Mega Monaro: Colour Me Gone
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday June 8, 2001
The power and palette of the resurrected icon will make it impossible to miss. Joshua Dowling reports Holden has 200 advance orders.
Six months before the Holden Monaro is due for release, a queue has formed for the resurrected Australian icon.
Holden dealers are holding about 200 orders for a car that does not yet have a price and which has not been seen in its final form. Drive understands a Sydney buyer has even placed a $15,000 deposit to secure one of the first off the production line in December.
The Monaro rumour mill has been running at high speed since the covers came off the Commodore coupe at the Sydney Motor Show three years ago. Holden has carefully managed what it said about the car since then, but details are beginning to emerge.
According to insiders, the Monaro is expected to cost between $60,000 and $100,000, the latter price reserved for a flagship Holden Special Vehicles version which will go on sale almost immediately after the regular model.
It is believed the "mega-Monaro" will produce a massive 340 kW, giving it 50 per cent more power than the standard 5.7-litre V8.
Holden has yet to confirm speculation that the Monaro will have a more affordable supercharged V6 option.
As Drive reported in January, the Monaro will not look like the Commodore coupe that stopped showgoers in 1998 - it will have a unique nose and tail to keep it looking fresh alongside the next two Commodore upgrades.
So far, no-one outside Holden has seen the final design although spy shots of camouflaged test mules have appeared in motoring magazines.
Australians won't be able to miss the Monaro, regardless of its looks. Holden's palette is adventurous and loud - Drive understands the half-dozen special colours include two inspired by the original HK Monaro of 1968, including yellow.
Holden maintains the colours of the Monaro are secret, but a spokesman advised against expecting any white examples.
The maker has yet to decide on export plans for the Monaro. Holden boss Peter Hanenberger has said the company would look at exporting the car to the Middle East along with the Commodore and Statesman. That deal has yet to be signed off.
Exporting to the US is another possibility, given that General Motors is rationalising its range of rear-drive V8 sports coupes. It is axing the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, leaving only the Chevrolet Corvette.
According to Drive's US sources, some General Motors insiders want to import the Monaro. The exhange rate works in favour of the parent company but the cost of certification for US sales makes an American Monaro unlikely for the time being.
TIMELINE:
October 15, 1998
Holden unveiled a "Coupe Design Study" at the Sydney Motor Show. Based on the VT Commodore, it began as
a sketch by a young Holden designer. A small team built the show car after-hours over six months. Brought onto
the Holden stand under the cover of darkness on the preview morning, it was front-page news the next day.
February 23, 1999
Growing public interest saw the Commodore coupe getting the green light. Holden delayed production while it fulfilled export orders for the Commodore but confirmed the car would be unveiled at the 2001 Sydney Motor Show.
December 18, 2000
After much speculation, Holden confirmed the Commodore coupe would be badged Monaro, the name suggested in 1967 by Holden designer Noel Bedford. The Aboriginal word means a high
plateau or plain. The Monaro range is part of the Snowy Mountains;
the Monaro district comprises the alpine and coastal areas south of Canberra.
© 2001 Sydney Morning Herald
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