The HB Torana was first made available to the Australian public and first made an appearance on Australian roads in May 1967. Upon release it would be the smallest car that Holden had ever sold in Australia. It would also be the first 4 cylinder Holden.
It was based on the Opel Viva and only featured a small 1.2L inline 4 engine and a manual transmission. The HB looked and felt very much like the Opel it was based on. Despite this, initial sales exceeded expectations. Subsequently tune ups and refinements took place as well as significant investment from Holden to make sure the Torana would go the distance on Australian roads.
To General Motors Holden, the HB would essentially be a car used to test the Australia car market to see if it would be viable to manufacture a smaller car. Turns out it would be.
The Torana was the first expansion of the Holden line up. Up until this point, Holden had only had its family size cars. The Torana originally targeted a younger audience who may not have need for a family car.
The LJ Torana would go on to replace the HB Torana in 1969. This LJ Torana would be a more ‘Australian’ Torana. Possibly due to the styling being based on the HQ Holden which was in production at the same time. The HB Torana on the other hand, did not look much like the HG Holden which was being sold as a family size car at the time. Some critics say a few more similarities with the HG would have helped sales along even more.
The HB kickstarted the now iconic Torana name badge. It does not seem to have obtained as collectible a status as a number of the models that followed. However original HB Toranas do sell for a premium.