1950 Holden 48-215

“Enid’s Makeover” - 2000-2010

Bruce Soper

Enid’s transformation began after Bruce Soper purchased her from the original owner, Enid Taylor, in March, 2000.

Her first owner fell in love with the General Motors all new Australian car, the 48-215 Holden, when she saw it on display at the Newcastle Show in February, 1949. She and her husband decided to order one from McLeod, Kelso & Lee in Maitland (opposite the Maitland Mercury in High Street) and thirteen months later, in March 1950, they proudly took delivery of what they believed to be the second Holden to come to Maitland!

Enid was first registered on 26th March, 1950 at Maitland District Registry on the corner of High and Free Church Streets, Maitland. Enid became a beloved member of the family, providing them with many treasured memories of good times spent together until 1975, when she was relegated to a shed, built around her, on the farm. There she remained until her sale in 2000 to Bruce, at which stage, she had only 72,000 miles on the clock, a testament to her kind treatment.

Despite her worse-for-wear appearance at the time, Bruce recognized her importance in the history of the Holden car and her potential, if she could be faithfully restored back to her original showroom condition. He meticulously set about this task, which was to take him ten years to complete to his satisfaction.

He repaired what he could of the original body and engine and replaced those parts that were beyond repair, in the 60 years since her assembly in Sydney.

The roof was hammered and file-finished to original condition by Greg Stranks.

Her paint colour is Mariner Blue, which was the first pearlescent paint ever used. Despite much frustration in sourcing this paint, he eventually managed to have it mixed with the much appreciated assistance from Allen Bridges, (a former GMH employee at the time), which saved his having to settle for a compromise in either colour or paint authenticity. He managed to have the leather for the seats, colour-matched to a small sample still remaining on the vehicle. The Westminster carpet on the floor and in the boot had to be specially ordered and made to original specifications. Her tyres were replaced with new 5-60-15 cross-ply ones.

The final paintwork was completed, thanks to the expertise of Greg Stranks, of Stranks Smash Repairs, East Maitland, while the excellence of the interior trim was achieved by the skills of Todd Herbert, of Eastside Kustom Trim, Thornton.

The Air Chief radio from the car was sent to Melbourne and repaired back to its original capacity. The tool kit bag was authentically reproduced by Todd Herbert, with the invaluable assistance of Stan Bennett (48-FJ Holden Research).The information board was hewn and masterfully hand-crafted from Cedar and Huon Pine into the shape of the Holden badge (that was unique to the 48-215) by Bruce Playford and Hillbilly Furniture, Gresford.

 After 60 years, Enid is most unusual in that she still has the original: -

v     Registration papers (with the same number plate pattern and number) and was

v     Re- registered on the same day, 26 March 2010, sixty years later!

v     GMH factory ignition and boot keys

v     GMH-stamped spark plug leads

v     GMH-stamped covers on the springs

v     Delco-Rémy 6-Volt electrical system

v     Guide Headlights

v     Regulator

v     Generator

v     Starter Motor

v     Motor

v     Gearbox

v     Differential

v     Shock Absorbers

v     “Air Chief” CR 6-tube radio

v     Jack

v     Tools in a replica tool bag

v     Spare wheel (as it was when she arrived, only re-painted)

v     Knobs on door window-winder, choke, light switch and gear lever

v     Original muffler (repaired) and tail-pipe

v     Owner’s Manual

v     Owner’s Instruction Card

v     Sun Visor (Nasco accessory)

v     Venetian Blind (Nasco accessory)

v     Dual Horns (Nasco accessory)

v     Electrical Emergency Kit tin, including list of contents & price.

 (Nasco Accessory)

v     Internal door-locking knobs

Bruce would like to thank everyone who has assisted him in any way to complete Enid’s Makeover  and make her public debut .

He is proud to be able to say that “She’s a Beauty!” once again!

By displaying Enid  in her original glory to the public, Bruce hopes to bring back many happy memories to the older generations and show younger generations what the iconic first Australian car, the GM 48-215 Holden, was really like!

Bruce would like to invite you to come and meet his "Enid"!

Bruce Soper 

April, 2020

Bruce Soper's "ENID"