1985 Holden Drover 1.3L 5MT (64 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Holden introduced the Drover SUV to the Australian and New Zealand markets in 1985 as a rebadged Suzuki Samurai/Sierra after General Motors and the Japanese automaker signed a deal.

In the early ‘80s, Australian customers started to look more often for off-road vehicles. Holden, on the other hand, had none in its lineup. Furthermore, rebadging an SUV from GM’s inventory in the U.S. would have been too expensive. As a result, the quickest way to fix this issue was to ink a deal with the Japanese automaker Suzuki and sell a rebadged version of the Suzuki Samurai/Sierra on the Australian market as the Holden Drover. In 1984, Suzuki launched the SJ413 updated variant of its small-sized offroad vehicle and started producing it in its Japanese factories. Its right-hand-drive configuration (for its home market) made it ideal for sending it to Australia with Holden badging. While at first sight, it seemed to be a solution, the Drover had difficult times and couldn’t sell in big volumes, despite Holden’s brand awareness in Australia. As a result, after just two years, the deal ended.

Holden tried to make the Drover look different than its Japanese sibling. As a result, it modified the car’s front fascia and installed rectangular headlights instead of round ones, as in the Samurai. Furthermore, the grille between them featured two horizontal slats that supported the brand’s lion badge. The metallic bumper placed on the lower side was flat and straight, and it sported the parking and turn signal lamps.

The 1985 Holden Drover had the same boxy-looking shape as its Japanese cousin. It was available as a convertible or as a hard-top body version. After the short and flat nose, the automaker installed a fold-down windshield. On the sides, the flat door panels and rear fenders were identical to those installed on the Suzuki Samurai, which was named the Sierra for the Australian market. Even though the Drover had body-on-frame construction, the automaker installed a safety arch on the B-post to protect occupants during a rollover crash. At the back, the side-hinged tailgate also helped customers load the tiny trunk.

Inside, the dashboard was simple and well laid out. The driver fronted a rectangular-shaped instrument cluster with two large dials for the speedometer and tachometer, while between them, it placed the fuel level, and the coolant temperature gauges stalked on top of each other. Even though they were mainly useless on an open-top vehicle with a drop-down windshield, the 1985 Holden Drover featured four round vents placed high on the dash, two in the middle and two on the ends. The center stack housed the heating and ventilation controls, while a stereo was optional. Between the narrow and skinny front seats, the automaker installed the gear stick and the lever for the 4×4 system. In the back, the Drover had two seats but with very limited legroom.

Under the hood, the Drover had an inline-four engine fed by a dual-barrel carburetor. The small, 1.3-liter powerhouse delivered just 64 PS (63 hp), which it sent via a five-speed manual gearbox to the rear or all wheels via a high- and low-geared transfer box. The stiff suspension, with axles on both ends, made any journey a harsh ride. However, the small-sized and light Holden Drover proved effective on off-road sessions despite lacking any locking differentials.