Design boss Richard Ferlazzo takes us through Holden’s greatest concepts as Aussie studio closes its doors
- Holden Hurricane 1969
- Holden GTR-X 1970
- Holden Coupe Concept 1998
- Holden Torana TT36 2004
- Holden Efijy 2005
- Holden Coupe 60 2008
- Buick Avenir 2015
The Aussie car industry marks another sad milestone this week as the last few employees depart and the doors close for the final time at GM Holden’s design centre in Port Melbourne this Friday (Oct 30).
A victim of General Motors’ decision to axe the Holden brand, the design centre was established in 1964.
Yes, Holden had design capacity before then, but despite best local efforts the look of models like the iconic 48-215 were usually dictated by the US.
This was a world-class facility that reflected Holden’s dominant position in the local auto market.
For years its focus was domestic, but as Holden broadened its horizons and as the studio’s capabilities came to be appreciated by GM, so its role and size expanded.
It was flat-out right up until the deadline date for delivery of its final jobs on June 30 this year.
So this, then, is the time to consider the Holden heroes that emerged from Port Melbourne, visualised and brought to reality by generations of immensely talented and passionate people.
One of them is Richard Ferlazzo, the final director of what became known in its final years as General Motors Australia Design.
A gentleman in the true sense of the word, immensely talented in his own right, there could be no-one better to walk and talk us through the highlights of nearly 60 years of creativity.
We’ll start with the landmark concept cars. Tomorrow it’s the production models that made Holden famous.
Holden Hurricane 1969
Although not the first Holden attempt at a sports car concept, the Hurricane was the first to actually reach full-size, three-dimensional fruition.
Developed to celebrate the launch of the local 253ci (4.2-litre) V8, the mid-engined Hurricane combined a body originally shipped from Detroit as a scale clay model and some far-out tech (well, it was in the late 1960s).
That included a reversing camera, an automated route guidance system called Pathfinder, inertia-reel retracting seatbelts and climate control.
Only 996mm high, the Hurricane looked superb. Then just to add to the shock and awe, its roof and doors rotated up and forward for entry and exit.
Ferlazzo says: “I’ve seen global lists of great concept cars in recent years and the Hurricane gets onto them, which surprises me in some ways because we are a bit of an outpost here. But people who know what concept cars are all about know about it.
“It’s a Kammtail low-slung bullet-shaped thing, so I can’t say it’s unique in that respect. But it was in the genre and it was a good example.
“It showcased technology that you now find in a Barina. If ever you wanted proof of why we do concept cars, this is it. This is why you need to explore these ideas because eventually they become reality.”
Holden GTR-X 1970
Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s affordable sports cars were an emerging trend. The GTR-X was created in response to that and was always intended to be a production vehicle.
Sadly, that never came to be as the business case just proved an impossible hurdle to keep in the black.
Based on the front-engine (inline 3.0-litre six-cylinder) rear-wheel drive mechanicals of the LC Torana GTR-XU1, the GTR-X was clothed in a sensuous fibreglass skin shaped by Phil Zmood, who later went on to be the first Australian design director at Holden.
Ferlazzo says: “It nearly made it to production. People say we should have done it and we probably should have – and when I say we, I was only a kid at the time.
“But it was a low-volume fibreglass body like the Corvette and it would have been expensive. It would still be expensive today.
“If they had built it, I am sure I would have bought a second-hand one at some point!”
Holden Coupe Concept 1998
For nearly 30 years Holden’s design department focused on the critical work of developing production cars.
But the totally unexpected debut of the Coupe Concept at the Sydney motor show in October 1998 signalled a new era of experimentation under the command of Holden design legend Michael Simcoe.
Such was the secrecy surrounding its development, Simcoe sketched early concepts on his family room wall at home.
The two-door was lower and 99mm shorter than the VT Commodore it was based on and came powered by a Chevrolet 5.7-litre Gen III V8 engine.
In a world of three-box Aussie cars this car was simply mind-bending.
From the moment it debuted the calls to build it were deafening, as were the demands it be called Monaro.
Ferlazzo says: “When we designed the VT Commodore, we all knew it would translate well into a coupe body style.
“Mike Simcoe was passionate about it and he drew up some packaging studies at home, away from inquisitive eyes. He then kicked off as a ‘skunkworks’ project in the studio, mostly after hours.
“Despite it being a concept car, his intent was to ‘package’ it as a viable production solution, with the optimistic ambition of it becoming a reality.
“[Holden chief at the time] Peter Hanenberger was a big fan already and when it went nuts at the Sydney motor show in 1998, it was an unstoppable force.
“I became more involved then as chief designer to ‘productionise’ the concept but, really, it didn’t need much change. The greatest challenge was the extremely tight timeline we gave ourselves to deliver the production car.
“It was a fabulous project to be part of.”
Holden Torana TT36 2004
This hot-pink hatchback was always going to be an attention-getter at the 2004 Sydney motor show, but when Holden decided it would revive the Torana name the focus became overwhelming.
Based on a modified version of the Kappa architecture previously reserved for the Pontiac Solstice two-seat sports car, the TT36 (twin-turbo 3.6-litre V6 engine) signalled a genuine bid by Holden to build a compact rear-drive sports sedan for global markets.
Sadly, that never happened. Instead, it acted as a retina-burning preview of the design language coming with the VE Commodore in 2006.
Ferlazzo says: “While we built the concept on Kappa it was really planned for production on a shortened-down VE Commodore Zeta platform.
“If it had of been built it would have been good.”
Holden Efijy 2005
One of Ferlazzo’s greatest achievements – and he has quite a few – the Efijy was a cartoonish exaggeration of the legendary FJ Holden of the 1950s.
Based on Corvette underpinnings, Efijy was Ferlazzo’s glorious and fantastical tribute to both Holden’s past and hot-rodding.
Efijy was such a hit it embarked on a world tour and was even named the United States concept car of the year in 2007. To this day it remains the Holden most wanted for displays and car shows.
Ferlazzo says: “We get requests almost weekly from some show somewhere. They think we have all this money to send it around.
“For the first year we did do that, it cost us a bomb in labour and money, but that was why we built it. It was never meant to be a production car, of course, so if it was done for the people, how about showing it to the people?
“That was my line to management here anyway. I went round the world with that car. It was dear to my heart.”
Holden Coupe 60 2008
Built to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the original Holden 48-215, the Coupe 60 previewed the fourth-generation Monaro production car.
It was based on the VE Commodore and its new Zeta global architecture and was one of 15-or-so different variations proposed for production from that platform.
Sadly, with the Australian-designed Zeta-based Chevrolet Camaro already in existence and Pontiac about to expire, GM economic rationalism stopped that happening.
Ferlazzo says: “It’s popular, but not as popular as Efijy and Hurricane. It was like a second-generation blue coupe.
“It was thwarted only by the Camaro. They made the right call, it just meant we couldn’t get another Monaro here.”
Buick Avenir 2015
The Avenir is a perfect example of the work performed by GM’s Melbourne design team for global audiences.
Based on GM luxury brand Cadillac’s Omega architecture, it previewed Buick’s new design language in the form of a large rear-wheel drive luxury sedan.
Right up the alley of the Aussies, of course, who had decades of experience crafting the proportions of this sort of car.
Just to reinforce that, the Avenir was judged the best concept at the 2015 Detroit show.
Ferlazzo says: “That was a very successful concept. We were Australians designing for the US, for a brand that had not been sold here in modern times and it takes out the top gong at America’s most prestigious show.
“Even better was the way people responded to it; ‘That’s a Buick I’d drive’ was something we heard a lot.”
Keyword: Holden's best concept cars