HZ Kingswood sedan and wagon and must have thought the Kingswood SL had too many goodies for a fleet vehicle?
Last edited by HK1837; 09-12-2014 at 09:00 AM. Reason: Spelling
I reckon Holden was run like a mine site. Lots of chiefs making decisions based on nothing to do with reality. Have three meetings a day and change the plans each time as they realise they didn't work. Eventually a decision is forced upon them. Then they go broke.
Hence the dogs breakfast of naming models and not even following basic alphabetical order for models.
There would be people with brilliant ideas for cars that people wanted but the chiefs would have been scared of them because they were more intelligent so they transferred them to the cleaning team.
It really shows up now when trying to work out what is what 30 years after these cars were built. Holden, the dogs breakfast of model identification.
More like a Dictatorship James than lots of Chiefs. Engineering and Styling etc. would simply be following simple rules set down in stone either at a certain date or by following GM corporate guidelines. Sales & Marketing in particular one very influential man (John Bagshaw) were more often than not the ones who mixed things up with the simple aim of selling more cars. Behind the scenes everything GMH did was pure logic, as the most logical way to do anything was more often than not the most efficient - just look at the engine prefix codes used from the start of HQ production. When you sit down and talk to senior guys from the day like Leo Pruneau you get stories about arguments between production managers like Lloyd Beck and the golden haired boy John Bagshaw - one in particular was the HX LE. Guess who won?
R ewe 4 reel Bow Gunn ?
Despite what is said above by some very respected opinions, I believe that the Belmont name did, initially at least, make an appearance in HJ. I have a ute in factory paint (parts car) that wears Belmont badges (12/74 I think), but I also think I have some other holden material at home, I'll dig it out.
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