Showing posts with label Holden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holden. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

1979 Holden Kingswood HZ SL Owner Lists Garage Find for AU$40,000


Remember the 1979 Holden Kingswood HZ SL that was unearthed after being tucked away in a garage in Adelaide for the past 27 years having clocked a mere 998 kilometers (620 miles) since it was bought brand new?

The daughter of the car's original owner has listed the classic Australian model on Carsales for AU$40,000 (about US$40,200 or €32,200).

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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Holden Shows its Tough Side with New Accessories Range for Colorado


GM's Australian subsidiary Holden is wasting no time with the Colorado launching an extensive range of genuine accessories just as sales start in the country.

The automaker says that more than two thirds of the Colorado’s accessories are unique to the brand, and have been designed, developed and engineered in Australia by Holden to meet the needs of the local market.

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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

New 1979 Holden Kingswood HZ Steps Out of its Time Capsule


Just when you think that all barn, garage and let's not forget, dealer lot finds, have been unearthed, along comes another story to prove you wrong.

This past Sunday saw the unearthing of a 1979 Holden Kingswood HZ saloon in Adelaide, Australia. Warren Edwards, a photographer from Adelaide and a family friend of the car's current owners, was on hand to snap the pictures you see posted here.

The mid-size Aussie sedan, which is powered by a 4.2-liter V8 rated at 120kW/161hp, had been bought brand new but due to the owner's sudden illness at the time, it was parked in his garage after covering a little over 900km (~560 miles).

It had been taken out only once in 1985 to replace its alternator before heading back to its resting place where it remained until a few days ago.

Edwards tells us:

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Thursday, June 7, 2012

Holden Slaps its Badge on Chevrolet Trax for the Australian Market


General Motors announced today that the upcoming Chevrolet Trax will be sold in Australia as well under the Holden Trax moniker.

The only changes over the Chevrolet version of the Trax are the Holden grille and logos along with some market-specific tweaks to the chassis.

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Aussie Organizes Massive Burnout Fest in His…Backyard!


So where do Australians go to burn some rubber? Well, there is the Summernats festival in Canberra, but that takes place only once a year.

If you are a friend of Mick Brasher, though, you might get another chance to smoke your car's tires to obliteration at the unofficial "Brasher NATS" gathering, which believe it not, is hosted at Mick's…backyard that features a huge concrete burnout pad!

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Thursday, May 17, 2012

GM Confirms Holden Commodore-Based Chevrolet SS Featuring RWD and a V8 Engine for 2013


We have been reporting for quite some time that General Motors is planning to bring the next Holden Commodore sedan to the States as a Chevrolet, and now the Detroit carmaker has made it official.

The General confirmed the news that next Commodore will return to North America in late 2013 as the new Chevrolet SS rear-wheel drive performance sedan, adding that the SS will also be the brand's next NASCAR Sprint Cup racecar beginning with the 2013 Daytona 500.

"As a passionate race fan and performance enthusiast, I am thrilled that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive NASCAR racecar in the SS that is closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale," said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America.

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GM Confirms Holden Commodore-Based Chevrolet SS Featuring RWD and a V8 Engine for 2013


We have been reporting for quite some time that General Motors is planning to bring the next Holden Commodore sedan to the States as a Chevrolet, and now the Detroit carmaker has made it official.

The General confirmed the news that next Commodore will return to North America in late 2013 as the new Chevrolet SS rear-wheel drive performance sedan, adding that the SS will also be the brand's next NASCAR Sprint Cup racecar beginning with the 2013 Daytona 500.

"As a passionate race fan and performance enthusiast, I am thrilled that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive NASCAR racecar in the SS that is closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale," said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America.

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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Holden Rumored Ready to Announce U.S. Export Program for Next Commodore as the Chevrolet SS


Reports from Down Under are claiming that Holden will soon make an official announcement on a new export program to bring the next generation of the Commodore sedan codenamed VF to America as the new Chevrolet SS.

Australia's News.com.au tied the story with General Motor's recent decision to retire the Impala from NASCAR racing and replace it with a different Chevrolet nameplate for the 2013 series, saying that the Chevy SS will lend its body and name to the new racecar.

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Holden Rumored Ready to Announce U.S. Export Program for Next Commodore as the Chevrolet SS


Reports from Down Under are claiming that Holden will soon make an official announcement on a new export program to bring the next generation of the Commodore sedan codenamed VF to America as the new Chevrolet SS.

Australia's News.com.au tied the story with General Motor's recent decision to retire the Impala from NASCAR racing and replace it with a different Chevrolet nameplate for the 2013 series, saying that the Chevy SS will lend its body and name to the new racecar.

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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Holden Ute Burnout Goes Down Under in Australia [NSFW]


Every gearhead in Australia likes doing a good ol' burnout once in a while, just as long as it goes down smoothly and without an incident.

Unfortunately for the young driver of this late 1970s Holden Ute (it looks like an HZ, but we're not entirely sure), it didn't go as well or as smooth as he had hoped for and while he narrowly missed the newer Commodore Ute parked on the side of the road, he couldn't avoid crashing into a brick fence destroying his car.

Make your way over the break to watch the video.

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

GM's New Trailblazer to be Sold in Australia as the Holden Colorado SUV


America might not be getting the new Chevrolet Trailblazer but Australia will as parent company General Motors revealed that it's body-on-frame SUV will be sold Down Under as the Holden Colorado SUV.

The passenger version of the Colorado pickup truck, which is set to arrive in Australian dealerships mid-year, will be the first heavy-duty 4WD SUV to wear a Holden badge in almost a decade.

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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Holden to Stay in Australia After $200 Million Deal, New Commodore Coming to the U.S. as a Chevy?


The United States and Canada aren't alone in supporting General Motors and its companies.

The Australian government is also doing its part to keep GM's local subsidiary Holden in the country by promising a subsidy package worth more than AU$200 million (US$210 million) after the automaker threatened to shut down its operations if it did not get financial aid beyond 2015.

While Holden has yet to issue an official statement, Australian news daily, The Age, reported that the country's Prime Minister Julia Gillard, along with South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, Holden chairman Mike Devereux and vehicle union boss Ian Jones will be in Canberra today for the official announcement.

After securing the financial assistance, Holden is said to continue producing cars in the country until for at least another 10 years. According to sources, Holden has promised to invest some AU$750 million in its Australian operations during this period.

Interestingly, the newspaper said that Holden will "soon confirm an export deal to sell Commodores in the US, where the car will carry a Chevrolet badge."

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Friday, February 17, 2012

Holden Reveals 2012 Colorado Pickup Truck in Production Trim, Sales Start Later this Year


General Motors' Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck (which will be made and sold in the States) has made its appearance in Australia in production guise under the Holden nameplate. The automaker had previewed the Holden version with a lightly camouflaged concept at last year's Melbourne Auto Show.

The 2012 Holden Colorado that will arrive in dealerships throughout the country in the middle of this year has dropped some of the more exciting, but not at all practical, elements of the show car such as the large alloy wheels and sporty mirrors but nothing much else has changed.

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

First Drive: Holden Caprice V Series II with 6.0-liter V8


The car that most Americans know as the Chevy Caprice PPV (Police Patrol Vehicle) owes as much to the Australian designed and built Holden Caprice luxury sedan reviewed here as the latter owes to business decisions Ford Australia made a couple of decades ago.

In the early 1970s, Holden – GM’s Australian subsidiary – introduced two new models to compete with local rival Ford. The first was the Statesman, a vehicle with no Holden badging whatsoever, designed as a direct competitor to Ford’s Australian-built Fairlane and as a replacement for the unloved Brougham sedan.

A few years later came the Statesman Caprice, an even more luxurious model, introduced to compete with Ford’s freshly minted LTD.

Thus the Caprice name was born. Over the years the Caprice has grown in interior room, price and standard equipment but retains the same basic idea of what Aussie luxury should be. We took the V8 engined V Series II model out for a week long road test and review.

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Crazy Holden Torana with Blown Chevy Puts Out 1,584 WHP


Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing. With a few exceptions like the sporty six-cylinder GTR XU1 and the 5.0-litre V8 powered SLR 5000 editions, the Holden Torana was a run-of-the mill compact model with plain Jane looks and lackluster performance.

But in the world of tuning and drag racing even the Torana can be transformed into a terrifying beast. Meet Jakes Edward's latest Torana sedan fitted with a massive 496ci (8.2-liter) turbocharged V8 Chevrolet engine that runs on methanol fuel.

At this month's Summernats festival in Canberra, Australia, Edward's yellow Holden took part and won the "Horsepower Heroes" competition as it yielded 1,584.5 wheel horsepower on the dyno! Watch the Aussie-made monster in the video after the break.

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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Holden's Version of the Volt to Cost Over $60,000 in Australia!


Bad news for Australian drivers interested in GM's Chevrolet Volt as the local version of the car that will be marketed under the Holden brand and which is expected to arrive later this year will reportedly cost well over AU$60,000 (equal to US$62,000).

While Holden has yet to publicly announce prices, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that GM's subsidiary told its dealers that the Volt will carry a retail price of AU$59,990 before on-road and dealer costs, which the newspaper says rises to as much as AU$66,000 (US$68,200) with the aforementioned fees.

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Friday, January 13, 2012

Beware of Flying Objects: Cameraman gets Hit in the Head by a Piece of Tire


Every profession has its dangers, some more hazardous than others. For this cameraman who was filming an early 1970s Holden HQ sedan doing a heavy burnout at the Summernats festival in Canberra, Australia, the danger came from a flying piece of rubber that smacked him right in the head and knocking him down. Ouch...

Watch the video after the jump.

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Monday, December 12, 2011

Holden Rumored to Decide on the Future of the Commodore by the End of December


Once a production hub, Australia's motoring industry is now facing the prospect of losing one of its most acclaimed model series, the Holden Commodore (and apparently, its Caprice derivatives) after the upcoming redesign, which is scheduled for 2013.

While production of the 2013 Commodore VF will endure at least until 2017, The Sydney Morning Herald (via its Drive car site) is reporting today that Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux confirmed that the brand will decide on its local manufacturing future beyond 2018 before the end of December.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

GM Builds 100 Millionth Small Block Engine, Confirms Gen V with Direct Injection Tech


It’s one of the most famous engine series in the world with a history spanning close to six decades. We're talking about General Motors' small block that was first introduced by Chevrolet in 1955 and which celebrates today its 100 million production milestone.

Fittingly, the landmark small block is a hand-built, 638-horsepower supercharged LS9 V8 that will find its way under the hood of a Corvette ZR1. The force-fed LS9 is the most powerful engine ever to be installed in a regular-production Chevrolet or GM vehicle.

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Saturday, October 22, 2011

HDT Commodore VL/VE Group A is a Retro Throwback to the 1980s


If you're not from the Land of Down Under or at least an avid Holden fan, then you're probably unfamiliar with the 1987 HDT Commodore VL SS Group A prepped by Australian racing legend Peter Brock. So before we get into the details on the new VL/VE Group A package, allow us to fill you in on a bit of the history.

Up until the late 1980s, Peter Brock was running HDT, or Holden Dealer Team, but GM's Australian division subsequently cut ties with him after he began publicly supporting and fitting all HDT models with the a device called the "Energy Polariser".

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