Gods Of Grunt: Holden's Super Coupes - Camaro, Coupe 60 & Monaro

[DieToyota1978]

AAAAAHHHHH GM....This would have made a great GTO...

[brnwrng]

Wow the Holden Coupe is amazing...I would have a hard time choosing between the Camaro and the Holden if they were both in the market.

[KingElvis]

Originally Posted by Novak454

Yes, that is the concensus: Chevelles could be had in coupe, sedan, wagon, and el camino (Ute) form back in the day...

The real frustrator is seeing the wasted opportunity. The reason I like my GTO is because it is a functional 4 person car, you don't have to wedge into the back seat like the new Camaro, and by looking at the Coupe 60, it would appear to also be an excellent GT just like my goat: true room for 4 and a usable trunk.

Don't get me wrong, I love the new Camaro, but when I saw the curb weight and interior dimensions, as well as seeing the interior in person, I decided the goat and I would be together quite a bit longer.....

Agreed.

With respect I must indict the Aussies understanding of "pony car" - The Monaro certainly wasn't a pony car. It's essentially a 'full size' coupe. Clearly, however, the concept has morphed into something else. When you have all the US 'pony cars' based on full size architecture.

But then again, I call 'musclecars' the name by which they were ACTUALLY referred in the '60's: Supercars.

I also don't understand the love for the concept car. The old Monaro/GTO is way better looking. Like certain lasses I've known, it's particularly fetching from the rear view.

[camaro_freak]

Originally Posted by JoeT

Originally Posted by toddr19

I would buy that Holden coupe in a NEW YORK MINUTE!

ha ha - where'd you find that old thing That was a rough chop!

Here are the better ones I did for Edmunds last year http://www.insideline.com/pontiac/ph...ront_ns_1.html!





A true shame! Could have been a great GTO (or a great Chevelle since Pontiac is toast)

[jaywestfall]

Hey JoeT, do you have a connection with the performance Gods? Maybe when GM becomes profitable in NA we can partake of some of the goodness Holden creates?

Then again, maybe there will be some special edition Pontiacs in our future here. Perhaps the G8 was a sacrifice for some better things in the future. Time will tell....

[Parlay84]

Originally Posted by chakis24

what could be the american counterparts of the holdens? chevelle?

No, Sadly GM seem to think it should be a cop car.

[MonaroSS]

Originally Posted by mikmak

Meh, I'd still take a wagon.

[camaro_freak]

Originally Posted by MonaroSS

wouldn't this be a shooting brake?

[MonaroSS]

Originally Posted by camaro_freak

wouldn't this be a shooting brake?

A Shooting Break/Brake is a type of Station Wagon....

http://www.pestalozzi.net/sb/about_term_2.htm

Word IQ includes it in its definition of "Station Wagon". It's the best I found so far:

"A station wagon (US and Australian usage) or estate car (UK usage) is a normal sedan car with an extended rear cargo area. The first station wagons were a product of the age of train travel. They were originally called 'depot hacks' because they worked around train depots as hacks (short for hackney carriage, an old name for taxis). They also came to be known as 'carryalls' and 'suburbans'. The name 'station wagon' is a derivative of 'depot hack'; it was a wagon that carried people and luggage from the train station to various local destinations... In the United Kingdom, a very specific type, rare these days, is known as a shooting brake. These are modifications of luxury coupés with an estate car - like back fitted. They generally remain with two side doors. The purpose of them, historically, is obvious from the name; they were vehicles for the well-off shooter and hunter, giving space to carry shotguns and other equipment. They have rarely been made by the factory and are generally aftermarket conversions; some are still made. Up through the early 1960s many of them were built as woodies, making them some of the most exclusive and luxurious woodies ever built."

Merriam-Webster Unabridged has no definition for "shooting brake" except as a synonym for "station wagon". However, it describes "break" or "brake" as follows: a four-wheeled straight-bodied horse-drawn pleasure vehicle usually having a capacity of six or more persons in addition to the driver and footman.

The Hyperdictionary has: (British) another name for a station wagon. Synonyms: estate car
See Also: beach waggon, beach wagon, station waggon, station wagon, waggon, wagon.

[American_Muscle]

man that would have been sweet. Again just bad timing by GM. GTO came out during the high gas prices kept rising. The G8 came out when GM had no money to spend on advertising and relied on word of mouth

[chris442]

Originally Posted by KingElvis

Agreed.

With respect I must indict the Aussies understanding of "pony car" - The Monaro certainly wasn't a pony car. It's essentially a 'full size' coupe. Clearly, however, the concept has morphed into something else. When you have all the US 'pony cars' based on full size architecture.

But then again, I call 'musclecars' the name by which they were ACTUALLY referred in the '60's: Supercars.

I also don't understand the love for the concept car. The old Monaro/GTO is way better looking. Like certain lasses I've known, it's particularly fetching from the rear view.

I agree completely, with your interpretation of 'pony car' here. Sadly, it seems the only real one left is the Mustang. The Camaro is actually larger and heavier than the GTO/Monaro was, and yet it's smaller inside. I wish there was a way we could have gotten something more in the scale of my Dad's '68 Camaro, but at least we didn't get 6/5 scale model like the Challenger.

I thought the GTO moniker fit the Monaro quite well, as it offer in essence all the things an old A-body did, in terms of size and comfort, plus the drivetrain is exactly what I'd want in a muscle car. I still think that large coupes are not made often enough.

Originally Posted by Novak454

Yes, that is the concensus: Chevelles could be had in coupe, sedan, wagon, and el camino (Ute) form back in the day...

The real frustrator is seeing the wasted opportunity. The reason I like my GTO is because it is a functional 4 person car, you don't have to wedge into the back seat like the new Camaro, and by looking at the Coupe 60, it would appear to also be an excellent GT just like my goat: true room for 4 and a usable trunk.

Don't get me wrong, I love the new Camaro, but when I saw the curb weight and interior dimensions, as well as seeing the interior in person, I decided the goat and I would be together quite a bit longer.....

I'd love to be able to move up to a Coupe 60 type of car from my '06. I've logged plenty of miles in a VE with my Mom's G8, and other than a few small complaints, it's better than my car in every way. The suspension and steering are so much better it's not even funny.

I totally agree with you're assessment of the Camaro. I love the look of it, but wonder if they've made too many sacrifices for style. It's funny you mention the trunk, the one in my car isn't particularly usable--it's a little on the small side. However, I didn't understand why all the car mags complained about the trunk opening on the Camaro until I saw one open. It's bigger than the GTO trunk, but I don't know how you can put anything in it.

The Coupe 60 to me is the Monaro with some real style, plus 10 years worth of upgrades in the chassis. It's not the 'rock star' that the Camaro is, but that's fine with me. When you drive a car that has 400 hp and can do 170, blending in isn't always bad idea. Combine that with the VE that has corrected many of the RHD to LHD and Aus to US issues, and it seems to be the perfect car for me, just so long as I could get an LS3 and T6060. It'd be tough to part with my Monaro, though.

All you guys down under need to keep up the good work. There's a certain segment of us up here that are passionate about our Holden products, hopefully people outside the police will have a chance to buy them again.

[American007]

Originally Posted by skylark68

I don't see any reason why that coupe couldn't be the spiritual successor to this:



or this:

I like the ideas but since i prefer V8 power, I would say it should be a successor to......

MonaroSS I think I remember you doind a Buick chop of this

[prototype66]

I love the idea of a 2012 Chevelle! If that would actually happen I am sold!

[FierySolstice]

The Holden Coupe 60 should of been brought over as a G8 coupe. It's much more sexier than the Camaro!

[FierySolstice]

Originally Posted by camaro_freak

ha ha - where'd you find that old thing That was a rough chop!

Here are the better ones I did for Edmunds last year http://www.insideline.com/pontiac/ph...ront_ns_1.html!





A true shame! Could have been a great GTO (or a great Chevelle since Pontiac is toast)

Soooooo HOT!!!!