When the Pontiac brand was killed off in the States so was the Holden Commodore, but at that time financially desperate General Motors had no idea of the following that the Commodore/Pontiac G8 really had.

Now, after serious demand, the Commodore will likely return to the U.S market badged as a Chevrolet SS sedan. There is also a chance that the Commodore’s ute and wagon form will also be sold in the states, but they remain unapproved at this stage. The Commodore ute would likely receive the El Camino moniker and the long back car would keep the SportWagon name.

If the Commodores do make it to the States in Chevy trim it won’t likely be until early 2013 as GM is waiting for the next-generation “VF” Commodore to be developed by Holden. GM will be most interested in performance models for the American market so expect Holden’s exports to be mainly V8 powered. (more…)

Name: Belinda McLachlan
Vehicle: 1981 Chevrolet El Camino

Cool-looking car, tell us a bit about it.
It’s an ’81 Chevrolet El Camino. It has a baby 305 in it and it’s left-hook, which I love.

What is it that women seem to like about El Caminos? And why did you decide to buy one?
Yeah, gals love these cars; I think it’s the shape and the fact that they’re not too big compared to other classic beasts. Having said that, they are not exactly a family wagon, more of a bachelorette wagon, ha-ha.

What future plans do you have for it?
I plan on a new tonneau cover in black. Just got my custom-painted 20-inch Foose wheels ” they didn’t come in black in that fitment. Long term I will paint the car black and put in a 350, and upgrade the interior to black leather. For now it’s tidy and straight and running sweet!

What reaction do you get driving this compared to what you used to drive?
People do think it’s my dad’s or a boyfriend’s car; I get a lot of questions from young and old, male and female. People wave and toot etcetera, quite funny. I had a Subaru before this, quite modified, and that got a reaction from younger people; the El Camino is universally loved. Ha ha.

How do you find the maintenance compared to a later model car?
As far as maintenance goes, I have a lot more guys willing to help and work on it, plus with all the classic car groups out there, there are a lot of networks to utilise ” it’s great.

What’s with the sticker on the back window?
The Hooligans sticker on the back is my good friend Shauno’s clothing label ” it rocks! He is also a classic car fan, and a group of us do the Hooligan convoys. (more…)

A 13-second quarter mile at 100mph in 1970, the Chevy El Camino is a legend, with its optional cowl induction intake package

600hp El Camino bakes it up and creates a smokescreen

Take the owner of Mothers Polishes and Waxes, add a million chefs and you have one mother of a ute.

I gaze out of the office window towards the car park to see what is occupying the company spaces. On any given day there can be all sorts of wild machinery parked between the white lines. It’s not just big block wonders for NZV8, but impressive classics for our sister magazine New Zealand Classic Car that can often be spied. Of course, there’s the dark side of the car park. Yes those boys from New Zealand Performance Car park their rice rockets there too. But today there was no head-turning beasts — just the usual line-up of MGs that the sales staff drive. Good, dependable, reliable — those are words that come to mind as I scan the spaces.

Real Company Car

This is the reality of most companies around the globe, as the accountants love the sight of the frugal fossil fuel consumers. Well, I say most, but certainly not all. But, then again, Mothers is not your everyday kind of company. No sir. Even down under at the New Zealand division, you’ll find all kinds gas-guzzling modes of transport. I guess you can safely say that the crew at Mothers are car freaks and none more so than one of the head honchos back in the US of A: Jim Holloway.

“The motor already has the right cam-lobe profile and intake manifold, so the work involved is minimal – and making 450 rear wheel kW shouldn’t be a problem”

When he first got his mitts on this El Camino it was powered by the original 396. But, in true Mothers tradition, this was no standard donk under the hood, with low 11 second passes coming on a regular basis. But there was a lot more in store for this quarter mile basher. It had a big reputation to live up to as a Mothers company car. After all, it will have to showcase the entire Mothers product on a daily basis. No dirt allowed on this beast. Being out there in the public eye is one thing, but to have such a high profile as the El Camino will get in the US of A is a whole different ball game.

No Trailer Queen

That is just the beginning of the problem, as this wasn’t built to be a trailer queen. Indeed its 11-second past was not to be left behind, so enter the GM Performance Parts ZZ572. 460kW and a massive 880Nm of stump-pulling, out of the box crate motor. “I wanted monster horsepower and torque, and ‘wow’ when you lifted the hood,” says
Jim. “At the time, no one had a 572 crate motor in a car, so I had to get one”. Since it had to run on pump gas, Jim was forced to order this donk with a mild 9.6:1 compression ratio. “We’re working on a propane injection system that will let us bump the compression up to 12.5:1 without detonation,” he says. “The motor already has the right cam-lobe profile and intake manifold, so the work involved is minimal — and making 450 rear wheel kW shouldn’t be a problem”.

With all that go under the hood, a lot of attention had to be given to the stopping power. Enter Baer with a set of huge discs and equally massive callipers, coupled up to a Hydratech high performance hydraulic brake system. Of course, it doesn’t stop there either. If you can go and stop that fast, why not make the beast handle as well? Not a problem. Chuck on a set of custom billet aluminium upper and lower control arms that are fully adjustable for quick and easy pinion angles tweaks. Taking care of the bumps are QAI coilovers on all four corners, with Hotchkis sway bars lending a helping hand when push comes to shove. “It drives around like a new Corvette, handling and braking-wise, and the horsepower is extremely manageable,” says Jim. “It goes absolutely straight when you put the hammer down. You can put someone in the thing who has absolutely no experience with fast cars and they’d be fine. It was built to drive.” And drive you can, as there is a huge 136-litre Fuel Safe fuel cell for those cross-state cruises.

Chip It

When it came to the overall look, how could one go past Mr Foose. Mothers and Foose work together on many projects including the Overhaulin’ TV show, so it was only logical that his services should be called upon. Slap on the BASF Glasurit Paint and the end result is the stunning two-tone finish that stands out from the crowd. Mothers are not the kind of company that follows the trends. Up front, a set of 20-inch Billet Specialties polished rims with ceramic-coated spokes wrapped in 245/35/20 BFGoodrich rubber — out back a set of 22—inch wrapped in 285/35/22s. This gives the El Camino a real ‘hot rod’ type of stance.

“It drives around like a new Corvette, handling and braking-wise, and the horsepower is extremely manageable”

50/50

However, the most extraordinary feat is one that can’t actually be seen. Although the raked stance suggests function-follows-form engineering, balance and handling were at the forefront of vehicle design. Ace chassis’ man John Omondson of Street Wise (Rancho Santa Margarita, California) painstakingly set the car up to achieve optimal balance. To offset the heft of the motor and fit the 22s, the rear end was actually moved back. In conjunction with meticulous corner weighting, the result is perfect 50/50 weight distribution front-to-back and side-to-side. So, not only does this beast look the part, but it can also show many modern-day supercars a clean pair of heals!

1967 Chevrolet El Camino

Engine: GM Performance Parts ZZ572 Crate Motor 572 CI Tall Deck V8 (cast iron), 9.6:1 compression ratio, forged 4340 steel crank with 4.375-inch stroke, forged 4340 h-beam rods, forged aluminium pistons, rectangular-port aluminium heads, hydraulic roller cam with 0.632-inch lift, stainless steel valves, hardened chromoly retainers, roller rockers, aluminium rectangular-port intake manifold, 850 cfm Demon carburettor, HEI Distributor, Barry Grant 220-lph fuel pump

Driveline: GM 4L80E automatic, 2500rpm stall converter, Compushift transmission electronics, Streetwise rear end with Speedway Engineering quick-change gears, 3.60:1

Wheels and Tires: Billet Specialties, Front: 20 x 8.5-inch BFGoodrich G-Force T/A Radials 245/35/20 Rear: 22 x 10-inch BFGoodrich G-Force T/A Radials 285/35-22

Exterior: Chip Foose paint scheme BASF Glasurit paint, Five Axis Bodywork & Painting, Goodmark cowl hood, Tuff Skin undercoating and bed coating

Interior: Dakota Digital instrumentation, Billet Specialties steering wheel, Ididit steering column, Kicker-designed sound system, Custom Autosound radio and CD changer, custom Interior, Vintage Air front runner air conditioning, Sparco seats, Katzkin leather upholstery, Sparco five-Point harness

Performance: 460kW @ 5500rpm, 880Nm @ 4500rpm on pump gas

Special Thanks To: Chip Foose of Foose Design, Carlos and Revo of Stitchcraft Custom Interiors, Glen Grozich of Billet Specialties, Johnny Omondson, Doug Nagy of Streetwise, Paul Gonzales, Mitch Lanzini of Lanzini Body Work, Jeff Jeppeson of Classy Cars Auto Detailing, Kelly Inman, Specialized Coatings for ceramic and powder coatings, Universal Machine for C&C machining