General Motor’s Holden Special Vehicles unit in Australia is following in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division as well as more recently, Porsche, with the presentation of a black-themed and named special edition series based on the E Series 3 range launched last September.
Making its world debut at the 2011 Australian motorshow in Melbourne, the SV Black Edition package is offered in the ClubSport R8, Maloo R8 and ClubSport R8 Tourer, which are the sports versions of the Commodore sedan, ute, and station wagon models respectively.
It’s a poorly kept secret that many Americans are quite fond of the Australian-made and Commodore-derived, Holden Ute, which we recently drove in Queensland. It’s big, brutish and comfortable with a bevy of engine and equipment options to suit virtually any budget or taste - so long as those tastes only extend to, “Big, brutish V6 or V8 engined utes”.
Before the Global Financial Crisis of 2009, the subsequent bankruptcy GM and the disillusion of the Pontiac brand, as many as half of the Holden Commodores built in Australia were destined for the U.S. and the world in the form of the Pontiac G8. A thinly disguised Holden Ute even made a showing at the 2008 New York Auto Show as the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck.
Our man Tristan has snagged the keys to a Holden Ute Series II SS V8 model for a first drive in Queensland, Australia this week, and just to make it a bit more interesting, he’ll be driving the Down Under-flavored El Camino to a classic car gathering in Brisbane.
Blurring the line between cars and trucks, the Holden Commodore-based sport pickup comes from a long line of Utes dating back to the middle of the previous century. The Ute almost made it to North America when Pontiac revealed the G8 Sport Truck at the 2008 New York Auto Show, but GM’s growing financial troubles at the time put a stop to that plan, and eventually the brand itself which was discontinued in 2009, and finally shut down in 2010.
The demise of the Pontiac brand in 2009 also brought about the death of the G8, the Americanized derivative of the Australian-built Holden Commodore SS. It was a sad day for Pontiac and Holden fans alike, the loss of the G8 export contract costing Holden millions of dollars and putting the future of its Elizabeth, South Australia plant - and the brand itself - in jeopardy.
When the Holden-derived Chevy Caprice Police Car was revealed for the North American market twelve months ago, rumors of a reborn G8 in the form of a Chevrolet were rife. Now, Aussie motoring website Drive is reporting that U.S. exports of the Holden Commodore SS are "imminent", with a launch expected before the end of the current model's lifespan.
The Holden Commodore Ute may not have been given the chance for a career in the States as the G8 ST sport truck after the demise of Pontiac, but GM's modern-day El-Camino from Down-Under continues to be offered in markets outside Australia including South Africa were it is sold as the Chevy Ute SS.
LupiniPower, a local tuner from South Africa, has taken upon itself to introduce a hotted-up version sporting a 6.0-liter supercharged V8 with 535-hp and a massive 590 lb-ft (799 Nm) of torque. That's an increase of 173-hp and 200 lb-ft over the stock Ute with the naturally aspirated V8 engine.
Thanks to the added power, LupiniPower's SportUte completes the 0 to 60 mph (96km/h) sprint in 4.4 seconds instead of 6.0 seconds, while 0-100 mph (160km/h) goes by in 9.9 seconds, close to 4 seconds faster than the standard Ute.
For the Australian car buff, Tom Walkinshaw needs no introduction. Here is the man who founded HSV and was responsible for the epic VL Commodore based HSV SS Group A in late '80s. Though no longer working for Holden, 'Walky' continues to turn out some of the most powerful and ballsiest vehicles Australia has ever seen through the performance company named after him.
At the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, Walkinshaw Performance took the wraps off its latest model: the WP Series II Supercar. The Holden Commodore Series II SS derived super saloon is fitted with an Edelbrock WP 230 supercharger, boosting power to 617-horsepower (460 kw) and torque to 780 Nm (575 lb ft).
Holden Special Vehicles has taken the wraps off an updated version of its Commodore derived performance range along with a special edition of the Malooo R8 ute. HSV is the performance arm of Australian automaker Holden, known in the States through the now defunct Pontiac G8 and the Chevy Caprice police car that was revealed earlier this year.
The Zeta-based Holden Commodore lineup is getting a "Series II" refresh to keep up with the times. Highlights include a new "iQ" touchscreen interface for the usual suspects (Bluetooth, USB, iPod, backup camera, etc.), improved fuel economy/reduced emissions, and 3.0-liter and 6.0-liter engines that are E85-compatible. This "[allows] them to run on bio-ethanol, E10, Unleaded, Premium or any combination in between."
Like they say, there's nothing like the original. However, if you want our opinion, in the case of the Holden Commodore we prefer the twin nostril fascia of its Americanized sibling, the Pontiac G8. The HSV GTS is another story as Holden's officially designated performance division has done wonders on the Commodore's appearance. Either way, if you happen to own a Pontiac G8 and dig the original look of its 'down-under' comrade or the kick-ass sporty looks of the HSV model, an Australian company called JHP Vehicle Enhancements will ship you a complete kit to perform the conversion. Prices start off from $1,990 US for the Commodore package and from $3,880 for the HSV GTS kit. Check out the details after the jump.
GENUINE HSV VE GTS FRONT CONVERSION KIT
The HSV GTS front conversion kit includes:
- Hood, Hood Latch/Catch, Hood Insulator,
- Front bumper fascia extension,
- Upper grille radiator, Front bar fascia, Front bar absorber,
- Front fog lamp bezel x 2 (Left hand side and right hand side),
- Front fog lamps x 2, Lower RAD Grille (black) & badge,
- Front fog lamp wiring harness,
- Hood header panel,
- Bumper mesh.
GENUINE GM VE FRONT CONVERSION KIT
The VE front conversion kit includes:
- Hood, Hood Latch/Catch, Hood Insulator,
- Front bumper fascia extension,
- Upper grille radiator, Front bar fascia, Front bar absorber,
- Front fog lamp bezel x 2 (Left hand side and right hand side),
- Front fog lamps x 2, Lower RAD Grille (black) & badge,
- Front fog lamp wiring harness.
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Via: Autofiends , Link: JHP
Since the Holden-based Pontiac G8 ST -where ST stands for Sport Truck- isn't due to arrive in dealers' showrooms before late 2009, General Motors decided to keep up the excitement with the introduction of a so-called concept version loaded with factory accessories at this week's SEMA Show. Highlights of GM-accessorized Pontiac G8 ST Concept include a custom red paint job with enhanced clear coat, lowered ride height, chunky 20-inch alloy wheels, leather-trimmed seats with red inserts, custom interior trim kit, G8 GXP steering wheel and shift knob with red inserts and a hard tonneau cover.
There are no changes under the hood as the Pontiac G8 ST Concept retains the production model's 6.0-liter small-block V8, rated at 361HP and 385 lb.-ft. of torque (522 Nm). The V8 unit features GM's Active Fuel Management technology, which allows the engine to switch from eight-cylinder to four-cylinder operation during light-load driving conditions, enhancing fuel economy. The transmission is a Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic. According to Pontiac, the production model has a 0-to-60 time of 5.4 sec.
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- 2010 Pontiac G8 ST Details and Images
- Pontiac Names the G8 Sport Truck
- GM Wont Introduce Second-Gen G8 Sedan
General Motors will not replace the Holden Commodore based, rear-wheel-drive Pontiac G8 sedan with a new model when it goes out of production in about five year's time, Edmund's Insideline reported today citing unnamed sources. If true, then with the rumored demise of the Solstice Roadster, Pontiac that is supposed to be a sporty brand, will be left without any exciting rear-wheel-drive vehicle in its range. -Continued
Pontiac's current line-up includes the G5 sedan, G6 Coupe and Convertible, Grand Prix, Torrent crossover and the Toyota based Vibe crossover while in 2009 the brands portfolio will be expanded with the addition of a super exciting, all-American sporty hatchback, called the G3 which is nothing more than a remasked Chevy Aveo.
Not exactly the ingredients for an affordable American BMW marque that Bob Lutz once envisioned Pontiac as being.
It goes without saying that five years is a very long time and plenty of things could happen - GM may merger with Chrysler, oil could drop under $50 a barrel just to mention a few- so while we have no reason to doubt Insideline's report, on the other hand we must say that we remain skeptical.
Via: Insideline
