Holden Coupe In Hot Demand

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday October 31, 1998

Holden dealers' phones have been running hot with buyers demanding to be put on the waiting list for a new two-door Commodore coupe.

The top-secret Holden was unveiled at the Sydney Motor Show and instantly created an automotive sensation the likes of which we haven't seen for many years. It seems that even people with no real interest in cars have included the coupe in their conversational repertoire - and car enthusiasts seem to be talking of nothing else!

Lower and shorter than the sedan on which it's based, the semi-fastback Commodore coupe has a sleek, purposeful look which will appeal to all who love their sports machines to be big and bold.

It's only a design study at this stage but if the reaction of potential buyers is anything to go by we could see Commodore coupes on Australia's roads in the first few months of 2000.

If the car does go into production it would almost certainly form the basis of the next generation of Holden V8 racing cars. That would bring back memories of the good-old days when two-door Monaros and Torana hatches performed miracles at Bathurst.

In true Aussie tradition the coupe is the work of a dedicated team working long hours. Many of the designers worked long into the night and got up again before daybreak to create the first Holden-designed two-door in almost 20 years.

The name Monaro could be revived for the coupe, though there are some within the marketing areas of Holden who feel it could be dangerous to rely on a name from a bygone era.

Commodore coupe could be built with the full range of Holden engines and transmissions and would be an ideal donor vehicle for Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) in its endless search for high-performance Australian cars. A coupe with a 5.7-litre V8 engine and a five- or six-speed manual gearbox would be a highly potent bit of gear!

Or a less-elaborate V6 automatic coupe would make a stunning looking cruising machine at a reasonable price.

The decision to go into production is likely to depend not only on Australian buyer demand, but also on Holden receiving export orders. Given the success of the Commodore sedan in the few months it has been on sale in the Middle East the latter should not be a problem.