An accident is an accident, and no matter what kinds of cars are involved in one, it all comes down to the well-being of people. We're glad to say that the passengers of the two cars seen in this video made it out alive and well suffering only "bumps" and "bruises", according to the driver of one of the vehicles.
What makes this incident of particular interest is that the two vehicles are classic Australian models, including an early 1960s Holden EK sedan and an early 1970s Ford Falcon XY GT, though we don't know if it was a replica or an original (say double 'ouch' if it’s the latter…).
GM's Australian subsidiary Holden is wasting no time with the Colorado launching an extensive range of genuine accessories just as sales start in the country.
The automaker says that more than two thirds of the Colorado’s accessories are unique to the brand, and have been designed, developed and engineered in Australia by Holden to meet the needs of the local market.
Every gearhead in Australia likes doing a good ol' burnout once in a while, just as long as it goes down smoothly and without an incident.
Unfortunately for the young driver of this late 1970s Holden Ute (it looks like an HZ, but we're not entirely sure), it didn't go as well or as smooth as he had hoped for and while he narrowly missed the newer Commodore Ute parked on the side of the road, he couldn't avoid crashing into a brick fence destroying his car.
Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing. With a few exceptions like the sporty six-cylinder GTR XU1 and the 5.0-litre V8 powered SLR 5000 editions, the Holden Torana was a run-of-the mill compact model with plain Jane looks and lackluster performance.
But in the world of tuning and drag racing even the Torana can be transformed into a terrifying beast. Meet Jakes Edward's latest Torana sedan fitted with a massive 496ci (8.2-liter) turbocharged V8 Chevrolet engine that runs on methanol fuel.
At this month's Summernats festival in Canberra, Australia, Edward's yellow Holden took part and won the "Horsepower Heroes" competition as it yielded 1,584.5 wheel horsepower on the dyno! Watch the Aussie-made monster in the video after the break.
Every profession has its dangers, some more hazardous than others. For this cameraman who was filming an early 1970s Holden HQ sedan doing a heavy burnout at the Summernats festival in Canberra, Australia, the danger came from a flying piece of rubber that smacked him right in the head and knocking him down. Ouch...
Most people around the world know Holden for building the 2000s Monaro coupe and Commodore sedans but the Australian company that became a GM subsidiary in 1931 has a rich history that goes well beyond those two models.
In 1969, the Melbourne-headquartered automaker presented its first ever concept model, the Hurricane, codenamed RD 001. It was a futuristic research vehicle described by the company at the time as an experiment “to study design trend, propulsion systems and other long-range developments”.
Some four decades years after it captured the headlines at the 1969 Melbourne Motor Show, and Holden decided it was time to restore the historic concept back to its original condition and showcase it to the public once again.
In Australia and New Zealand, “hooning” is a term applied to any anti-social and often dangerous behavior behind the wheel of a car. Burnouts, car surfing and illegal street racing all fall under this rather broad definition. And it’s an ever-growing problem. Each year there are more reports like, “Hoons kill innocent driver in Dandenong, say police” and, “Man killed in Burwood Highway 'hoon' crash.”
So it’s obvious that cracking down on hooning is very important to the governments of both nations. Here we have two adverts, one from Oz and one from Kiwiland, that use tactics both old and new to get their message across. The Aussie one plays on that, “If you hoon, you’ll lose your car” message while the NZ one plays on the, “If you hoon, you’ll lose your life” vibe. Who knew that New Zealand’s roads were covered with hidden landmines?
Take a close look at this car; ain't it a beauty? Even though it was conceived precisely four decades ago, the wedge-shaped Holden Torana GTR-X is classic example of how less can be much more when it comes to design -take note Mr Jason Castriota. Believe it or not, the Torana GTR-X was actually designed by GM's Australian division to enter production in 1970. The concept was to create a low volume sports car using inexpensive tooling and parts straight off the shelf.
In particular, when Holden gave the green light for the development of the Torana GTX-R in mid-1969, the Australian automaker's engineers decided to base the sports coupe on the running gear of the production Torana GTR XU-1, a compact-sized model which had its origins in the British Vauxhall Vivas of the mid 1960s.
The two seater was fitted with the standard's Torana XU1's 186 cubic inch or 3.0-liter straight six that generated an output of 160HP at 5,200rpm and 285Nm or 210 lbs-ft of torque at 3,300rpm. Power was channeled to the rear wheels through a four speed manual transmission. Weighing in at just 1,043 kg or around 2,300 pounds, the GTR-X reportedly posted a top speed of 210km/h or 130mph during testing.
Despite its humble underpinnings, the Torana GTR-X boasted a striking and uncluttered exterior design with an elongated front end that hosted a pair of pop-up lights and a low wedge-shaped grille. The 'wedge' theme continued at the rear-end that featured an elevated tail light assembly. The body was made out of fibreglass.
The Aussie coupe's interior styling matches the simplicity of the exterior design with the most prominent features being the machined aluminium instrument panel and the high-backed sports seats.
As you can see from the brochure below, Holden was very serious about putting the Torana GTR-X into production as the company built several prototype models and even went as far as making a promotional film on the car only to pull the plug at the last minute amidst concerns on the financial viability of the project. All we can say is what a shame...
One of our readers tipped us off on this wonderful Holden ad that recently hit Australian TV screens to celebrate the launch of the new VE Ute, or as we’ll know it in the US, the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck (see here). Directed by Mark Toia from Zoom Film and Television for McCann Erickson Melbourne, the TV commercial takes us on a journey through the transformation from the classic FJ right through to the new VE model –ok, they skipped a few generations like the WB and the VR, but great ad nevertheless. –Video after the jump
