Holden HZ Monaro GTS BBQ!

Having grown up in Melbourne in the early 80’s, I had my shares of weekend barbies –Aussie slang for BBQ’s, with family and friends. But even though I’ve probably gone to picnics in every Monaro that you can think of, I never actually remember having a barbie in one… Well there was one time someone had a Foster too many and tried to scramble eggs on the hood scoop of his HQ Monaro with a WB Statesman front end, but that doesn’t count. -More pics after the jump

Via: Jalopnik

2007 Australian Annual Cost Of Vehicle Ownership Survey

An Australian survey concerning vehicle ownership cost? As strange as it may seem, not only do we like knowing that Lexus is Japanese and Land Rover is British (…), but we also find interesting totally useless stuff like how many bucks will an Aussie block pay to own his 6cylinder Commodore or Falcon. For the record, your average Mike will pay 233.40 & 229.13 AUD par week respectively that translates to €142.1 & 139.5 and $191.2 & 187.7 again, respectively.

The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria’s (RACV) conducted this particular survey and the calculations include the cost of financing the vehicle, depreciation (hence the high numbers we mentioned above), as well as operating costs including scheduled services, registration, insurance, fuel, tyres, etc. We don’t know why, but the Aussies only included Australian and Japanese carmakers along with a couple of Kia’s and Hyundai’s. Follow the jump (click "Read More...") to check out analytical ownership costs per vehicle category.

Key to the tables

Standing costs include those incurred on a periodical basis, such as depreciation in the value of the vehicle, interest on the loan, registration, driver’s license and RACV roadside assistance membership.

Running costs include those that result primarily from usage of the vehicle, such as fuel, tyre replacement, service and repairs.

Total Costs combine both Standing and Running costs. They are calculated as an average, based on costs incurred over the first five years of ownership and 15,000 km annual travel distance.

Via: RACV

Wallpaper Galore: Holden Releases New EFIJY Concept Pictures

For unknown reasons, Holden decided to release today a whole bunch of new images of the 2005 Sydney Show EFIJY concept that reinterpreted the classic design cues of the 1953 FJ Holden. The 5.2-meter long concept was based on a Chevrolet Corvette underbody and it featured a 654Hp, supercharged six-liter V8 engine. -Follow the jump for the high-res gallery

Technorati: Holden+EFIJY, cars, Carscoop, blogs, wallpaper

Holden HSV GTS gets... "Hot Wheels"

This special edition of Holden’s latest HSV GTS (basically the same model as the HSV Clubsport R8 / Vauxhall VXR8) dressed in a "Hot Wheels" suite was presented at the Melbourne Auto Show. Not bad but we would’ve liked to see this HSV wearing a different set of "hot wheels", preferably black or dark grey colored rims. -Continued: Click “Read More…” below to see the press release & one more pic

HSV Teams With Hot Wheels
Holden Special Vehicles and Mattel's Hot Wheels have teamed up to bring to life a HSV GTS in exclusive livery, as part of the Melbourne Motor Show. Between March 3 and 7, the Hot Wheels/HSV GTS will stand proudly on the Hot Wheels stand, in the Concourse Foyer near the Clarendon St entrance, alongside the Hot Wheels Mega Track and fashion displays.

Technorati: Holden+HSV+GTS, Hot+WheelsGeneva+Motor+Show, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

New Bitter model based on the Holden Statesman to be unveiled in Frankfurt

According to a report from Dutch magazine, Autoweek, independent German car-manufacture Bitter is getting ready to make a come back at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The article says that Bitter will present a fully customized version of the new Holden Statesman with a unique exterior body.

Bitter, who’s been around since 1974 manufactures prototypes, concept studies as well as individual cars based on Opel/Vauxhall models. The last individual car built by Bitter was the CD 02 which was based on the Holden/Vauxhall Monaro. It was presented as a prototype in the 2003 Geneva Show and as a production model in the 2005 Frankfurt Show. -Continued: Click "Read More..." below to check out the photo gallery of the CD 02 Via: Autoweek.nl

Technorati: Holden+Statesman, Bitter, Frankfurt+Motor+Show, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, autos, Carscoop, blogs, images, pictures, 2007

Wagoner lifts (half way) the cover of the Holden based, Pontiac G8

Thanks to a report from Charles Gibson of ABC we’ve got an official sneak peek of the forthcoming Pontiac G8. Gibson was escorted by “big-boss” Rick Wagoner into GM’s design studio where the later did a little bit of a strip-tease on the G8 by lifting off the front cover, thus revealing the Americanized Commodores fascia. According to sources, the Pontiac G8 will make its first appearance as a concept at the Chicago show in February with a production model following on late this year or early next year. -Continued: Click “Read More…” below

It’s highly unlikely that GM will do any serious rework on the Holden Commodore’s sheetmetal or on the interior for that matter since the car will be imported from Australia. Same goes for the mechanics as the G8 will be equipped with the same V6 and V8 engines as the Commodore including a 6.0-liter 362hp, 390lb.ft. V8 coupled to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.Via: Autoblog.Com & ABC

Technorat: Pontiac+G8, Holden+Commodore, Chicago+Auto+Show, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

Great Balls of Fire: 1211 Hp Holden Commodore VX R8 Clubsport goes with a bang !

Sometimes it's better to go down with a blast and that's exactly what Craig Munro's Holden Commodore VX Clubsport R8 did. Watch what happens to this 1211 Hp Turbocharged V8 from down-under when it undergoes a dyno test...

Technorati Tags: Holden+Commodore, VX, Clubsport+R8, dyno, test, tuning+news, Australia, autos, auto+news, vehicles, cars, automotive

Down-Under Muscle Mania - The 2007 HSV Commodore E-Series

Well, Auzzie V8 fans, here they are and this time, its official: the 2007 HSV E-Series Commodore in all its down-under glory. Although it is certain that HSV will unveil more powerfull versions of the auzzie muscle car in the near future, for now we'll have to be content with three E-Series versions of the 2007 Commodore: the Senator-Signature, the Clunsport R8 and and the GTS. Besides their visual differences, all three cars share an upgraded version of GM's 6.0 litre LS2 V8 producing a mere 412Hp - 307kW at 6000 rpm (from 398Hp - 297kW at 6000rpm) and 550Nm at 4400rpm (from 530Nm at 4400rpm) thanks to a revised intake and exhaust system.

Senator Signature highlights

- LS2 6 Litre V8 (307kW and 550Nm)
- 6L80 E six-speed automatic transmission
- HSV Premium Four-Piston Brake System
- Exclusive Luxury Performance body styling
- Unique LED rear lamps
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- U nique three-gauge dash-top binnacle
- Leather Performance suede seats
- Optional Light Urban trim (no-cost)
- ESC -Electronic Stability Control
- MRC -Magnetic Ride Control
- Unique HSV instrument cluster and steering wheel
- Front, side and curtain air bags -six in total
- Rain sensing wipers
- Rear roof mounted DVD Player

ClubSport R8 highlights

- HSV enhanced LS2 6 Litre V8 (307KW and 550Nm)
- Upgraded M10 version Tremec T56 six-speed manual
- Optional 6L80 E six-speed automatic transmission
- HSV Premium Four-Piston Brake System
- HSV E Series Touring Suspension package
- HSV Sports Performance body styling
- Unique LED rear lamps
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Unique three-gauge dash-top binnacle
- Sports cloth seats
- ESC -Electronic Stability Control
- Unique HSV instrument cluster and steering wheel
- Front, side and curtain air bags -six in total

GTS highlights

- HSV enhanced LS2 6 Litre V8 (307kW and 550Nm)
- Upgraded M10 version Tremec T56 six-speed manual
- Optional 6L80 E six-speed automatic transmission
- HSV Premium Four-Piston Brake System
- HSV Sports Performance body styling
- GTS specific body accenting
- Unique LED rear lamps
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Unique three-gauge dash-top binnacle
- Leather Performance suede seats
- Optional Red Hot trim (no-cost)
- ESC -Electronic Stability Control
- MRC -Magnetic Ride Control
- Unique HSV instrument cluster and steering wheel
- Front, side and curtain air bags -six in total

Technorati Tags: Holden+Commodore, HSV, E-Serires, GM, Clubsport+R8, Senator+Signature, GTS, 2007, Australia, autos, auto+news, cars, vehicles