Gts-r

Just read the article in AUTOMOBILE, and WOW:eek: what a car. 402 hp and 376lb-ft from a 5.7L Chevy V8, a 6-speed, rear-wheel drive, 0-60 in 5.1 seconds (traction limited, it only has 235/40 18 tires, some 275's or higher would really help). A quarter of 13.3 seconds! Top speed- 166mph. For HALF the price of an M5.
Truly a great car. Oh, its basically a Catera, so while we have the Caddie that zigs, the Aussies have the Caddie that KICKS ASS!! C'mon, lets have it here!
It also hase 13.5 inch, 4-pot binders up front, a hot suspension, and a sweet body kit. 60-0 is in 125 ft. They have no fade whatsoever.
Oversteer can be dialed in as much or as little as you want, making for a wonderful car.
It is a huge sports-sedan value. Makes me wish I lived in the land of the Koalas.

I read that article too :D
Appears to be a very nice car and makes me wonder why GM isn't selling it to the US. Anyone know?

Because they are stupid bling monkeys on crack.
It is even more confusing, they make the aztek and leave this precious gem out of the mix. Other than that, there is NO reason whatsoever, all the parts are shared with stuff over here, so getting it would be straightforward. It would really help their image if they brought it over.

It's so lame how car companies don't bring the nice cars here. We want performance!!!! So many wonderful cars out there, and we get barely anything....luckily we get Ferrari's.

Yes, but a Ferrari wont be my second or third car, that HSV could be. But we always get cheated out of good cars. Damn:mad:

Yes. It truly sucks. I think MotoRex should start importing them. lol :D

I believe that U.S. automakers are attempting to distance themselves from their reputation of being capable of creating mass produced muscle-cars. They want the public to believe that they are capable of creating internationally accepted 'world-cars' that are compliant with performance as well as practicality. A select few of us (primarily you and me) believe that this is a window for domestic automakers to abandon their roots in favor of acceptable autos that surrender high-end performance for everyday usage. Sure it may sell more, but in the end, what will be remembered?

Nothing will be remembered. And guys who like cars will prosper, like VW is doing, especially in Europe.

Is this the yellow GTS-R we are talking about? Or is there a new one?

I'm talking about the one in the July automobile. It has 402 hp, and is bitchin. It should be here as the catera.

Ok. Can u link me by any chance to photos? It must be the next gen GTS-R..there was an older one that was yellow and was wicked.

Will do

http://www.hsv.com.au/images/cars/vx/gts/gts_19.gif
http://www.hsv.com.au/images/cars/vx/gts/gts_19wheel_lge.jpg
http://www.hsv.com.au/images/cars/vx/gts/gts_engine.jpg
http://www.hsv.com.au/images/cars/vx/gts/gts_inside.jpg



For a HSV commercial, download it (2megs) (http://www.hsv.com.au/download/60sec_download.wmv)

Wow...thats stunning. Looks very very good. Limited production?

I dont think so. But I heard they were making a special version, and only 75 of those were made. But I dont think this one is, bu tdont hold me to that.

Anyone have the nuts to recreate this masterpiece with the Caddy that zigs?

Hmm... so that's what the first Catera commercial meant when it had german influence. It's an Opel chassis, am I right?

The Catera is pretty much the same as teh opel (Vectra, I think).

Yeah, I figured as much. It's far too small to be homegrown.

There are two distinct sounds that a Caddy should make:
1) The desperation of the starter
2) The painful force of gravity fighting the power windows when UP is depressed.

The commodore was based on an Opel Omega but the only thing they share are the door handles. Everything else the commodore is bigger. So it's not a Catera.
The GTS-R is called a GTS here in Australia and is not a limited run.

The reason that they are not imported to the USA is because it might take sales from other GM cars and also the unions complained about losing jobs if it happed and threatened to go on strike. But word is that the commodore might be imported in the next few years with the Monaro commodore coupe.
The monaro:

rear

Originally posted by Downunder
But word is that the commodore might be imported in the next few years with the Monaro commodore coupe.
The monaro:

Are they finally going to built the Monaro ????

It will be a very sort after car downunder if they do go ahead with it.

The Monaro is going to be unvieled at the Sydney Motor Show in October. It will have a different front and back to the current VX model and will hint to the looks of the facelift of the commodore for next year. It will be in production from November but won't be sold until late January early Feburary because they want to stock up so there isn't a huge waiting list. But i think it will still happen.

There will be some new colours:
solid orange
solid yellow
highlighted green(i think)
and the blue from the VT series 1 will be back which is a dark blue metallic

Also they plan to build 3000 cars per year.

Lets hope they send some to NZ :) :)

Maybe just one;)

Bloody AUSSIES !!!!!!:finger: :finger: ...LOL

J/K :D

It will be great to see in the flesh especially the HSV and Corsa versions

I just noticed that the HSV GTS-R is $41k not $30k like it says on the poll. :) Anyway, is Corsa a tuner for HSV????


EDIT: Corsapref.com has crap for Vettes and Vipers!! :o I should know about this!! lol:D

Corsa is not part of HSV. They do the same thing as them but are a smaller company but have more extreme cars and bodykits. I prefer them more than HSV. Corsa has a 330kw range topper that beats the GTS and its diff ratio is a longer 3:46 instead of 3:9 compared to the GTS and that says alot for their tuning:) .

Soon to be released from Corsa is a LS1 stroker from a 346 cubic inch to 383 which will put out 380kw+.

I just noticed that the HSV GTS-R is $41k not $30k like it says on the poll

I took the 30K as american dollars as stated by Automobile.

1KW=1.7hp (I think)

I'm looking at the article right know. On pg. 88 it says "Price as tested $41,000." :)

So it does:)

I now remember, it was in Car and DRiver, a short little thing (they didn't even drive it) I think it was a Commodore. Same difference, and it would be $30000.

The reason GM won't import current Holdens to the North American market is primarily because of the rear-mounted fuel tank - apparently GM edicts demand the tank be mounted forward of the rear axle, not so much to prevent fires as to forestall US lawyers. The new Holden-Sigma platform (eg Cadillac CTS) has a repositioned tank, but with that already in production in the US, Holden exports to America are unlikely. Australians get the Sigma in a few years, hopefully with different styling to the CTS. Also Holden doesn't have any excess capacity, with only one car plant (plus a separate underutilised engine plant) which is already being triple-shifted for a max output of about 150,000 units per annum. Check out the GM Middle East website for existing Chev-badged Holden exports.

Of note Holden announced they will manufacture Gen 3 V8s from 2003, also an all-alloy V6 as well as the export dohc 4. The Monaro coupe will be exported to the Middle East too, and needs to be, as local demand is sure to wane. A HSV GTS 2-door is definate, btw the GTS engine is imported direct from Callaway Engineering.

'Downunder' (sorry about the similar nick, mate) is right, although similar visually to a Catera, Holdens are a quite distinct design to it from the floorpan on up.

No probs Thunda. The more aussies here the better:D

Originally posted by Downunder
No probs Thunda. The more aussies here the better:D

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!! ....lol

j/k...nice to see ya here :)

The invasion beigins :bigsmirk: ;)

Originally posted by Downunder
The invasion beigins :bigsmirk: ;)

....isn't there enough of us kiwi's in your country already....heheheheh....our invasion started a long time ago !!!!!:devil: :devil: :D :D

So you are people are those illegal imagrants on the news:D

Originally posted by Downunder
So you are people are those illegal imagrants on the news:D

LOL....Thats us :finger: :finger: :finger:

Hey thanks for the welcome!

What do you guys reckon about that Caddy CTS, which I guess is the basis for the next Holden? Looks like a block of flats to my eye.

For all those HSV fans, may I inject a hint of tastelessness by asking if Tom Walkinshaw is of those perennial batchelors, you know the kind of, er, man who is never destined to sleep with a woman? On the TV he sure sounded lispy to me.

I've never owned an HSV but I did once buy a new VK Group A
96 kph in 1st, 6,200 rpm in top, not bad for its day... ah, memories!

You just cant beat that sound of a V8 going through the gears to its rev limit each time..........makes the hair on ya neck stand up.
:) :)

Yeah, you're right there, Primera Man.

Any personal V8 favorite as regards sonics? My old VK had the 3 inch exhaust and sounded grouse, really mellow.

A friend of mine leases a VT Gen 3 SS 6 speed, alas dead-quiet but the damn thing does 160 in 3rd ... with THREE gears left to go!

I'm from the old school......Holden HQ ...350 Tunnel Rammed chev...used to mainly drag race it till i sold it (should never have parted with it ).

Would love one of the new HSV's, but at $100,000.00NZ for a new one is way out of my league.

I agree, hard to justify the $$

Where I live the WRX reigns supreme, or pretends to:

A mutual friend has an old Q'ey, pretty average in the body, chocolate brown etc, but with a fairly stock 454 and glide. A nice usable streetster though, and he put it together for a mere A$5,500.

Recently I watched him go against a razzed-up STI Sube, you know big bucks and with all the gear and more, and MAN it was no contest - the Q'ey just ATE it!

:) :)...chalk one up for the "old school".

Tell me dude.....i've just had a work mate come back from a holiday in Aus and he tells me that the Ford's are doing better in the sales and marketing then the Holdens.
He said he saw more Fords then Holdens.
He was in Both NSW and Qld for 6 weeks.

How true is this ????

When the AU Falcon came out, it looked pretty underbaked compared to the VT. Our IDIOT motoring press (yours can't be as bad, surely?) focussed their dislike mostly on the 'waterfall' grille of the AU, and soon every amateur expert and his dog were panning Ford in the street for the poxy grille design. Consequently Ford took a hammering, sales-wise, there was even gossip (untrue) of Ford pulling out of Oz.

It sounds ridiculous, I know, but literally everyone was berating AUs for that small lump of plastic. Personally, I didn't mind the grille, a Lincoln-esque design cue I think could have evolved nicely.

Anyway, much of Ford management here got sacked for the sales flop, and ex Sydney-Ford dealer principal Geoff Polities was appointed head CEO. Let me tell you he has been a breath of fresh air, virtually solely revitalising Fords fortunes and sales here, firstly for the AU2 and now all the new V8 developments underway. He's a real 'car-guy' .... not a bloody accountant.

In many ways the Ford is a superior product the the Conformadore (Commode-door?) and sales ARE increasing markedly, but as it stands Holden sold almost 100,000 units last financial year (to June 30) + around 30,000 exports, for I think a 27% share of the Oz market.

Ford, on the other hand, sold only 60,000 Falcons, plus a miniscule amount of exports, for a 17% share, albeit closing on 2nd place Toyota.

Hope this helps, Primera-Man :smoka:

Originally posted by Thunda Downunda
He's a real 'car-guy' .... not a bloody accountant.
Hope this helps, Primera-Man :smoka:

This problem has raged on for a while and it sounds like they have got it right at last....get a real bloke in there and see what the public want.

Even though i'm a holden man myself, the Tickford Ford ( in my books anyway) is the nicer of the 2 models.

Holden need to get this coupe model out soon.....and mass produce it, not just limit it. The demand for that will be amazing.

How dare you bring up the F word into this place. YYUUUUKKK!!;)

Originally posted by Downunder
How dare you bring up the F word into this place. YYUUUUKKK!!;)

:) :) .....yeah i'm not a Ford man either and never will be (thats another story though)..... but at least they are giving the HDT Team a run for there money at long last:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Um i think you mean Holden Racing Team:)

After my VK Group A (bought brand-spankers for A$21,950!) I'm a bit cynical about the value in 'tuner' cars - then a new cop-spec VK 5 litre was under $15,000 ... Similarly, the $25k+ impost of a Clubsport over a 5.7 Executive is tough to justify.

Looking at F***s, with their terrific double-wishbone suspension F&R, its gotta be better than the Holden system, which is basically the same as a Datto 1600, ie struts and semi-trailing arms. Most testers here agree that the F*** drives better.


As for the Monaro, the past tells us that aussies don't buy 2-doors, even though they pretend to want one. Perhaps the market has matured since HK-HJs .. but somehow I doubt it. I predict, after an initial splurge, sales will wane. 700 deposits have been taken by Holden. Hopefully the Middle East exports will sustain it.
btw, the cheapest Monaro, with 3.8 blown, leather, climate etc, will sell at Calais prices at least.

I reckon that sales will be double overseas compared to hear for the Monaro. If it gets into America in the next few years (which i have a feeling it might) will absoloutely sell like hot cakes:)

Originally posted by Thunda Downunda

As for the Monaro, the past tells us that aussies don't buy 2-doors, even though they pretend to want one


WOW...Thats intresting...i thought you Aussie's would be fighting to get your hands on one.

You may be right, Downunder, Monaro export sales may be double of local - witness that more Statesmen (Statespeople? non-sexist) are sold to Arabs than aussies. No USA sales of Holdens, though, as the new Sigma platform and derivatives will be manufactured stateside, so no need to export (see previous post).

As for the traditional low demand for local 2-doors, only the Charger could be considered a sales success (almost 50% of mopar sales here at one stage, because of deft marketing and low-low prices, compared to the sedan. The Falcon Tudor bellyfloped, as did the previous Munro.

Witness the sales history for Monaro (all models & types):

HK: 8945 sold
HT: 14,437 "
HG: 6147 "
HQ: 13,782 " ... including 4-door (out of 500,000 HQs sold!!!)
HJ: 4754 " " ".

Miniscule sales figures, by any standard.

If or when HSV export their 'Coupe' (thats the name of the car, simple aint it:)) i hope it will be in all the mags like Top Gear and up against the M3 and Merc's with raving reviews on how gorgous it looks and how hard it goes.
OOOHHHH BABBY YES!!!:D

I don't think the Monaro will make it to the UK for some odd reason, mainly because they need to cater for the Aussies and Kiwis before they can move onto overseas.

About struts being bad, all BMW's have struts up front, and multilink in the rear(usually).

Chris: I never said Mr Macpherson's struts were 'bad' - merely implied that more links equate to superior wheel control.
Struts debuted on the '50s British Ford Consul. The nifty Datsun 1600 was in many ways a Japanese copy of the earlier BMW 1602, then the cutting-edge design in small cars. Both these vehicles employed front struts, and rear semi-trailing arm suspension.
The advantages of Macpherson struts include compactness, and notably cost, because manufacturers can install them in-situ (in one unit).
Macpherson was, after all, a Scotsman.
Aren't struts by definition a '3-link' design (ie: 3 mounting/pivot points) and therefore more prone to deleterious camber change? Contrast this with the more sophisticated and expensive double-wishbone (4-link A-arm) as used front and rear on the Falcon, which has the potential for more accurate control of camber change thruought its arc (travel).
Also, it's highly unusual to find vehicles employing strut suspensions TO feature provision for camber adjustment, which means that after hitting that high kerb, wicked pothole, or even structural wear through sustained driving on rough roads (not uncommon in Australia) it's off for a trip to the Smash Repairer and onto the Car-O-Liner to bend the whole damn thing back into shape, rather than just an inexpensive wheel alignment as provided with wishbones. This simple reality of car ownership is seldom, if ever, mentioned in glossy magazines.
As I recall, Mercedes Benz was the first manufacurer to offer a 5-link system, using a supercomputer to simulate complex pivot axis variation, on the 190 (the first C-class) - a fantastic handling car.

nb: Holden has, on the new VX2, finally been compelled (kicking and screaming all the way) to offer the additional 4th link on the semi-trailing arm rear suspension of regular Commodores, not just the GTS. With the previous 3-link system, a bearing took the side-load, and as that wore with age, sudden and twitchy 'snap-oversteer' would result. My neighbour's '94 Statesman (stretched Commodore) wore out the inside tread of its rear tyres in only 12,000 miles through (non-adjustable) negative camber, not uncommon.
ps: Road Testers here agree that the Falcon's (optional) front/rear double-wishbone system offers tangible benefits and a superior drive, compared to the Holden's cheap/primitive strut/trailing-arm system - including VX2's 4th link.

Well, I say that struts are bad. But you can get alignments (my mom gets them all the time!:D )
But with proper tuning, they can be very good. But wishbones are better. And with struts, you have radius arms and junk like that to provide lateral and horizontal support.

Also, the current civic has struts, and its slalom went down 2mph from the wishbone model.

When your mom gets her alignment (for the car, lol) can the camber be adjusted, or merely the caster & toe-in?
btw: it's illuminating to price replacement shock absorbers for strut vs non-strut vehicles .. struts are usually 2-3 times the price :mad:

The Civic would be but one example. I've yet to see one dedicated competition vehicle (eg Formula 1, etc) utilizing Macpherson struts. Radius rods might provide extra location, but it's the arc of the wheel travel that determines camber change :)