New Rumors of the Pontiac G8 Returning to North America as a Chevrolet

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.

At the LA Auto Show, Al Oppenheiser, a senior engineer at General Motors and the chief engineer on the Camaro project, told Drive that negotiations were underway to sell the Commodore in North America as a Chevrolet:

"Although we have made no official announcement as yet, we are definitely looking at doing something with Holden for the retail market. What we are looking at is bridging a gap in the performance sedan market that was vacated by the Pontiac G8. With no Pontiac, the obvious performance brand is Chevrolet."

An unnamed source at GM has even gone so far as to suggest that the export deal has already been finalized and approved. As the LHD development work is already done, the biggest hurdle facing Holden's relaunch of North American exports is the high Australian dollar.

Jonathan Rose, a spokesman for Holden, is less optimistic: "At this point in time our focus is on exporting the Caprice to North America as a law enforcement vehicle ... beyond that we don't have anything to add right now."

The unnamed Chevrolet, if it does become a reality, will mostly likely be based on the short wheelbase Zeta platform, not the long wheelbase one like the Chevy Caprice Police Car.

By Tristan Hankins

*Opening photos: South African Chevrolet Lumina

Source: Drive

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Walkinshaw Performance Series II Commodore eats Ferraris for Breakfast

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).

To reign in this beast, six piston brake rotors have been added along with a upgraded and recalibrated suspension package co-developed with Bilstein. The final touch is a unique audio system upgrade by Rockford Fosgate.

Walkinshaw Performance CEO Craig Wilson is extremely satisfied with the Series II Supercar:

"We're celebrating the release of the WP Series II Supercar by producing just 23 examples, finished in Panorama Silver, the same colour which adorned the original 'Walky' when it debuted at the Sydney Motor show 23 years ago". he said.

The whole package, including the AU$47,790 (US$46,930) manual Commodore SS base car, will start from AU$99,990 (US$98,810). This means the Walkinshaw modifications alone cost around AU$52,200 (US$51,880), including parts and labor.

By Tristan Hankins

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Holden EFIJY Concept to Headline First Motorclassica Concours d’Elegance in Melbourne, Australia

Five years old and still able to turn heads, Holden's EFIJY concept will take pride of place at the first international Motorclassica Concours d'Elegance and Classic Motorshow in Melbourne, Australia later this month.

The stunning [driveable] concept car, which was first shown at the 2005 Sydney Motor Show and features a 489 kw (656 hp) supercharged 6.0-liter V8, Chevrolet Corvette underbody, a 'Soprano Purple' paint job and fan-cooled LED headlamps.

EFIJY's creator Richard Ferlazzo took his inspiration from the 1953 FJ Holden and hot rods of the 1930s. He is now the Chief Designer at Holden.

"We're certainly honored to have EFIJY displayed in its home city among some of the world's most stunning cars." he said.

The slick looking concept vehicle has picked up a raft of awards including South East Automotive Media Organization's 2007 North American Concept Car of the Year and Hot Rod magazine's Hot Rod of the Year. The latter described it as, "probably the most beautiful concept car ever".

The Motorclassica event will take place in the Royal Exhibition Buildings at Melbourne's Carlton Gardens from the 22nd to the 24th of October.

By Tristan Hankins

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