An Aussie Banshee for the US

One thing you will notice about my site is that I don’t usually report domestic car news.  Today I am going to break that rule, because this news is actually very interesting, and (for reasons that I will explain later) the distinction between domestic and international news is fading.  General Motors announced that the new 2013 Chevrolet SS will actually be a rebadged Holden Commodore.   What’s more, is that they also announced that the Holden Maloo Ute, and the sport wagon should be arriving not long after.

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about…here is some background information.  Holden is an Australian car manufacturer that is part of the General Motors umbrella.  Holden builds a car called the Commodore, that is a sedate, rather basic sedan with a humungous V8 Corvette engine.  Then they take that sedan, and beef up the block to an earth shattering 564 horses, or enough to scare the panties off a BMW M5.  That car was sold both as a Holden and as a Vauxhall.  Part of the fun of the car, besides the fact that it would eat BMW’s and Porsches for half the cost, was the supercharger whine.  It has the Banshee like wail of a cat being boiled in a Fryolator.

The Maloo is the Ute version of the Commodore.  In America, it is an El Camino with a Corvette engine, and some style.  In other words, it is the dream of every blue collar guy in the country.  Massive power, huge scoops and vents, all combined with a truck like body and a bed cover with roadster-like humps.  It looks cool, drives unbelievably fast for a Ute, and sounds like an Aston Martin V12 Vantage having its way with a McLaren SLS.  It just sounds filthy, and needless to say, I want one.

Holden and Vauxhall also came out with the Bathurst edition.  This one is named to honor the Bathurst region of Australia, and the Bathurst Touring Car racing circuit.  The car is a Walkinshaw 122 supercharged version of the LS3 V8, with an intercooler.  If you don’t know the name Walkinshaw, think TWR and the guy that brought us the Jaguar XJ220, and XJR-15.  The Bathurst has up to 570 horses with the optional exhaust system, and an eye-watering 715 nm of torque.  The speed is galactic, but it’s the sounds that really makes the car special.  The wailing of the supercharger is more than phenomenal.  Plus, the exhaust is bi-modal, with a choice of two settings:  “Ear Bleed”  and “Head Exploding.”  In fact, the guys at Top Gear did a spot on the Bathurst, and called it a “balls out, continent crusher.”

Good things are coming to the United States.  I think it has something to do with the fact that all the other countries like us, so they are sharing their toys.  Whatever the reason, we are soon to be in something of a “Golden Age of Cars” again.  Chrysler will bring FIAT and Alfa Romeo back to us, with the possibility of adding Lancia.  General Motors is bringing us Holden and Vauxhall, and maybe even a few Chinese Chery cars for good measure.  Ford will be importing the EU spec Focus, a Belgian crossover, and even a Turkish transit van.  We are entering a time where globalization is turning the automotive world into an automotive neighborhood.  A place where everyone lives together, knows each other, and is deafened by the sound of some idiot in a Bathurst with a supercharger.  What a wonderful place.

Article courtesy of Chris Raymond

Photos courtesy of netcarshow.com and Google Images