Wild Holden EFIJY Custom Coupe Concept

Holden S3X SUV Concept at Sydney Motor Show

October 13, 2005 7:59 PM
Filed Under: American, Holden

Press Release

Holden S3X SUV Concept at Sydney Motor Show

 

 

Holden’s wild hot rod concept − EFIJY − headlines an impressive display of recently released vehicles from Holden and Holden Special Vehicles at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.

 

EFIJY is a radical custom coupe shape boasting V8 Supercar power under the bonnet, Chevrolet Corvette underbody and state-of-the-art automotive technology, reinterpreting the classic design cues of the iconic 1953 FJ Holden.

 

Right alongside is the S3X, a preview for a seven-seater Holden sports utility vehicle which Holden today confirmed would be introduced into the Australian market during 2006, offering the full flexibility of an SUV-style vehicle with the confidence of the Holden brand.

 

Holden also shows the scope of its small car renaissance in 2005 with an unprecedented small car range featuring the new age Barina, the all-new Viva nameplate, the two-seater Tigra convertible and the recently released Astra coupe and Astrawagon.

 

Barina sets a new small car standard – the three-door and five-door hatchbacks offer more space and more power than their predecessors through 1.6-litre engines. Pricing starts below $13,000 with air conditioning as standard, making the new Barinas some of the most affordable and powerful cars in their category.

 

Bigger sibling Viva will be the only nameplate in its category offering sedan, hatch and wagon variants under $20,000. It provides four airbags as standard equipment across all three body styles and an economical 1.8-litre double overhead cam engine. The car has been tailored for Australian driving conditions by Holden engineers.

 

Joining Holden’s small car line-up is the well-received new two-seater, the Tigra convertible. Crowned “Cabrio of the Year 2004” at last year’s Geneva Motor Show, Tigra is the first hardtop convertible to represent the Holden brand. The dynamic Tigra is powered by the proven 1.8 litre ECOTEC four-cylinder engine, delivering an agile, responsive and refined driving experience.

 

Also making an appearance are the Astra Coupe and Wagon, a sporty new three-door coupe and a versatile compact wagon. The stand-out Astra coupe has a design character all of its own with its sleek silhouette and lowered stance. The flexible Astra wagon offers roomy accommodation for passengers and cargo, demonstrating the benefits of a longer wheelbase and clever packaging. The new models are expected to extend Astra’s performance as one of Australia ’s most popular cars.

 

Filling out the range at the larger end of the market are Holden’s VZ vehicles, with an exclusive range of limited edition cars further extending customer value. The lineup includes the limited edition SSZ Commodore, Ute and Crewman with SSZ packs providing up to $6,300 in extra performance specifications, the special edition VZ Commodore Lumina, delivering more than $6000 of extra features, and the CV8Z Monaro, a striking special edition that marks the final chapter in a remarkable success story in Australian automotive history for the Monaro legend.

 

Also on display is the sports luxury flagship WL Caprice, the ultimate Ute crossover the Cross 6 Crewman, the tough and reliable LT Rodeo,and high performance Alloytec-powered SV6.  

 

Holden Special Vehicles present the HSV VXR concept,an Astra-based, 176kWhot coupe which sees HSV expanding its benchmark performance range into the small car market. Also from HSVare the GTO LE Coupe, a 15 th Anniversary edition of the inspiring Maloo Ute, the luxurious upmarket Senator and venerable Clubsport R8.

 

All Z Series HSV models, represented at the show by the Club Sport and Maloo R8 Ute, are powered by GM’s all-new, premier performance LS2 6.0 litre V8 engine.

 

EFIJY Concept

 

EFIJY is a radical custom coupe shape boasting V8 Supercar power under the bonnet, Chevrolet Corvette underbody and state-of-the-art automotive technology throughout. The ‘Soprano Purple’ paintwork highlights its curvaceous 5.2-metre body, reinterpreting the classic design cues of the iconic 1953 FJ Holden.

 

The technology matches the larger-than-life design cues with a 480-kilowatt, supercharged six-litre V8 engine, air-adjustable shock absorbers, touch control LCD screen and fan-cooled LED headlamps.

 

A long-term dream for Chief Designer Richard Ferlazzo, the EFIJY concept was developed as a collaboration with suppliers which reduced impact on the company’s heavy work schedule and ensured the highest possible quality result for the showcar. The car is not intended for production.

 

The S3X

 

Holden has confirmed a production version of the S3X will be introduced locally in 2006, offering the full flexibility of an SUV-style vehicle with the confidence of Holden branding. The production vehicle will closely resemble the S3X which has gathered major design accolades since its world debut in late 2004.

 

The car has an Australian influence with two former Holden designers, Michael Simcoe and Max Wolff, part of the design team which ensured the car would attract global attention. S3X signals a new era for Holden and its most purposeful step into the SUV arena.

 

Also at the Holden stand

 

Racing legend Peter Brock will join a range of current Holden V8 Supercar drivers from Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly from the Holden Racing Team, Cameron McConville from Garry Rogers Motorsport, Greg Murphy from Super Cheap Auto Racing, Garth Tander and Rick Kelly from the HSV Dealer Team, Steve Richards and Paul Dumbrell from Castrol Team Perkins Racing and Nathan Pretty to meet fans at various times throughout the show.

 

Visitors can view personalised features and complete details of the Holden vehicle range on computer work stations. Using linked Xbox consoles, they can also test their virtual driving skills against multiple players.

 

Holden personnel representing a range of departments will assist in manning the stand and will be available to share their product knowledge.

 

The Australian International Motor Show 2005 is at the Sydney Convention Centre, Darling Harbour. It runs from Thursday 13 October to Sunday 23 October.   

 

Holden Vehicle Display – Australian International Motor Show 2005

 

Holden Wild Hot Rod EFIJY Concept

 

Sydney showcar delivers retro, mumbo and gizmos

 

EFFIGY (EF-ij-GEE) n. Stylistic representation of someone or something famous
FJ (EF-JAY) n. Iconic Australian motor vehicle released by Holden in 1953

 

A wild 21st Century hot rod reincarnating Australia ’s most famous car, the FJ Holden, was unveiled today at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.

 

EFIJY is a radical pillarless custom coupe boasting V8 Supercar power under the bonnet, Chevrolet Corvette underbody and state-of-the-art automotive technology throughout.

 

The ‘Soprano Purple’ paintwork highlights its curvaceous 5.2-metre body, reinterpreting the classic design cues of the iconic 1953 FJ Holden. It delivers retro, mumbo and gizmos in one glorious package.

 

Obviously not intended for production, EFIJY has been a passionate side project for some Holden Design team members otherwise dedicated to creating the all-new 2006 Commodore.

 

A long-term dream for Chief Designer Richard Ferlazzo, EFIJY brought together almost 20 suppliers to highlight the latest in mechanical, electronic and material products and ideas.

 

Automotive excess pounds through a 480-kilowatt, supercharged six-litre V8 engine and air-adjustable shock absorbers through to a touch control LCD screen and fan-cooled LED headlamps.

 

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Denny Mooney, today said the EFIJY project was a bold statement on the creative talent available within Holden’s design ranks.

 

Mr Mooney said the project was developed as a collaboration with suppliers which reduced impact on the company’s heavy work schedule and ensured the highest possible quality result for the showcar.

 

“EFIJY is all about fun, emotion and imagination. It shows what a bunch of clever and talented design people can do when they are let loose to create something really wild,” Mr Mooney said.

 

“This year was a fantastic opportunity for us to create something which highlights our designers’ ability and versatility.

 

“EFIJY is sure to evoke different memories for everyone who sees it. People might focus on the FJ links, the glorious custom coupes of the 1930s or the great design flair of the 1950s.”

 

Design philosophies

 

Holden Chief Designer and EFIJY project leader Richard Ferlazzo, who sketched the first EFIJY designs in 1989 and is a long-time custom car fanatic, said the car existed purely for automotive entertainment.

 

“Invariably, people smile when they see it for the first time. EFIJY is our accolade to the talented designers who cut loose with some fantastically flamboyant styling in the post-war 1940s and 1950s,” Ferlazzo said.

 

“Ask the question, ‘what would these people have created using all the skill sets and technology we have now’, and EFIJY might be the all-Australian answer to that question.

 

“EFIJY is also aimed at the legions of custom car and hot rod enthusiasts out there whose appetites aren’t generally met in the concept car arena.

 

“Most importantly, itsends the message that the same people who have sensible day jobs designing entirely practical cars have the passion and inspiration to create something as outrageous as EFIJY.

 

“We’re all car nuts together and the fact that EFIJY stands on our Sydney motorshow stand goes some way to legitimising this form of automotive design in the mainstream.”

 

Exterior and interior highlights

 

The design team has cleverly incorporated FJ design cues into EFIJY’s radicalcustom coupe body, acknowledging the most important aspects of the iconic 1953 release.

 

The famously familiar FJ grille looms larger than life, fronting a low, wide and handsome body extravagantly elongated and brimming with retro chic style.

 

The Corvette rolling chassis was lengthened to accommodate the EFIJY body, which is more than 700 millimetres longer than the FJ by which it was inspired.

 

The Soprano Purple paint has multiple layers of translucent pigmented topcoats which creates the rich, deep effect.

 

All brightwork on the vehicle is hand-made billet aluminium to maximise its authentic look, nowhere more evident than the stunning grill salute to FJ’s distinctive front.

 

A proximity sensor opens the door automatically as the driver approaches, revealing deep cream leather twin tombstone-shaped seats equipped with integral belts.

 

The drop-down, touch control LCD screen and an instrument cluster glowing with the number ‘53’– another FJ gesture – are set in the body-coloured metal dash and pulsate with a radiogram retro orange glow.

 

There are pearlescent, Bakelite-look push button controls for the electronic automatic transmission and the hard curved floor is finished in figured maple timber veneer with aluminium inserts.

 

EFIJY’s prowling appearance can be accentuated by the air-adjustable suspension. At the touch an LCD screen, At a touch of the LCD screen, EFIJY can hunker down to just 27 millimetres from the ground or rise to a more practical drive height.

 

The use of LED headlights and tail lights is accompanied by liberal LED applications inside the vehicle, including courtesy lamps and sill plate illumination lamps. Several are dual filament, allowing them to throw different colors depending on the application.

 

Like any great showcar, EFIJY is stocked with a cutting edge entertainment system featuring hard drive audio and video storage driven through a major amplifier and speaker setup.

 

Mechanical highlights

 

The 6.0-litre LS2 V8 engine has been supercharged and modified by Ron Harrop, well known throughout the Australian automotive and motorsport industry and an ex-FJ Holden racer.

 

Driven by a Roots-type supercharger, the engine delivers peak power of 480kW (645 horsepower) at 6400rpm and peak torque of 775Nm (560 foot-pound) at 4200rpm. Such performance figures are equal to the stated output from 2005 Series V8 Supercars, and almost 11 times greater than the 45kW (60 horsepower) offered in the 1953 FJ Holden.

 

EFIJY’s engine is mated to a rear-mounted four-speed automatic transmission featuring push button electronic control. Limited slip differential has been fitted for obvious reasons.

 

The custom designed exhaust is a stainless steel 2.5-inch dual system with customised compact headers and billet aluminium exhaust tips.

 

The power output is transferred to massive 22-inch by 10-inch billet aluminium wheels with fluting which echoes the FJ’s more modest original 15-inch by 4-inch wheels. Reflecting its street sled heritage, the front wheels are 20-inch by 9-inch.

 

The brakes feature 381mm (15-inch) grooved and ventilated rotors front and rear, combined with six-piston aluminium calipers at the front and four-piston aluminium calipers at the rear.

 

Development schedule

 

Advanced designs for EFIJY were prepared during 2003, the 50 th anniversary of the original FJ release. Clay models were prepared but plans were shelved to make way for other stunning concept cars such as last year’s Torana TT36.

 

The project was finally approved early this year for the 2005 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. This gave the team eight months to bring like-minded suppliers on board and complete the EFIJY build in a way which greatly reduced costs compared with most showcars.

 

“EFIJY has been a real labor of love for everyone involved and it shows in the way it feels. It gave us a unique opportunity to showcase Holden’s creative abilities, and those of some of our key partners, in a way which will appeal to a broader audience,” Ferlazzo said.

 

“It’s been a long road to bring this to reality and the perfect time to do it before we pull the covers off our new Commodore range. We’re pretty sure that an Australian motor show has never seen anything like EFIJY from a local carmaker before.”

 

Holden Design plans to show the car at a series of street machine and hot rod shows around Australia after its Australian International Motor Show debut.

 

Specifications and Features

 

Dimensions

 

Length:

5162mm

Width:

1999mm

Height - drive setting:

1386mm

Height -show setting:

1274mm

Ground clearance - drive:

139mm

Ground clearance - show:

27mm

Track front:

1640mm

Track rear:

1660mm

Wheelbase:

2946mm

 

 

 

Powertrain

 

Engine:

GM 6.0-litre, LS2 aluminium V8 with Roots-type supercharger

Bore and stroke:

101.6 mm x 92.0 mm

Compression ratio:

10.9:1

Power and torque:

480kW (645 bhp) @ 6400 rpm

Torque:

775Nm (560 ft/lb) @ 4200 rpm

Exhaust: Custom designed, block hugger headers, stainless steel 2.5-inch dual system, billet aluminium exhaust tips

Transaxle: GM four-speed electronic automatic transmission, push button electronic control, limited slip differential

 

Exterior

 

Body: Two door pillarless coupe, glass fibre bodyshell; remote door release and proximity sensor systems; polished billet aluminium brightwork

Colour: “Soprano Purple” custom ‘ kandy ’ mix

Head lamps: High intensity LED head lamps; LED park and turn-signal lamps

Tail lamps: LED dual color stop/tail and turn signal lamps; LED single ’blue dot’; LED centre high mount stoplamp

Chassis: Modified Chevrolet Corvette. Front mounted engine, torque tube driveline, rear mounted transaxle

Suspension: Modified Chevrolet Corvette. Forged upper and lower control arms; height adjustable airbag suspension units with electronic control

Steering: Variable ratio rack and pinion

Wheels: Billet aluminium – 20 x 9-inch front, 22 x 10-inch rear

Tyres: Dunlop SP Sport - 9090 255/35 ZR 20 front, 9000 285/30 ZR 22 rear

Brakes: 381mm grooved and ventilated rotors; six-piston aluminium calipers (front), four-piston aluminium calipers (rear); e lectric park brake

 

Interior

 

Seats: Electric tombstone-style bucket, leather trimmed, integral seat belts

Headliner: Leather trimmed

Steering wheel: Billet aluminium and leather

Flooring: Figured maple timber veneer with aluminium inserts

Instruments: LCD screen display, drop-down touch control LCD screen

Entertainment: Hard drive audio and video file system; 2000W amplifier, 1000W RMS subwoofer, two x 200W RMS mid-bass, two x 100W RMS split mid-range, two x 100W RMS directional tweeters

Lighting: LED interior courtesy lamps; LED sill plate illumination lamps

Holden S3X Strikes the Right Note

 

Aussie-influenced seven-seater concept previews new SUV direction

 

Australian International Motor Show, 13 October 2005 : Holden has shown the striking S3X concept SUV as the preview for a seven-seater Holden destined for Australia next year.

 

Holden today confirmed a production version of the S3X would be introduced into the Australian market during 2006, offering the full flexibility of an SUV-style vehicle with the confidence of the Holden brand.

 

The production vehicle will closely resemble the S3X which has gathered major design accolades since its world debut in late 2004.

 

And the car has an Australian influence with two former Holden designers, Michael Simcoe and Max Wolff, part of the design team which ensured the car would attract global attention.

 

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Denny Mooney, today said S3X signalled a new era for Holden’s market footprint in Australia and its most purposeful step into the SUV arena.

 

Mr Mooney said the SUV would immediately challenge established performers through its attention-getting design and carrying flexibility.

 

“The S3X production version will fill Holden’s most obvious portfolio gap in a truly convincing way,” he said.

 

“It will have great packaging flexibility, up-to-the-minute design and extremely competitive levels of equipment.

 

“It will deliver three rows of seating to accommodate seven in comfort and will provide sporty suspension allowing the type of driveability which people expect from Holden.

 

“S3X is a sign of things to come for Holden SUVs and gives strong hints on how the final production car will look.

 

Holden has been involved in the vehicle’s design and engineering development with GM Daewoo Auto & Technology, with the production version representing the first vehicle to fully benefit from General Motors’ global resources since GM’s major investment in GMDAT in 2002.

 

Simcoe, formerly Holden’s Design Director, was head of Asia-Pacific Design when the car was being developed. Wolff, a former Holden Senior Designer, is now Deputy Director Advanced Design at GMDAT.

 

Holden engineers have also worked with GMDAT on various aspects of the production version, inevitably increasing its appeal for Australian buyers.

 

“The production version of this car will represent a true collaboration between various parts of General Motors operations in the Asia-Pacific region,” Mr Mooney said.

 

“Being involved at such an early stage brings great rewards in terms of how the car looks and just as importantly, how it performs.”

 

S3X highlights

 

The S3X concept car has been warmly received since its global debut as the Chevrolet S3X at one of the world’s major motor shows, the Paris Mondial de l’Automobile, in September 2004.

The eye is immediately drawn to the car’s purposeful stance and powerfully flared wheel arches filled by 20-inch nine-spoke wheels. Other exterior highlights include metal inserts in the front and rear bumpers and horizontal vents in the wings.

 

The jewel-like front headlamps are designed to catch and divert light through cylindrical prisms.

 

The S3X has a wheelbase of about 2.7 metres, placing it roughly equal to several of the country’s top-selling SUV offerings. Its exterior dimensions are 4639mm in length, 1848mm in width and 1722mm in height.

 

Sitting inside the car, the light and roomy atmosphere created by the large, louvre-style glass roof becomes immediately apparent.

 

The design of the interior is dominated by a combination of real wood and metal. The on-board infotainment system includes a DVD-based navigation system linked to an 18-centimetre monitor.

 

At the rear, the window can be opened separately to access the luggage compartment without opening the tailgate.

 

The concept car features environmentally friendly hybrid technology, offering a glimpse into General Motors’ potential future propulsion systems.

 

The global debut of the production version will be in 2006. Holden is yet to announce Australian launch timing or local specifications and features.