The Gentleman Motorist loves a limited edition import – the sort of car that only automotive enthusiasts would notice. The Gentleman Motorist thought he spotted such a vehicle last week. Sadly, it was just a rebadged Chevrolet SS. But that got the Gentleman Motorist thinking, “Could a gentleman motorist drive a Chevy?” Well maybe he can if it has Holden badges. Here’s why.
For our readers who cannot tell a kangaroo from a wallaby, Holden is GM’s Australian cousin. “Oh yeah,” you say. “They make those crazy El Camino cars.” Yes. But they are called utes. Anyway, Holden also makes the VF Commodore – a badass muscle sedan.[1]
Now GM (through Chevy) has decided to bring the VF Commodore to the U.S.[2] But for some reason, Chevy has decided to call it’s German style muscle sedan the SS, which makes the Gentleman Motorist rather uncomfortable. [3] But who on earth wants to spend more than $45,000 on a car that looks like a Malibu rental special? No one. So it is best to think of the SS as a rear-wheel drive sedan with a 6.2 liter V8 engine from the Corvette Stingray and … wait for it … a manual gear box.[4] Now go a step further and imagine that car with Holden’s silver lion badges. [5] No one would even know you bought an expensive Chevy. Instead, people would be coming up to you wanting to know more about your exotic car and you would be telling them that you can fit more wallabies than kangaroos in the back of ute.
As the media has reported, no one is buying the SS. And the Gentleman Motorist is pretty sure that the Chevy bowtie is largely to blame. For that reason, the Gentleman Motorist offers this simple idea to GM: Make Holden a separate performance brand in the U.S.
Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges. Oh contraire, GM. You do. You really do.
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[1] True to form, the wagon version is only available in Australia.
[2] This Australian import is way better than Fosters, which may not actually be Australian. Then again, one could say the same of Holden.
[3] Yes. We know the SS stands for Super Sport, a long-standing Chevy tradition. But when creating one of the better uber sedans since the BMW E39 M5 perhaps Chevy might have selected a name that was a little less Nazi-ish. Just sayin’.
[4] Right now, a whole bunch of Jalopnik readers’ sticks just shifted.
[5] Chevy already has. For just $150, you can get factory option Holden front and rear splash guards for your SS.
Photo(s) from Wikipedia.
Now GM (through Chevy) has decided to bring the VF Commodore to the U.S.[2] But for some reason, Chevy has decided to call it’s German style muscle sedan the SS, which makes the Gentleman Motorist rather uncomfortable. [3] But who on earth wants to spend more than $45,000 on a car that looks like a Malibu rental special? No one. So it is best to think of the SS as a rear-wheel drive sedan with a 6.2 liter V8 engine from the Corvette Stingray and … wait for it … a manual gear box.[4] Now go a step further and imagine that car with Holden’s silver lion badges. [5] No one would even know you bought an expensive Chevy. Instead, people would be coming up to you wanting to know more about your exotic car and you would be telling them that you can fit more wallabies than kangaroos in the back of ute.
As the media has reported, no one is buying the SS. And the Gentleman Motorist is pretty sure that the Chevy bowtie is largely to blame. For that reason, the Gentleman Motorist offers this simple idea to GM: Make Holden a separate performance brand in the U.S.
Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges. Oh contraire, GM. You do. You really do.
_______________________________________________
[1] True to form, the wagon version is only available in Australia.
[2] This Australian import is way better than Fosters, which may not actually be Australian. Then again, one could say the same of Holden.
[3] Yes. We know the SS stands for Super Sport, a long-standing Chevy tradition. But when creating one of the better uber sedans since the BMW E39 M5 perhaps Chevy might have selected a name that was a little less Nazi-ish. Just sayin’.
[4] Right now, a whole bunch of Jalopnik readers’ sticks just shifted.
[5] Chevy already has. For just $150, you can get factory option Holden front and rear splash guards for your SS.
Photo(s) from Wikipedia.
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