Melbourne 2008: Holden unveils Coupe60 Concept

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PRESS RELEASE

Holden Fans Get 60th Anniversary Present

GM Holden today marked the diamond anniversary of its first all Australian car by unveiling a stunning two-door performance thoroughbred called Coupe 60.

Coupe 60 celebrates the six decades since GM Holden built the 48-215 at its Fishermans Bend plant in Port Melbourne, Victoria, and provides a glimpse of Holden's future directions in design, engineering and emerging engine technologies.

Exemplifying sports luxury, Coupe 60 is a pillarless concept car that explores the limits of Holden's current rear-wheel drive capabilities, combining racing looks and technology into a road going sportscar experience.

Its sophisticated appearance is delivered through simple and powerful design, highlighted by the pillarless construction and V8 supercar inspired cockpit layout and side-exiting chambered exhaust system with billet alloy tips.

Almost 60mm shorter than the VE sedan, and sitting on 21-inch centre-lock alloy wheels with unique design Kumho high performance semi-slick tyres, Coupe 60 captures all that's exciting about the Holden DNA.

Other racing-derived enhancements include full flat under body, rear underbody air diffuser and functional rear deck-lid spoiler with unique designed LED tail lamps.

The interior also has several unique features. They include one piece carbon fiber bucket seats (featuring leather and suede pad design) and a sports-inspired flat bottomed steering wheel with integrated shift light display and LCD sports instrument cluster.

The high gloss carbon fiber carries through to doors and rear trim providing a contrast to the leather trimmed instrument panel and black suede trimmed pillars, headliners and parcel shelf.

Details and accents are picked out with a distinctive red high shine leather on the seats and dark gunmetal finish and satin chrome on the consoles and doors.

Front seats are adjustable fore and aft to allow easy access to the rear, with four-point race harness restraints for all seating positions.

Under the bonnet is just as forward looking, with a 6.0 litre V8 engine incorporating the latest technologies such as active fuel management and calibrated for E85 ethanol fuel.

Even the paint is a one-off. Called 'Diamond Silver' by Holden designers, it gives a liquid aluminium finish that almost slides off the bodywork.

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Reuss said, "Coupe 60 is Holden's 60th anniversary gift to its fans worldwide.

"It highlights Holden's heritage of rear wheel drive performance whilst looking ahead to the potential offered by new technologies and materials.

"This is a vehicle I know our designers would dearly love to see go into production, but for the moment it has to remain a concept only," he said.

Project Designer Manager, Peter Hughes, said, "We were looking to mark the diamond anniversary with a car that captured the Holden DNA and took the current VE range to an exciting next step.

"Even in the early stages of VE development, we knew there was a sensational coupe waiting to get out and the 60 th anniversary has given us the chance to explore that.

"With Coupe 60 we think we have designed a car that has the potential to write another chapter in the book of Holden icons."

Coupe 60 ? Specifications and Features (Coupe 60 overlaid on VE Sedan)



Main Features:
Pillarless coupe body;
Derived from flexible GRWD platform;
VE sedan wheelbase.

Powertrain:
6.0L V8 with Active Fuel Management, calibrated for E85 Ethanol fuel;
6-speed manual transmission (SS specification);
Engine oil cooler.

Exterior:
Unique "Diamond Silver" paint colour;
Electrically dropping front & rear side windows;
Racing-derived aerodynamic down-force enhancements:

Rear under-body air diffuser;
Full flat under body;
Functional rear deck-lid spoiler;
21-inch centre-lock alloy wheels;
Unique design Kumho high-performance semi-slick tyres;
High-performance Brembo brake hardware with ducted air cooling for front callipers;
Side-exiting chambered exhaust system with billet alloy tips;
Unique design LED tail lamps;
Exterior mirrors with integral LED side markers.

Interior:
V8-Supercar inspired cockpit layout for enhanced driver visibility and spaciousness;
LCD sports instrument cluster located in a unique column-mounted binnacle;
One-piece carbon fiber bucket seats, featuring unique suede-pad design and distinctive red high shine leather accents;
Front seats are adjustable fore-aft and allow easy access to rear;
Four-point race harness restraints for all seating positions;
Unique sports-inspired flat-bottom steering wheel with integrated shift light display and suede grips;
Unique interior details including air vents, column switches, gear shift knob and pedals.

Interior trim.
Perforated leather trimmed instrument panel;
Black suede trimmed pillars, headliner and parcel shelf;
High gloss carbon fiber used as a structural material for seats, doors and rear trim provides contrast to leather and suede trim;
Details and accents are picked out with red high shine leather, a dark gunmetal finish and satin chrome.

GM Holden in 2008

2008 is a diamond year for GM Holden which will be recognising a number of key anniversaries. These include: the 60 th anniversary of Australia's Own Car ? the 48-215; the 50th anniversary of the founding of Holden Vehicle Operations at Elizabeth; 40 years since the introduction of Monaro; 30 years of the Commodore nameplate; and the General Motors centennial.


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coupe60-15.jpg

coupe60-20.jpg

coupe60-17.jpg




http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/28/melbourne-2008-holden-coupe-60-shocks-showgoers/
 
I like it, though it does look like they added go faster parts to a somewhat bland looking base package. Slap a more interesting grille on there and let us see some rear pics.
 
First I was like:
:D

But then I was like:
:cry:

After I realized that we won't be getting it, or that it won't go into production :cry:
 
But why not produce a coupe? They know they will sell tons.

Its RWD, it has a V8, and its quite good looking <-- What loads of people will spend money on.
 
Damn, it's a toss up between that or a new Camaro.
 
It looks a bit silly. The front is too chunky and muscular with busy lines and behind the front wheels it becomes a sleek coupe with long flowing lines. It looks like a nice coupe with a muscle nose grafted on the front. The VT Monaro coupe was beautiful nose to tail but this looks like a mash of ideas like two different design teams had different ideas about what a two door commodore should look like.

If this is the future Monaro I'll be dissapointed. I don't like it much at all.

Interestingly, on the drive.com.au blog, a user called 'insider' is saying that it's already slated for 2009 production...
 
Front does look a bit big for it, maybe just the angle of the picture though. Better looking than the GTS-R thats for sure.

I don't mind it. Build it with the Z06 motor!
 
It looks a bit silly. The front is too chunky and muscular with busy lines and behind the front wheels it becomes a sleek coupe with long flowing lines. It looks like a nice coupe with a muscle nose grafted on the front. The VT Monaro coupe was beautiful nose to tail but this looks like a mash of ideas like two different design teams had different ideas about what a two door commodore should look like.

If this is the future Monaro I'll be dissapointed. I don't like it much at all.

Interestingly, on the drive.com.au blog, a user called 'insider' is saying that it's already slated for 2009 production...

I wouldn't trust anything from drive, it's the australian equivilent of comments from streetfire.
 
^^ good point

worth stoking the fire though ;)
 
It looks like a previous generation Astra coupe. I really hope it doesn't look like that. I like the interior though!
 
I wish the rear was just a little bit longer, so the proportions were more like the previous Monaro. Oh well, that beside, it looks bloody cool! I like it.

On another note, Holden really needs to loose the cheap, tacky, 1980s battery and oil pressure gauges on the center console. Looks straight from a gameboy. Normal analogue gauges worked so much better!

I'll be surprised if it goes into production though, especially after what Lutz has said.
 
Anyone else think that those side exhausts would sound like pure automotive sex?
 
Anyone else think that those side exhausts would sound like pure automotive sex?

Fuck yeah! :drool:

Oh my God, this thing looks sooo f'ing gorgeous... *DROOOOOLZ*

And to think I'll be seeing it in person in a couple of days... :eek: (Melbourne Motor Show :dance:)
 
I'm really not sure - I'll wait until I see it in person, but from the pics the proportions look a bit odd, it's certainly not a patch on the Monaro that's for sure.
 
First I was like:
:D

But then I was like:
:cry:

After I realized that we won't be getting it, or that it won't go into production :cry:

At least we will be getting the Camaro.;)

At this point I think I like the looks of the Camaro a bit more, the proportions on the Holden coupe seem a little off.
 
Saw it in person last night, If they build this and I was buying a V8 coupe, I'd have the camaro any day, no question.
 
Looks fantastic.

But pictures can lie so I think I'd have to reserve judgement until I saw it in person...
 
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