Article

2006-10-30 Down Under

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Posted by Oztralian 2006-10-30 00:55|| || Front Page|| [9 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Nice car. But actual GM Holdens were and are variants of defunct Oldsmobile line. Nothing against Olds, but other than the Cutlass they never put out anything to cruise with.

Posted by Snease Shaiting3550 2006-10-30 05:03|| 2006-10-30 05:03|| Front Page Top

#2 Snease,
A gentleman of my acquaintance works for Holden, and from some of the things he's said, I'm going to respectfully disagree with you, tho not for the reasons you might suspect. Holden has come up with some pretty amazing cars - but according to my contact GM has been adamant in not allowing them to get to production in their original form for fear that they'll upset projects underway here in the states. There's one right now - IIRC the Commodore or Commander - if you put a Chevy badge on it and called it the Impala, you couldn't get enough of them to the states if you chartered every auto carrier available. But the GM plan says they have to use the platform that's been designed by committee here in the States... and that's the end of the discussion as far as they're concerned. The Pontiac G6 was also to a great extent a Holden product that was 'dumbed down' for the US market.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2006-10-30 07:39|| 2006-10-30 07:39|| Front Page Top

#3 The Pontiac G6 was also to a great extent a Holden product that was 'dumbed down' for the US market.

IIRC, the V8 Interceptor never made it to the USA because it could only be driven by crazed ex-paramilitary policemen bent on revenge, and the US market was just not mature enough.

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-10-30 08:12|| 2006-10-30 08:12|| Front Page Top

#4 Looks like a '53 Hudson Coupe.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2006-10-30 08:19|| 2006-10-30 08:19|| Front Page Top

#5 From what Mike says, maybe GM deserves to fall into the gutter, the arrogant jerks.

Posted by wxjames 2006-10-30 08:34|| 2006-10-30 08:34|| Front Page Top

#6 Lots of US Commodores were made in Adelaide, South Australia.

Posted by Grunter 2006-10-30 09:18|| 2006-10-30 09:18|| Front Page Top

#7 This one is just brilliant styling. You don't know whether it's 50's futurism or ultra modern retro.

Posted by Grunter 2006-10-30 09:21|| 2006-10-30 09:21|| Front Page Top

#8 IIRC, the V8 Interceptor never made it to the USA because it could only be driven by crazed ex-paramilitary policemen bent on revenge, and the US market was just not mature enough.

I thought that was a big demographic group here?

Posted by Abdominal Snowman 2006-10-30 09:29|| 2006-10-30 09:29|| Front Page Top

#9 GM is already in the gutter. It's just a matter of time.

Posted by Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2006-10-30 09:33|| 2006-10-30 09:33|| Front Page Top

#10 Looks mega-cool. Goes extra-fast. Super chick-magnet. What's not to like? Rocks.

Posted by .com 2006-10-30 09:34|| 2006-10-30 09:34|| Front Page Top

#11 Looks like a rip-off Billy Gibbons Cadzilla built by Boyd Coddington IMO

Posted by Cheaderhead 2006-10-30 10:14|| 2006-10-30 10:14|| Front Page Top

#12 This is art at every level. If it goes to market down under, the body's will be available here in kit form. Two quick points:

1. Take a car and put it on a frame, not unibody, and the body variants are unlimited. This is on a vette frame. GM should take note that the unibody should go away.

2. GM is headed the way Dodge went a few years ago. They will either allow the youth to take the helm in markiting decisions or they will fail.

Posted by 49 Pan">49 Pan 2006-10-30 10:21|| 2006-10-30 10:21|| Front Page Top

#13 Purdy close, Cheddarhead - gotta agree. I'm kinda thinking everything that has four wheels and an occupant cab in the middle might qualify if it looks like a suppository, er, looks aerodynamic...

Good catch. Still, fast + cool+ magnet = rocks... credit wherever due.

Posted by .com 2006-10-30 10:26|| 2006-10-30 10:26|| Front Page Top

#14 Needs fender skirts. I'll check the Warchowski catalog.

Posted by Phineter Thraviger1073 2006-10-30 10:36|| 2006-10-30 10:36|| Front Page Top

#15 Oooooh, car pr0n. I vote for this as a semi-regular feature.

Posted by xbalanke 2006-10-30 12:32|| 2006-10-30 12:32|| Front Page Top

#16 The reborn GTO was originally based on the Aussie platform, but GM US toned it down to go-fast stripes AND a big price tag. how many are now gathering dust at your friendly Mr. GoodWrench dealer while the boys down @ Henry's place can't keep the way cool Mustangs in stock????
Now if Mopar would just bring back the Original Road Runner with only the Hemi as an option....(car pOrn. love it) 'scuse me while i blow out(some carbon)

Posted by USN, ret. 2006-10-30 14:01|| 2006-10-30 14:01|| Front Page Top

#17 '67 GTO 2-dr convertible, 389 with triple dueces. One of the best cars I ever owned. Sigh. You could see> the gas gauge needle move when you floored it, lol.

Posted by .com 2006-10-30 14:04|| 2006-10-30 14:04|| Front Page Top

#18 and there goes the HTML tag neighborhood, lol.

Posted by .com 2006-10-30 14:04|| 2006-10-30 14:04|| Front Page Top

#19 Now all they need is John Mellencamp to write up some catchy little commercial for them that they can play 100 or 200 or 300 times during the football games and you'll want to firebomb the Holden EFIJY as much as the first Chevy Silverado that you see on the street...

Posted by tu3031 2006-10-30 14:16|| 2006-10-30 14:16|| Front Page Top

#20 USN,
No revival for the Road Runner - Plymouth has gone to that great auto graveyard in the sky. But we ARE getting the Challenger back in 08, and by all accounts it will be even more of a screamer than the original was - and friends at my local DC/D dealer are telling me that MSRP, with the big Hemi and all the trimmings, will be under 30K (although some people have already put down as much as 60K to insure they get the first ones). meanwhile, GM's Camaro revival will have a six cylinder engine at best and will START at about 35-40K.
And GM wonders why they're in trouble...

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2006-10-30 14:35|| 2006-10-30 14:35|| Front Page Top

#21 Nah, this car just doesn't do it for me. I'm an E-type Jag man, myself. For my money that was the most beautiful (and capable) real production car ever made.

Posted by mac 2006-10-30 16:59|| 2006-10-30 16:59|| Front Page Top

#22 Sweet Jebus, that's gorgeous!

http://www.cartype.com/page.cfm?id=1186&alph=ALL&dec=ALL

Posted by Parabellum 2006-10-30 17:31|| 2006-10-30 17:31|| Front Page Top

#23 Jeez, who's driving, the Green Hornet?

Posted by Greasing Spatulae7589 2006-10-30 17:43|| 2006-10-30 17:43|| Front Page Top

#24 MIke, I know, but i can still dream, can't i? and yes i know today's cars not only are faster but also handle better than the mid 60s brutes, but just looking at a big block (anything) crammed under the hood and knowing that you could walk into your local dealer and buy that very same thing spins my prop a whole lot more than the majority of today's front wheel drive rice burners. yeah some automakers are getting it, but "3 deuces and a 4 speed" gives this ole motorhead a woodie...

Posted by USN, ret. 2006-10-30 17:54|| 2006-10-30 17:54|| Front Page Top

#25 I should have mentioned that I worked on the parts line (rear axles) at GMH-Port Melbourne, for 3 months. I also worked at GMH's Salmon Street foundry (sucked). The company didn't put out anything that you might want to modify. The company cafeteria had calf-brains on the menu. Didn't like that or Vegemite, a product that I discovered when I worked at Kraft, Downunder.

Posted by Snease Shaiting3550 2006-10-30 19:15|| 2006-10-30 19:15|| Front Page Top

#26 1969 Mach I Mustang, my heart goes all pitter patter.:)

Posted by djohn66 2006-10-30 23:09|| 2006-10-30 23:09|| Front Page Top

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