Have you ever seen a Tasmanian Tiger? Probably not. Neither have I, and that’s because they’re extinct. I didn’t know these even existed at all until my recent trip to Australia, where I also got to know another extinct beast a little bit better: the Holden HSV GTS.
The last Holden Commodore ever, like everything else from Australia, is seemingly out to kill you.
There’s a maybe-supercharged V8 explosion coming from the southern shores of wonder, a ZR1-familiar LS9 stuck nose-up into the front of a Holden Commodore, which is Australian for “Chevrolet SS.” It’s the big boom time now, maybe, baby.
Bad news for our friends in Canada. The new Chevrolet SS — the sedan that looks like a car you rent at the airport when Hertz or whoever didn't have the one you reserved but packs a 415-horsepower V8 so it's okay — will not be headed north.
When we showed you the 2014 Holden Commodore SS V, many of you wondered whether that car would have a stick shift when it was imported to America as the next Chevrolet SS. It turns out that if you want the manual, you're gonna have to go to Australia. Bummer.
Well, look at that. General Motors' Australian subsidiary Holden dropped the first photos of their new Holden Commodore tonight, just like we expected.
I'm worried about Australia. They continued on with gloriously huge V8-driven, rear-wheel-drive sedans and utes long after the Americans gave up the ghost. Occasionally, they would make their way over here, but never for long. It left the rest of us longing for tire-smoking Aussie cars we would never get.
With this past week's news GM is bringing a version of the Australian Holden Commodore to American shores—again—we thought it appropriate to take a look at another slightly less exciting version of the Commodore.
We don't often post images of crashes where someone died, but there's a lesson in this tragic crash that claimed two young Australian men earlier today about fast cars, young people and alcohol.
Austrailia's Walksinshaw Performance continues to tease use with super Holden Commodores, this time debuting the 617-hp ultimate Series II Supercar. She's a brick house. She's letting it all hang out.
Remember that Holden Commodore confiscated under Australia's anti-hoon laws? Watch the Victoria police put it in the crusher, turn it into a metal pancake, and record the destruction for posterity. If you can.
The Australian government's about to crush their second car under anti-hoon laws. Of course it's a Holden Commodore. According to authorities, 46% off impounded "hoon cars" are Holdens. Don't crush'em, send'em to us! That'll teach 'em! (H/T to LJSearless!) [Drive.com]
There's a magical place where they race RWD, V8-powered sedans built by American-owned companies that actually resemble the cars they're based on. It's called Australia and we wish we were there right now. Photo Credit: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images.
Walkinshaw Performance now offers a supercharger kit for the Holden Commodore HSV. The package costs $44,975, but it gives the HSV 644 hp and 592 lb-ft of torque. Because, you know, Pontiac geeks needed another reason to be angry.
When "Maximum" Bob expressed interest in a "Four-door Corvette" we think he meant something like the G8 GXP. Just in case, here's some horrible examples of why they shouldn't build an actual four-door Corvette.
"[T]he thrill of high performance driving is unmatched by anything that doesn't have rear-wheel drive, bags of torque and a nice transmission." That's why "Maximum" Bob Lutz thinks the Holden Commodore could bring the U.S. a "four-door Corvette."
PickupTrucks.com reports this morning that Mark Reuss, General Motors' newly installed president of GM North America, says the Holden VE Ute may still come to the U.S. If it does, it could wear the famed Chevrolet El Camino badge.
Last fall, a badgeless version of the Pontiac G8 sedan, complete with twin-port grille, was released for limited sale in Australia. The Aussies liked it so much that it's now an ordinary production model. Vegemite excitement, anyone?
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.
The Pontiac G8 sedan and Ute will live on as the Holden Commodore SS V-Series in Australia with the trademark Pontiac grille. Oh, and there's a wagon. Photos of the badgeless beasts below.
