Holden Gemini - Australian TV commercial / promotional film (1975)

[PepeFastCars]

@aussiepaul44 Good point considering the era. Hoon cars were on the nose with the manufacturers by the mid 70's. There was the Sandpiper version which was an accessory package I think from memory. However they did race these cars in the minor classes and not very successfully. Had GMH offered some performance options, perhaps things might have been different.

[PepeFastCars]

1600 engine with an overhead cam - Datsun was there almost 10 years earlier. Why Holden never launched a performance version seems like a lost marketing opportunity now.

[aussiepaul44]

@PepeFastCars The Gemini quickly became the top seller in it's class after its release so I don't think Holden missed a any marketing opportunities.

[creativeengineer]

You and I in Gemini... oooooh oooooh oo.

[splintamike]

I had a 1978 TD Gemini Sedan for 13 years. It was a little sluggish with the original 1600 cc engine and 4 speed gearbox. I eventually upgraded to a Japanese import 2000cc and 5 speed. It went like the clappers then because it didn't weigh anything.  I eventually traded it in on a Corolla in 1996. It got 500 bucks for it, which was not bad considering it was 18 years old.

[SonofthePhantom]

My Mum had one of these, .....the rust cost her a fortune to repair

[quirpco]

And I thought I was the only one who put ribbons on my vents.

[SonofthePhantom]

Small and RWD  should have gone well

[richarddr1234]

@SonofthePhantom It did, these cars were so popular in the Philippines in the 1980s. Taxi companies for the most part used this model. Of course, these were marketed as Isuzu Gemini.

[tech9803]

70c a gallon!

[TheAussieBry]

I can name every landmark in this clip and take you there as well if you wish. I thought I may have been lucky enough to spot myself in the clip as well.

I now recall that it was shot on a weekday over 3 different days, I would have been in school.

[Seattlecarnut]

Nice looking car. More importantly (hopefully), it's built for Australian driving. Most of our American cars of the time had some of the same features, except they weren't developed for Australian driving conditions.

[bonzoAU]

Who was IAN and where is he today?

[kadoelen2006]

I need to put some of those cloth strips on my airco.

[patmorac]

what's wrong with this ad? firstly, its 1975 and they are all wearing seatbelts, secondly the baby is in a capsule rather than on the mum's lap in the front seat, thirdly none of them are drinking while they are driving!

[richard1963c]

@patmorac I can't speak for all Australian States but by 1975 seat belt laws were well and truly in place in Victoria ( Where the Gemini Sedan featured in this film was registered ). Ditto Drink Driving laws although they wern't quite as strict as they are now.

[moosildinho]

i wish i had a gemini...jks

[Ninjarni]

i love the song "gemini, gemini, you and i, you and i, gemini, oooooow oooow"

[mikenorman66]

what a piece of crap. No remote boot release and locking. Not even a tacho and zero to 100 km/h in a Sunday afternoon.

[CommodoreWog]

Nice Legs Babe! :P

[fiat850super]

This car is like Vauxhall Chevette and Opel Kadett but interior is not the same..

Great and popular car, also in Europe. Most with 1,2 engine. A little bit lost for horsepower but very economic and nearly without problems.

[richard1963c]

@fiat850super Essentially it is the same car.

[joh2]

@fiat850super It is the Australian version of those cars, however it is also heavily based upon the Japanese Isuzu Gemini variant - changes to the Gemini generally mirrored the Isuzu models. All Gemini's were Isuzu powered, either 1.6L petrol or 1.8L diesel (option from 1981 onward)...

[bluehachiroku]

this might have been for motorshows too.. I know theatre ads were usually the full length edit of an ad,but 6 mins..seems to be more for a show ??

[bluehachiroku]

It's funny how much BS we're fed.. The "built for Australian conditions" or, "long Aussie legs" what a bunch of old jobbies. ;-) A bit like saying our rough roads are rougher than your rough roads.. and our girls are 7ft tall.. and hey, where's my airvent streamers??

[bluehachiroku]

See that button by the steering wheel? That's the ejector seat activator. Great for when you've had enough of your girlfriend banging on about your mistakes.

[fjbutch]

Petrol was 70 cents a gallon back then....

[GitarStu]

Any ideas where it was filmed? The beach looks really familiar.

[43210asdfghjkl]

a section I think was Barwon Heads.

[maso63]

this ad was shot at Forster NSW and surrounds

[GitarStu]

@maso63 It looks like Bungwahl at the start.  The Lakes Way through to Forster. You can see the Forster/Tuncurry Bridge at around the 2:20 mark.

[maso63]

one of the areas was Seal Rocks just south of Forster

[subzero92MK]

it looks nice

[mjsfnq]

If I remember correctly, they were a good car at the time. my brother had one and it was quicker than Dad's XC Falcon 4 litre 6cyl!

[JabMash]

these options were considered luxiries its just hard to beleive that my car is luxurious

[napolean34]

when i was a kid my mates folks had one...we use to call it the sleepy car..especially on long journeys

[PhilosophyDragon81]

these days cars such as Holden Cruze, Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Corolla have standard air-conditioning as well as dual airbags, ABS brakes, MP3 compatable CD player with AUX input for iPod, power windows, power mirrors and power steering on entry level models.

[JonathanDParshall]

Built on the same platform as the Chevette, that doesn't inspire confidence from me. It does look a hell of a lot better than its American counterpart, though.

When did Australia get FM radio? Judging from this, it looks like it was later than the US.

[zoszos68]

More like "when did we get FM as standard in our cars?" lol.

We had a national Government Fm station (Clasical music) and a few local community FM stations then.

Commercial FM came in 1980.

Oh and a great car to rev that engine out if not it would slug out if changed gears to soon.

[gecho82ss]

LOL only a 12month and 20,000km warranty.....

[PhilosophyDragon81]

these days some car company offers a 3yr/100,000km warranty or else 5 yrs/130,000km warranty

[alfa01spotivo]

just noticed there is a rear child seat thats excellent never knew it was around them days

[alfa01spotivo]

excellent video thanks for sharing

[mat622]

No tape deck or cd player? What about ipod connector? Does the radio have bluetooth? What about esp or abs?

[PhilosophyDragon81]

back in those days there's only a radio as standard. nowadays apart from standard CD player (which is MP3 compatable), AUX input for iPod and also Bluetooth connector for mobiles. these days ESP and ABS are standard as well as dual airbags and optional side and curtain airbags.

[somaking77]

This is an awesome video! This was my parents' car when I was born, and it brings back a lot of memories!

[mat622]

My parents' had this car to, in fact I was taken home from the hospital in this very car back in 1977

[sortashaman]

Hah!! What a classic! I recall that the Gemini was "Wheels" 1975 Car of the Year. I may have even seen this "short" at a showing of "Airport '75" or "The Return of the Pink Panther" or something (my family and I moved from the States to Canberra in 1974-76). Thanks for the memories!

[audiquattro01]

sweet! cool car!

[tramman82]

Great stuff, where the hell did you find this?!?!

[tjfaust]

Love them, Keep them coming.  i am linking to a few of these on my site.

[elkygem]

awesome!!!!! gotta love the gemini, the small car full of great ideas!