10 facts you may not have known about the VK
Holden VK Commodore paint codes
The VK Commodore was the fourth Holden Commodore model. It was in production for two years. (February 1984-February 1986). The VK featured the most significant changes seen in the Holden Commodore range at the time.
The most significant cosmetic change from the previous model VH was the use of plastic bumpers instead of chrome bumpers. This change did surprisingly little to the weight of the car. Plastic also replaced chrome with the grille. The new grill featured 3 thick horizontal lines. The VK also introduced the rear quarter window to the Holden Commodore. This window was placed behind the rear passengers window and in front of the rear roof pillar. this gave the car a 6 window design and gave the impression of a longer car. The tail lights also had a panel which extended from one side of the car to the other.
All in all, cosmetically, the VK received a more aggressive and a more modern look. This proved to be a hit. VK Commodore production totaled 135 705 in 2 years.
The VK also featured a new engine. The ‘blue’ engine used in the VC and VH was replaced with the ‘black’ engine, which again received its name from the colour that it was painted. The 1.9L ‘startfire 4’, dropped from the lineup in Australia ended up only produced and sold in New Zealand with the VK. The straight six was no longer a 2.85L but instead was upgraded to a 3.3L. the 4.2L was also dropped and 5.0L was the only V8 option available. The VK Commodore was also the first Holden to offer an Electronic Fuel Injected engine (EFI) in lieu of a carburettor, a big technological step for mainstream motoring at the time.
There were 3 different engines available for the VK Commodore. 2 straight 6 engines and 1 V8. The main difference between the two straight 6 engines is that one uses a carburettor whereas the other one used Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI). The EFI engine was also significantly more powerful despite the fact that both straight 6 engines were 3.3L’s.
Transmissions remained the same from the previous model. That being the 5 speed manual, the 4 speed manual and the 3 speed automatic. As with the previous 3 Commodores, the VK was offered in two different body styles, a sedan and a station wagon. The VK was also very similar is size:
The VK made even more changes to the names of the specification levels. many of the specification levels introduced with the VK still stand today. Executive would eventually replace the SL, however the SL would remain for the time being. The Berlina replaced the SL/X as the mid spec Commodore and the Calais replaced the SL/E as the high end Commodore.
The VK went on sale with the base model SL starting from $11 152. The Berlina Sedan would start at $13 994 and the Calais Sedan at $19 315.
8 models were available and they are as follows: SL sedan, SL Wagon, Executive wagon, Executive sedan, Berlina Sedan, Berlina Wagon, SS Sedan, Calais Sedan.