Commodore VT Series 2 LS1 Executive Here is a small article about this car. When you pull up alongside a VT-series Commodore, it's instinctive for those of us who have been stung before to check out the front guards for the telltale 'Gen III' (Holden marketing speak for the LS1 V8) badges. It's the get-back-dude message for anyone who's driving a car slower than 14-flat over the quarter mile. Many of these freaks in plain clothing cars (the Executive is the base-model Commodore in Australia) were sold into police fleets with either six-speeders or autos, and sans wheel trims. The autos - mostly white ones, although there were a few coloured cars for undercover highway patrol work - are more common. If you really want to stir up Porsches and turbos, you can buy a plain-wrapper looking VT Series II 5.7 Commodore and rip off its Gen III tags. The only remaining giveaway that it isn't a rep-mobile 3.8-litre buick V6 is the tell-tale oval exhaust outlet. But it doesn't matter - by the time Boy Racer sitting next to you at the lights realises what exhaust tip you have, you're gone. Cutting big-bark Corvette performance off the leash is as easy as stabbing the right pedal. It's even worse when it's a V8 wagon! Beyond the factory's 302hp allocation, the LS1's power is just waiting to be unleashed. Don't forget, this engine in its home US market is GM's premium performance engine with upwards of 340hp. Bung on a few breathing mods and you'll have a mid 13-second - or quicker - supercar performance without the wings 'n things. Throw a cam at the valley and a tune at the PCM and you've got a 12-second blinder that'll throw out around 430hp and get 9 litres per 100km on a trip... if you care. In Australia, the first of the LS1-powered Commodore Executives (the alloy Chev LS1 replaced the ageing Holden all-iron V8 in 1999) are worth mid-AUS$20s used.
the reason i am posting this is here is the Long Wheel base version of the above car, could well be sold in the U.S as a buick Roadmaster...
why not, they are repackageing the monaro as the pontiac GTO! i am sure they are great cars but i would think we could build our own cars here in the USA. but wait, i keep forgetting not much is really "made in the USA" anymore ''
yes, but not american. there are subsidiaries in mexico and canada too but they are not american. what do austrailian auto workers get for wages, benifits, job security? this isn't really a quality issue as much as a jobs issue. i guess i dont mean to cut other peoples chance at having a job, but we need some too. otherwise how are we going to afford to buy all these neat new "american" cars
Don't worry, the Holden workers have an extremely militant union which demands more money and even 'better' conditions and will go on strike at the drop of a hat. Your Australian Cousins will be well looked after by the Australian division of GM. Most of the workers have better incomes than many Execs. How do I know? I have a cousin who works in the paint room at the Elizabeth Plant and I know several others who have worked there in the past (Most Holdens are built in my home city of Adelaide, South Australia). We aren't exactly a cheap labour force and most cars that are built here are sold in the US for less than we can buy them ourselves. The GM division is more loyal to it's US customers than it seems to be to us so as far as price and quality goes you needn't worry, it's very good by most standards.
thanks for the reply, bill. isnt it a little early for you ? it is 4:10 pm here and you are on the other side of the world [i think]. i wasnt emplying bad quality from your boys. but i am sure we americans have garnered our share of bad reputaions for job quality. i lived through the late 70's and early 80's and can point a finger at some of the junk marketed at that time. things have improved, but not before we started loosing a lot of jobs and a lot of respect. i blame it all on the evil monster greed and the desire to have more than is really needed. most of the wealth in this country is held by people who have no problem importing their products from some third world, child/slave labor produced, and exporting the jobs we used to have and built this country up with. i guess it bothers me because i am in a union, but that doesnt mean job security anymore.
I still have to look up http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=5 to see what time it is over there as the calculation is crazy but basically I'm writing this from work it's mid morning here as I write this on Monday 24th Feb (we are a day ahead of you guys in the States for most of the time). The main problem I have with the time difference is that when I get home in the eveneings and want to chat is that you folks are all asleep. I think everyone suffered from quality issues during the 80's. Now-a-days the quality is quite good and I'm not concerened with being embarrassed by it like I would've been back then. I think it would be safe to say that we would be quite proud to say that we export cars to detroit. The main thing to note is that we still make V8 powered rear wheel drive cars for the masses which is a good thing and the fact that they are Chevy powered doesn't bother us as much as it would this group. We're just glad to still have the option of buying a 'big' V8.
Hey Buick street, hows it goin? didn't expect to see anoth aussie on this board, good to see !! I wouldn't call the LS1 a chevy, fact is the LS1 is a GM corporate V8 and has little in common with the old small block chev other than its capacity, its used by pontiac , chev , holden , and the cast iron version is used in a multitude of GM trucks in various capacities. its a stout little motor that up until now remains unbeaten for lightness / power / economy... Ford had to resort to supercharging its DOHC V8 to beat the pushrod Ls1. anyway... cars that are destined or rumoured to go to the states are- GTO = Monaro (done deal.) El-Camino = Ute (almost done deal) Roadmaster = statesman/caprice (rumour) do not think that from now on , aussies will be supplying the americans RWD cars, production will shift back to the states for next generations of all these. BUT , what i can say for sure is that the next gen will be a combination of the aussie V-car platform and the upcoming SIGMA platform from the caddy... and its gonna be world class. both aussies and americans will get this new platform, but the body shapes will go back to being unique to each counrty... also the 2006-7 impala and monte SS will go rwd and also use this chassis and possibly a 5th gen F-body, Pontiac gto as well as a RWD & AWD Grand Am did that make sence ? cheers !!!
Hiya HRT (what's your name?). Do you drive a Buick? If so, join the BPG and that would make 2 of us in Australia. All we would need then is one more member and we could have an election! Where are you located?
That figures, while GM here is killing off the only fun affordable cars they had, the Aussies were having fun all along with rear wheel drive V8 powered coupes...!!LOL If someone make a product I want, I will buy it and quite frankly I don't really care where its made. Thats the market. if you can't compete, you don't get the sale. I hear the GTO will not be available in Canada. Thats too bad....was looking forward to a test drive at least.... later Tim
My name is Colin, and i live in sydney.... I don't drive a buick , the pic of the commodore at the top of this thread is mine. (good family car, that can do a low 13s 1/4.) I am currently looking to buy or build a classic U.S. muscle car... but allas i am not loaded with cash. but i have found a way of building one, without importing it, or needing a right hand drive conversion... I have thoroughly studied all possibilities , and there is only one and only one model that can be made to look exactly like its U.S. muscle counterpart without an astronomical cost... in fact it was produced right here in australia !!!! and in the U.S. the factory race version was one of, if not the most feared muscle car ever produced. can you guess which car i am talking about ??? (clue: its not a buick unfortunately)
