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It's unusual to see a two door pick up truck on the Nurburgring but the Holden UTE SSV has made it. GM has no plans to bring the UTE to the States (El Camino?) but are considering a Chevy SS Sportwagon.

 

[SuperSnake]

The rear is on the UTE is nice, but at the same time it looks a bit outdated already. I think Holden could have done a much better job at making the rear look more modern.

it's just too bad we're not getting our own version of the UTE. Although the El Camino didn't sell that well back in the days, it was still a cool vehicle to see around even till this day. I think there still is a demand for these in the U.S.

 

[jat63]

holden is getting a lot of crap from locals here in aus for spending money sending a ute to the ring for testing so soon after news of a layoff,
the ring is a symbol of how good a "performance car" can handle against the worlds best, to be the worlds best you have to beat your competition at the ring, fords ute (the real light duties work truck) aint going their, it's the wrong type of test for a light truck, now if it had a bowtie and LHD

 

[chevypwr]

holden is getting a lot of crap from locals here in aus for spending money sending a ute to the ring for testing so soon after news of a layoff,
the ring is a symbol of how good a "performance car" can handle against the worlds best, to be the worlds best you have to beat your competition at the ring, fords ute (the real light duties work truck) aint going their, it's the wrong type of test for a light truck, now if it had a bowtie and LHD

So what if they spent money to test a vehicle on the nurburgring, these people should stop crying and move along, find another job.

I also see a Holden being tested on the ring a good sign, it's in a way a step in the right direction for holden and a sign that they could eventually hire people in the masses in the future.

I wonder if anyone will look into importing a UTE to the states, would be awesome to see one here and converted to LHD.

 

[jat63]

i do agree cars need to be tested before introduction to the market, for the ss the ring is a must do, it is the right car for the comparison, holdens ute is more car than truck which is proven bye it's low weight limits and independent rear end, ford has a live axle and higher limits.

there is a guy in colorado who does import utes to the us, he is on g8board and his last import was a blue hsv maloo, it can be done the only question is how much people are willing to pay, the current exchange rate pushes the utes price too high for the us market to accept when compared to it's competition, if the exchange was at 70c au to us $ the ute would be in the us today, as for conversion holden has all the parts needed to build LHD, the only thing they need is the ok from gm.

try this for aftermarket import, buy a new camaro, add 3k for shipping, then add 30+k for conversion, shogan conversion had a dye made for the main components, and only models with a high level of demand are converted.

if your brave enough to ask about the corvette i recomend you take a seat on the potty before you hear the price, 100k will only start the ball rolling.

import/conversion is only for the i have to have one and i can afford it, we are talking about three years average take home pay for a car, nuts.

 

[SuperSnake]

i do agree cars need to be tested before introduction to the market, for the ss the ring is a must do, it is the right car for the comparison, holdens ute is more car than truck which is proven bye it's low weight limits and independent rear end, ford has a live axle and higher limits.

there is a guy in colorado who does import utes to the us, he is on g8board and his last import was a blue hsv maloo, it can be done the only question is how much people are willing to pay, the current exchange rate pushes the utes price too high for the us market to accept when compared to it's competition, if the exchange was at 70c au to us $ the ute would be in the us today, as for conversion holden has all the parts needed to build LHD, the only thing they need is the ok from gm.

try this for aftermarket import, buy a new camaro, add 3k for shipping, then add 30+k for conversion, shogan conversion had a dye made for the main components, and only models with a high level of demand are converted.

if your brave enough to ask about the corvette i recomend you take a seat on the potty before you hear the price, 100k will only start the ball rolling.

import/conversion is only for the i have to have one and i can afford it, we are talking about three years average take home pay for a car, nuts.

How I see it, to pay the price of a new or slightly used HSV shipped to America, you need to have some serious love for it and not just want it cause it's a fast Chevy/Holden. Cause well... something very similar to it can be had locally in another form or from another brand.

Not sure if i can justify the huge costs, waste of money .

 

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More pictures of the Holden VF SSV UTE

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VF SSV UTE (El Camino) Pictures Continued....

 

[Big Block Meister]

Is there any reviews on how this Holden UTE SSV is handling on the Ring? I like the unique look of it which reminds me a lot of the El camino. But i just don't see how it will out perform the non truck version.

 

[American-Muscle]

Is there any reviews on how this Holden UTE SSV is handling on the Ring? I like the unique look of it which reminds me a lot of the El camino. But i just don't see how it will out perform the non truck version.

that's a tough one.
since Holden is testing their VF UTE it's going to be some time before we get any information like that. they are probably working out any issues and trying to perfect it at the time.

we'll have better luck hearing about how well it handles once Holden is ready to let the media in them. but as mentioned before this is a sure sign we're getting something good.

 

[jat63]

Holden were doing a media promo at the ring until a Renault Meagan spanked it by around 30 seconds, they cancelled there plans to brag about the time.

 

[SuperSnake]

Holden were doing a media promo at the ring until a Renault Meagan spanked it by around 30 seconds, they cancelled there plans to brag about the time.

How did you find this out?

Was it a production model Renault Meagan? 30 seconds is a whole lot to be beat by I'd be interested in looking at this info somewhere it can be found. From what I seen though, the Renault Meagan is a small and light car so if it was a performance model Renault Meagan I wouldn't be too surprised.

 

[jat63]

the story was in fridays carsguide (printed version) have not found the online story yet.

A MEGA DOLLAR marketing stunt for the holden ute at the world-famous Nerburgring race circuit has backfired.
holden took a new VF commodore SS ute to the high temple of horsepower in germany a fortnight ago so it could become the fastest ute to lap the perilous 21km circuit and then use the achievemnt in advertisements.
but despite its V8 grunt and new lightweight materials, the SS-V Redline ute is slower thn a four cylinder turbo Renault hot hatch, the new VF holden SS-V Redline ute costs $48,490 according to a bulletin issued to dealers this week, while the Renault's RRP is $42,640.
in june 2011 the Megan RS became the fastest front-drive production car to lap the nurburgring at 8 minutes 7.97 seconds, the V8 workhorse and showpony set a camparatively leisurely 8:21, only a few seconds ahead of a Hyundai V6 Coupe and slower then the chevrolet camaro with which it shares its underpinnings.
when holden was quizzed about the ute's nurburgring campaign the company said the vehicle was their for routine testing.
but Carsguide can reveal holden filmed the hot-laps at a considerable cost for a coming marketing campaign.
former holden boss mark reuss now in charge of General Motors Morth Amarica was behind the wheel for the mammoth exercise.

artical dated 3 may

next time they pull some stunt like this, hire the stig

 

[chevypwr]

the story was in fridays carsguide (printed version) have not found the online story yet.

A MEGA DOLLAR marketing stunt for the holden ute at the world-famous Nerburgring race circuit has backfired.
holden took a new VF commodore SS ute to the high temple of horsepower in germany a fortnight ago so it could become the fastest ute to lap the perilous 21km circuit and then use the achievemnt in advertisements.
but despite its V8 grunt and new lightweight materials, the SS-V Redline ute is slower thn a four cylinder turbo Renault hot hatch, the new VF holden SS-V Redline ute costs $48,490 according to a bulletin issued to dealers this week, while the Renault's RRP is $42,640.
in june 2011 the Megan RS became the fastest front-drive production car to lap the nurburgring at 8 minutes 7.97 seconds, the V8 workhorse and showpony set a camparatively leisurely 8:21, only a few seconds ahead of a Hyundai V6 Coupe and slower then the chevrolet camaro with which it shares its underpinnings.
when holden was quizzed about the ute's nurburgring campaign the company said the vehicle was their for routine testing.
but Carsguide can reveal holden filmed the hot-laps at a considerable cost for a coming marketing campaign.
former holden boss mark reuss now in charge of General Motors Morth Amarica was behind the wheel for the mammoth exercise.

artical dated 3 may

next time they pull some stunt like this, hire the stig

that must of hurt LOL

but a lot of things factor into lap times so who knows maybe it can get better lap times. but it is what it is, 30 seconds and it's a lot. they should be happy this info didn't go viral, but now that it's here... GL! LOL

 

[jat63]

that comparison was a bit more than just unfair, a turbo hot hatch against a light truck, throw twenty cases beer in the back and go again, a popular way of gaining traction here is to carry a bag of sand against the tailgate, backend is just too light.