company name	GM Holden Ltd
company logo
company type	Subsidiary
foundation	1856
location	Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
key people	Mike Devereux''Chairman and Managing Director''
industry	Automotive
products	AutomobilesEngines
num employees	6,336 (March 2009)
parent	General Motors
homepage	holden.com.au }}

GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer, but in the 20th century entered into the automotive field, becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors (GM) in 1931. After the GM takeover, the company was named General Motors-Holden's Ltd, becoming Holden Ltd in 1998, with the current name adopted in 2005.

Holden has taken charge of GM's vehicle operations in Australasia, and on their behalf, held partial ownership of GM Daewoo in South Korea between 2002 and 2009. Holden has offered a broad range of locally produced vehicles, supplemented by imported GM models. Holden has offered badge engineered Chevrolet, Nissan, Suzuki, Toyota, and Vauxhall Motors models in sharing arrangements, with Daewoo, Opel and Isuzu-sourced models sold currently.

All Australian-built Holden vehicles are manufactured at Elizabeth in South Australia, and engines are produced at the Fishermans Bend plant in Port Melbourne, Victoria. Historically, production or assembly plants were operated in all mainland states of Australia, with GM's New Zealand subsidiary Holden New Zealand operating a plant until 1990. The consolidation of car production at Elizabeth was completed in 1988, but some assembly operations continued at Dandenong until 1996.

Although Holden's involvement in exports has fluctuated since the 1950s, the declining sales of large cars in Australia has led the company to look to international markets to increase profitability.

History of the company

Early history

In 1852, James Alexander Holden emigrated to South Australia from Walsall, England and in 1856 established ''J.A. Holden & Co'', a saddlery business in Adelaide. In 1885 German born Henry Frederick Frost joined the business as a junior partner and J.A. Holden & Co turned into ''Holden & Frost Ltd''. Edward Holden, James' grandson, joined the firm in 1905 with an interest in automobiles. From there, the firm evolved through various partnerships and, in 1908, Holden and Frost moved into the business of minor repairs to car upholstery. The company began to produce complete motorcycle sidecar bodies in 1913, and Edward experimented with fitting bodies to different types of carriages. After 1917, wartime trade restrictions led the company to start full-scale production of vehicle body shells. J.A. Holden founded a new company in 1919, ''Holden's Motor Body Builders Ltd'' (HMBB) specialising in car bodies and utilising a facility on King Wiliam Street in Adelaide. By 1923, HMBB were producing 12,000 units per year. During this time, HMBB was the first company to assemble bodies for Ford Australia until their Geelong, plant was completed. From 1924, HMBB became the exclusive supplier of car bodies for GM in Australia, with manufacturing taking place at the new Woodville, South Australia plant. These bodies were made to suit a number of chassis imported from manufacturers such as Chevrolet and Dodge. In 1926 General Motors (Australia) was established with assembly plants at Newstead, Queensland; Marrickville, New South Wales; City Road, Melbourne, Victoria; Birkenhead, South Australia; and Cottesloe, Western Australia utilizing bodies produced by Holden Motor Body Builders and imported complete knock down (CKD) chassis. The Great Depression era led to a substantial downturn in production by Holden, from 34,000 units annually in 1930 to just 1,651 units one year later. In 1931 General Motors purchased Holden Motor Body Builders and merged it with General Motors (Australia) Pty Ltd to form General Motors-Holden's Ltd (GM-H). The name "Holden" was chosen in honour of Sir Edward Holden, the company's first chairman and grandson of J.A. Holden. Other names considered were "GeM", "Austral", "Melba", "Woomerah", "Boomerang", "Emu" and "Canbra", a phonetic spelling of Canberra.

1940s

Holden's second full-scale car factory, located in Fishermans Bend (Port Melbourne), was completed in 1936, with construction beginning in 1939 on a new plant in Pagewood, New South Wales. However, World War II delayed car production with efforts shifted to the construction of vehicle bodies, field guns, aircraft and engines. Before the war ended, the Australian Government took steps to encourage an Australian automotive industry. Both GM and Ford provided studies to the Australian Government outlining the production of the first Australian designed car. Ford's proposal was the government's first choice, but required substantial financial assistance. GM's study was ultimately chosen because of its low level of government intervention. After the war, Holden returned to producing vehicle bodies, this time for Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac and Vauxhall. The Oldsmobile Ace was also produced from 1946 to 1948.

From here, Holden continued to pursue the goal of producing an Australian car. This involved compromise with GM, as Holden's managing director, Laurence Hartnett, favoured development of a local design, while GM preferred to see an American design as the basis for "Australia's Own Car". In the end, the design was based on a previously rejected post-war Chevrolet proposal. The Holden was launched in 1948, creating long waiting lists extending through 1949 and beyond. Although officially designated "48-215", the car was marketed simply as the "Holden". The unofficial usage of the name "FX" originated within Holden, referring to the updated suspension 48-215 of 1953.

1950s

During the 1950s, Holden dominated the Australian car market. GM invested heavily in production capacity, which allowed the company to meet increased post-war demand for motor cars. Less expensive four-cylinder cars did not offer Holden's ability to deal with rugged rural areas. 48-215 sedans were produced in parallel with the 50-2106 coupé utility from 1951; the latter was known colloquially as the "ute" and became ubiquitous in Australian rural areas as the workhorse of choice. Production of both the utility and sedan continued with minor changes until 1953, when they were replaced by the facelifted FJ model, introducing a third panel van body style. The FJ was the first major change to the Holden since its 1948 introduction. Over time it gained iconic status and remains one of Australia's most recognisable automotive symbols. A new horizontally-slatted grille dominated the front-end of the FJ, which received various other trim and minor mechanical revisions. Although little changed from the 48-215, marketing campaigns and price cuts kept FJ sales steady until a completely redesigned model was launched. At the 2005 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, Holden paid homage to the FJ with the Efijy concept car.

Holden's next model, the FE, launched in 1956; offered in a new station wagon body style dubbed "Station Sedan" in the company's sales literature. Strong sales continued in Australia, and Holden achieved a market share of more than 50 percent in 1958 with the revised FC model. This was the first Holden to be tested on the new ''Holden Proving Ground'' based in Lang Lang, Victoria. The opening of the Dandenong, Victoria, production facility in 1956 brought further jobs; by 1959 Holden employed 19,000 workers country-wide.

1960s

In 1960, Holden introduced its third major new model, the FB. The car's style was inspired by 1950s’ Chevrolets, with tailfins and a wrap-around windshield with "dog leg" A-pillars. By the time it was introduced, many considered the appearance dated. Much of the motoring industry at the time noted that the adopted style did not translate well to the more compact Holden. The FB became the first Holden that was adapted for left-hand-drive markets, enhancing its export potential.

In 1960, Ford unveiled the new Falcon in Australia, only months after its introduction in the United States. To Holden's advantage, the Falcon was not durable, particularly in the front suspension, making it ill-suited for Australian conditions. In response to the Falcon, Holden introduced the facelifted EK series in 1961; the new model featured two-tone paintwork and optional ''Hydramatic'' automatic transmission. A restyled EJ series came in 1962, debuting the new luxury oriented Premier model. The EH update came a year later bringing the new ''Red'' motor, providing better performance than the previous ''Grey'' motor. The HD series of 1965 saw the introduction of the ''Powerglide'' automatic transmission. At the same time, an "X2" performance option with a more powerful version of the six-cylinder engine was made available. 1966 saw the introduction of the HR, with changes in the form of new front and rear styling and higher-capacity engines. More significantly, the HR fitted standard front seat belts; Holden thus became the first Australian automaker to provide the safety device as standard equipment across all models. This coincided with the completion of the production plant in Acacia Ridge, Queensland.

Holden began assembling the compact HA series Vauxhall Viva in 1964. This was superseded by the Holden Torana in 1967, a development of the Viva ending Vauxhall production in Australia. Holden offered the LC, a Torana with new styling, in 1969 with the availability of Holden's six-cylinder engine. In the development days, the six-cylinder Torana was reserved for motor racing, but research had shown that there was a business case for such a model. The LC Torana was the first application of Holden's new three-speed ''Tri-Matic'' automatic transmission. This was the result of Holden's A$16.5 million transformation of the Woodville, South Australia factory for its production.

Holden's association with the manufacture of Chevrolets and Pontiacs ended in 1968, coinciding with the year of Holden's next major new model, the HK . This included Holden's first V8 engine, a Chevrolet engine imported from Canada. Models based on the HK series included an extended-length prestige model, the Brougham, and a two-door coupé, the Monaro. The mainstream Holden Special was rebranded the Kingswood, and the basic fleet model, the Standard, became the Belmont. On 3 March 1969 Alexander Rhea, managing director of General Motors-Holden's at the time, was joined by press photographers and the Federal Minister of Shipping and Transport, Ian Sinclair as the two men drove the two millionth Holden, an HK Brougham off the production line. This came just over half a decade since the one millionth car, an EJ Premier sedan rolled off the Dandenong line on 25 October 1962. Following the Chevrolet V8 fitted to the HK, the first Australian-designed and mass-produced V8, the Holden V8 engine debuted in the Hurricane concept of 1969 before fitment to facelifted HT model. This was available in two capacities: and . Late in HT production, use of the new ''Tri-Matic'' automatic transmission, first seen in the LC Torana was phased in as ''Powerglide'' stock was exhausted, but Holden's official line was that the HG of 1971 was the first full-size Holden to receive it.

Despite the arrival of serious competitors—namely, the Ford Falcon, Chrysler Valiant, and Japanese cars—in the 1960s, Holden's locally produced large six- and eight-cylinder cars remained Australia's top-selling vehicles. Sales were boosted by exporting the Kingswood sedan, station wagon, and utility body styles to Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa in complete knock down form.

1970s

Holden launched the new HQ series in 1971. At this time, the company was producing all of its passenger cars in Australia, and every model was of Australian design; however, by the end of the decade, Holden was producing cars based on overseas designs. The HQ was thoroughly re-engineered, featuring a perimeter frame and semi-monocoque (unibody) construction. Other firsts included an all-coil suspension and an extended wheelbase for station wagons, while the utilities and panel vans retained the traditional coil/leaf suspension configuration. The series included the new prestige Statesman brand, which also had a longer wheelbase, replacing the Brougham. The Statesman remains noteworthy because it was not marketed as a "Holden", but rather a "Statesman".

The HQ framework led to a new generation of two-door Monaros, and, despite the introduction of the similar sized competitors, the HQ range became the top-selling Holden of all time, with 485,650 units sold in three years. The HQ series was facelifted in 1974 with the introduction of the HJ, heralding new front panel styling and a revised rear fascia. This new bodywork was to remain, albeit with minor upgrades through the HX and HZ series. Detuned engines adhering to government emission standards were brought in with the HX series, whilst the HZ brought considerably improved road handling and comfort with the introduction of "Radial Tuned Suspension" (RTS). As a result of GM's toying with the Wankel rotary engine, as used by Mazda of Japan, an export agreement was initiated in 1975. This involved Holden exporting with powertrains, HJ, and later, HX series Premiers as the Mazda Roadpacer AP. Mazda then fitted these cars with the ''13B'' rotary engine and three-speed automatic transmission. Production ended in 1977, after just 840 units sold.

During the 1970s, Holden ran an advertising jingle "Football, Meat Pies, Kangaroos and Holden cars", based on the "Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pies and Chevrolet" jingle used by Chevrolet in the United States. Also, development of the Torana continued in with the larger mid-sized LH series released in 1974, offered only as a four-door sedan. The LH Torana was one of the few cars worldwide engineered to occupy four-, six-and eight-cylinder engines. This trend continued until Holden introduced the Sunbird in 1976; essentially the four-cylinder Torana with a new name. Designated LX, both the Sunbird and Torana introduced a three-door hatchback variant. A final UC update appeared in 1978. During its production run, the Torana achieved legendary racing success in Australia, achieving victories at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales.

In 1975, Holden introduced the compact Gemini, the Australian version of the "T-car", based on the Opel Kadett C. The Gemini was an overseas design developed jointly with Isuzu, GM's Japanese affiliate; and was powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine. Fast becoming a popular car, the Gemini rapidly attained sales leadership in its class, and the nameplate lived on until 1987.

Holden's most popular car to date, the Commodore, was introduced in 1978 as the VB. The new family car was loosely based on the Opel Rekord E body shell, but with the front from the Opel Senator grafted to accommodate the larger Holden six-cylinder and V8 engines. Initially, the Commodore maintained Holden's sales leadership in Australia. However, some of the compromises resulting from the adoption of a design intended for another market hampered the car's acceptance. In particular, it was narrower than its predecessor and its Falcon rival, making it less comfortable for three rear-seat passengers.

Holden discontinued the Torana in 1979 and the Sunbird in 1980. After the 1978 introduction of the Commodore, the Torana became the "in-between" car, surrounded by the smaller and more economical Gemini and the larger, more sophisticated Commodore. The closest successor to the Torana was the Camira, released in 1982 as Australia's version of GM's medium-sized "J-car".

1980s

The 1980s were challenging for Holden and the Australian automotive industry. The Australian Government tried to revive the industry with the Button car plan, which encouraged car makers to focus on producing fewer models at higher, more economical volumes, and to export cars. The decade opened with the shut-down of the Pagewood, New South Wales production plant and introduction of the light commercial Rodeo, sourced from Isuzu in Japan. The Rodeo was available in both two- and four-wheel drive chassis cab models with a choice of petrol and diesel powerplants. The range was updated in 1988 with the TF series, based on the Isuzu TF. Other cars sourced from Isuzu during the 1980s were the four-wheel drive Jackaroo (1981), the Shuttle (1982) van and the Piazza (1986) three-door sports hatchback. The second generation Holden Gemini from 1985 was also based on an Isuzu design, although, its manufacture was undertaken in Australia.

The new Holden WB commercial vehicles and the Statesman WB limousines were introduced in 1980. However, the designs, based on the HQ and updated HJ, HX and HZ models from the 1970s were less competitive than similar models in Ford's lineup. Thus, Holden abandoned those vehicle classes altogether in 1984. Sales of the Commodore also fell, with the effects of the 1979 energy crisis lessening, and for the first time the Commodore lost ground to the Ford Falcon. Sales in other segments also suffered when competition from Ford intensified, and other Australian manufacturers: Mitsubishi, Nissan and Toyota gained market share. When released in 1982, the Camira initially generated good sales, which later declined because buyers considered the 1.6-litre engine underpowered, and the car's build and ride quality below-average. The Camira lasted just seven years, and contributed to Holden's accumulated losses of over A$500 million by the mid-1980s.

In 1984 Holden introduced the VK Commodore, with significant styling changes from the previous VH. The Commodore was next updated in 1986 as the VL, which had new front and rear styling. Controversially, the VL was powered by the 3.0-litre Nissan ''RB30'' six-cylinder engine and had an electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission. The engine change was necessitated by the legal requirement that all new cars sold in Australia after 1986 had to consume unleaded petrol. Because it was unfeasible to convert the existing six-cylinder engine to run on unleaded fuel, the Nissan engine was chosen as the best engine available. However, changing exchange rates doubled the cost of the engine and transmission over the life of the VL. The decision to opt for a Japanese-made transmission led to the closure of the Woodville, South Australia assembly plant. Confident by the apparent sign of turnaround, GM paid off Holden's mounted losses of A$780 million on 19 December 1986. At GM headquarters’ request, Holden was then reorganised and recapitalised, separating the engine and car manufacturing divisions in the process. This involved the splitting of Holden into ''Holden's Motor Company'' (HMC) and ''Holden's Engine Company'' (HEC). For the most part, car bodies were now manufactured at Elizabeth, South Australia, with engines as before, confined to the Fishermans Bend plant in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The engine manufacturing business was successful, building four-cylinder ''Family II'' engines for use in cars built overseas. The final phase of the Commodore's recovery strategy involved the 1988 VN, a significantly wider model powered by the American-designed, Australian-assembled 3.8-litre Buick V6 engine. In the previous year, Nissan Pulsar hatchbacks were rebadged as the Holden Astra, as a result of a deal with Nissan. This arrangement ceased in 1989 when Holden entered a new alliance with Toyota, forming a new company: United Australian Automobile Industries (UAAI). UAAI resulted in Holden selling rebadged versions of Toyota's Corolla and Camry, as the Holden Nova and Apollo respectively, with Toyota re-branding the Commodore as the Lexcen.

1990s

The company changed throughout the 1990s, increasing its Australian market share from 21 percent in 1991 to 28.2 percent in 1999. Besides manufacturing Australia's best selling car, which was exported in significant numbers, Holden continued to export many locally produced engines to power cars made elsewhere. In this decade, Holden adopted a strategy of importing cars it needed to offer a full range of competitive vehicles. During 1998, General Motors-Holden's Ltd name was shortened to "Holden Ltd".

On 26 April 1990 GM's New Zealand subsidiary, Holden New Zealand, announced that production at the assembly plant based in Trentham would be phased out and that vehicles would be imported duty-free. This came after the 1984 closure of the Petone assembly line due to low output volumes. During the 1990s Holden, other Australian automakers and trade unionists pressured the Australian Government to halt the lowering of car import tariffs. By 1997, the federal government had already cut tariffs to 22.5 percent from 57.5 percent ten years earlier, and by 2000 were planning to reduce this even further down to 15 percent. Holden was critical, saying that Australia's population was not large enough, and that the changes could tarnish the local industry.

Holden re-introduced its defunct Statesman name in 1990, this time under the Holden marque, as the Statesman and Caprice. For 1991, Holden updated the Statesman and Caprice with a range of improvements, including the introduction of four-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS), although a rear-wheel system had been standard on the Statesman Caprice from March 1976. ABS was added to short-wheelbase Commodore range in 1992. Another returning variant was the full-size utility, this time based on the Commodore. The VN Commodore received a major facelift in 1993 with the VR. Compared to the VN, approximately 80 percent of car was new. Exterior changes brought an overall smoother body and a "twin-kidney" grille—a Commodore styling trait which remained until the 2002 VY model. Holden introduced the all-new VT Commodore in 1997, the outcome of an A$600 million development programme that spanned more than half a decade. The new model sported a rounded exterior body shell, improved dynamics, and many firsts for an Australian-built car. A stronger body structure increased crash safety. The Buick-sourced V6 engine, produced locally, powered the Commodore range, as did the 5.0-litre Holden V8 engine, replaced in 1999 by the 5.7-litre ''LS'' unit.

The UAAI badge-engineered cars first introduced in 1989 sold in far fewer numbers than anticipated, but the Holden Commodore, Toyota Camry, and Corolla were all successful when sold under their original nameplates. UAAI was dissolved in 1996, and Holden returned to selling only GM products. This signalled the closure of the Dandenong, Victoria facility, the sole plant for Corolla and Nova production. The Holden Astra and Vectra, both designed by Opel in Germany, replaced the Toyota-sourced Holden Nova and Apollo. This came after the 1994 introduction of the Opel Corsa replacing the already available Suzuki Swift as the source for the Holden Barina. Sales of the full-size Holden Suburban SUV sourced from Chevrolet commenced in 1998—lasting until 2001. Also in 1998, local assembly of the Vectra began at Elizabeth, South Australia. These cars were exported to Japan and Southeast Asia with Opel badges. However, the Vectra did not achieve sufficient sales in Australia to justify local assembly, and reverted to being fully imported in 2000.

2000s

Holden's market surge from the 1990s reversed in the 2000s decade. In Australia, Holden's market share dropped from 27.5 percent in 2000 to 15.2 percent in 2006. From March 2003, Holden no longer held the number one sales position in Australia, losing ground to Toyota.

This overall downturn affected Holden's profits; the company recorded a combined gain of A$842.9 million between 2002 and 2004, and a combined loss of A$290 million between 2005 and 2006. Factors contributing to the loss included the development of an all-new model, the strong Australian dollar and the cost of reducing the workforce at the Elizabeth plant, including the loss of 1,400 jobs after the closure of the third-shift assembly line in 2005, after two years in operation. Holden fared better in 2007, posting an A$6 million loss. This was followed by an A$70.2 million loss in the 2008, an A$210.6 million loss in 2009, and a profit of A$112 million in 2010. On 18 May 2005, "Holden Ltd" became "GM Holden Ltd", coinciding with the resettling to the new Holden headquarters on 191 Salmon Street, Port Melbourne, Victoria.

Holden caused controversy in 2005 with their Holden Employee Pricing television advertisement, which ran between October and December 2005. The campaign publicised, "for the first time ever, all Australians can enjoy the financial benefit of Holden Employee Pricing". However, this did not include a discounted dealer delivery fee and savings on factory fitted options and accessories that employees received. At the same time, employees were given a further discount between 25 and 29 percent on selected models.

Holden revived the Monaro coupe in 2001. Based on the VT Commodore architecture, the coupe attracted worldwide attention after being shown as a concept car at Australian auto shows. The VT Commodore received its first major update in 2002 with the VY series. A mildly facelifted VZ model launched in 2004, introducing the ''High Feature'' engine. This was built at the Fishermans Bend facility completed in 2003, with a maximum output of 900 engines per day. This has reportedly added A$5.2 billion to the Australian economy; exports account for about A$450 million alone. After the VZ, the ''High Feature'' engine powered the all-new VE Commodore. In contrast to previous models, the VE no longer utilises an Opel-sourced platform adapted both mechanically and in size.

Throughout the 1990s, Opel had also been the source of many Holden models. To increase profitability, Holden looked to the South Korean Daewoo brand for replacements after acquiring a 44.6 percent stake—worth US$251 million—in the company in 2002 as a representative of GM. This was increased to 50.9 percent in 2005, but when GM further increased its stake to 70.1 percent around the time of its 2009 Chapter 11 reorganisation, Holden's interest was relinquished and transferred to another (undisclosed) part of GM. The commencement of the Holden-branded Daewoo models began with the 2005 Holden Barina, which based on the Daewoo Kalos, replaced the Opel Corsa as the source of the Barina. In the same year, the Viva, based on the Daewoo Lacetti, replaced the entry-level Holden Astra Classic, although the new-generation Astra introduced in 2004 continued on. The Captiva crossover SUV came next in 2006. After discontinuing the Frontera and Jackaroo models in 2003, Holden was only left with one all-wheel drive model: the Adventra, a Commodore-based station wagon. The fourth model to be replaced with a South Korean alternative was the Vectra by the mid-size Epica in 2007. As a result of the split between GM and Isuzu, Holden lost the rights to use the "Rodeo" nameplate. Consequently, the Holden Rodeo was facelifted and relaunched as the Colorado during 2008. Following Holden's successful application for a A$149 million government grant to build a localised version of the Chevrolet Cruze in Australia from 2011, Holden in 2009 announced that it would initially import the small car unchanged from South Korea as the Holden Cruze. Following the grant announcement, Kevin Rudd, Australia's then Prime Minister, stated that production would support 600 new jobs at the Elizabeth facility. However, this failed to take into account the 600 jobs that Holden previously announced would be shed when production of the ''Family II'' engine is set to wrap up in late 2009.

Vehicle lineup

Corporate affairs and identity

+ 2007 sales and production<		style="background:#e8f4f8;">Vehicle sales	Units
	104,848
Light commercial vehicles	33,554
Sport utility vehicles	11,091
style="text-align:right;">Total	146,680
style="background:#e8f4f8;"	Vehicle production	Units
style="text-align:right;">Total	107,795
style="background:#e8f4f8;"	Engine production	Units
	136,699
	132,722
style="text-align:right;">Total	269,421
style="background:#e8f4f8;"	Exports	Units
Engines	173,463
Vehicles	36,534
style="text-align:right;">Total	209,997

As of 22 March 2010, chairman and managing director Mike Devereux heads operations at Holden. Vehicles are sold countrywide through the Holden Dealer Network (310 authorised stores and 12 service centres), which employs more than 13,500 people.

Since the 1960s, Holden models have been a staple of domestic touring car racing, and the quasi-factory Holden Racing Team (HRT) has successfully participated in V8 Supercar racing. In 1987, Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) was formed in partnership with Tom Walkinshaw, who primarily manufactures modified, high-performance Commodore variants. To further reinforce the brand, HSV introduced the HSV Dealer Team into the V8 Supercar fold in 2005 under the naming rights of Toll HSV Dealer Team.

The logo, or "Holden lion and stone" as it is known, has played a vital role in establishing Holden's identity. In 1928, Holden's Motor Body Builders appointed Rayner Hoff to design the emblem. The logo refers to a prehistoric fable, in which observations of lions rolling stones led to the invention of the wheel. With the 1948 launch of the 48-215, Holden revised its logo and commissioned another redesign in 1972 to better represent the company. The emblem was reworked once more in 1994.

Exports

Holden began to export vehicles in 1954, sending the FJ to New Zealand. Exports to New Zealand have continued ever since, but to broaden their export potential, Holden began to cater their Commodore, Monaro and Statesman/Caprice models for both right- and left-hand drive markets. The Middle East is now Holden's largest export market, with the Commodore sold as the Chevrolet Lumina since 1998, and the Statesman since 1999 as the Chevrolet Caprice. Pontiac in North America also imported Commodore sedans from 2008 through to 2009 as the G8. The G8's cessation was a consequence of GM's Chapter 11 bankruptcy resulting in the demise of the Pontiac brand.

Sales of the Monaro began in 2003 to the Middle East as the Chevrolet Lumina Coupe. Later on in the year, a modified version of the Monaro began selling in North America as the Pontiac GTO, and under the Monaro name through Vauxhall dealerships in the United Kingdom. This arrangement continued through to 2005 when the car was discontinued. The long-wheelbase Statesman sales in the Chinese market as the Buick Royaum began in 2005, before being replaced in 2007 by the Statesman-based Buick Park Avenue. Statesman/Caprice exports to South Korea also began in 2005. These Korean models were sold as the Daewoo Statesman, and later as the Daewoo Veritas from 2008. Holden's move into international markets has been profitable; export revenue increased from A$973 million in 1999 to just under $1.3 billion in 2006.

Notes

References

;Books

;Internet :* Part One, Part Two, Part Three (PDF).

;Journals

Category:Car manufacturers of Australia Category:Companies established in 1856 Category:General Motors marques Category:General Motors subsidiaries Category:Motor vehicle companies Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers of Australia

ar:هولدن be:Holden ca:Holden cs:Holden da:Holden de:Holden (Automarke) et:Holden es:Holden fa:هالدن fr:Holden (constructeur automobile) ko:홀덴 hr:Holden id:Holden it:Holden (azienda) ka:Holden lt:Holden nl:Holden (automerk) ja:ホールデン (自動車) no:Holden (bil) pl:Holden pt:Holden ro:Holden ru:Holden sah:Holden sco:Holden simple:Holden fi:Holden sv:Holden th:โฮลเดน tr:Holden (otomobil üreticisi) uk:Holden wuu:霍顿汽车

Ophélie Kleerekoper-Winter (born 20 February 1974 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine) is a French singer and actress.

Biography

Her father David Alexandre Winter, was a Dutch pop singer during the 1970s, while her mother was a French fashion model, who is now her agent. Her brother Michael is a singer and TV-presenter.

Winter moved to the United States to be close to her father after her parents divorced when she was just 2 years old. It was in the United States that Winter studied dance, singing, music, and acting. At the age of 17, she left for Paris where she lived with her mother and brother. It was there she was discovered by a modeling agent on the Champs-Élysées, and after three years of modeling, she decided to become a singer and an actress. The singer Prince wrote her a song.

She currently resides in Paris making various TV appearances. Her look-alike puppet is in the French show "Les Guignols de l'info" (1988).

Singing career

Her desire to become a singer began after a friend of her father's, who was also a singer, was looking for a young female to join him in a duet. Winter accepted and began recording. She now has released four albums: ''No Soucy!'', which her brother collaborated on, ''Privacy'', ''Explicit Lyrics'' and ''Résurrection''.

Discography

''No Soucy !'' (1996)

* Released singles :

"Le feu qui m'attise" ("The Air That I Breathe"); "Dieu m'a donné la foi" ("Living In Me"); "Shame on U"; "Rien que pour lui"; "Keep It on the Red Light" (feat. Coolio)

''Privacy'' (1998)

* Released singles : "Je marche à l'envers" ("I Spy"); "Elle pleure" ("Cry"); "Je cours" ("Up Where I Belong"); "Ce que je suis" ("What a Girl Wants")

''Explicit Lyrics'' (2002)

* Released singles : "Sache"; "Tout le monde le fait"; "Yeah yeah yeah"

''Résurrection'' (2009)

* Released singles : "Affection"; "BB t'es mon sunshine (Sunshine Remix)"

Filmography

''Hommes, Femmes, Mode D'Emploi'' (''Men, Women: A User's Manual'') (1996)

''Tout Doit Disparaitre'' (''Everything Must Go'') (1997)

''Bouge!'' (''Move!'') (1997)

''Folle D'Elle'' (''Crazy About Her'') (1999)

''2001: A Space Travesty'' (2000)

''She'' (2001)

''Les Jolies Choses'' (2001)

''Ma Femme Est Une Actrice'' (2001)

''Mauvais Esprit'' (''Mean Spirit'') (2003)

References

External links

Official website (in French & English)

Ophélie Winter at Myspace

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:People from Boulogne-Billancourt Category:French pop singers Category:French female singers Category:French film actors Category:French people of Dutch descent

de:Ophélie Winter eo:Ophélie Winter fr:Ophélie Winter it:Ophélie Winter ru:Уинтер, Офелия

name	The Stig
portrayer
creator	Andy Wilman
introducer	Jeremy Clarkson
series	Top Gear
years	2002–present
first	20 October 2002
occupation	Test driver and trainer for celebrity guests }}

The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show ''Top Gear''. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy Clarkson and the show's producer Andy Wilman. "Stig" was a nickname for new boys at their old school, Repton. Although there is one "main" Stig, there are several "spin-off" Stigs, referred to by the presenters as "The Stig's cousin."

The Stig is responsible for setting lap times for cars tested on the show, as well as instructing celebrity guests in the show's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car section. (see "Role" below) There have currently been three Stigs—the first Stig started on episode 1, but was killed off in the first episode of series 3. The second Stig appeared in the next episode, and lasted until series 15. The third Stig took over from December 2010.

The BBC has always refused to confirm officially the identity of the driver who plays the Stig. "Who is The Stig?" became a frequently asked question on the internet. The identity of the original 'Black' Stig, Perry McCarthy, was exposed by a Sunday newspaper after the first series of the show, in January 2003. McCarthy confirmed that he was 'The Stig' in the second edition of his autobiography, published following series two, and is now generally acknowledged as having been the first Stig, even by BBC media. The second Stig's identity was revealed, in his own autobiography, as Ben Collins, a professional racing driver who has participated in Formula Three, Indy Lights, sportscars, GT racing, stock cars & V8 Supercars.

Creation and name

The idea for the character was part of host Jeremy Clarkson's and producer Andy Wilman's concept for the relaunched ''Top Gear'' show, bringing a new format to the original version of Top Gear which ceased production in 2001. The relaunched show would introduce a live studio audience, the Stig, a racetrack, and madcap stunts. Clarkson is credited by the ''Sunday Times'' with having come up with the original idea for the Stig. Clarkson and Wilman wanted to have a professional racing driver as part of the show's cast, but ran into difficulty finding a driver sufficiently adept at speaking on-camera. Clarkson then asked Wilman why the driver needed to speak at all, and the decision was made that the Stig's role would be silent.

The name Stig derives from Wilman and Clarkson's time at the private Repton School, where new boys had always been called "Stig". According to McCarthy, speaking in 2006, the producers had wanted the anonymous driver to be called 'The Gimp', referring to the use of gimp suits in BDSM sexual role-playing. After McCarthy objected, the name Stig was settled upon. McCarthy had said of the idea at the time that "I don't want to be forever remembered as the Gimp".

Characteristics

Uniform

The Black Stig wore a black helmet and overalls. The White Stig (MkI) uniform consists of a white Alpinestars racing suit with small Grand Prix Racewear logo, a white Simpson Bandit and later, Diamondback race helmet, black on white Alpinestars Tech 1-ZX gloves, and white Alpinestars Tech 1-T racing shoes. His white helmet was originally a Simpson Speedway RX model, while his shoes also began as Alpinestars Tech 1-K kart items.. The New Stig's uniform is very similar to the previous Stig but has black epaulettes.

According to the ''Sunday Times'' writing in 2006, most of the crew did not know his identity, relaying how one camera assistant once observed him eating his lunch in the back of an ambulance to avoid being spotted. Again according to ''The Sunday Times'' writing in 2009, just a few BBC production staff and other journalists knew the Stig's real identity.

Anonymity and silence

In the very first episode when introducing the Black Stig, Clarkson noted that, "We don't know its name, we really don't know its name, nobody knows its name, and we don't wanna know, 'cause it's a racing driver". According to the ''Daily Mail'' writing in 2010, his face is never revealed on set, not even the celebrity guests training on the reasonably priced car are allowed to learn his identity. He stays suited and with his helmet on throughout the show, arriving early and leaving late, and having his own dressing room and eating privately. The studio audience has no access to him at any time.

Although the Stig does talk with celebrities while preparing them for their "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" lap times, he is never shown talking on screen. Clarkson has joked that he is "not a very talkative chap" when keeping silent while on set, in order to hide his identity. In a rare spoken interview, the Stig has reportedly said when asked what his real name was, that he didn't remember because his memory had been erased when he got the job. The Stig's muteness is extended to appearances in other media, such as the 'Brain Stig' viral video released by the BBC on their YouTube channel, to promote the new Top Gear website in 2009, depicting a frustrated staff member holding a brainstorming session for show ideas.

Clarkson has written in his newspaper column that the Stig is not permitted to talk because "the opinions of all racing drivers are completely worthless", going on to explain that, because of their familiarity with cars equipped for track racing, they believe any and all road cars are rubbish, even a Lamborghini Gallardo or a Bugatti Veyron. He confirmed this by test driving for himself a BMW 3-series diesel road car converted to a race car, complete with slick tyres, race suspension and brakes, and concluding that driving it was "more exciting and more fun to drive than any supercar".

Driving ability

The show has often compared and contrasted the Stig's driving ability, particularly against Formula One drivers. When Jeremy Clarkson stated that the Stig believed that the Suzuki Liana, the show's Reasonably Priced Car at the time, could do a time of 1:44, a former F1 driver, Nigel Mansell, appearing as a guest on the programme, duly obliged by posting a lap time of 1:44.6, while the Stig then posted a lap time of 1:44.4. Clarkson has often mentioned that F1 drivers seem to take a different racing line on the test track than the Stig, such as on Jenson Button's drive; however, during Rubens Barrichello's and Lewis Hamilton's visits to the show, Clarkson observed that they took the same line around the track as The Stig. Formula One driver Mark Webber's appearance on the show was marked at the conclusion of his lap with Clarkson presenting him with an "I AM THE STIG" T-shirt. The show made various references to the Stig apparently having developed a jealous rivalry with Rubens Barrichello, after he became the first person to beat his time posted in the "Reasonably Priced Car" by a tenth of a second, posting a lap time of 1:44.3. Sebastian Vettel currently holds the record for F1 drivers with a time of 1:44.0.

Other characteristics

The Stig has been described by Clarkson as having a very small brain, worthless opinions, and a disorder called "Mansell Syndrome".

The Stig's status and oddity has often been underlined with humorous introductions by the presenters before his appearances on the show. Initially, the Stig would be given simple humorous introductions on the show, such as "His Holiness, The Stig!" (introducing the Power Lap for the Bowler Wildcat.) Beginning in Series 6, these began to follow a format of "Some say that [facts]. All we know is, he's called the Stig.", where the facts give away some unusual trait or other detail about the Stig. These often detail his odd character traits, such as being afraid of bells or confused by stairs. His possibly machine like or at least non-human body is hinted at by revelations that his voice can only be heard by cats, or that he never blinks, naturally faces magnetic north, all his legs are hydraulic, he has two sets of knees, and heart ticks like a watch. He is even hinted at being a wild creature, spending his spare time catching fish with his tongue or foraging for wolves in the woods. Other odd details revealed in these introductions have included such facts as his face appears on high-value stamps in Sweden his left nipple is the shape of the Nürburgring, one of his eyes is a testicle, that he invented the curtain, that he daydreams of Rubens Barrichello being caught in a ham slicer, his salary is paid by the BBC in strong pornography, and that he developed the wonderful scent of Wednesday.

His introductions often jokingly refer to current events of the day, such as when Clarkson introduced Michael Schumacher as the Stig in 2009 by stating he "recently submitted a £20,000 expenses claim for some gravel for his moat," in reference to the MPs' expenses scandal, or when it was said "if you give him a really important job, he'll skive off and play croquet", referring to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in 2006. One introduction even made reference to the conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana: "Some say that he's banned from the town of Chichester and that in a recent late-night deal, he bought a slightly dented white Fiat Uno from the Duke of Edinburgh."

For the trip to the Isle of Man road test, the Stig was depicted as a piece of cargo, being collected by Clarkson from the baggage conveyor at the airport. On the ''Top Gear'' 2005 DVD ''Revved Up'', the Stig is depicted as being stored in a cupboard when not in use. The Stig is also portrayed as having bizarre listening habits as heard on the car stereo as he performs Power Laps. Often a specific genre is chosen for one or more series. These have included power ballads, one-hit wonders, easy listening, country and western, Morse code, progressive rock, whale songs, baroque, advertising jingles, foreign language tapes, romantic novels, salesman techniques, the hits of Elton John, the speeches of Margaret Thatcher, self-help tapes, pipe band music, Chas & Dave, vuvuzelas, and, in episode 5 of series 15, the Bee Gees in German.

The Stig's odd persona was maintained in his appearance at the National Television Awards, when he silently accepted an award, and handed the host Griff Rhys Jones a letter from Clarkson, May and Hammond, instructing him to give the Stig the award in his left hand, as his right one is magnetic, and cautioning organisers that he wasn't to be seated near the cast of ''Coronation Street'', as "he's decided all northerners are edible".

Role

The Stig is credited alongside Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May as a presenter of ''Top Gear'' in the end credits. The Stig's primary roles on the show centre on the ''Top Gear'' test track at the show's base at Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey. His two main functions are to post lap times for various featured performance cars in the 'Power Laps' segment, and to train celebrity guests to set lap times on the test track in the 'Star in a Reasonably Priced Car' segment.

The Stig's role as a test driver is described on the ''Top Gear'' website Power Laps board as follows:

When first introduced, the Stig was described as the resident test driver, as the presenters could not consistently post fast times themselves. His stated mission was to "just go out there and drive fast". This was reflected by the original Stig Perry McCarthy who described in 2006 how a racing driver was intended to be used as part of the presenting team in order to produce definitive fastest lap times for tested cars.

Identity

Previous Stigs

Black Stig

name	The Stig (Black)
series	Top Gear
years	2002–2003
first	20 October 2002
last	26 October 2003
cause	Drove a car off the flight deck of HMS ''Invincible''
portrayer	Perry McCarthy }}

Racing driver Perry McCarthy was the original, Black Stig, appearing in 22 episodes of the programme in all.

McCarthy got the role of the Stig after a chance meeting with Jeremy Clarkson at the launch party for McCarthy's autobiography, ''Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way!'', published on 4 July 2002. This led to an audition as a regular presenter, before the production team then decided the racing driver would be anonymous. (Although in 2008, McCarthy said that Clarkson mentioned the idea of a 'top secret' racing driver at their first meeting.)

After the first series ended, an article on 12 January 2003 in ''The Sunday Mirror'' named the Stig as Perry McCarthy. The newspaper quoted a show insider stating "Just a handful of the crew know that he is actually Perry". At the time, McCarthy simply stated "I do know who the Stig is but I cannot comment any further." After the second series ended, McCarthy published the second edition of his autobiography, confirming that he was The Stig. McCarthy was then "killed off" in the first episode of the third series, which aired on 26 October 2003.

The scene which saw Black Stig "killed off", nicknamed "Top Gun vs Top Gear", was an attempt to race to and then come to a halt on the long flight deck of HMS ''Invincible'', a Royal Navy aircraft carrier, on which British Aerospace Sea Harrier jump jets reach before take-off. He would be using the 'old Top Gear Jag', a white Jaguar XJS bought for a 'couple of hundred quid', stripped of its fittings and fitted with nitrous injection, to take it to , which had been featured in series 2, beating 'just about every supercar on the planet' in a drag race. Black Stig accelerated along the deck, and an on screen speedometer indicated , before a cutaway shot saw the car flying off the end of the runway ramp and into the sea. Clarkson then revealed in the last scene of the episode, that the shot of a glove floating on the sea was all that divers had found. According to McCarthy, "We tried to make it as much like a scene out of James Bond as possible".

The explanations for his exit vary. Speaking in 2008, McCarthy stated "My time at Top Gear ended nicely enough. I’d had a great time and felt it was time to call it a day. So we all shook hands and they threw me off an aircraft carrier." ''The Times'' claimed in 2009 that he fell out with producers. In August 2010, he described how he became tired of the job, which he claimed paid just £700 a week. He said part of his annoyance with the role had come from an attempt by a car owner to sue him for ruining his car, a rare Jaguar C-Type, winner of the 1953 Le Mans 24 Hours, and the BBC stating they could not defend him due to his anonymity. He stated that the BBC eventually chose not to renew his contract, and wrote him out.

Speaking in 2009, McCarthy relayed how to keep his anonymity, when he drove to work as the Stig, he would don the Stig's helmet while going through the security gates at Dunsfold aerodrome, and then he would change into his racing overalls in a special room behind the gatehouse, before then driving into the studio areas. He would speak as little as possible in the backstage areas, and put on an accent, which some mistook as French. McCarthy also explained that hiding his identity while coaching the celebrities for ''Star in a Reasonably Priced Car'' proved difficult. He stated that he did reveal his true identity while coaching Ross Kemp and David Soul, as he had previously met them. For other drives, if celebrities asked if he was a particular person, he would just say "How did you know?", adding that more often than not, the suggestion was Michael Schumacher.

Having had background in top level motor racing before ''Top Gear'', and having originally intended to be a Formula One driver, albeit failing to qualify for any races in the 1992 Formula One season for the Moda Judd team, McCarthy stated in 2006 he did not regret leaving the supercars on ''Top Gear'', and instead harboured ambitions at re-entering racing in the Grand Prix Masters series. After ''Top Gear'' he went on to run an investment company, and earn £6,000 a time doing after dinner speaking.

However, according to the ''Sunday Times'' writing in 2009, McCarthy had revealed in his book that there had always been more than one Stig, and that 47 year-old Julian Bailey, a former Formula One driver for Tyrrell and Lotus, had acted as a stand in for McCarthy, as Black Stig. In a June 2009 interview with the ''Daily Mail'', Bailey, who was selling his home in Effingham, Surrey, said "I was one of the Stigs...which was pretty handy as filming was done just down the road...I have stopped now, but I am not supposed to talk about it."

The First White Stig

name	The First White Stig
portrayer	Ben Collins, occasionally others
series	Top Gear
years	2003–2010
first	2 November 2003
last	1 August 2010
cause	Fired for revealing identity }}

This Stig started in the episode after Black Stig was killed off, and lasted until August 2010, when he revealed himself as Ben Collins. This Stig's job was similar to the last Stig's although while Black Stig was primarily used for Power Lap times and ''Reasonably Priced Car'' training, the white Stig's role had been expanded, and he has been used beyond the ''Top Gear'' test track in other show challenges and road tests, such as producing timed runs in the Isle of Man road test, driving a Caterham Seven from Caterham to Knockhill, riding a London Bus, the DLR and the Tube across London, and jumping a snowmobile off a ski-jump in Lillehammer, Norway. He has also been used in various roles at the studio, such as playing a police pursuit driver in the White Van Man challenge.

Since Clarkson's 2010 DVD ''The Italian Job'', This Stig is now known as "Sacked Stig".

Speculation over the White Stig's identity

There had been much speculation over the identity of this Stig since 2005, from various sources, claiming that a number of drivers, including Collins, Damon Hill, Julian Bailey, Russ Swift, Darren Turner and Tim Schrick, as well as former Top Gear Presenter, now Fifth Gear presenter Tiff Needell were the Stig. There had also been speculation of multiple drivers being the Stig. Many people had also claimed to be the Stig themselves, including Jay Kay and Damon Hill.

When Richard Hammond crashed a rocket-powered car, the accident report into the crash described Ben Collins as someone ''who worked closely with Top Gear as a high performance driver and consultant''.

Original Stig Perry McCarthy stated in November 2006 that he knew who the White Stig was, and hinted at the multiple driver theory.

Many racing drivers, and principals, including Andrew Kirkaldy, Susie Stoddart and Stewart Roden claimed to know who it was, saying that "In the racing world, a lot of the team managers (and racing drivers) know who is under the helmet, but it's top secret", with Kirkaldy claiming ''He's reasonably quiet and modest and doesn't ever talk about it. I only found out by chance and he's certainly never admitted it."

After observing the Stig's charity drive around the Silverstone Circuit just before the July 2008 British Grand Prix, former Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso remarked, "Whoever’s in that car is a seriously good driver... I’ve no idea who he is, but he’s definitely ex-F1".

During 2009, the rumours of the Stig's identity increased rapidly, with various newspapers claiming during January that it was indeed Collins. These include a builder who claimed to have seen his white helmet and uniform on display in his house while doing some work for him, and an art gallery owner and his son claiming that in 2008 a man had enquired about the creation of 450 signed and limited edition prints of the Stig. He first claimed to be a BBC executive, but then revealed himself to be the Stig after they agreed to do the job and signed a confidentiality agreement to keep it secret.

Furthermore, the tabloid ''News of the World'' obtained information stating he was on a salary of around £150,000 a year, by combining his ''Top Gear'' job with some stunt and test driving. He was in his 30s, married, living in a £300,000 home and drove a car worth £15,000. It quoted the BBC source stating "This is the best-kept secret in motor racing and we want to keep it that way. No one will ever officially confirm his identity." This contradicts with many newspapers beliefs (and that of car magazines, such as Peter Lawton, consumer editor of ''What Car?'' magazine) that this had been an "open secret within the motoring world for some years" which the media had previously kept secret in order to "uphold the spirit of the programme".

A BBC source said "The simple fact of the matter is that there are currently four Stigs who drive on the test track" for reasons of practicality. The report claimed that in addition to the rumoured Ben Collins,and MIRA Ice Racing Champion Mike Wilson, Julian Bailey was also currently working as the Stig, with more drivers also used when their schedules clashed. Supporting this, it relayed the source's explanation that if you look at the show the height of the Stig varies.

Whilst these rumours were ongoing, the ''Top Gear'' website blog facetiously revealed that the Stig was a Royal Bank of Scotland chairman Sir Tom McKillop attempting to recover crippling losses, as well as the newly elected US President Barack Obama, who only ran for election to fill in the time between series, and Graham Hill, who they claim faked his own death in a plane crash in 1975 to take the role.

In his newspaper column in ''The Sun'' on 24 January 2009, Clarkson joked that the Stig was in fact the BBC Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell, declaring he would now have to be killed by being dropped from a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport plane, and the ''Telegraph'' will have to now find another big secret to expose, such as the size of the TARDIS, or the identity of Father Christmas.

The ''Daily Mail'' claimed it had tracked down "another former Stig" who anonymously told them the names of a total of eight drivers who had "recently stood in as the test-driving mystery man." In addition to the previously mentioned Ben Collins and Julian Bailey, and the man named "Will", the paper named the Formula One driver Heikki Kovalainen, the former GT world champion Chris Goodwin, stunt drivers Terry Grant and Russ Swift, and the Swedish snow mobile racing champion Dan Lang. It claimed Kovalainen raced a Formula One car around the test track in 2004, and Lang was the driver in the snowmobile ski jump stunt. The BBC refused to comment on the story.

In September 2009, British racing driver Justin Bell, best friend of the original Stig Perry McCarthy, has said he knew who the Stig was, but would not reveal his name. He also stated that he didn't understand why he did it, stating "You can't talk about it and nobody knows who you are. There's nothing good about it ... unless you go to a convention of other people in white helmets and white suits". Bell spoke out after being hired for the job of driving instructor on ''The Jay Leno Show'''s Green Car Challenge segment, similar to the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, causing him to be dubbed 'America's Stig'.

In September 2010, it was claimed that 26-year-old racing driver Phil Keen had stood in for the White Stig, both behind the wheel, and in appearances, when Collins was unavailable, including at the 2009 ''Top Gear Live'' event in Germany.

Michael Schumacher 'revealed'

On 20 June 2009, Jeremy Clarkson revealed in his ''Sun'' newspaper column that the Stig would finally show the world his face, in the series thirteen opening episode to be broadcast the next day. Clarkson said that The Stig wished to unmask himself to quash speculation over his identity, stating "He's been fed up with newspapers speculating that he's a photocopier salesman from Bolton, or lives in a pebble-dashed house in Bristol".

The show first depicted the Stig driving a Ferrari FXX round the test track in a time of 1:10.7 seconds. Afterwards, after walking into the studio and sitting on the green couch, with the audience shouting "Off! Off! Off! Off!", the Stig took his helmet off to reveal he was the former Formula One multiple World Champion Michael Schumacher. In the following interview, Schumacher then played up to some of the supposed defining character traits of the Stig, such as the claim he only knows two facts about ducks (both being wrong), and that he is illegal in only nine (and not seventeen) US states.

The BBC would initially not confirm or deny it was just a stunt, but a spokesman was quoted as saying "You have to bear in mind that Top Gear is an entertainment programme. We never reveal who or what The Stig is,". The next day however, ''The Telegraph'' wrote: "A spokesman for Top Gear confirmed Schumacher had been The Stig during the Ferrari circuit, driving his own car ... But the spokesman added that the identity of the driver at other times would remain "a mystery".

Ben Collins' autobiography

On 19 August 2010 it was reported that there was a legal dispute progressing between publishers representing the Stig and the BBC over plans to release an autobiography revealing his identity. It stated that the dispute surrounded the Stig's dissatisfaction at being unable to exploit his fame, and earning an estimated £5,000 and £10,000 per show, compared to six and seven figure earnings by the other ''Top Gear'' presenters. It described the situation as incredibly tense, with Clarkson said to be deeply upset, and with show insiders fearing that the Stig could either quit the show, or be fired, with the dispute needing to be settled way before the sixteenth series. A BBC spokesman confirmed to the paper that "The BBC is in a legal dispute over the publication of a book relating to ''Top Gear'' as this breaches agreed contractual and confidentiality obligations relating to the show."

Then, the ''Sunday Times'' claimed to have unearthed more evidence that showed Collins was the Stig, namely financial documents for his company Collins Autosport dating back to the White Stig's entry to the show. They stated the documents reported in December 2003 an increase in profits, put down to "driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme", just a month after the White Stig's first appearance. When contacted over the story, Collins merely stated "I can't speak to you. I'm going into a tunnel". Responding to the report, the BBC stated that it was "no surprise that Ben Collins's company listed Top Gear amongst its work as the driver had appeared numerous times on the programme and he often supplied other drivers for both the programme and Top Gear Live".

The BBC sued the publisher for an attempt to profit from the unauthorised use of the Top Gear brand, maintaining that revealing the identity would spoil viewers' enjoyment of the show. The publisher responded, stating "We are disappointed that the BBC has chosen to spend licence fee payers' money to suppress this book and will vigorously defend the perfectly legitimate right of this individual to tell his story".

The ''Top Gear'' executive producer Andy Wilman wrote on a ''Top Gear'' blog on 27 August, attacking the publisher for trying to cash in on the programme, describing them as a "bunch of chancers", describing the action as an issue of trust, and justifying the use of license fee to fight the case based on the brand's value to the programme and the viewers, clarifying that half of the case costs were being met by BBC Worldwide, their commercial arm.

On 29 August 2010, the ''Daily Mirror'' claimed the BBC had already sacked Collins from the Stig role, citing the Stig's appearance at the ''Top Gear Live'' August 2010 Stunt Show at the Nürburgring in Germany, at the same time as Collins was photographed at his West Country home. When asked about the ongoing High Court action, Collins stated "I am not allowed to talk about it." Despite objections from the publisher, the legal case hearings began in private on 31 August.

Outcome

After a day and a half of hearings, the case concluded, with the judge finding against the BBC, refusing to grant an injunction blocking the publication. The proposed book was reportedly called ''The Man in the White Suit'', and was indeed about Ben Collins, but still clarifying that it "won't confirm or deny that Ben Collins either was or remains The Stig". Collins was in court to hear the final judgment. HarperCollins confirmed that the reasons for declining the injunction were to be given by the judge later, in a private judgment.

Both Collins and HarperCollins refused to confirm his status as the Stig to reporters waiting outside the court after the case, but the publisher maintained surprise at the BBC's decision to fight the case, stating the information in dispute had always been in the public domain. Following the court ruling, Collins' autobiography, ''The Man in the White Suit'', was due to be published on 16 September 2010. As of 2 September 2010, the web site of the Gordon Poole Agency, the talent agency representing Ben Collins, referred to Collins as ''Top Gear's The Stig.''

In the immediate reaction, ''The Telegraph'' asserted that the judgment meant that the Stig had now been conclusively outed as Ben Collins, bringing an end to seven years of speculation and theories as to who wore the white overalls. It also conceded that, " with the corporation yet to officially acknowledge the fact, Collins' future in the role is less certain". The BBC News website published a profile of Collins' career on the same day, but merely stated that he will "publish an autobiography in which he claims to be The Stig".

Aftermath

Following the BBC's failure to obtain an injunction against the autobiography, James May jokingly stated "Obviously I'm now going to have to take some legal action of my own, because I have been the Stig for the past seven years, and I don't know who this bloke is, who's mincing around in the High Court pretending it's him." May kept up the pretence in a column in ''The Telegraph'', expounding on his double life as Captain Slow and the Stig, and how his replacement was named Collins - the Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins.

A couple of names were then considered to be the next Stig, if there was to be one, most notably Heikki Kovalainen and Anthony Davidson as the favourites, as well as former White Stig stand-in, racing driver Phil Keen. The odds on a female Stig were also cut, after Clarkson suggested the character will be replaced.

''The Telegraph'' claimed that Collins had been axed by ''Top Gear'', citing BBC sources who said that as a result of the court case, Collins' contract with the BBC, having already expired in the previous month, would not now be renewed by the BBC. It claimed that a television talent management agency was now planning to use Collins in a new show in competition with ''Top Gear''. It also claimed the BBC had spent up to £100,000 in their bid to have the court impose a temporary injunction banning Collins' book.

Speaking to a radio station the same day, James May explained that in the new series of the show, for which filming was to start the following week, he will be dealt with in a similar way to how the Black Stig was killed off and replaced, having "had to be dealt with by Andy [Wilman, the show producer]". Possible ideas included "driving to The Stig's house and nailing his head to the table", in addition to reclaiming the overalls, shoes and gloves, which were "not his", claiming Wilman was furious at Collins for writing his autobiography.

On 4 September, ''The Sun'' quoted a BBC spokeswoman as saying "No decision has yet been made as to whether The Stig will be killed off.

Under the heading 'Driver Wanted', Jeremy wrote in his column in ''The Sun'' that "''Top Gear'', the motoring show on BBC2, is looking for a driver with a high level of racing experience to be The Stig. The successful applicant need not speak English, or indeed any language at all, but he or she must hate Boy Scouts, be able to punch a horse to the ground, have eyes that blink sideways and, most important of all, understand that no one, under any circumstances, should ever rat on their friends." The newspaper claimed only three people other than the presenters Clarkson, Hammond and May, had known the Stig's identity for certain, before the High Court judgment.

In an interview on 7 September 2010, Jeremy Clarkson said, 'put it this way, he's history as far as we are concerned. He's sacked.'

On 5 November 2010, the Top Gear website released a video clip about its "Stig Farm", the end of which introduced a new Stig for ''Top Gear Live''. He sports a white helmet and overalls, with black highlights on the shoes, sleeves and shoulders. The video also featured a satire of Collins' autobiography, in which one example of a Stig tries to write a book on a computer, before proceeding to correct one of its numerous mistakes with Tippex.

In the USA road trip (aired 21 December 2010), the presenters branded the Stig a traitor, with James May declaring his true name to be Judas Iscariot. In a later challenge in which the presenters had to take part in a mock drive-by shooting, the targets used were cardboard cut-outs of the Stig—which, on his turn, Hammond turned around to take the specific opportunity to "shoot [the Stig] in the ''back''!"

During Collins' appearance with the military amputees rally team broadcast in July 2011, Collins was introduced and acknowledged by Richard Hammond as "ex-Stig... Ben Collins".

The Second White Stig (Current Stig)

name	The Second White Stig
series	Top Gear
years	2010–
first	26 December 2010
latest	23 January 2011 }}

After the identity of the previous Stig was revealed, the producers of Top Gear were unsure about whether to have a new Stig. Pictures emerged, however, of a 'Stig Farm', in which the producers and presenters supposedly went to pick the new Stig. At the end of the Middle East Special, James, Jeremy and Richard went to the manger in Bethlehem and the baby turned out to be a baby Stig. In the first episode of series 16, Jeremy and James explained that Stigs grow very quickly and within a month Baby Stig was fully grown and referred to him as New Stig. He allegedly set broadly very similar lap times to "Sacked Stig". He set the fastest time of any car around the track of 1:15.1 in an Ariel Atom V8 on his first episode.

Appearance before birth

'New Stig' appeared in 'The Ashes Special' which aired in Australia in September 2010 (before Stig's birth in December 2010), although it wasn't revealed to be the new Stig in the Australian coverage as it was in the English coverage (which aired during Series 16).

The Stig's 'cousins'

The Stig is also portrayed as having an extended family of cousins who appear in his place, reinforcing various comical stereotypes.

In the US Special in 2006, the show featured a portly American cousin nicknamed "Big Stig" with a relaxed driving style. He raced the presenters' cars around the Moroso Motorsports Park track. "Big Stig" should not be confused with the white Stig of ''Top Gear America''.

The Botswana Special featured the Stig's African cousin, with dark skin, wearing just Puma racing boots, a loincloth, white racing gloves and the iconic white helmet. He raced two of the presenters' chosen cars around an improvised rally track - Clarkson's Lancia Beta refused to start. According to the Special's DVD commentary, this cousin did have experience in Formula 1 racing.

In Series 12, episode 1, 'Rig Stig' made his debut, sporting a "sunburned" right sleeve and glove in reference to his supposed job as a lorry driver. He appeared powersliding a Team Oliver racing truck to show to the presenters that a lorry could drift.

There was another cousin in the Vietnam Special, although his scenes were not broadcast due to time constraints. He was nicknamed the Stig's Vietnamese/Communist cousin and wore a red uniform. The footage was however included in a later DVD release. Top Gear hired a local motorcycle stunt rider.

In Series 14, episode 2, the Stig's vegetarian cousin, nicknamed "Janet Stig Porter", appeared. He wore green overalls, Birkenstock sandals with socks and a solar-powered helmet. He drove the presenters' "Hammerhead iEagle Thrust" hybrid around the MIRA test circuit to see how long it would last, but eventually died from the car's diesel fumes.

In Series 15, episode 2, the Stig's German cousin, nicknamed "Herr Stig" and "Stiggy Ray Cyrus" (a parody of Billy Ray Cyrus), he was almost identical to the main Stig, wearing white overalls, the main difference being that he had a mullet haircut. He drove the presenters' cheap sports saloons around ''EuroSpeedway Lausitz''.

In Series 18 episode 1, the Stig's Italian cousin was introduced whilst at Imola Circuit in a Lamborghini Aventador, McLaren MP4-12C and a Noble M600. He came out of a motor-home dressed in a suit, followed by three girls to set a lap time in a Ferrari 458 Italia.

In Series 18 episode 2, the Stig's Chinese cousin made his dramatic arrival by karate kicking through a door at the local race track. While in appearance he looks the same as the normal Stig, the Chinese Stig is found to be highly violent and attacks anyone indiscriminately using martial arts. His unruly behaviour caused problems not just for the presenters but also for Top Gear filming crew, flag bearer and a nearby track marshal to which he even interrupted his timed lap of the Roewe 350 in order to attack him.

The U.S. ''Top Gear'', ''Top Gear Australia'' and ''Top Gear Russia'' also feature their own versions of The Stig. Additionally, when ''Top Gear Australia'' visited New Zealand (in series 3 episode 2), they introduced their Stig's Kiwi cousin, "The Stoog".

Temporary Stigs

In the Winter Olympics special, Top Gear used Dan Lang, a Swedish snowmobile champion, to jump a snowmobile.

In the USA Road Trip (aired 21 December 2010), Tiff Needell was brought in as an 'Emergency Stig' to train Danny Boyle on the track.

Other appearances

In June 2008 Stig drove a passenger in a two-seat Formula One car at up to for three laps around the Silverstone Circuit in wet conditions, hours before the start of the 2008 British Grand Prix. The drive was the prize in a charity auction held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital where the winning bidder paid £35,000 for the privilege. Stig appeared at the October 2008 National Television Awards to accept ''Top Gear's'' third award for best factual programme, as the other presenters were ostensibly busy filming the new series. The Stig also appears at ''Top Gear Live'' events, such as the August 2010 Stunt Show at the Nürburgring in Germany, in which he is billed as the star of the show alongside the other stunt drivers and cars, with the other ''Top Gear'' presenters not playing a part. The Stig has also appeared outside ''Top Gear'' in Clarkson's motoring DVDs since 2005. He also appeared before the 2011 British Grand Prix whilst Clarkson and Hammond gave the camera crew a tour of the Top Gear studio.

In the 2011 X Games 17, The Stig can be seen walking in the background during one of Brian Deegan's interviews during Rallycross.

Cultural impact and merchandising

''The Scotsman'' described the Stig in 2008 as a "real-life James Bond able to tame the most powerful cars, while possessing all the mystique of Zorro" ''The Sunday Times'' in 2009 described the Stig as "not a man but an idea, possibly an extraterrestrial", speculating that, along the lines of the Spartacus mythology, that the more people were linked with the character, the stronger the mystery would become. It paid tribute for how long the show had actually kept the secret.

On the question of 'Who is the Stig?', it has been described variously by ''The Telegraph'' as one of the most popular internet search questions of 2009, by ''The Times'' in 2009 as one of the ten most-searched-for terms on the Ask.com internet search engine, and by the ''Sunday Times'' as most-asked question on the internet in 2008. In addition, the ''Sunday Times'' has stated that on-line and text-answering services rated it as one of the most popular questions of all time, along with the meaning of life.

With the BBC asserting that the anonymity of the Stig was a vital part of the show's appeal which was valued by the audience during their legal dispute with HarperCollins, an on-line poll by ''The Guardian'' asking the question "Do we need a new Stig?", returned 64% "Yes - his identity should always be a mystery", against 36% for "No - why the big fuss over a man in a helmet?".

After the High Court judgment allowing Ben Collins to publish his autobiography revealing himself as White Stig, ''The Guardian'' asserted that the question of the character's identity had "always been one of the modern age's greatest mysteries", and immediately posed the question, "if the Stig is dead, then who'll be the new Stig?", adding, "The whole beauty of the Stig is that we don't know who he is. He's just a jumpsuit and a helmet, the contents of which are eminently replaceable".

The Stig has been notionally 'spotted' in the wild in images collected for Google Street View. He was photographed by a Street View car standing on the side of the A82 road in Loch Ness, Scotland. He was also captured by a Street View tricycle in three locations within Legoland Windsor in Berkshire, including riding a go-kart and sitting on a camel. A Street View image taken from the A40 Westway of the Stig apparently standing in a window of the ''Top Gear'' office in BBC Television Centre in West London was reportedly just a cardboard cut-out.

The BBC has capitalised on the mystery behind the Stig by marketing "I AM THE STIG" T-Shirts and variants through the Top Gear shop. Other Stig merchandise has included bubble wash, pens, keyrings, soap on a rope, lunchbags and a "sonic toothbrush".

Through a partnership with Polyphony Digital, The Stig's helmet and overalls are available for purchase in the videogame Gran Turismo 5 and Forza Motorsport 4 as avatar items, which also feature the Top Gear Test Track.

Episode notes

References

External links

Category:Top Gear presenters Category:Top Gear Australia Category:Unidentified people Category:2002 introductions Category:Anonymity pseudonyms Category:Top Gear

ar:ذ ستيغ da:The Stig de:Top Gear#The Stig et:The Stig fa:استیگ fr:Le Stig it:The Stig lv:Stigs ms:The Stig nl:The Stig ja:ザ・スティグ no:The Stig pl:Stig ro:The Stig ru:Стиг simple:The Stig fi:The Stig sv:The Stig uk:Стіґ

playername	Stuart Holden
fullname	Stuart Alistair Holden
dateofbirth	August 01, 1985
cityofbirth	Aberdeen
countryofbirth	Scotland
height
position	Midfielder
currentclub	Bolton Wanderers
clubnumber	8
youthyears1	2003–2004
youthclubs1	Clemson Tigers
years1	2005
clubs1	Sunderland
caps1	0
goals1	0
years2	2006–2009
clubs2	Houston Dynamo
caps2	88
goals2	15
years3	2010–
clubs3	Bolton Wanderers
caps3	28
goals3	2
nationalteam1	United States U-20
nationalcaps1	11
nationalgoals1	1
nationalyears2	2007–2008
nationalteam2	United States U-23
nationalcaps2	7
nationalgoals2	1
nationalyears3	2009–
nationalteam3	United States
nationalcaps3	17
nationalgoals3	2
pcupdate	15:00, August 26 2011 (UTC)
ntupdate	13 October 2010 }}

Stuart Alistair Holden (born August 1, 1985, in Aberdeen, Scotland) is a United States soccer player who currently plays midfield for Bolton Wanderers in the English Premier League.

Holden has represented the United States at under-20, under-23 and senior levels. He made his senior debut in July 2009 against Grenada and scored his first goal during that game. He was part of the United States squad at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup. Since his debut, Holden has gained 17 caps and scored two goals.

Early life

Holden was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, after moving there with his family at age 10. His father worked for Chevron Corporation in its human resources department. He played high school soccer in Houston for Awty International School.

Club career

Sunderland

After playing two years of College soccer at Clemson University, Holden signed with English club Sunderland in early 2005. On March 12, Holden was attacked outside a bar in Newcastle, leaving him with a fractured left eye socket, which prevented him from training with the club for two months. When Holden resumed training, he suffered an ankle injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season. Holden was released after his six-month stay having never played for Sunderland's first team.

Houston Dynamo

thumb|right|200px|Stuart Holden playing for Houston Holden returned to the United States to play in Major League Soccer with Houston Dynamo for the 2006 season. He made his MLS debut on May 27, 2006, and scored his first professional goal on July 22, 2006, in a 1–1 home draw against New England. He appeared thirteen times in the 2006 regular season and twice as a substitute in Houston's run to the MLS Cup 2006 championship. In the championship penalty shootout, Holden took the Dynamo's second shot and scored to the top right corner.

Holden's playing time increased in the 2007 season. He mostly started on the left wing when teammate Brad Davis went down with injury. In July, Holden scored goals on consecutive Thursday night games and added three assists in league play and another in SuperLiga play, as of July 25. Holden was awarded the US Soccer Humanitarian of the Year award in 2008.

Bolton Wanderers

Having spent several weeks training in England following the end of the 2009 Major League Soccer season, Holden officially joined Premier League side Bolton Wanderers on January 25, 2010. He made his Bolton debut on February 24, 2010, in a 4–0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup, starting and playing the full ninety minutes. He made his first league appearance on February 27, 2010, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. On September 30, 2010 he signed a new contract at Bolton which will keep him at the club until 2013. He scored his first goal for Bolton away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on November 13, 2010.

In the 2010-11 season, Holden was a virtual ever present, helping Bolton reach seventh place in the Premier League and an FA Cup Semi-Final. However, his season was cut short on 19 March after he suffered a knee injury against Manchester United at Old Trafford when going into a tackle with Jonny Evans. Evans' studs caught Holden in the right knee, leaving a gash that required twenty six stitches and an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which ruled him out for up to six months. Despite missing the final two months of the season, Holden was still voted the 2011 Bolton Wanderers Player of the Year. Without Holden, Bolton finished the season in fourteenth position.

International career

Holden was capped 11 times as a United States youth international at the U-20 level. Early in 2007, Holden was called in to the U.S. U-23 squad for a camp in California and in December for a camp and trip to China to play matches against the China U-23 team. In July 2008 Holden was named to the U.S. squad competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. On August 7 he scored in the USA's opening match, a 1–0 victory against Japan. In December 2008 Holden was called into a camp set to begin in January 2009 preceding a friendly against Sweden on January 24. He sustained a hip injury prior to the friendly and was forced to withdraw from camp.

Holden was named to the United States Gold Cup squad on June 25, 2009, as nearly all of the senior regulars were rested following the Confederations Cup. Holden scored a goal for the U.S. in his national team debut against Grenada on July 4, 2009. On July 11, 2009, Holden scored his second international goal against Haiti with a thirty-yard strike that tied the game in the ninety-second minute, and assisted the USA's first goal in that match, which was scored by Davy Arnaud. Holden added two more assists in the 2–0 semi-final win against Honduras. Stuart was selected to the Gold Cup All-Tournament Team. During a friendly match on March 3, 2010, Nigel de Jong broke Holden's leg, causing him to miss 6 weeks of football. On May 26, 2010, it was announced that Holden would be part of the 23-man roster for the U.S. National Team which played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and he played as a substitute in the opening 1-1 draw with England.

International goals

CenturyLink Field 11 July 2009

# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
align=center	1.	4 July 2009	Qwest Field, Seattle, United States ||		2–0	4–0	2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage#Group B>2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
align=center	2.	|	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts>Foxborough, United States		2–2	2–2	2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Career statistics

Club

|- |- |2006||rowspan="4"|Houston Dynamo||rowspan="4"|Major League Soccer||13||1||0||0||2||0||0||0||15||1 |- |2007||22||5||1||0||4||1||3||0||30||6 |- |2008||27||3||1||0||2||0||9||0||39||3 |- |2009||26||6||0||0||3||0||5||0||34||6 |- |2009-10||rowspan="3"|Bolton Wanderers||rowspan="3"|Premier League||2||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||3||0 |- |2010-11||26||2||3||0||1||0||0||0||30||2 |- |2011-12||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0 88||15||2||0||11||1||17||0||118||16 28||2||4||0||1||0||0||0||33||2 116||17||6||0||12||1||17||0||151||18

Last updated August 26, 2011

International

National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
rowspan="4"	United States
	11	2
2010 in American soccer	2010	6
2011 in American soccer	2011	0
colspan=2	Total	17

''Statistics accurate as of match played 1 January 2011''

Honors

Club

;Houston Dynamo

MLS Cup (2): 2006, 2007

Individual

MLS Best XI (1): 2009

CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI (1): 2009

Bolton Wanderers Player of the Year (1): 2010–11

Style of play

Holden is a versatile, linking midfielder who, due to his ambidexterity, can play in the left, right, or center of the midfield. Holden is particularly noted for his adeptness at taking set pieces and delivering crosses, being compared favorably to David Beckham.

Personal life

Holden was born in Scotland, and moved to the United States at the age of ten. Holden's father lost a six-year battle with cancer in early 2009. His mother and sister still live in Houston. He has been an American citizen since 2006. Every game, Holden wears a Livestrong bracelet that belonged to his father, taping over it for its protection.

Holden's brother, Euan Holden, is also a professional soccer player who is currently with Conference National club Stockport County.

Professional gaming career

Before his professional sports career Holden played competitive Counter-Strike under the alias Holden, most famously playing for Forsaken in the United States. During his time with the team he helped them to a second place at the WCG 2002 qualifier and 8th place at CPL Summer 2003. His CS career took a back seat as he began to play soccer seriously for Clemson University eventually leading into his MLS career.

Holden has admitted that he is slightly embarrassed by his gaming career, stating, "When I first started playing football professionally it all started to come out and I was a bit ashamed of it. I tried to hide it but eventually I've just started to embrace it. There's nothing I can do. I've deleted it off my Wikipedia page about four or five times and someone just keeps putting it back up there!"

References

External links

MLS player profile

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:American soccer players Category:American expatriate soccer players Category:American expatriate soccer people in the United Kingdom Category:American electronic sports players Category:Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Category:Clemson Tigers men's soccer players Category:Clemson University alumni Category:Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:Houston Dynamo players Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Aberdeen Category:People from Sugar Land, Texas Category:Premier League players Category:Scottish emigrants to the United States Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:Soccer players from Texas Category:Scottish footballers Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players Category:Olympic soccer players of the United States Category:United States men's international soccer players

ar:ستوارت هولدين be-x-old:Ст'юарт Голдэн da:Stuart Holden de:Stuart Holden es:Stuart Holden fr:Stuart Holden ko:스튜어트 홀든 it:Stuart Holden la:Stuart Holden mr:स्टुअर्ट होल्डन nl:Stuart Holden ja:スチュアート・ホールデン no:Stuart Holden nn:Stuart Holden pl:Stuart Holden pt:Stuart Holden ru:Холден, Стюарт fi:Stuart Holden zh:斯图尔特·霍尔登

name	Vince Taylor
background	solo_singer
birth name	Brian Maurice Holden
born	July 14, 1939Isleworth, Middlesex, England
died	August 28, 1991 Lutry, Switzerland
genre	Rock and rollRockabillyProtopunk
occupation	Singer, songwriter
years active	1957–1991
notable instruments	}}

Vince Taylor (14 July 1939 — 28 August 1991) was a British rock and roll singer. As the frontman for The Playboys, Taylor was successful primarily in France and the Continent during the late 1950s and early 1960s, afterwards falling into obscurity amidst personal problems and drug abuse.

Early life

Taylor, born Brian Maurice Holden, spent his early life in Isleworth, Middlesex. When he was seven years old, the Holdens emigrated to America and settled in New Jersey where his father took work in a coal mine. Around 1955, his sister, Sheila, married Joe Barbera, of Hanna-Barbera. As a result of the marriage, the family moved to California where Taylor attended Hollywood High School. As a teenager, Taylor took flying lessons and obtained a pilot's license.

Music career

At age 18, impressed by the music of Gene Vincent and Elvis Presley, Taylor began to sing, mostly at amateur gigs. Barbera, his brother-in-law, became his manager. When Barbera went to London on business he asked Taylor to join him. In London, Taylor went to a coffee bar on Old Compton Street in Soho, The 2i's Coffee Bar where Tommy Steele was playing. There he met drummer Tony Meehan (later of The Shadows) and bass player Tex Makins (born Anthony Paul Makins, 3 July 1940, Wembley, Middlesex). They formed a band called The Playboys. Whilst looking at a packet of Pall Mall cigarettes he noticed the phrase, 'In hoc signo vinces', thus giving rise to his new stage name of Vince Taylor.

His first singles for Parlophone, "I Like Love" and "Right Behind You Baby", were released in 1958, followed several months later by "Pledgin' My Love" b/w "Brand New Cadillac", (the latter track featuring guitarist Joe Moretti, who later featured on "Shakin' All Over" with Johnny Kidd & The Pirates). Parlophone was not satisfied with the immediate results and severed the recording contract. Taylor moved to Palette Records and recorded "I'll Be Your Hero" b/w "Jet Black Machine", which was released on 19 August 1960.

On 23 April 1960 ABC-TV screened the first edition of their new weekly rock and roll TV show, ''Wham!'' The first show featured Taylor with Dickie Pride, Billy Fury, Joe Brown, Jess Conrad, Little Tony, and Johnny Kidd & The Pirates.

However, his unpredictable personality, although dynamic on stage, caused several arguments within the band, and The Playboys fired Taylor and changed their name to 'The Bobbie Clarke Noise'. The 'Noise' was contracted to play at the Olympia in Paris in July 1961. The top of the bill was Wee Willie Harris.

Despite his sacking Taylor remained friendly with the band and he asked if he could come to Paris too. Here he dressed up for the sound check in his trade mark black leather stage gear, and added a chain around his neck with a Joan of Arc medallion, which he had bought on arrival at Calais. One version of the story says he gave such an extraordinary performance at the sound check, that the organizers decided to put Taylor at the top of the bill for both shows. As a result of his performance at those two shows, Eddie Barclay signed him to a six-year record deal on the Barclay label.

During 1961 and 1962, Taylor toured Europe with Clarke's band, once again called Vince Taylor and his Playboys. Between gigs they recorded several EPs and an album of 20 songs, at Barclay Studios in Paris; these songs included the covers:

"Sweet Little Sixteen"

"C'mon Everybody"

"Twenty Flight Rock"

"Love Me"

"Long Tall Sally"

"So Glad You’re Mine"

"Baby Let’s Play House"

"Lovin Up A Storm"

By the end of 1962, Vince Taylor and The Playboys were the top of the bill at the Olympia, in Paris. Sylvie Vartan was the opening act.

Despite of an on-stage rapport with The Playboys, the off-stage relationship faltered: as a result, the band once more broke up. Taylor played several engagements backed by the English band 'The Echoes' (who also backed Gene Vincent whenever he played the UK), but he still presented the band as The Playboys.

In February 1964, a new single "Memphis Tennessee" bmw "A Shot of Rhythm and Blues" was released on the Barclay label. The record sleeve showed a mysterious new Playboys, who were secretly Joey Greco and Claude Djaoui on guitars, Ralph Di Pietro on bass, and Bobbie Clarke on drums. All were under an exclusive contract for the Johnny Hallyday orchestra.

Hallyday was drafted into the French Army, and Clarke again joined Taylor and they started up 'The Bobbie Clarke Noise' along with Ralph Danks (guitar), Alain Bugby of The Strangers (bass), Johnny Taylor, ex lead singer for the Strangers (rhythm guitar), and "Stash" Prince Stanislas Kosslowski de Rola (percussion). Managed by Jean Claude Camus, the band toured discreetly provincally to gain some experience. Their high point was reached one day in 1964 when Taylor and the Bobbie Clarke Noise played as the opening act for The Rolling Stones on their first concert at the Olympia in Paris.

Drug problems

Taylor, his mind badly affected by a combination of drugs, especially LSD, and alcohol, became increasingly erratic both on-stage and off. At one point Taylor declared he was the biblical apostle Matthew in front of a large audience at an important concert in London.

Decline

The band disbanded and Taylor joined a religious movement. Danks left to play guitar with Three Dog Night, and later Tom Jones, Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. Stash, a close friend of The Rolling Stones, would later produce The Dirty Strangers album featuring Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. Clarke went on to replace drummer Don Conka for several studio sessions with the original line up of the band Love. He also played with Vince Flaherty and his band The Invincebles, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, and the first incarnation of Deep Purple before forming a group, Bodast, with Steve Howe and Dave Curtis. In 1968, Bodast recorded an album for MGM Records, opened for The Who, and were the backing band for Chuck Berry at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Meanwhile, Clarke was involved in a comeback for his friend Taylor, a one month tour across France, billed as 'Vince Taylor and Bobbie Clarke backed by Les Rockers'. More often than not, he was bafflingly incoherent and erratic on-stage. Eddie Barclay gave a new chance to Taylor who recorded again and performed intermittently throughout the 1970s and 1980s, until his death.

During his career, Taylor wrote and recorded many songs, among them his hit in Europe, "Brand New Cadillac" which has been covered by many other artists including The Clash on their 1979 album, ''London Calling.'' During his last years, Taylor lived in Switzerland and worked as an airplane mechanic. He said it was the happiest time of his life.

Taylor died in August 1991, from cancer, at the age of 52. He was buried in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Legacy

According to David Bowie, Taylor was the main inspiration for Bowie's character Ziggy Stardust.

The band Golden Earring referred to Taylor in their 1976 live performances, and their recording, ''Live'', with the song "Just Like Vince Taylor".

Northern Irish singer Van Morrison in his 1999 song "Goin' Down Geneva", mentioned Taylor, singing: "Vince Taylor used to live here/No one's even heard of him/Just who he was/Just where he fits in".

Taylor had a son, Ty Holden who stated on BBC Radio 4, that Vince Taylor was an absent father. Ty was in the indie band, Crown of Thorns, managed by Miles Copeland. Ty Holden is now a DJ on the London underground dance scene.

On 18 August 2010 BBC Radio 4 broadcast the documentary ''Ziggy Stardust Came from Isleworth'' which, in the words of the producer, is a programme that "uncovers the truth about a singer whose wild lifestyle ultimately destroyed him, but in so doing he gave rise to a myth that transcended glam-rock and science fiction".

The Playboys

After several changes, the final line-up of The Playboys became:

Bobbie Clarke (drums) (born Robert William Woodman, 13 June 1941, Coventry, Warwickshire),

Johnny Vance (bass) (born David John Cobb, 1940, Portsmouth, Hampshire),

Alain Le Claire (piano) (born Alan Cocks, 26 August 1938, Dulwich, London) and

Tony Harvey (guitar) (born Anthony Harvey, 1940, died 23 March 1993), who alternated with Bob Steel.

See also

British rock and roll

Bibliography

''Vince Taylor Illustrated Discography'', by Phil "Heron" Guidal, Black Leather, 1988

Bodast: ''Spectral Nether Street'', Cherry Red Records Ltd., CD-Inlay essay by Jon Newey, London, January 2000

References

External links

Vince Taylor, the Black Leather Rebel - Detailed biography

Mr "Brand New Cadillac" Detailed information available in French and English

Category:1939 births Category:1991 deaths Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English male singers Category:English pop singers Category:English songwriters Category:People from Isleworth Category:Musicians from London Category:Cancer deaths in Switzerland

de:Vince Taylor fr:Vince Taylor nl:Vince Taylor ru:Винс Тейлор sv:Vince Taylor