Big, Bold, Thirsty So Hang The Expense
Newcastle Herald
Saturday June 21, 2008
AS the cost of petrol races towards $2 a litre, Holden has confirmed the price of the fastest, thirstiest and most expensive car it has ever built.
The $150,000 limited edition Holden Special Vehicles sedan, due in showrooms in August, is more than twice the price of today's dearest Commodore model. It is powered by a massive 7.0-litre V8 engine originally designed for the Chevrolet Corvette and engineers are trying to "get the economy down to 16 litres per 100 kilometres", roughly twice as much as a medium-sized family sedan. Despite rising fuel prices, HSV says there is strong demand for the car, called W427, a reference to the capacity of the engine in cubic inches. Last year, one in five Commodores sold was a V8, more than any other year. One theory is buyers are getting in before petrol runs out. When Ford said it would axe the V8 Falcon in 1982, the company built enough to last two years but sold out of them in six months. When HSV owner and former race driver Tom Walkinshaw announced the price of the car to dealers on Thursday, they were told they would initially be limited to one each. "We've had 1500 expressions of interest," he said. SMHFiat test drive Drive liftout, H2
© 2008 Newcastle Herald