Vauxhall Monaro VXR 500 Review: If You Want a Muscle Car Done Right, Ask Australia
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- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2024
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Today I am driving the oft-forgotten Australian import that is the Vauxhall VXR 500. Known in its home market as the Holden HSV Coupe, this is an iconic car to same - and unknown to others. What is it really like though?
#Vauxhall #VXR #Holden
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Fun fact Jay, the Aussie government actually gave GM a couple of hundred million dollars to keep Holden going... unfortunately, they left some legal loopholes in the agreement which GM exploited nicely, absconding with the larger portion of the hundreds of millions of dollars (they added it to the US operations books that year as profit) and shutting down operations anyway. I can't recall all the details - but GM basically stole a couple of hundred million dollars from Aussie taxpayers and got away with it, thanks to incompetent politicians and immoral GM executives.
Shrimp! WTF they are prawns, and prawns don't go on the barbie, except maybe with a gremolata. They were the chariot of the "Cashed up Bogan" like a CHAV with some money - in the day, today I would have more respect now for someone who loves cars, they are not that bad, but the build quality, rear suspension, not for me. Power is addictive - and it corrupts!
The grass is always greener ;)
It may be our finest export, however, the rest of the world never got to enjoy the pure legend that is Ford's Falcon from the BA to the FGX and its legendary Barra straight 6. While this Holden is rocking an American V8, the Ford was entirely Australian and I think its character reflects that.
RIP Aussie engineering, both teams can rally together around the good times we had and the legends that were created.
That fact your name is "wogboy" is the cherry on top of your comment, to all the aussies that know what that relates to 😂
Legend.
Fpv typhoon ftw 🙌
The Aussie Ford Falcon was sold in South Africa, my friends dad had one.
Barra the World!!!
Bloody oath!
Both impressed you've managed to find one to review and annoyed as usual when a RUclipsr highlights a car on my wishlist that I hoped people would forget about!
That happened a little while back for me with the BMW Z4 M coupé. The prices had started creeping up a little bit and then all the RUclips channels plastered it on their pages as future classic and the prices soared
@@lbnewell23 I've lost count how many cars it's happened to for me! The Z4 M was also on my extensive list
Right?! The Doug guy also did that to me yesterday with the 550!
@@toms3965dude he said there are like 3k of those in the entire world thats not a cheap unknown car fella youre talking about the ferrari 550
@@SamRouns the values are still low relative to others in the same segment as they are both slept on by the larger car community. The common theme is that they are incredible cars, relatively rare and fairly unknown (ask someone under 25 what a 550 is). This makes the still obtainium without a double lotto win, until a RUclips pipes up about their upward trajectories. Not comparing the cars, comparing the videos.
The Fifth Gear review of the VXR500 has stuck with me. I think the comment was “it will do 70 in first gear, so all the other gears are just there to see how angry the police will be with you” great car, I still think the original 5.7 was the best looking of the bunch, cleaner lines.
No way , the vxr looks way better in the flesh
Great review that was by Tom Ford, the car was completely sideways with traction still on 😂😎
Sadly it's a mix up of facts. Monaros reach 70mph in 2nd gear, not 1st.
70 KPH in first possibly, not MPH
@@hoonaticbloggs5402 possibly means the 5.7 VXR which is pure HSV without the US influence.
Here in Australia when the neighbours bought a Monaro you knew you lived next to a boogan. And if my blue singlet was clean enough I would grab a can of VB and a pack of Winnie blues and go to stand next to said neighbour not really saying anything just doing that thing where the bonnet is open and there's 3 guys stood round it beer in hand all in reverence of the mighty Monaro
I'm from Europe, so I can only say that has to be one of the most Australian comments I've ever read, in the best way possible.
Boogan wearing a singlet, smoking a ? and drinking a ? Sorry, I hear with an American accent.
Yet that's just a tall tail as bogans in blueys can't and couldn't afford new Holdens.
brilliant mate haha.
@@Kyuzeth Just imagine 3 Valteri Bottas' then.
A AMG, And BMW Nerd mate in Germany, came to Australia. Test drove our 6 litre version. Went home, sold the AMG AND BMW'S. Bought one of these. And has never looked back..
I asked him to watch this video. His reply.
Still got it, best thing ever. Love it. Never breaks down. Unlike his son and wife's bmw and amg...
Damn straight
That's interesting. Are you saying they impored R/H drive Monaro's back to Germany ? Or did they import back L/H Pontiac GTO's ? I Know Peter Hanenberger got a customised Monaro as a gift from everyone at Holden when he retired back to Germany...
Rofl. I've had a VC, VL, VT and VZ. ALL 6 Cylinder.
The engines and drivetrains are extremely reliable. The electronics and the rest of the car is dodgy shite that falls apart and wears out.
And unlike BMWs getting parts for them are either difficult or impossible, depending on age and model.
If your mates got a newer one - VF or something - he might get another five years or so out of it before all the plastic starts breaking.
The only one I still have is the VC, which at least is worth the restoration. The others all got to a point where general maintenance just cost too much come rego time.
I bought an LS2 Monaro as my daily driver 12 years ago and still have it today.
I don’t drive it much any more, but when I do, I’m quickly reminded why I’ve kept it so long.
U lucky duck,hold on to her
Thankyou Jay for making this video. AUSTRALIA loves you 🇦🇺😃
Aussie here: The Monaro’s, while common’ish here, still fetch $50k+ for a good regular one, and a lot more for the HSV versions.
The loss of our car industry, has made both Holden and Ford performance models worth good money. Sure the common as mud poverty spec cars are still being flogged to death by bogans, but the good cars are being collected and appreciated.
Thank you for stating your geographical base. I find the comments on this post confusing because (apart from you) most don't state where they are based. I'm in the UK and I recall Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear reviewing the car and saying how much we needed it here. I think a small number were imported, but I've never seen one. Did the Lotus Carlton ever make it to Oz?
@@davidvivian596no, sadly. Only as an import.
@@davidvivian596 not that I’m aware of.
Another Australian here - confirm the OPs statement.
Sold our VE SS Sportwagon with a very hard to find manual transmission. My husband loved the car but I found it too large. We bought it new & sold it in virtually new condition for half of what we paid. We then saw prices start to rise as a result of Holden closing down. Husband used the money to buy a Jaguar XKR.
People are actually exporting these Vauxhall Monaro’s back to Australia , as they command more of a premium since Holden has come defunct… The Monaro is to Australia as what the Mustang is to the USA.
Having lived and experienced UK motoring in all its 'rusty splender' - I would be very concerned with the purchase of UK based Vauxhall and exporting to Australia.
Love to see another Holden on the channel! The Monaro is certainly a special car. To complete the trio JayEmm, I HIGHLY recommend you try and track down one of the 15 final VXR GTSR's. The VF commodore platform that it is based on, is a complete night and day difference in every way. Handling, Performance, Interior (For an Australian car) and refinement. With the cherry on top being the glorious LSA Supercharged engine. It will walk over this completely in every aspect (And if you take the limiter off, even with the slightly less power, I wouldn't be surprised if it left this for dead)
Thanks, that’s exactly what I was going to say, plus the GTS-R looks incredible….love the blue one in the clip too. I’ve got an HSV R8 Clubsport Track Edition 90/150. It may only have an LS3, but handles like it’s on rails. Also I have the auto with paddle shifters, it may not be the most popular, but I’ve not regretted it once. I get great economy, 48,000 kms and it’s never missed a beat…can’t think it anything I don’t love about it. The styling of all the VFII HSV’s and GTS-Rs is perfect as well….I’m not biased lol
Worth every Penny for the sound alone. That it also has the ability to put an ear-to-ear grin on the driver’s face makes this an absolute peach. The world’s a better place for it.
As an Australian. When new they were expensive vs a Monaro. But now they are rare and you'd consider the owner a guy who has good taste in local muscle. No shrimp though.
Thanks again Jay, it was a brilliant day in the Scottish sunshine. Glad you enjoyed the car!
Onya Callum!👍
Fun Fact: The man that started HSV was a Scotsman: Tom Walkinshaw.
Did I see this before n the Carluke area at the weekend
@@damiantaylor7993 wouldn't of been mine. I am rarely in Scotland to drive it unfortunately
I'm currently on my 5th Pontiac GTO here in the USA so obviously I love these Aussie imports. So much so I recently got a Pontiac G8 GXP 6-speed (final VE Commodore). The closest thing we got to this thing was the Sport Appearance Package - SAP - LS2 GTO. I have an 05 6-speed full SAP kit GTO now which came with GM-branded Magnaflow mufflers - best sounding factory exhaust I've ever heard (outside of a F50 or something) it's perfectly tuned and just loud enough to potentially be aftermarket, but restrained enough to have your boss in. Otherwise it was purely an appearance package, but because the SAP kit alone was almost 14% of the MSRP it's very rare (1%-5% are SAP).
The gearbox must've been a kit or something - these had the T-56 with long throws so many people do short shifters. Diff whine is common but solvable with proper Torco fluid and friction modifier. Loved the review and glad you liked it - I kept buying these because it allowed me to effectively drive for free when well bought; haven't lost money on a single one of mine yet besides ~$1,000 on my W40 04 GTO, but that was after 125,000 miles added and getting T-boned.
Thank you for posting that video and reminding us Aussie's of a better time.
They were old school muscle cars and fairly simple but extremely cool.
In South Africa they were called Chevrolet Lumina, we had the sedan and ute.
An Australian Baakie? 😉
I’ve never been happier to watch a JayEmm video
Liked your story James. From an Aussie, note that HSV never marketed or sold the car here in Aus as a Monaro. It was as I think you said briefly the HSV Coupe GTO, or the Coupe GTS with a Callaway fettled 5.7 litre V8. We had to wait for the final series Holden brought out to see HSV slap a supercharger on a LS3 V8. Note, we aren’t Americans and have prawns not shrimps 😂 And if my neighbour bought a HSV Coupe or a Holden Monaro, I would be impressed - because as you say: if you know, you know these were very good & probably the best looking Holden (HSV) ever!
That first HSV Coupe GTS is the best looking HSV ever.
One of my "dream garage" cars! I knew of one guy who bought one of the first 5.7 models, and sold it a few months later complaining that it was "too much car for him"! Keep it stock and just USE IT LIKE A $2000 HOOKER! Take it nice places, treat it nice, and when in private and no-one is looking, treat it like your naughtiest fantasy! At all times, you are going to want EVERYONE to notice! .....mainly the smile on your face!
Got overtaken by a Monaro in the Hindhead tunnel a couple of years ago. Fortunately I was driving roof down so got the full deep body resonating experience.
Great video, James. As you stated the Monaro is known as the Pontiac GTO on this side of the pond. They still have a big following over here along with the Pontiac G8 and Chevy SS. I've owned my G8 GT for 8 years now, hands down my favorite car ever!
When GM gets a car right, but they don't sell millions of them. My friend has one... Pontiac it's quick.
They are rising in value everyday back here in their home land Australia 🇦🇺.
Are there any performance/sports cars being made over there anymore??
@@NewEdgeDesigns no
I remember seeing this on top gear when I was a kid and falling in love with it.
That’s a HSV GTO with a factory supercharger kit and it’s a god damn classic
I drove one for the first time last week, similar spec to this one and it’s great, my 28 year old son bought it at a few weeks back, it’s epic and at 16 grand great value.
Was this the auction one in silver?
When he’s done with it, export it to Australia, and make £40,000 profit
@@superjodyYeah, that’s the one.
@@xkimopyeReally, wow.
@J4cko999 nice, I was watching that and thought it would have gone for more.
Wanted to go to the auction but I'd just got back from new york.
Hope he got a good one. I got the standard vxr 2 weeks ago
Surely you mean 'Car of the colonies ' :)
Magnificent thing. Lived in Australia a while ago and loved the V8s Holdens and Fords - and the culture and rivalry around them. Soft spot for Monaros in particular. Real shame to hear it's all gone now.
Remember very nearly having a big 'un when hooning a Falcon on a de-restricted road in the Northern Territory. Fun times.
Car of the colonies? GM Is a US car company, not British , and im prerty sure by the time GM was incorporated, the USA was no longer a colony of Great Britain.
Australian viewer here and the way people saw this over here was it was something properly special because they were not necessarily cheap in comparison to a commodore or falcon when they were new (the hsv variants commanded a significant premium) yet people aspired to have one because they were attainable dream cars. These were somewhat popular with the street racing scene because of the engine.
Also HSV did a variant of the Monaro with 4 wheel drive and there was a planned convertible concept which unfortunately never made it to production.
I'd buy this before a ferrari, lambo or bugatti any day of the week, I absolutely love these cars. ❤
And you'd not have a RUclips channel to cry about spending £10,000 on maintaining the Ferrari in one go too. Not improving it. Unlike a Monaro that with that money would make 800hp and have improved everything.
This is a real car and not some toy !
They sound great, I like the look, but the more power you put on them the less they put to the ground. Great for burnouts if that’s your idea of fun, and it can be, but even Lewis Hamilton wouldn’t put down a 0-60 in under 5 seconds on his best day. I know that’s not the point of this car, but at least it will never break down.
😂
Great review......they are brilliant cars! I'm from U.K. and currently have a 5.7 litre Monaro in my garage, it's the 4th one i've owned - and even with a standard 350bhp engine (has headers and full exhaust) it still has enough shove to put a big grin on your face! 😁
I'm on my 5th 04-06 Pontiac GTO in the USA (all 6-speeds) so we're obviously of the same mind - so difficult to top them for the money. I've had two 04s two 05s and an 06, but I had an 04 pulse red GTO the longest (the defunct W40 40th anniversary edition) I modded that and ran it to 156k miles before getting T-boned. The LS1 sounds better than the LS2, although my current 2005 LS2 is a full SAP car with the GM branded Magnaflow mufflers and it sounds the best of all my GTOs by far.
I recently got a G8 GXP 6-speed and while it's basically the same quickness, the interior is just simply not as nice as the GTO's honestly. Amazing that they haven't taken off in price given the rarity, but I think people forget they exist or don't realize it's so much nicer than any muscle car in its price range until you get to late model Camaros. I considered an SRT Challenger which is fun but it drives worse than the GTO and is so much heavier it's barely faster. So much exhaust drone too on the highway it was absurd.
@@clinttube yeah I prefer the LS1 motors, though I have owned 2 LS2 powered Monaros. 🙂
@@davegreg I think the GTO/Monaro iteration of the LS1 is about as good as it gets too, but the LS2 really feels quite a bit punchier to me when stock. Can't really say the same for the LS3 it seems no better than the LS2 but I need to get an intake on it before I can judge since the stock one is a joke on the G8 GXP (VE Commodore).
A thought for the UK viewers from an American about the American V8. My manager is from the UK. We've worked together for over 5 years and is a bit of a car enthusiast. They flew from London to Scottland after visiting friends in the south of England. London to Edinburgh is about 400 miles. Many Americans will drive that distance on a Friday evening after work to holiday, or watch a Football game on Saturday just to reverse the trip on Sunday. They were a bit surprised at what distance Americans would drive and consider normal for a holday.
A low rpm high torque V8 is great when covering longer distances at 60 to 80mph and my 6 speed Corvette can get 30mpg doing it at 400hp. 30mpg driving south to Florida and 28 going north. Florida is downhill I do love your high revving light sportscars on a country road. Differences are not a fault of one culture or the other just a product of culture and possibly roads, fuel costs, tolls, and/or traffic. I know some in the UK drive to Spain to vacation, so it certainly is not all. However, on average especially outside the North East US, we are more likely to drive 400 to 600 miles. I'd imagine Aussies are bit like the US but can not confirm.
From Queensland Australia drive 80 miles to go shopping
@@Gary-gr3ff Sydney to Brisbane over 1000km, that's just a day trip.
Minor details on the UK spec variants:
2004 V2 Monaro V8: 5.7 LS1, 245kW / 328hp / 333ps - sold 240 examples
2004 V2 Monaro VXR: 5.7 LS1, 285kW / 382hp / 386ps - sold 62 examples
2005 VZ Monaro V8: 5.7 LS1, 260kW / 349hp / 354ps - sold 142 examples
2005 VZ Monaro VXR: 6.0 LS2, 297kW / 398hp / 404ps - sold 338 examples
2006 VZ Monaro VXR500: 6.0 LS2 + Harrop 112, 365kW / 489hp / 496ps - sold 18 examples
I was looking this up the other day.
I own one of 112 in quicksilver. 2006 vxr built in 2005
@@superjody Figure I found was 111 VXR6.0 in Quicksilver, 1 of which became the VXR500 press car (incidentally sold back to Australia in 2022 after Stellantis gutted the Vauxhall heritage collection)
@benponsford2742 ah, I was getting different but similar figures on a few different sites.
Mine is build 0194
Thanx for this list. My car is from the second group, sting red VXR car No 0008, mileage is at 43,500, 3 previous owners, it has a number of upgrades including recent torque master engine mounts. Had it just over 4 years now.
@@Phil-RS Ah nice, I just picked up an early VXR as well, build no 0009! Much like the red one in this video, it's been given the VXR500 upgrade package, although fitted individually before the VXR500 was even a thing. Also making somewhere between 550 and 600hp. Between that and the big boot, no problems handling the beer run!
Haven't watched video yet , not even the ad and it gets a thumbs up. Love those cars, and will watch later.
That “just one more run” line is a pretty cool “behind the scenes” take. While most of us would love to do what you do and drive as many cars as you do, it’s still a job. Driving a particular car after the cameras are off, just for your entertainment, has got to be the really fun part of your job. Thanks for including us on these reviews.
I note the Harrop badges on the boot and the supercharger, he is a bit of a legend in Aus, race driver engineer innovator.
The HSV Coupe of the day came in GTO (with 5.7 LS1 with 255kw) and the GTS (with a Calloway C4B version of the same engine producing 300kw)
The GTS was great because it revved higher and was the stuff of my teenage dreams.
The HSV 4 door with the same engine was the VX GTS and still my favourite HSV to this day
Great video on the Vauxhall Monaro! Your version was indeed essentially the HSV GTO. These were sold here without Monaro badging as Holden had exclusive rights to the Monaro name, HSV being a semi-independent skunkworks in the vein of AMG. To many Antipodean eyes the basic Holden Monaro, particularly the earlier ‘V2’ versions, were the prettiest - especially if ordered without the nasty rear spoiler.
The lines as originally penned in 1998 by Australian designer Mike Simcoe were spot on for local tastes - which at the time were on odd blend of US and European influences. Mike is now VP of design with GM in Detroit.
HSVs used the same garish body kit as seen in the Vauxhall version (designed by Ian Callum in the UK). But it was the Pontiac GTO that really copped a whack with the ugly stick. It wore a particularly nasty nose in a feeble attempt to graft on some US heritage. The result being more, erm, goat than GOAT.
The “SAAB style” cup holders were actually genuine SAAB cup holders - a result of GM ownership of SAAB at the time. The VXR was in fact a pretty close relative of the Omega you tested recently. Holden started with the Omega but by the end of development had stretched, warped and widened it in every direction. In the end the only common components between a VXR and Omega being the door handles and rear suspension.
Great Channel!
Hello from NZ, common cars here too. I remember back in the days going for a ride in one of these as part of a convoy of holdens they called the 200k club meaning they would all meet up and go for a drive on country roads at 200km/h. Effortless for those cars, a bit scary for the passengers 😁
Personally I think the best looking and equipped holden was the Holden Senator hsv
As an Aussie I love seeing these in the hands of car reviewers from other countries. If only you guys got the ford falcon, would be another sweet car to review. My dad has a VZ commodore wagon and it’s a fantastic family car
I was in the UK last month and saw what looked like an XR6 or XR8 drive past me. Also saw a Territory on the M25! There must be a few personal imports.
I loved all the Aussie cars in the 70's and 80's, from Ford Falcons and Fairlanes to Holden Kingswood, Commodore and Valiant/ Chrysler VE and CM's. Oh those days have sadly all gone. Australia just as well be Asia or Europe now 😢
The shape is lovely, great proportions
Australian here, I live 20 mins from the old Monaro factory.
These cars are worshipped in Australia, if the neighbor bought one, he'd be the coolest guy in town 😁
Because the Commodore was developed over decades, they're very very reliable and parts locally are cheap. Even at that level of tune the motor isn't overly stressed.
The T56 gearbox is indeed from the Corvette and the short shift kit aggravates its quirks.
Australian here... in Australia your loyalties were aligned with either Ford or Holden (Ford here .. ''my blood runs blue" as they say in the blue oval corner). But if my neighbor parked a Monaro in their drive you would pay due respect and welcome the arrival. It's a shame that Ford Australia's products didn't have more visibility around the world, arguably superior to the equivalent Holden products which relied more heavily on designs from Germany (body) and the US (mechanically) albeit with a lot of tweaking for the local market. In my opinion, the world's best six cylinder engine is Australian, the bullet-proof all-metal-no-plastic smooth 4.0 litre double overhead cam straight six which I don't believe made its way to any other markets. RIP Australian car industry, how sad that it came to an end.
Yep, the Barra is a legend - I got it's "Tickford tickled grandpa" in my NC Fairlane Sportsman Ghia...cheaper than the V8 to buy and run, but just as quick and smoother, and a great way to cruise. Cheers!
Holden man here but I have a huge respect for Ford Australia in making the Barra engine. You are right, it was only the Australian Ford Falcon and Territory that had the Barra engine. A real shame that the Territory wasn't exported (other than NZ) as I'm sure the Americans would have loved that vehicle.
Yep never even seen a Barra here I think
@@JayEmmOnCarsThe “Barra” name refers to the Ford Australia 4.0L inline six-cylinder engine that was only used in Australian produced Ford vehicles. Some of these engines have been imported into the USA where modifiers use them in custom vehicles as the engine responds well to turbocharging to extract some very good HP numbers.
I’ve owned both, got an FPV parked in the garage, they’re both great cars.
Friend had a 6.0 GTO with a manual. I remember other friends (at the time) giving hom crap for the looks and not really being a true GTO. I'm glad to see folks are coming around on these in the US due to this setup, big V-8, rear drive and can be had with a stick.
And yet it was, hands down, the best GTO ever. Looks were a bit blend.
"Coming around" they have been expenive forever on the used market in the USA...have looked for YEARS for a good deal
When I visited family in the U.S.A., my friend who I rubbed elbows with at university gave me the keys to his, and it was my Summer car. Holden did a brillant job, it's a vastly underappreciated vehicle.
Fun fact, Holden's started in 1856 as a saddlery.
And coach builder , for Ford along with others .
The Monaro is a legend. I've only driven a VXR8 (6.0 and 6.2) that was fab too. The 5.7 Monaro could do 30mpg if you were gentle 😂😂😂
I drove the younger brother of this across country recently.
The last model commodore SS wagon
What a great car!
Second most powerful Vauxhall, slightly behind the Astra-max van. You've seen them on the roads, they are faster than everything else!
"Putting a great big smile on my face" is precisely why I have one.
Growing up in Australia loving the old Holdens of the 60s and 70s, when Vauxhall brought them to the UK I bought a 5.7 as my daily and loved it to bits. I always regretted selling it so last year I finally picked up a red VXR 6.0 as a weekend car. It's like the one on your video (minus the supercharger), just as loud and puts out 500bhp after a cam and some tuning.
For me, it's hard to beat in the "smiles per mile" category.
I'm an Australian and if a neighbour bought one of these they would definitely be seen as someone who has good taste in my neighbourhood. Bogans do not tend to buy the Monaro as they fetch very good prices here and most are looked after very well.
Have to say I had the pleasure of 5 years Monaro 6 litre ownership. Enjoyed every minute of the relationship 👍😊
This was the first car that made me excited about Vauxhall. Thanks to a certain underground racing game from EA. God that sound on flybys are pure Bathurst 1000 stuffs.
And yes it's Vauxhall Monaro VXR over Pontiac GTO for me, thanks.
Also if you can get your hands on one, try the HSV GTS-R aka. Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R. The last one. That is one of my dream muscle car. Especially in the GTS-R W1 guise with the LS9 V8 from Corvette ZR1.
💯💯💯👌🏾
Pristine W1 are worth huge money in Oz now. Crazy money.
$365000
I think the supercharger whine on those is too much. Completely drowns out the exhaust not for me. The Mustang Terminator is about the right balance, supercharger whine/exhaust note for me
This sounds glorious. That US Rumble+ Supercharger whine. ❤️
Thumbs up to my neighbour if he brought one of these home. My previous neighbour actually had a 1970 Monaro in his garage, but it was a drag car with a 454 running on methanol.
Great video as always James! These things always made me think they were the Aussie version of TVR. Big engine, straightforward engineering, grass roots big power motorcars. Fabulous
They were much better put together than the trevors, being built in a factory and not some guys in a shed in Blackpool, but yeh the spirit is the same.
Absolutely love these. Great review
So fun fact. The Monaro is named after the region in the Australian Capital Territory. I once met the guy who worked on this project for GM and who actually named this car. He was driving through the Monaro range and thought that would be a good name for the car. I met him because I knew the guy who did the CAD design for the fuel tank. The worst thing ever to happen to this car was to be called a Pontiac. It was around the time that GM had a mental breakdown and released the Pontiac Aztec. Thus entirely shredding that brand.
I’ve owned my VXR 600 from new. Done just over 10000 miles, dry weather only. You couldn’t prise it out of my dead hands.
Drive it more
HSV's advertising slogan here Down Under was 'I just want one'. This completely sums up this great car 🤤
Sounds unbelievable. One of my favourite cars the Monaro VXR 🎉🎉
JayEmm's doppelganger ,,actor Shane Jacobson , drove a replica of Peter Brock's Monaro in the 2021 Targa Tasmania.
Brocky drove the original Monaro CV8 in 2002 ,2003 and 2004 ,Targa's , with great success.
He is Jay Em’s Aussie doppelgänger ! Good call.
@@dimsoneill Yes, they look like twins.
The Pontiac GTO was reviewed in the US. It was very expensive for what you got, and never sold in large numbers.
Here in Texas I saw a Pontiac GTO with all the Holden badges replacing the American ones.
It is funny but here in Oz some people put Pontiac and Chevy badges on Holdens. 😆
Thank you for doing different cars and not just VW group techno yawn boxes. Very interesting, I had no idea the Ausy car industry is dead too.
I very nice Holden Monaro, beautiful car, they are getting rarer in WA
Awesome video.
Well done as always❤
This video although unrelated, brings back memories of my 72 Holden Kingswood that I got as my first car back in 2002😊
Here in New Zealand we have a couple of Falcons with a Barra, and sons got an HSV Clubsport, manual, because you need that power when you're nineteen apparently.
Anyway even though some these cars get seriously thrashed, they don't break. There was this Skyline, let's not discuss that...
Know of a few people that mocked V8s, then drove one, haven't met one that still was negative after the experience, they 'get it'
Incidentally the HSV gets amazing gas mileage on the open road if you drive reasonably.
I loved your comment about it being a Doberman - I once had one and the publics reaction to it as you walked down the road with it, even on a lead was hilarious, they'd cross the road to the other side. But as you say he was just a lovable big overgrown puppy at the end of the day. BUT he was great company when taking a walk at night - know one would bother you.
As to the Holden, a nephew of mine had a V8 UTE, god that car sounded awesome and went like the clappers. An era of great Aussie cars alongside the Fords are but a distant memory.
Those wheels aren't aftermarket, they're the genuine HSV wheels with different centre caps.
Been waiting for this review!
I love this car. I live in a small town and 3 have been owned by residents when the car was new up to a couple of years old. One got sold because the owner was banned for speeding, the other 2 were severely crashed while going sideways!
James delivers again , great review! Love the Monaro!
Great video, I really enjoyed it. The transmission used in the 5.7 and 6.0 Monaro is a Borg Warner T56. They appear in lots of cars, including the Corvette, Viper and Aston Martin. I believe it was used for the factory manual conversion of the 01-06 V12 Vanquish.
The T56 is a very truck like gearbox and suffers the symptoms you mentioned if the clutch and gearbox fluid boils or degrades. The standard Holden shifter is not great either. However, the T56 can be made to shift beautifully and reliably if you ditch the factory ATF fluid for something good and fit something decent like a rip shifter. The wrong type of aftermarket short shifter can make all the symptoms worse.
Great video James. It reminds me of my old MG ZTT 260.
I’ve been a fan of the Monaro since I was like 3 years old
Not sure how many people are aware but we had an awd version here in Aus. The awd system was developed with “help” from subaru. It only came with an auto unfortunately. I saw one launch from a set of traffic lights in torrential rain expecting it was a Rear wheeler and waiting for the inevitable wheel spinning but i was blown away when it squatted and rocketed away. 😳👌
Ahh, the Coupe 4. Love the body kit on those.
The fact that the Monaro/Commedore is actually a Omega B chassis makes for a possibility for LT or LS swapped Omega's as engine bay has enough space for them.
Living in Adelaide where these cars were built, it's still an event to see a Monaro or any of the HSV Coupes. They're not common by any means - mostly they've been bought up by collectors expecting to get $300K+ for them in a couple of decades and hence they barely see any time on the road. I've never owned a Holden but I've been proud of what they achieved. They have always been a strange combination up until the VE being based on the Vauxhall Omega, yet with engines either being outright Chevrolet V8s or with the V6, pushing the ancient 3.8 Buick pushrod V6 pretty much to the limit of its potential. They were fairly reliable and surprisingly fuel efficient, and could mostly tolerate the sporadic service schedule that they would quite often be exposed to. The VE and VF were very different but excellent cars that I've spent a lot of hours behind the wheels of that I've thoroughly enjoyed - these had European designed engines that had a few quirks but were mostly reliable.
Of particular note is the number of Holdens that were exported to the USA to become either the Chevrolet SS or the Caprice. Many of Chev's coupes also use tech from the Monaro, particularly involving the rear independent suspension and rear differential. Prior to this Chevrolet were still using an archaic live axle.
I saw another commenter mention Ford and their Barra straight 6. This was and still is a phenomenal engine - a completely Australian design and I assert, better than any comparable petrol engine Ford had globally in basically any metric. The 4.0 V6 "Cologne" engine Ford had in Europe was rubbish in comparison. Solid, immensely tuneable and crucially, affordable to buy new. Falcons themselves are not built particularly well but the Barra I do genuinely respect.
We got these in North America as the Pontiac GTO. These were great.
In South Africa, the ute Holdens were sold as a Chevy Lumina Ute, I remember I had a neighbor who drove one that was wrapped metallic purple. When I heard the sound of that V8, I knew exactly who was driving past😅
Felt the urge many times in the past…….. at 19 years mad, some 40+ years back, I had a much modified 1974 Ford Fairmont/Falcon coupe - Australia’s Mach 1 - remote opening doors, munroe air suspension, 351 cui Ford V8, later a 400 cui after I detonated the old one…… Detroit locker rear axle and a crazy paint job. A RHD muscle car in the UK 🇬🇧🙂
Max Rockatansky drove one for work, in mat black with a blower…….. if only I knew the future value and rarity. More or less gave it away……. 😢
It wasn’t the last V8 for me, but haven’t had one for years……. I still yearn for an old school cross plane V8, there’s nothing quite like it. Like my Hardly MovinSon, 1600 cc of belligerent V twin, left for dead by my Honda VeryDareYou, 1000 cc of mad V twin, but no soul. 🇬🇧🙂
well done mate with your facts..SPOT ON
Always love to see you testing cars on my local Angus roads. Hopefully I can give you a wave one day.
Looks like a great car that for the money though.
02:17 I have one of these out back, fermenting and laying dormant. The last aussie made v8 5.0L factory manual. She sounds nice, but oh so slow but i love her.
HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) and FPV (Ford Performance Vehicles) got pretty pricey in some cases, putting you in entry level German saloon territory. It was definitely a petrol-headed and somewhat patriotic decision to take the hotted-up body-kitted version of the domestic car, over something sterile and European. Interiors were quite American (crap) but they were the everyman heroes. A commodore was a police car, a taxi and also a muscle car aspiration for Aussies. Speed for the people. Gotta love it.
So many Falcons and Commodores were on the road all day every day as taxis.. not the cheapest thing on fuel but I guess reliable and somewhat affordable converted to LPG. I'm not sure if there's any to speak of still doing taxi duty
@@dielaughing73 not many Commodores ended up as taxis, particularly in later years. The Ford I6 was far more reliable than the Commodore V6 and it took to LPG better.
@@dielaughing73 they absolutely loved a LPG falcon. You're probably right, the Barra's robustness outweighed it's thirstiness. I still see the occasional falcon taxi at the airport, always in terrible condition 😂
@@skilgour44Correct. Falcons were used for the Taxi fleets, a little bit bigger and the 4.0 straight six was way more reliable than the 3.8 V6 used in the Commodores. Police cars were usually V8 Commodores. Although that did change in later years, when the XR6 Turbo became a popular choice as a Police car too.
@@jamestoby2552 the 3.8L V6 was reliable... it was the 3.6L and 3.0L Alloytecs that were rubbish.
Ford tried to break into the police market but they never quite made the consistent sales that Holden did. There were some XR8 HWP vehicles around too but the XR6 Turbo certainly was more common.
Aussie muscle cars are some of the best uses of powerful US V8 engines. In these cars they can actually put the power down, actually go round corners and have effective brakes, they have the steering wheel on the correct side of the car and don't just disintegrate with daily use. Very cool cars!
Jay, look at this again. The Monaro is another brilliant car and a typical example from the whole series of what you show us. Why do I have to drive a late 90s car? I am in the second half of my fifties, financially independent, I am leaning towards retirement, I don't have a farm, my children are already grown up, highly educated and financially realized. Only my wife and I remained in the house.
So why do I need an SUV? I have a 20 yr old Jaguar, but I don't want to overspend on cars anymore. I also don't want a German car, because somehow they are no longer my cup of tea. Why not do a poll on what kind of car we really want? Well, all the ingredients actually exist. For example, there is a great V6 from the Mustang. Ford is constantly developing some kind of chassis, so money is spent in that sense, and it doesn't matter if it's a characterless, aesthetically overcooked SUV, SAV LUV, (whatever that means) or a small luxury concept (4.75m x 1.90m), biogenic exterior and interior design and hybrid drive structure, with two doors. For example, if it were a recipe for a new Ford Capri, would someone buy such a car or would they choose a pseudo-practical chicken coop with two and a half rows of seats that before starting the engine begs the owner to leave it parked in the garage.
A cool car which I would say is pretty comparable to this thing is the MG XPOWER from the 2000s. I’d love a video on that car if you ever have the chance to get your hands one one jay! Love your stuff!
Driven one some years ago did some paintwork to it. Was very impressed with it for a big old lump, it had good balance and a good turn of speed. Just the interior that let's it down the dash and switch gear look so cheap and very vauxhall.
In Australia, the HSV clubsport is also available in a 4 door sedan and 4 door wagon. And my favourite, the HSV maloo, the 2 door couple utility. ✌️
These made it to N.America right around when the retro styled Camaro and Mustang were hitting their stride so I always thought it a bit strange that although Pontiac branded it with an old name, they didn't give it the retro styling as well. The Pontiac GTO was nicknamed the four door Corvette. They can still fetch a pretty good price.
I had the 5.7L version of this car, it was extremely reliable and easy to maintain. It sounded fantastic as well, mine was a manual which was definately fast and better than the 4 speed auto, but it was not a particularly nice shifter to operate, that was my main issue i had with it.
Luv’n this review from Down Under…!!! 👍😊👊💥
Great cars. Made in Elizabeth, South Australia. I worked there for 21yrs...good times. 😊
Always loved these modern looking (for the time) muscle cars. I've always felt when the whole retro inspired muscle car era began starting with the 2005 Mustang that something was lost (as awesome as those cars are).
Cars like this Holden Monaro, Pontiac G8, Chevrolet SS, Mustang SVT Cobra, Pontiac Trans Am ws6...
I used to see quite a few of those here in America at the dragstrip we call it the GTO very easy to make big horsepower. They were really fast.👍👍👍
My last car was a Flame CV8 Monaro. I approve.
I can’t afford the gas, but I want one! Live in Lowell Indiana, USA, so would have to be a Pontiac. Impressive Brother! Keep up the nice work!
My ex wife used to work at a Vauxhall dealership when these came out and we had a silver Monaco VXR 6.0 V8 for a few weeks to use. At the time (can’t remember exactly when - maybe 2004 ish) it seemed like a monster and I never saw another for several years. Since that though, all my vehicles have been V8 engined..
Tom Walkinshaw came to Bathurst in 1985 and won with John Goss (TWR XJ-S). With GMH having had a split with Peter "Perfect" Brock, Walkinshaw and GM set up HSV to take over from the HDT Brock Commodores. So the first car HSV's were always 4 door Commodores - the Coupe only occurring when the Monaro returned. So anyone who says a 4 door is not an HSV is strange. Also made Utes (Maloo) and Statesman (Grange? - long wheel base, luxury Commodores on the wagon platform I believe).