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Mechknight73
National Driver
1001 Posts
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 Posted - 25 Aug 2010 : 09:42:39 AM
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The 3.8 V6 we know and love is only rear wheel drive in Australia. The S1 VNs are the only Holden that betrays their front wheel drive heritage. The closest American relative Commodores have is the Pontiac Grand Prix. the 1997 version has a supercharged version of the V6, just like the VT. I saw a video the other day on Youtube asking how hard it was to convert one to RWD. When I mentioned the VT link, none of them had any idea Holden even used that engine. I've seen one pitted against a VT, and it's not pretty for the Pontiac. 179kW in a FWD, with hopeless suspension, and they wonder why the G8 "doesn't feel anything like a regular Pontiac." lol
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dryVN
Fully Licenced
228 Posts
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Posted - 25 Aug 2010 : 10:38:36 AM
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lol...Took Holden to build a real Good American Car.
That Motor was also made for Oldsmobile and some of the Chevy's. They were made for rwd in the 60's and 70's but where gutless Base model motors when the yanks only wanted Big Blocks. The V6 look pretty cool with a Holley Carb and bug catcher sitting on there. Especially in Hot Rods.
The oil shock and enviroment issues of 73 killed the American auto industry to the point that big block motors had about as much power or less than our equivalent year 308's did. Very very sad as to that moment American cars were the best styled and some of the fastest on the planet(Lets say straight line) Maybe that's why The Americans pay so much for early Chevs , Buick GSX's , Olds 442's , Pontiac GTO's , the list of 50's to 70's great cars is endless. |
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Mechknight73
National Driver
1001 Posts
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Posted - 25 Aug 2010 : 3:18:08 PM
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Although America STILL has a lot to learn from Australia about building cars. Back in 1997, Holden built a Tiger mica orange VT SS Commodore with a supercharged V6 in LHD. They drive it from Los Angeles to New York City. It was done as an exercise in public reactions. It may well have been that this unassuming "prototype" opened the gate for the Pontiac GTO and G8.
The Pontiac Grand Prix GTP is the top of the line for the Grand Prix. It runs the same 3.8 V6, but has 8kW more than its Australian cousin. In New York City, a motoring journalist for Road & Track magazine was invited to drive it. He said, and I quote, "What a pleasure it is to drive a proper rear drive GM car than can corner! I'm not sure about the name, but I'd buy one in a heartbeat. Of course, they probably won't let it come and play here."
In describing the Grand Prix GTP: "For a hopelessly overpowered and underchassised car, it's not bad. There's a certain brutality to it; it's called the steering wheel." Even stranger still, this VT was in a drag race with the Ford Taurus SHO; Like the ugly thing that briefly came to Australia, but even uglier, and with two extra cylinders. Despite being about the same displacement as the VT, it was a slug off the line, so Ford USA tried to cover their tracks by calling it a "gentlemen's express." Code for a "wallowy thing that's comfortable."
Ironically, the Taurus is among the contenders to slug it out in the US police market, against our own rebadged Statesman. The new Taurus is AWD, isn't too bad to look at, but remains to be seen as to whether it will survive police duty. |
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