[Thunder]

My new VZ Holden SS "Thunder" Ute. Has the L76 Gen 4 V8.
Biggest improvement over Gen 3? Broad torque spread and go. Not so much of a slingshot motor as the Gen 3. Was in the dealers showroom along with a last of the Monaro's, which the dealer himself has purchased.

 

[ftlfirefighter]

Very Cool mate!!

 

[NT91]

I like it!!!!!

 

[Clueless]

Those Utes are sweet. Nice Monaro in that pic, too.

I wonder why they don't bring the Utes over here? Considering I think the El Camino and Ranchero sold OK, and there really has been nothing to fill that niche for years..

I'm curious when the hood w/ scoops was added to the Monaro. It seems like most the times I'd see a Monaro it had the flat hood. Then the GTO was given the hood w/ scoops for 05. Some of the last production Monaros seemed to have the hood w/ scoops too. Was that for all 06s, or did it become an option at some point?

 

[Thunder]

Those Utes are sweet. Nice Monaro in that pic, too.

I wonder why they don't bring the Utes over here? Considering I think the El Camino and Ranchero sold OK, and there really has been nothing to fill that niche for years..

I'm curious when the hood w/ scoops was added to the Monaro. It seems like most the times I'd see a Monaro it had the flat hood. Then the GTO was given the hood w/ scoops for 05. Some of the last production Monaros seemed to have the hood w/ scoops too. Was that for all 06s, or did it become an option at some point?

Mate, I think you will find that the scoops were added in late '03 during a VYII upgrade in Australia. At the same time, to cut assembly costs, Holden also installed the North American gas tank set-up, which unfortunately robbed the rear of some boot (er sorry trunk) space. The front end styling was also more in line with GTO.

I have actually sat in a GTO. Whilst in SFC in 2004, I called into the Pontiac dealer on Van Ness and sat in a nice red one!

Was some talk of the ute going over to the US, but plans were pulled at the last minute. They are very popular here, for the same reasons as your big F series Ford trucks and the like are.

The crewman is also doing okay business here too, but like most vehicle markets, big cars sales are down due to the Iraq conflict and China and India's growing need for fuel sources.

 

[707GTOLS2]

Nice Ute!!!
they would have done pretty good here as El Caminos

 

[ShoddyHog]

Mate, I think you will find that the scoops were added in late '03 during a VYII upgrade in Australia. At the same time, to cut assembly costs, Holden also installed the North American gas tank set-up, which unfortunately robbed the rear of some boot (er sorry trunk) space. The front end styling was also more in line with GTO.

I have actually sat in a GTO. Whilst in SFC in 2004, I called into the Pontiac dealer on Van Ness and sat in a nice red one!

Was some talk of the ute going over to the US, but plans were pulled at the last minute. They are very popular here, for the same reasons as your big F series Ford trucks and the like are.

The crewman is also doing okay business here too, but like most vehicle markets, big cars sales are down due to the Iraq conflict and China and India's growing need for fuel sources.

That looks really nice...bet your salesperson wasn't as beautiful as mine though :cool

I saw something on the road the other day that looked similar...still not sure what it was, but it was a GM. I doubt it had as much horsepower as your Ute though.

Lager,
Gerry

 

[kerno]

Being a real fan of El Caminos, none of which came with decent suspension, I can only wish we had the utes.

 

[RICKGTO]

Nice ute. I think they would of sold well here. But with such a lack of advertising people might not of even know they exsist.

 

[PEARL JAM]

Nice ute. I think they would of sold well here. But with such a lack of advertising people might not of even know they exsist.

:agree Aint that the truth.

 

[Thunder]

Thanks guys

Thanks for the compliments on the utility.

I'm planning to visit family in LA next year, pity I couldn't bring the ute, and more's the pity my Bro bought a Lexus and not a goat. Where's his patriotism??

You blokes read up on any other stuff regarding the Aussie muscle car scene?

Burty alias Thunder.

 

[BostonF4$]

Quick question/response for all you Aussies on this forum. I lived in QLD/NSW for about 8 months and saw a whole bunch of cars I wished were in the US (how I became interested in the GTO/Monaro) are you familiar with a nssan 240 type car that has a screaming engine (maybe turbo)? Not a 300 or 350z and definately not a regular 240sx or whatever it was. Also....the toyota soarer...great F'n car. Alot like the old sc400 but with a SC V6. I was also a fan of the Utes..in fact I drove one around for a while and manage to crash it. You could possibly sell that in the US w/ some styling tweaks (more sharp edges and a lower profile)...you'd have to trump up the engine a bit and riff off the old el camino in some way too...but I could see it selling. Look at that weird subara baja thing which is basically the same concept...it sells over here.

 

[Cadsbury]

But, look at the Chevy SSR. Doesn't sell for crap, I hardly ever see them on the road, and the ones I do see are pimped out. Way over priced too, they would probably do the same to the Utes.

Hope that not too far off the thread...

Chris

 

[Clueless]

But, look at the Chevy SSR. Doesn't sell for crap, I hardly ever see them on the road, and the ones I do see are pimped out. Way over priced too, they would probably do the same to the Utes.

Hope that not too far off the thread...

I think with the SSR it was an example of even worse marketing than the GTO. I like the looks of the SSR, and the LS2 version is pretty sweet. But, I think the problems with the SSR at least included the following:
1) It looks like a retro sport/muscle vehicle. But when it first came out, with 300 hp and weighing 4700 pounds, it didn't have the go people were expecting.
2) Later versions did get a power boost, but by then the car had a reputation as being overweight/underpowered. I didn't hear until MY06 that it gained the LS2. People who talked of it acted like it still had 300hp.
3) It still weighs 4700 pounds. That is more like a full sized truck, and turns off people looking for performance. Our GTOs weight a lot at 3800, but when things start pushing 4000+ they are getting pretty hefty even for a muscle car.
4) The price. $40k. If you are looking for performance, and don't need a pickup bed or aren't buying for looks, you'll probably look at a Corvette.

Had the SSR came with 350+ hp from the beginning, and cost $25-30k, I think it would have sold more.

 

[Thunder]

Quick question/response for all you Aussies on this forum. I lived in QLD/NSW for about 8 months and saw a whole bunch of cars I wished were in the US (how I became interested in the GTO/Monaro) are you familiar with a nssan 240 type car that has a screaming engine (maybe turbo)? Not a 300 or 350z and definately not a regular 240sx or whatever it was. Also....the toyota soarer...great F'n car. Alot like the old sc400 but with a SC V6. I was also a fan of the Utes..in fact I drove one around for a while and manage to crash it. You could possibly sell that in the US w/ some styling tweaks (more sharp edges and a lower profile)...you'd have to trump up the engine a bit and riff off the old el camino in some way too...but I could see it selling. Look at that weird subara baja thing which is basically the same concept...it sells over here.

I think that many of the cars you are refering to, in the main were "grey imports", meaning that they were not sold and supported by manufacturers or licenced resellers, but were imported into the country by private importers. This means, that with asian sourced vehicles, many do not meet Australian compliance laws, particulalry with frontal and side impact protection.

Nissan sold both the 240k and 260k in the 70's, perhaps you are refering to the Nissan 200sx, which was aturbo charged thing, highly regarded, and also sold in other markets as the Silvia.

The Toyota Soarer is popular with the early 20's set. All of these vehicles are grey imports as Toyota Australia never sold them here, although they did sell the slug, the Supra, which I think is the same body shell.

Many of the iconic Factory built Australian cars, were US V8 powered, but not all. Here is my list of great gutsy Aussie Vehicles, and in no particular order;

Holden
HK - HG Monaro (327, 350 Chev, and 253 & 308 V8 Holden)
LC - LJ Torana GTR-XU1 (Holden 186 6 cyl with tripple carbies)
VC Commodore HDT (308 Holden V8)
VL Wikanshaw Group A Commodore (308 V8)
All V8 powered Vt to VZ Commodores, Monaro's and HSV equivalents

Chrysler Australia
VH Valiant Charger E49 (265 6cyl Australian Hemi)
VJ Valiant Charger E55 (340 US V8)

Ford
Have never made a gutsy car!!
Oh well the XW & XY 351 GTHO's were mean, but not as quick an an E49 Charger.