AUSTRALIAN MUSCLE - headed for the USA
Apr 05 '02
The Bottom Line Watch out because the USA is going to get a real taste of Australian style.
If you are a United Statesian, are you ever a lucky little lizard. Your life is about to change forever. You dear little Possums are about to get one of Australia's favourite toys, something so wonderful nothing in the whole world beats it for heart thumping, go get 'em action. Well allow me to explain so you can just barely begin to imagine this awesome machine.
Australia's number one car race, the Bathurst 1000 is well known to motor racing fans around the world.
A field of around sixty five ordinary road going cars battle Mount Panorama for a thousand kilometres or six hundred and twenty miles pitting man against machine. The fact that anyone can buy one of these vehicles "personalises" the race and that is a big part of the attraction.
Well watch out because the USA is going to get a taste of motoring Australian style.
Back in the 1970's the Holden Monaro dominated Bathurst and Mount Panorama. But by the late 1970's Ford had again regained supremacy and it was time for Holden to design a new car. The Monaro had had its day.
Holden is actually General Motors Holden, the Australian division of the world wide General Motors vehicle conglomerate.
Well folks the Monaro is back! And naturally a vehicle of this calibre is made right here in Adelaide. It took sixty million Dollars and almost two years to completely redesign this car which will be made at the initial rate of only thirty two vehicles a day. Now those are for Australia but a separate production line for left hand drive is being built! And guess who the lucky ducks are? Just exactly what will appear in the USA is not yet known but here in Australia we have Grandma's CV6, powered by a supercharged 3.8-litre V6, and the Gen III 5.7-litre V8-powered CV8 that rips the bitumen off the road. The CV6 is a four-speed auto only while the CV8 is available with either six-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. My best guess is around a paltry $40,000 and $50,000 respectively in the US. Then there is the top of the range that feeds not on fuel but Lamborginis and Ferraris'. But we'll come back to that in a minute.
Equipment levels in all models are high including alloy wheels (17-inch on CV6 and 18-inch on CV8), chromed exhaust, projector headlights, black leather trim, eight-way power front seats, cruise control, trip computer, CD audio system (10-stacker in the CV8) and air-conditioning (dual-zone climate control in the CV8). They might even put a heater in the US one!
So what is it like to drive? Well I confess my top of the range one is still being built but going on all reports and experience in the earlier one the Monaro feels very different from an ordinary car - very solid, sticks to the road like glue with negligible body roll. Driving "at the limit", understeer makes for safety and the overall package should have other makers in a sweat. The awesome performance puts the car right up in the very fastest league. And that includes Grandma's model!
The Monaro will feature at auto shows in the USA this year and it will be sold as the new Pontiac GTO from about May, 2003. An absolute bloody disgrace - Pontiac of all things - might as well be the new Volkswagon! The USA is only going to get twenty thousand of these rockets a year at least initially because we don't want you mob wiping yourselves out. GM, in a vain attempt to placate us, say they need the Holden Monaro Coupe in America to become the 21st century interpretation of the legendary Pontiac GTO. Possums Balls - at least we all know the truth. GMH can build a better car than it's parent!
G.M.'s Vice President Bob Lutz drove the car at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground and said "I gotta tell ya, I love driving this car, It's got a 5.7-litre V8 and a six-speed transmission ... "
"It shares that V8 heritage and a brawny, muscular stance with the classic GTO, and it will make a fine flagship for Pontiac." And would you believe he said all that in an American accent! Must have taken hours!
"Pontiacing" the Monaro, as disgusting a thought as I can imagine, is a far cheaper and a more cost-effective option than building a new rear-drive performance car from scratch.
The Fords and Holdens you see racing up and down Mount Panorama are street legal machines with some minor safety inclusions such as full racing harness and extra roll cage. Here in Australia "Holden Special Vehicles" give these cars a bit of attention and for an extra $20,000 to $50,000, or about double the cost you can have the car "tickled". Commonly for Bathurst they are boosted from Grandma’s three hundred odd horsepower model - may she rest in peace - to Dads four hundred odd horses all the way up to six hundred horsepower. Most Australians buying this type of car opt for around four hundred odd horsepower, since six hundred horsepower really belongs in the air! Anywhere in this horsepower range will give GM USA their "Pontiac GTO" that will match or surpass any road car in the world.
My best guesstimate would put the USA price at around $60,000 for a 450 horsepower bullet. These could then be readily converted to 600 horsepower for racing if desired. That can be done here routinely as it is now or perhaps in the USA. Here the 600 horsepower models are purchased for ordinary road use which is a requirement of entry into the race but only several hundred Australian's are touring the country in vehicles that powerful. Leaping houses does have its dangerous side and the damage done to roads attracts unwanted attention.
It would be a mistake to underestimate these vehicles. Most years a few teams come from overseas in Ferrari's or Lamborghini's and so on thinking they can chew the Aussi's up. Neither of the six hundred horsepower Fords or Holdens (GM) have been beaten yet so when the Monaro/Pontiac gets to the US early next year don't be surprised if it sets a new standard in motor racing. The extra horses are found by blueprinting the engine and by more than a few trade secrets. In fact the new Ford is putting out close to 700 horsepower but keeping it on the track is proving a little elusive so far. But give it a couple of years and both Ford and GMH will have 700 horses for you to feed, no doubt about it!
Bob Lutz has also expressed strong interest in importing another uniquely Australian car into the USA. More about that soon!
Well since old Lutzy is "the man", it looks a lot like you'll be talking and driving accentlessly in no time!
And just think what you will save in plane fares - it will be a darn sight faster on the road than in a plane! I am wondering if Ford will allow GM alone to have this market in the States - they never would here. Ford Australia have an equivalent vehicle, the only significant difference being that its four door instead of two.
The Monaro hasn't made the race track here yet, GMH preferring to stay with it's tried and proven Commodore. About every three years things change, but Ford currently has the power advantage and the GMH Commodore is close behind and is a little easier to handle.
When Ford get their handling sorted out GM will have to "power up" the Commodore or Monaro - my bet is it will be the Monaro since handling is a top feature of the car already.
So there you go – In about a years time a months pay will have you lot queued for miles. I suggest you have a yarn with your GM dealer now!
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