Geelong All Holden Day highlight – 48-215 (FX) station wagon

The 2025 Geelong All Holden Day saw more than 450 cars attend. With those sorts of numbers, rare and unusual Holdens were guaranteed to be seen. Along with the street machine, resto mod and full custom cars you’d expect to see, there were also a few creations that could pass for factory builds. One of those was this impressive FX Holden station wagon.

As most enthusiasts will know, GM-H didn’t offer a station wagon until early 1957 with the FE Series, but they did build a one-off for assessment sometime in early 1954. The lack of a wagon in Holden’s range didn’t stop a few enterprising businesses and individuals from making their own back in the day. Of the handful of companies doing wagon conversions on Holden sedans, S.H. Cordell in the Melbourne suburb of Hampton is perhaps the best known.

Around a dozen Cordell wagons are believed to have been built by this professional coachbuilder in the mid-1950s. According to early Holden historian Don Loffler (as noted in his book The FJ Holden), most of these were based on the FJ, with only three built from an FX. The cost of these conversions – around half the price of a new FJ in 1956 – limited the market, which evaporated entirely when the FE wagon arrived.

The wagon featured is most likely a recent build in the style of Cordell, as it had a one-piece tailgate that appeared to incorporate a power window – a feature never available on these vehicles originally. In all other respects, this vehicle looked factory, though, with a Grey Motor, column-shift manual, 6-volt electrics and a stock interior. Seat belts had been added, while the rear seat could be folded down to increase the rear load area. A clock in the steering wheel boss was an interesting touch.

The caravan this FX was hauling, a Furness ‘Special 12’, was apparently made especially for Holdens. Furness Limited were based in SA and offered a range of models, including the ‘Baby’ for small four-cylinder cars. An unusual feature on this Special 12 was the second set of sprung wheels on the drawbar. This was likely designed to reduce weight on the towbar and even out the load, or as Furness put it: ‘the van that travels well and is kind to your car’.

For JUST CARS’ report from the 2025 Geelong All Holden Day, click HERE.