Holden Commodore Gets Airborne, Lands On Sydney House

We're not exactly shocked to read that "police say they suspect speed and alcohol were contributing factors in the crash" with this bit of what appears to be staggeringly stupid hoonery. More »

Victoria Police Divisional Van

Camaro Convertible Pre-Production Models Spied Down Under

A commenter from Camaro5 spotted these eight 2011 Chevy Camaro Convertible production or pre-production models sunning themselves outside a Holden plant in Australia. One more photo below the jump. More »

The Stig Ute-lizes Top Gear Test Track

Who better to hoon the properly batshit Australian Holden HSV Ute than The Stig? Of course, now he's got a new ride. [TopGear.com]

Engine Of The Day: General Motors LS

Nobody does pushrod V8s like The General, and the LS is proof that you don't need some crazy Rube Goldberg tangle of chains and camshafts clattering all over the place to make 21st-century power. More »

2009 Holden Cruze: Econobox Heads Down Under

The bludgers at Holden announced today ahead of the 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show the right-hand-drive 2009 Holden Cruze econobox, yet another badge-engineered Chevy product for the Aussies. More »

Kiwi Hoons Perform Triple Burnout With El Camino, Nomination For Jalopnik Sainthood Considered

These Kiwi hoons pulled out a flatbed truck, topped it with a Ute, which itself is topped with a motorcycle in its bed. All three are doing burnouts. Epic win. More »

Conversion Kit Turns Pontiac G8 Back Into Holden Commodore

Like the idea of an affordable, rear-wheel-drive, mid-size performance sedan, but concerned the Pontiac G8 is a little too...Pontiac for your tastes? JHP Vehicle Enhancements has the solution for you. The company is selling a kit to convert the US-market Pontiac G8 back into the Holden Commodore upon which it's based, thus freeing it from the image problems (mullet) associated with the Pontiac brand. More »

Citroen DS And Holden Wagon Down On The Queensland Street

This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. Today we've got a couple of painfully cool old cars that ChrisLewis shot for us down on the streets of Brisbane, Queensland. We've got a pretty clean post-1969 Citroën DS and a mean-looking 1960 Holden FB wagon, plus ChrisLewis' Ford Fiesta XR4 in the background. Make the jump to see all the photos and read the description. More »

HSV Senator Signature SV08 Has The Floor

Unveiled alongside the 40th Anniversary GTS, the HSV Senator Signature SV08 is a limited edition of the more luxury-oriented version of the Holden Commodore. It's a bit more exclusive, with just 20 equipped with a manual transmission and 30 automatics. It's also a bit more expensive, with a price tag equivalent to just over $57,000 in Ameros. For that, you get additional chrome accenting on the side mirrors and door handles, and 20" rims standard. More importantly, you still get the same 412 HP 6.0-liter LS2 V8 as the normal HSV Senator. Too bad we can't get something like this in America badged as a Buick Park Avenue. More »

HSV 40th Anniversary GTS Unveiled in Sydney

First used in 1968 on the HK Monaro, the GTS badge now celebrates its 40th anniversary with 100 units of this special edition HSV GTS. Though the name GTS stands for "Gran Turismo Sportivo," the 40th Anniversary edition is merely an appearance package available only in red or white, with black stripes and plenty of '40 years of GTS' logos all over the car. Of course, with about 425 HP ready to be sent to the rear wheels, and Magnetic Ride Control to keep you planted, the GTS is nothing to scoff at. It's certainly better than the standard Holden Commodore on which it's based, or the Pontiac G8 GT. More »

Elfin Type 5 Clubman Goes From Zero To Sydney In 3.7 Seconds

Down under in Sydney at the Australian International Motor Show, the new Elfin Type 5 Clubman has been revealed. The latest offering from Australia's own hardcore roadster builders, the Type 5 follows on the heels of the popular MS8 models. The new car is powered by GM's 260 HP 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-banger. It's the same setup found in the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline, but the Elfin weighs significantly less at about 1600 pounds. That may not be as light as a Secma, but it's enough to allow for 0-62 MPH jolts in just 3.7 seconds. Even better, they say it's affordable. More »

Top Gear Australia's Ratings Slump Despite Holden Vs. Ford Shootout

If we lived down under, we would have tuned in to SBS on Monday at 7:30 to watch the Top Gear Australia shootout between the iconic Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon...but we don't. Watch the clip and judge for yourself, but we think that even though it may not be quite as polished as the UK original, this segment wasn't all that bad. So why did the ratings for this second episode drop off significantly from the series premiere's, even though they were actually expected to go up? More »

Holden ClubSport R8 Tourer: Hoon Families Rejoice

The Aussies have once again shown us the way with the announcement of the Holden ClubSport R8 Tourer. For $65K AUD, about $50k USD, the R8 SportWagon offers up a stonkin' LS3 V8 with 425 horses and 405 lb-ft of torque along with all that haulin' space. The wagony awesomeness is further accentuated with a standard six-speed manual transmission, putting the automatic off as an option. Icing on the cake includes 20-inch wheels, epic body styling, a leather-wrapped interior and TLT: Tire liquefication technology. Okay, we made that part up, but it's still true. If we didn't love the Pontiac G8 ST so much, we'd be willing to trade even-up for this beast. More »

Self-Abusing, Kangaroo-Blasting, Dope-Running Holden Driver Hassled By The Man In Australia

So you're taking the Holden Commodore SV6 out for a 93 MPH drive, you're firing your rifle out the window at passing kangaroos, and you've got five kilos of reefer in the trunk and a couple of pot plants in the back seat. Well, hell, at that point you might as well indulge yourself in a little bout of videotaped onanism, right? Sadly for Brendon Alan Erhardt, 39, the police disapproved of at least some of those activities, but at least they let Mr. Erhardt out on bail so he could marry his girlfriend. Thanks to 57Sweptside for the tip! [Northern Territory News]

Australian Motoring Group Calls For Fuel Consumption Standards, Finally Gets Plot Of Road Warrior

Not content to end up in a punky post-apocalyptic world because of an energy shortage, a la the great Australian film The Road Warrior, the Australian version of AAA is requesting the government implement some sort of average fuel limits similar to our CAFE standards. The NRMA thinks the move could save the country 1.4 billion gallons of fuel a year, as well as drop costs for the consumer. Lacking these standards, the Australians have produced vehicles such as the V8-powered FPV Super Pursuit Ute and HSV Tourer. As an alternative they could just stop driving with Koalas in their grilles. More »

$2 Sticker To Combat Australian VIN Tampering

The Australians are fighting the menace of VIN number tampering with new VIN stickers that cannot be removed or altered without being destroyed, making vehicle reconstruction and title washing significantly more challenging. Although we're not sure what's bigger news here, the fact that a cheap $2 AUS decal can markedly deter car thieves, or that the Aussies call VIN tampering "rebirthing." Join us for a collective shudder, and the full afterbirth details after the jump. More »

DOTS-O-Rama Sunday: Holden Ute

We've been receiving DOTS Bonus Edition photos at a rate faster than we can post them at the current pace, so today we're going to have a special Bonus DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, with a series of vehicles captured in the wild by our readers. Today's theme will be Down On The California Street, and the first machine is this Holden ute that Froggmann found in Anaheim. How many California cities can you name that started out as a German utopian colony, had an all-KKK city government, and then became the happiest place on earth? Just one! Make the jump to see all the photos and read Froggmann's description. More »

Power For Towing Or Just Plain Easy Going: Holden Wagons!

Only Australians would make an early-80s station wagon advertisement that showed family-haulin' wagons getting sideways and backwards in hoonage sessions culminating in crazy jumps. We see the six- and eight-cylinder-equipped Holden Commodore and the (Cavalier-based) Holden Camira being put through some highly entertaining paces. Our only problem with this ad is the lack of wagons doing jumps with trailers attached.

Holden HSV Tourer Announced, Will Haul Ass and Take Names

Let us all rise, and solemnly acknowledge the beginnings of the wagon wars. With the stroke of a key and the sending of an image, Holden has loosed a battle cry the likes of which are rarely heard. The Holden HSV Tourer will not only haul little Timmy and Sally to school in the morning, it'll haul ass all day with an LS3 V8 pumping 426 HP and 405 lb.ft. of torque out of that 6.2 liters of goodness. And just look at that garish, chav-tastic styling! We're in love. We need two tickets to paradise Australia. More »

Aussie Wants $1.2 Million For Holden FX #46, We Choke On 'Roo Burger

It's one thing to sell an exceedingly rare and beautiful car for a big pile of cash, but what about just a rare car? Nobody is going to mistake this 1948 Holden FX — one of only 112 sold, and one of three thought to still exist — for any kind of concourse winner. It's just plain fugly in our opinion, but as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Apparently its pretty damned beautiful to owner Charlie McCarron, who has put it up for sale and is asking a stonking $1.2 million for it. More »

They Say This Holden Kingswood Is A Bad Mother- Shut Your Mouth!

You can bet your life on the early-70s Holden Kingswood's four coil springs and win with a jet-smooth ride... but will it cop out when there's danger all about? Looks like either Isaac Hayes made a deal with GM Australia or advantage was taken of some sort of copyright loophole. Either way, the Kingswood was the great way to move! More »

LS3 Goes Down Under: HSV To Build Higher Horsepower Hooning Machines

It's not even Australia Day, but we're hearing GM's giving their high-performance team down under a gift of power. Holden's Special Vehicles team announced last night they'll be fitting the US-built LS3 engine across their range of E-Series and WM Grange vehicles. That's the same engine found in the base model of the new Corvette as well as the one found in the Australian-built Pontiac G8 GXP. So that means the new ClubSport R8, GTS, Senator Signature, Maloo R8 and WM Granges will see a power boost from the current 307 kW (412 HP) and 399 lb-ft of torque provided by the ol' and busted 6.0-liter LS2 to 317 kW (425 HP) and 406 lb-ft of torque with GM's new 6.2-liter hotness under the hood. More cost-savings on the high-end across GM's global business? Check. More hooning power? Check. Greater potential for said hooning power to drop in price stateside? One would hope. Full press release after the jump. More »

Holden Ute Expands To Keep Up With Suburban Sprawl!

Given the current QOTD, it seems only right to have an Aussie-themed Bonus Classic Ad Watch today, so here ya go! This ad sort of reminds us of Robert Crumb's History of America, with its small towns evolving into McMansion-filled edge cities and tiny utes morphing into somewhat larger versions. But, by God, the Aussies never stopped making cars with truck beds, while Los Norteamericanos cruelly shunned the once-beloved El Camino and Ranchero.

What's Your Favorite Australian Car?

With the Melbourne International Motor Show in full swing we thought we'd focus on all the things that make us love the cars from down under. On the new side, it's hard not to love the Z06-powered HSV Super Sedan or the new FPV Ford Falcon (a car so hot the Mark Fields personally asked for his own to be delivered to North America). And what about those utes? The HSV Maloo or FPV Falcon Ute? Why not both? And those are just new cars. If the classic cars weren't great people wouldn't be stealing them constantly. More »

Forum Fan-Boy Builds Excitement With Pontiac GTO Photoshop Of Holden Coupe 60

We can always trust the GM fan-boys at GMInsideNews to get their p-shop pens out whenever Holden drops a hot piece of Aussie 'roo tail out for the muscle-craving hoons of the world. Yesterday's Coupe 60 concept was no exception to the rule. camaro_freak, one of the Vegemite-loving forumites over at GMI has photoshopped the Coupe 60 concept in a way that builds swelling excitement in the loins of any muscle car lover — it's his take on what it could look like with the Pontiac arrowhead affixed firmly to the front. That's right, we bring you the camaro_freak GTO 60 concept. Eat your heart out "Maximum" Bob. Hit the jump to see the p-chop bigger, longer and more uncut and getting ready to drive, Pontiac, drive! More »

HSV W427 "Supercar" Revealed In Melbourne Gets Z06-Level Power For Increased Hoonage Potential...Mate

Yeah, this limited-edition Aussie madman from the folks at Holden Special Vehicles has got itself a 7.0-liter V8 under the hood — the same one found in the Corvette Z06. Really, we think that's all that needs to be said. Check out the gallery below and the press release after the jump. More »