Autoblog

Click above for a gallery of the turbocharged APS HSV Commodore.

APS is in the business of making power and that's exactly what they've done for the new Pontiac G8 GT and its Aussie-spec sibling, the Holden Commodore HSV. The tuner's Stealth Intercooled turbocharger setup uses two water-cooled turbos mounted deep into the engine bay, just ahead of the transmission, to ensure underhood temps are kept in check – road debris be damned. According to APS, the system is a straightforward, bolt-in affair, utilizing a right-sized, aluminum, air-to-air intercooler, seven pounds of boost and a pair of TIAL 38mm external wastegates to bleed off exhaust gases and optimize throttle response. While APS hasn't installed the system on a Pontiac G8 GT yet, they've strapped its own blown HSV (with a three-inch cat-back exhaust) onto the rollers of a Dyno Dynamics dyno and produced 557 hp and 583 lb.-ft. of torque while running 93-octane. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but considering how impressed we were with the standard G8 GT, this setup has the potential to redefine the bang-for-the-buck quotient in the segment.



[Source: APS via FreshTarmac]

Click image to enlarge

Like the sedan and ute before it, the Holden Commodore Sportwagon will also soon have a corresponding HSV performance variant. The HSV Tourer is essentially an HSV Clubsport R8 Wagon, as it features the muscle sedan's front clip and 425-horsepower (317kW) LS3 V8 powertrain. Look for it to arrive arrive in Australia this October and in the U.S. as a Pontiac, well, never. (Pontiac has no plans to bring over the Commodore Sportwagon, remember.)

HSV admits that the Tourer could take some sales away from the Clubsport R8 upon which it's based, but that the presence of the wagon in the now-complete HSV lineup should still help HSV's sales numbers overall. Drive.com.au notes that the Commodore Sportwagon was supposed to launch back in March, but has been delayed while Holden continues to work out kinks with the wagon bodystyle. We expect to get plenty more info on the HSV Tourer closer to its launch, but today, we're more bummed than ever that Pontiac isn't importing the Commodore Sportwagon. Imagine what the possibilities could have been... Pontiac G8 Safari GXP? Not bad. And unfortunately, not gonna happen.

[Sources: HSV, Drive.com.au]

Coupes seem to be somewhat resurgent lately, and the stupendously awesome Pontiac G8 GXP might be set to lose a pair of doors. While that would make it essentially a repeat of what came here as a revived GTO not too long ago, the name is not likely to return. The basic idea has been outlined in the Holden Coupe 60, itself starting out as an updated GTO, but turning out much cooler. The neo-ponycar wars will require the fitment of the 400 horsepower LS3 to run with the Shelby GT500KR, Challenger, and cousin Camaro.

The newly unveiled G8 GXP serves as the benchmark for what this coupe will likely come equipped with. That means big 19-inch wheels, uprated suspension, a meaner fascia and, most importantly, an available Tremec six-speed manual transmission. There should be a GT version, too, with "only" 361 horsepower, which should still offer a significant kick in the pants for less cash. The biggest impediment to the G8 Coupe actually seeing the light of day are looming new CAFE regulations, but we don't see how selling a bulk of these cars with the still-excellent 3.6 liter V6 to less performance-addled customers would be a bad thing. It'd hopefully prevent Pontiac from running afoul of the fuel economy rules while getting another car out there that enthusiasts can embrace in a variety of flavors. Thanks for the tip, Matthew!

[Source: Inside Line, Photo illustration by Nick Wilcox, Inside Line]

Holden and Ford have been fighting the battle of Commodore vs. Falcon for many years, and with the recent announcement of the new Falcon range, the war has heated up. Holden's very competent Holden line has been given quite a jolt in anticipation of the Falcon's release, with many offerings trumping Ford's recently introduced Falcon models.

The Commodore will now feature standard side curtain airbags across the model range, as opposed to only two of eight Falcon models having the safety tech standard. The Commodore's side air bags will also protect both first and second row passengers, as opposed to only the front row in the Falcon. Holden also held the price of the upcoming Commodore wagon to within $1,000 of the sedan's price, where before it was an extra $3,000, and air conditioning is now standard on all models. Pricing for the eight Falcon models has yet to be announced, so Ford still has a chance to retaliate.

It appears that the battle rages on for RWD superiority in the land of OZ, and if we're lucky Ford will bring the Falcon Stateside to battle the Pontiac G8 on our turf.

[Source: Drive]

Spot any similarities? Holden surprised and delighted when it rolled out the Coupe 60 at the Melbourne Auto Show this past week. Motor Trend put two and two together and dug up some three-year-old photos that show off essentially the same car wearing a Pontiac suit, instead. The nose on the original concept shows what GM was planning for the next-gen GTO at the time. We're glad the prototype styling was deemed too expensive for production; the world wasn't ready for a modern interpretation of the 1982 J2000.

The Coupe 60 started life as Pontiac's replacement for the sales-proof GTO, but Motor Trend reports that development stopped when GM went full bore at getting its next-gen full-size GMT900 trucks to market early. The reappropriation of this past work to create the stunning new Holden show car could signal a return of the Monaro, which could trickle down to North America as another page in the G8 brochure, or a new GTO, but don't start holding your breath yet.

[Source: Motor Trend, Photo: Motor Trend]

Click image for a high-res gallery of the VE Sportwagon SS-V

Wagons are cool. They're practical, too -- a fact most of the world outside North America seems to fully understand. Alas, we're here in the land of the crossover. Sure, there are some nice ones, but they aren't nearly as fun as what Holden has brewing. Following up the "concept" that made its debut in Sydney last October, Holden has formally unveiled the VE Sportwagon, which comes in the same range of trim levels as the VE Commodore sedan, up to and including the musclebound, tire-immolating SS-V, which is shown above.

Depending on trim level, non-SS models generally come with one of two 3.6L Alloytec V6 engines (this is the same 3.6 you'll find in any number of US GM vehicles -- the Alloytec-branded motors are manufactured in Australia, however). The standard one is good for 241 hp / 243 lb-ft via a 4-speed automatic. The "high-output" version delivers 261 hp / 250 lb-ft courtesy of a 5-speed auto with a manumatic feature. The SSvand SS-V get the 6.0L, 362-horsepower / 390 lb-ft V8 as standard equipment. It's mated to a 6-speed automatic, also with a manual-shift feature. Optionally, the Calais V can be had with this powertrain as well.

The SS-V is our fave, with HID lamps, big 19" wheels, and the full muscle-machine look of its sedan counterpart, just with more space for your stuff. Sadly, Pontiac won't be getting a version of the VE Sportwagon, which would have been a much cooler Poncho family hauler than the '87 Safari 9-seater (navy blue with the woodgrain stickers and yacht-like steering) this Autoblogger learned to drive in. Chalk up yet another win for Aussie gearheads, who'll get a highly practical and stylish vehicle that can do burnouts at will.



[Source: Holden]

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the HSV W427

The modern American auto show circuit has turned into a series of venues at which automakers try to out-green or out-crossover each other, with the occasional fire-breather thrown in. Down in Australia, it's like the late 60s or early 70s, with a power-mad pissing contest between GM and Ford going full-tilt. We already saw Holden's killer flex-fuel muscle concept, the Coupe 60. Now it's time for the skunkworks to unveil its newest street missile. We previewed it this morning, but here it is in all its glory: the HSV W427. The "W" is a nod to Tom Walkinshaw, whose TWR crew joined up with Holden in 1988 to create the Group A VL SS Commodore, a homologation special that marked the birth of GM's Australian factory performance division, HSV.

The 427 represents the engine's size in cubic inches, as in GM LS7 V8 cubic inches. The Corvette Z06's heart has been transplanted into the VE Commodore's body, which has been substantially modified with a unique blackened fascia (you might also call it "ugly," or more diplomatically, "menacing"); updated aero bits all around; new 20" wheels; and an immeasurable amount of testosterone. That's what the LS7 brings to the party -- no blue pills required. Final power numbers aren't yet available, but HSV expects them to be in excess of 496 horses and 472 lb-ft. That should make the W427 the fastest Aussie street-legal supercar ever produced. All the good Corvette trickery is in play, too: magnetic ride control, big brakes, and the bi-modal exhaust system are among the hidden goodies that make it the ultimate super saloon. Quantities will be limited, but lucky owners will feel like every road is Bathurst.

HSV's press release is pasted after the jump.


[Source: HSV]

Click above to view over 40 high-res photos of the Holden Coupe 60

We're elated when an embargo doesn't break or official images don't somehow manage to find their way to the wrong people ahead of time, because then we're totally surprised by things like this: the Holden Coupe 60. Unveiled today at the Melbourne Auto Show, the Coupe 60 honors Holden's 60th diamond anniversary in the car building business. Removing the two rear doors has allowed designers to make the sports coupe concept a full 60 mm shorter than the VE Commodore sedan that shares the same rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform, but the coupe's long wheelbase remains identical to the sedan.

The Coupe 60 looks absolutely brutal sitting on its 21-inch wheels that can barely be contained by the car's swollen fender flares. While the VE face up front is familiar, the design as a whole is decidedly clean thanks to a lack of wings, scoops and other superfluous paraphernalia. The only aerodynamic assistance is provided by a serious looking air diffuser in the rear apron, a rear deck lid spoiler and completely flat underbelly. Finally, Holden dipped its coupe concept in a one-off paint color called "Diamond Silver" that references the brand's diamond anniversary.

The Holden Coupe 60 is powered by a 6.0L flexfuel V8 sending power to the rear rubber through a 6-speed manual transmission, though Holden has withheld exact horespower and torque numbers. Brembo brakes bring the whole affair to a hault, while side-exiting exhaust tips add just the right amount of cool. The interior has also been heavily modified with one-piece carbon fiber seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, lots of suede and an LCD instrument cluster that looks lifted straight from a race car.

Production? Yup, totally a possibility. Holden provided a number of quotes in its press release after the jump that say as much, though our favorite is, "With Coupe 60 we think we have designed a car that has the potential to write another chapter in the book of Holden icons." Somebody get this car a pen! Be sure to check out the dozens of high-res photos in the gallery below. Every single one is worth a peek.


[Source: Holden]

Today at the Melbourne Auto Show in Australia, GM's Holden subsidiary is rumored to debut a new super sedan based on the Commodore and developed by its highly capable Holden Special Vehicles division. The exact nomenclature to be affixed to the sedan's flanks is unknown, but we expect a suitably sporty one like HSV GTSR, or something to that effect. It will powered by the 7.0L LS7 V8 from the Chevy Corvette Z06, which makes 505 hp in the Vette but will likely be detuned a smidge to just under 500 hp in the Holden, and could cost upwards of $150,000 in Aussie money. Reports suggest it will also have a cache of accompanying hardware to back up the monster motor like the largest brakes ever used on a Holden and lots of trickle down technology from Australia's V8 Supercar racing series. It will be built by hand away from the common Commodores, but still be covered by Holden's 3-year, 100,000 kilometer warranty. This will be fastest and most expensive (by far) vehicle that Holden has ever produced, and despite increasing concerns over the cost of gas in Oz, the brand believes it will have no trouble securing buyers for its limited allotment. We'll bring you more pics of the car after it debuts to what will surely be an astonished Australian market, but until then you can wrap your mind around the idea that what fits underneath the hood of this car should also fit in the engine bay of the Pontiac G8 and Chevy Camaro.

[Source: The Sydney Morning Herald]

click above for more high-res pics of the 2003 Holden Crewman

Australian outlet GoAuto is reporting that GM Car Czar Bob Lutz has confirmed that a four-door ute concept based on Holden's rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform but wearing a GMC badge will debut at the New York Auto Show in late March. From Bob's description, the vehicle is much like the Holden Crewman, which was a version of the Holden Ute with its wheelbase stretched to accommodate a second row of seats and two more doors (all-wheel-drive was also eventually an option).

The concept debuting in Detroit will be wearing very masculine GMC styling cues, however, and sounds as if it will be billed as a unibody pickup. This gives the GMC four-door ute a good shot at production since GM knows that demand for trucks in the future has to be satisfied with vehicles that are more fuel efficient than body-on-frame trucks. A recent spate of unibody truck concepts like the Toyota A-BAT Concept and Ford Explorer America Concept show that automakers are very interested in switching to lighter unibody platforms for vehicles that have traditionally been truck-based.

Lutz also points out the obvious upside that if the GMC four-door ute is popular with the public, it can be sold in Australia as Holden's replacement for the Crewman, which wasn't updated along with the rest of the Ute lineup last year.

[Source: GoAuto via Winding Road]