The Holden Shuttle van, aka the Isuzu Fargo, was sold in Australia from 1982 to 1991. It was manufactured by Isuzu from 1980 and spanned two generations. The first generation, which was sold in Australia, was introduced in 1980 and was produced until 1995. Later on, it would receive a facelift and be sold as both a van and pick up.
Holden Shuttle Sold in Australia (1982-1991)
Though the Isuzu Fargo had been in production from 1980, Holden released it two years later as the WFR series Holden Shuttle. It was initially available in both long and short-wheelbase guises. You had the choice of either a high or low roof with or without side cargo windows. It was offered in two powertrains:
- 1.8L 4ZB1 petrol engine (65 kW, 135 N.m) paired with 5-speed manual – powered the 3-door/9-seat LS people mover
- 2.0L 4FC1 4-cylinder diesel engine (44 kW, 118 N.m) paired with 5-speed manual – powered the 2-door/3-seat cab-forward/commercial base model
The LS was actually a limited edition, produced for 250 units only. It seated nine passengers and featured dual-zone air-conditioning and a sunroof. The next year, Holden introduced the LT-a lower-spec nine-seater people mover. It didn't have most of the luxury features fitted in the LS, including the dual-zone air conditioning. Petrol engines powered both the LT and LS, but the LT had this engine:
- 1.9L 4-cylinder petrol engine (67 kW, 151 Nm) paired with 5-speed manual gearbox
The LT came with a radio cassette player and a digital clock as standard equipment, with optional single-zone AC.
Facelift of the Shuttle Van
The Shuttle van underwent some minor facelifts throughout its production. In mid-1993, Holden added a centre front seat, which consisted of a centre bench seat and two outer bucket seats. All models used a five-speed manual gearbox. After that, the base model received some minor changes, such as a repositioned badge, reshaped headlamps, and new steel wheels.
In 1987, the Shuttle became available with a four-speed automatic transmission. The LT was discontinued, leaving Shuttle with only one model, the cab-forward or pickup commercial model. The earlier facelift also discontinued the other engines, so for the last four years (1988-1991) the cab-forward also sported the 1.9L petrol engine used by the LT, paired with either a 4-speed automatic transmission or 5-speed manual gearbox.
Conclusion
Though only the first-generation models reached Australia, sales in other markets continued through the second generation (badged-engineered Nissan Caravan/Urvan E24) and ended only in 2001.
If you own a Holden Shuttle and need parts for it, you may contact us at Carpart.com.au to find spare parts for you. Parts for the limited-edition LS would be particularly difficult to source, but with a website operating Australia-wide, we can easily and quickly link you to sellers and Shuttle-owners who would wish to sell their cars or car parts.
-Eric Anyega