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holden coupe 60 (next GTO?)
Just as Cadillac did in Detroit with the CTS Coupe, Holden has stolen its home town auto show in Melbourne, Australia, with a stunning, secret two door. Called the Coupe 60, the car is based on the VE Commodore, and celebrates the 60th anniversary of the launch of the very first all-Australian Holden.



The Coupe 60 is powered by an E85-capable 6.0-liter V-8 mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Painted a one off shade called "diamond silver," it sits on jumbo-size 21-inch wheels shorn with Kumho high performance rubber and gives off a menacing glare supplied by the aggressive aerodynamic bodywork -- low front airdam, side exhausts protruding from the side skirts, large rear diffuser, and a trunk lid spoiler. To top it off, the underbody of the car was specifically designed to be fully flat.

The black interior, accented by gunmetal inserts on the panels has a futuristic feel -- the gauge cluster is LCD-based and fully digital, and the flat-bottom steering wheel features an integrated shift light. The leather/suede sport bucket seats, made out from carbon fiber and accented by red stripes, are of a single-piece design and feature four-point racing harnesses four all four seating positions.

Look past the show-car eyewash -- the big wheels, race-car splitter at the front, and side-exit exhausts -- and it's clear the Coupe 60 is more than just a handsome show-pony. The bumper cuts front and rear, production lighting system, production instrument panel, and the fact it rolls on the same wheelbase as the Commodore sedan means this car is certainly production feasible.

Holden designers pulled the same trick as Cadillac did with the CTS Coupe -- chopping 2.25 in from behind the Commodore sedan's rear wheels and 2.35 in off the roof to change the proportions. As with the CTS Coupe, a production version of the Coupe 60 would have B-pillars to maintain rigidity and meet side impact regulations.



The thing is, will GM build it? Holden managing director Mark Reuss has said that, at least for now, the Coupe 60 is staying just a concept. But the Coupe 60 could, of course, easily become the next generation Holden Monaro.

The problem is, the Monaro is not a huge volume seller in Australia. To make a production version viable, Holden would almost certainly need one of GM's U.S. divisions to take the car. Pontiac is the obvious choice -- the G8 front clip, left hand drive interior set, badges, and other bits have already been engineered and basically would bolt straight on.

But GM execs are nervous that with the impending launch of the Camaro and Challenger, the mid-price rear drive coupe market could be getting a little too crowded to support a Pontiac two-door as well.

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rallyssrallyss - 3/1/2008 12:47:58 PM
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please bring this car stateside

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FerrarisR4meFerrarisR4me - 3/1/2008 3:51:18 PM
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NagooyaNagooya - 3/1/2008 5:12:06 PM
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It's simply beautiful. Make it a Pontiac!

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Htay7500Htay7500 - 3/1/2008 5:43:09 PM
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well, the g8 is a pontiac, and its obviously gonna be one.


theoptimisticpessimisttheoptimisticpessimist - 3/1/2008 6:02:30 PM
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So if a BMW coupe and an Audi coupe had kids this is what it would look like.

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BozzorTheGreatBozzorTheGreat - 3/1/2008 6:12:27 PM
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I really hope that this car makes it to production...and the only way that will happen is if it can be exported, mainly to the ME markets.

Firstly, in Australia our market is simply too small to sustain such a low volume speciality car. Secondly, there is already a Cadillac CT coupe coming online and then, there is the biggest reason why the Coupe 60 will not be built...

The Camaro. It will compete closely with the Coupe 60 / GTO.

I do not know if GM can support two such models. Sure, they share much commonality under the skin, but the marketing and other costs may make it tough to make a profit on this.

The only real hope is if this model gets a rapturous reception the Middle East.

And finally, where would the thing be built? When the first GTO was made in Oz, it was a bargain for everyone: it was around USD .60 per AUD 1.00 e/r. Our straight dollar labor costs were lower in Australia, car transport was cheap, oil was cheap, and the US economy was going gangbusters. Now, it is around USD .94 per AUD 1.00, it costs more to ship cars around the world, oil is +USD 100 p/b and the US economy is staggering.

The business case won't be easy, sorry to say...

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Htay7500Htay7500 - 3/2/2008 8:51:38 AM
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you guys are lucky. you get get the real muscle cars. I just read in motor trend that in australia, the holden tuning firm got to put in a Z06 LS7 engine in the ssv clubsport! at least we're getting the G8 however...


ILikeLamboILikeLambo - 3/1/2008 8:00:39 PM
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I love living in Australia!!!!!!!!1

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ILikeLamboILikeLambo - 3/1/2008 8:01:25 PM
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sorry about the 1 on the end....hehe


1995e341995e34 - 3/1/2008 9:42:43 PM
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i love crocodile dundee.


ThierryHenry14ThierryHenry14 - 3/1/2008 9:00:47 PM
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it looks great...

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1995e341995e34 - 3/1/2008 9:19:26 PM
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this is what the nissan gt-r SHOULD have looked like. i love it. the seat belts are great (yeah, i said it). can't wait to see it in america.

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BoredBored - 3/1/2008 9:31:42 PM
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I think that famous line goes like this:

"If you build it, they will come."

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bmwdrvrbmwdrvr - 3/1/2008 9:35:59 PM
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its a nice looking coupe, but everyone said the same including mags about the outgoing GTO, when it was the Holden Monaro, when it finally got here as the GTO everyone including the mags that praised the Monaro and said bring it over basically trashed the GTO doesnt make sense, the same will happen im sure if this car comes over

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rallyssrallyss - 3/2/2008 11:31:17 AM
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if they dont bring it here im moving to OZ

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