Holden Commodore News

HOLDEN RACING TEAMCar: No.2 Holden Commodore VZMark Skaife & Garth TanderAge: 39, 29Born: Gosford, NSW Perth, WABathurst Starts: 19, 8Best result: 1st (1991-92, 2001-02, 2005) 1st (2000)Defending champion Skaife is paired with form driver Tander but that doesn't necessarily guarantee success.HRT proved last year that winning wasn't about being the fastest but a tactical marathon to be the last man standing at the end of a long, tough day.However, serious mechanical problems have plagued both HRT cars in 2006 and those gremlins - primarily to do with the gearbox - could ruin another tilt at the coveted title.The Sandown 500 ended in tears, a steering problem ruining hopes of victory after leading the first half of the race. Tander had the car on pole position so we know they're quick.If the mechanics can get the Commodore to last 1000km then the men behind the wheel can make it take the checkered flag.TOLL HSV DEALER TEAMCar: No.15 Holden Commodore VZRick Kelly & Todd KellyAge: 23, 26Born: Mildura, VIC Mildura, VICBathurst Starts: 5, 8Best result: 1st (2003, 2004) 1st (2005)Aiming to become first family combination to win the coveted title.Todd gave up his right to defend the title with Skaife to help younger brother Rick at HSVDT pursue a championship series win.Both have won Bathurst titles as co-drivers - Rick with Greg Murphy and Todd with Skaife - but now have added pressure of being in the hot seat when it matters most.HSVDT have been fastest all year but with Rick's eyes on the series prize they may lack the attacking instinct to chase a win here.Showed promise when beaten for victory by a bumper at Sandown 500 and will be thereabouts again here.TEAM BETTA ELECTRICALCar: No.888 Ford Falcon BACraig Lowndes & Jamie WhincupAge: 32, 23Born: Melbourne, VIC Melbourne, VICBathurst Starts: 12, 4Best result: 1st (1996) 2nd (2005)Lowndes was the fastest man on the mountain last year but just wasn't meant to win - an airborne tyre landing on his windscreen smashing those dreams.Young teammate Whincup came of age at Bathurst last year when he put his Holden into a race-winning position to eventually finish second.Both have won rounds this season and they represent Ford's strongest hope of winning for the first time in eight years.The Triple Eight Falcon has been very consistent mechanically in 2006 albeit not the quickest.With two form drivers at the wheel they should be thereabouts for the final sprint home.Wouldn't it be great too if championship leader Lowndes brought Ford the Bathurst win and series title in the same year.JACK DANIEL'S RACINGCar: No.7 Holden Commodore VZSteven Richards & Paul DumbrellAge: 34 24Born: Auckland, NZ Melbourne, VICBathurst Starts: 13 7Best result: 1st (1998, 1999) 5th (2002)Dumbrell's inexperience cost this pairing a race finish here last year and almost ended the youngster's association at the Larry Perkins-owned team.But Perkins, himself a six-time winner at Bathurst, knows talent when he sees it and has given Dumbrell a second chance with the always consistent Steven Richards.Richards, son of seven-time winner Jim Richards, has won Bathurst twice (1998-99) and rarely turns in a poor performance.Dumbrell meanwhile has been much improved in 2006 to be running 11th in the championship - just two places behind his Commmodore VZGreg Murphy & Cameron McConvilleAge: 34, 32Born: Hastings, NZ Melbourne, VICBathurst Starts: 13, 13Best result: 1st (1996, 1999, 2003-04) 2nd (1999)Rate a mention on reputation alone because their 2006 form is abysmal.McConville (21st) and Murphy (23rd) are ranked poorly in the series pointscore - high-speed crashes and mechanical failures plaguing their season.Sandown was the perfect example, falling from fourth to finish 22 laps down after power steering problems.But Murphy has a passion for Bathurst, winning it four times, and McConville is without doubt a talented driver who has yet to find a home at a strong team.If their Commodore lasts the distance, and that is a very big if, then they could win it. But smart money says it'll be an early day.FIRSTROCK HOME LOANSCar: No.17 Ford Falcon BASteven Johnson & Will DavisonAge: 32, 24Born: Brisbane, QLD Melbourne, VICBathurst Starts: 12, 2Best result: 4th (1997, 1999, 2000) 19th (2005)The genuine smokeys of the field. A very impressive fourth place at the Sandown 500 last month, hot on the heels of the podium finishers, puts the Ford drivers in the frame for mountain glory.Steven Johnson, son of V8 great Dick Johnson, and Will Davison have enjoyed relative success in 2006 - Johnson eighth in the series with consistency throughout the year.Davison doesn't have much experience at Bathurst, but is surrounded by an experienced team.Some concern over the Falcon's speed, but winning Bathurst isn't always about the fastest car.If they keep their noses clean, and stay out of trouble with the race stewards, they could be amongst the top five.HOLDEN RACING TEAMCar No.22 Holden Commodore VZJim Richards & Ryan BriscoeAge: 59, 24Born: New Zealand Sydney, NSWBathurst Starts: 34 0Best Result: 1st (1978-80, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2002) / Yet to race Master and apprentice.Seven-times Bathurst winner Richards, second only to legend Peter Brock (nine), and V8 rookie Briscoe.Until Sandown last month, Briscoe had never sat in a V8 Supercar.But he stunned everybody putting the HRT Commodore in provisional pole position in just his first qualifying session.Who would have then thought it'd be veteran Richards that ended their dream run with a minor crash on the opening lap of the race.Richards makes his 35th start here, although last year he never got on track as another rookie in James Courtney crashed out early.Like Courtney, Briscoe is raw, aggressive and fast.The former F1 test driver and Bathurst veteran just might be upset winners.AAP

It takes only five minutes with the VE SS to know it is a winner. You can feel it in the suspension and steering, hear it in the thump of the powered-up 6.0-litre V8, and see it on the faces of other drivers.All sorts of people turn to stare at the new SS. Even fast Ford drivers watch to see what their Falcon has to face in the ultimate in Aussie hero worship. They can see the new car looks taut and tough.All the work on the $1 billion Commodore is translated into the success of the latest SS, which will continue the car's hero run as the spearhead of the GM Holden line.The SS has been a winner since the first day the badge was applied to a V8 Commodore, and the new car builds on that success with a good-looking new body and everything from better brakes and excellent electronic stability control to a slick-shifting new six-speed automatic gearbox.Best of all — at least for showroom shoppers — the new SS is far cheaper than the car it replaces, and there is no short-changing on equipment or driving enjoyment.The SS is not our favourite VE. That honour goes to the taut but relaxing Calais V. But it will be a favourite with a lot of Holden people and is already worrying the troops at Ford, Mitsubishi and Toyota.Only Toyota has anything new to rival the Holden, at least until the next Falcon in 2008, but even its highly touted Aurion V6 is going to battle to have any effect on the SS.The Holden hero falls short on manual shift quality, and has dials that are hard to read and some cheapie cabin finishing, but the basics are right and it is a top drive.It should also pick up the benefits if the cost of a litre of unleaded falls below $1 by Christmas.Lots of people like the idea of 270kW, the power-up result from the latest V8, but plenty were also worried by the effects of a year of rising petrol prices.Right now, it looks as if the SS cannot fail.It comes in from $44,990 without short-changing on essentials, despite a price cut of $6800 — or 13.1 per cent — from the previous-generation Commodore SS.That means everything from the thumping V8 and 18-inch alloy wheels to better brakes, a bold new body kit and rear wing, and even a much more sporty interior trim.GM Holden achieved the value-added bottom line by putting an SS-V above the basic car, but has stayed true to the basics of the SS.It costs $2000 to upgrade to the automatic, but it is a far better 'box than the clunky old four-speeder.The car now has 270kW and 530Nm of torque, improved gearing, much better suspension, brakes with better feel and a sports steering wheel with a better shape and grip.GM Holden says the SS is doing well, joining the new Calais as a popular choice with VE buyers.The new SS lines up against the XR6 and XR8 Falcons from Ford, but is much more responsive than the Blue Oval cars. Some shoppers will probably also be looking at an FPV F6 Typhoon to get the same sort of effect at a higher price.No one looking at an SS will shop it seriously against a Mitsubishi 380 GT or a Toyota Camry Sportiva. But the arrival of the VE hero has allowed Holden Special Vehicles to go even higher and harder with its Clubsport and the wonderful new GTS that sets the absolute benchmark for Australian performance cars this year.ON THE ROADLET'S get the bad stuff out of the way first. And it's easy to do, because you see and feel it when you get into the SS.The twin dials are dark red and have tiny numbers, making them hard to see (luckily there is a big digital speed reading), and there are two ridiculous red digital readouts for oil and volts in the centre of the dash.The manual shift is clunky and the centre console looks and feels cheap. We particularly dislike the hard, rough plastic on the handbrake and the electric window switches, which are in the console's centre and prone to collecting drink spills and other gunge.And that's about it.Turn the key, drop the hammer and you have to love the SS.The new chassis means the car is much more rigid, but quieter and more comfortable. That's because the suspension, though SS firm, feeds its loads into its body and not yours.So the car is taut and responsive, with light steering with plenty of feel — too light for some testers — and great brakes. The electronic stability control is a genuine safety net without reducing driving enjoyment.The ride is firm but not overpowering, and more compliant than in the previous SS Commodores. Cornering balance is just plain excellent. Previous generations of the SS always felt as if they had a hinge in the middle, with rock 'n' roll suspension and steering that required more than one attempt for a corner, but this one is rock solid and totally connected.It is more like a BMW than an earlier Commodore, which means you can turn and go in most corners. The car is responsive, but never feels as if it wants to push wide at the front or turn its rear around.The engine is responsive and has more than enough grunt for any job, though it still feels strained if you go beyond 5000 revs. Better to upshift about 4500 and rely on the torque.The manual box is still not as good as that on an import, and it is over-geared in sixth, so we prefer the new auto. We'd go for the self-shifter, because the touch-change manual mode gives you more choices on winding roads and makes the car more responsive.The cabin is comfy and supportive, but the sound system is not as meaty as that in the Calais. And we don't like the outrageous red and black in the test car. Basic black, please.Otherwise, the SS is much as we remember and much as we like it. There is space for five, the alloy wheels look good, the 18-inch tyres have great grip, and the body kit lets everyone know you're driving an SS.The scorecard looks tough on the Mitsubishi 380 and Toyota Camry, but neither car is even close to the appeal of an SS. Even the latest XR Falcons fall short.THE BOTTOM LINEEverything you would expect from an SS and the all-new VE Commodore. A winner.Final Score: 84/100FAST FACTTHE SS has been trumped from inside the Holden family, because the VE line-up also includes the SS-V with the same power pack but extra equipment.INSIDE VIEW$44,990 as testedENGINE: 6.0-litre V8POWER: 270kW at 5700 revsTORQUE: 530Nm at 4400 revsTRANSMISSION: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel-driveBODY: Four-door sedanSEATS: FiveDIMENSIONS: Length 4894mm, width 1899mm, height 1476mm, wheelbase 2915mm, tracks 1592/1608mm front/rearSTEERING: Power-assisted rack-and-pinionFUEL TANK: 73 litresFUEL TYPE: RegularFUEL CONSUMPTION: Average on test 13.4litres/100kmWEIGHT: 1785kgSPARE TYRE: 17-inch steelBRAKES: Anti-skid, ventilated four-wheel discsWHEELS: 18x8TYRES: 245x40SAFETY GEAR: electronic stability program, traction control, anti-skid brakes, front-side airbags, pre-tensioning seatbeltsWARRANTY: Three years/100,000kmFEATURES:Air-conditioningCruise controlAlloy wheelsClimate controlLeather seatsHOW IT COMPARESFord Falcon XR8 77/100 (from $51,330)Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo 79/100 (from $46,405)Mitsubishi 380 GT 74/100 (from $44,990)Toyota Camry Sportivo 72/100 (from $33,000)

Fuel prices may be high, but Australians still love a big car.The launch last month of the new VE Commodore has catapulted the car back to the top of the sales charts after falling behind the Toyota Corolla the previous two months.GM Holden boss Denny Mooney said he was happy with the first couple of weeks of sales of the new VE Commodore and predicted they would beat the Corolla to return to the top of the sales charts by next month.However, the sales surge saw the family favourite return to the top in August after just two weeks of VE sales.Corolla beat Commodore in June by 903 and in July by 689, but VZ and VE Commodore sales in August beat Corolla by 839.And not everyone is buying the base model Commodore."We're seeing a richer mix with more interest in Calais and SS, than base models," Mooney said."Omega (the base model) will be a good fleet car, but not necessarily the volume seller."But don't expect major discounts on runout VZ Commodore stock.Mooney said runout sales of the outgoing VZ Commodore sedan had gone well with only about 1000 left.He said the VZ ute, station wagon and Crewman would continue over the next year and gradually be replaced by VE versions.However, he said the launch next month of the Captiva sports utility vehicle could spell the end for the fuel-guzzling all-wheel-drive VZ Adventra."Some people still want wagons, but the Adventra is pretty low volume," he said.He also said the Captiva would come with a more fuel-miserly diesel engine "soon" but would not confirm whether it would be available from launch.

The range drops the Acclaim, Executive and SV8 models, but there are still three more models than the VZ.Omega is the new base model, taking over from Executive and Acclaim, and a new V variant has been added to the SS and Calais models. And for this year only, the Omega also comes in a V variant for private buyers.The V6 Berlina will remain as the "step up" from the base model with a few more creature comforts thrown in.However, with the up-spec Omega V available, sales of the Omega and V6 Berlina initially might be a little sluggish.Just look at the prices and specification levels.The four-speed auto Omega sells for $34,490 without airconditioning. With air, it costs an extra $2000.However, the Omega V costs $34,990 and includes air.For just $500 more than the base Omega you also get 17-inch alloy wheels, body-coloured door handles and mirrors, and a rear spoiler.The Berlina sells for $39,990, substantially cheaper than the VZ at $43,890.Over the Omega V, what you get for the extra $5000 is additional cluster displays and multi-function screen, side airbags, rear park assist, six-CD unit, leather steering wheel and dual zone air. Depending on what features you need, you could option up an Omega V for less money.I recently had the Berlina for a week and found it just as delightfully quiet, easy to drive, comfortable and reasonably economical as all the other VEs, with just two major concerns.The first is aesthetic. I simply do not like the plastic imitation woodgrain that runs laterally across the dashboard.It is a pale wood colour with darker grains that look like tiger stripes.Even Holden boss Denny Mooney admits it takes some getting used to. A week certainly didn't make it any less offensive to my eyes.The other major concern is the four-speed auto box. It thumps, bumps, hunts and grinds.Holden may have made improvements, but it is still inadequate.

Few would doubt the VE is the most prodigious step Holden has taken since the 48-215 arrived in 1948.The VE is everything that all previous model Commodores since the first one in 1978 weren't.Starting from a clean slate the VE chassis is the most competent in the almost 30-year lineage of family sedans and the body is as tight as a drum.Credit where it's due, the VE steers, rides, handles and stops like a $50,000-plus Euro saloon.Recently we booked in an SV6 and an SS to drive back-to-back over two weeks at a time when all the hype surrounding Holden's August launch had subsided.Both had the 6-speed manual transmission and where one was a pleasure to use the other was like trying to stir a pot of treacle.The SV6 changed gears with efficiency and with a fair degree of certainty.The SS was like reverting to the bad old days of imprecision.It was notchy and half the time you really needed to think whether the shifter docked in first or third after fighting with the stick to find its gate.We would like to give the box the benefit of the doubt but the car had done 6000km. Any tightness should have freed up by now.The curious thing is the SS driven on the launch on a mixture of country tar and dirt roads in South Gippsland in Victoria and at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground had a kinder, looser and more precise gearbox.Then there is the gosh awful handbrake that blends into the centre console cutaway.It has an annoying propensity to jam your finger if you're not careful when you push it down.There is also a flimsy feel to the handbrake when it is engaged with a bit of sideways movement suggesting longevity may be a problem.Now we're not really experts in predicting the future but we'll have a lash and suggest there may be some sort of modification to the handbrake when the first update comes around whether it be late next year or 2008.And inherent through the range is that rotund A-pillar strategically positioned a long way forward and which hampers vision on tight corners and can even shield pedestrians from your view in certain situations.But getting back to basics, the cabins in both the SV6 and SS V, the sports luxury version that Holden has added to the VE range, are tastefully done.There are a few carryover bits from the old range which ended with the VZ such as the stalk-mounted cruise control.However, overall the SV6 and the SS V are worlds removed from the previous model.And they would want to be for the billion-dollar spend the VE program commanded.The only surprise was how invisible the SV6 was in city traffic.Hardly a stare, a second look, let alone anyone hovering close to size up one of Holden's billion-dollar babies.It melded into the masses rather than strike reactions. The SS V, however, had more of an impact, with some drivers darting up close from a long way back and signalling the thumbs up.On the SV6 drive which amounted to about 640km when the tank just about to run dry, the consumption was about 10.7litres but up to half of that was in slow, stop/start traffic.The SS V finished at 11.5litres/100km over 500km but 85 per cent of that was on the open road so realistically you would be looking at around 14-15litres.Some colleagues have reported concerns with interior fit and finish.However, the cars tried in this test seemed quite acceptable, the quality of the finish was never in question.

Circuit: 6.213kmAverage speed: 151 km/hMaximum speed: 292 km/hFastest point: Conrod StraightSlowest point: Forest ElbowQualifying Lap record: Greg Murphy (Holden) 2mins:06.8594secsRacing Lap record: Garth Tander (Holden) 2:08.6726Race ScheduleThursday 10.40am - 1.10pm: Practice SessionFriday 9.20am - 9.50am: Practice Session 10.00am - 10.30am: Practice Session 2.00pm - 3.40pm: Qualifying SessionSaturday 10.00am - 11.00am: Practice Session 3.40pm - 4.25pm: Top 10 ShootoutSunday 7.10am - 7.30am: Warm Up 9.00am - 9.30am: Peter Brock Tribute 10.00am - 5.45pm: Race (161 laps)Recent Winners2005: Mark Skaife & Todd Kelly (Holden)2004: Greg Murphy & Rick Kelly (Holden)2003: Greg Murphy & Rick Kelly (Holden)2002: Mark Skaife & Jim Richards (Holden)2001: Mark Skaife & Tony Longhurst (Holden)2000: Garth Tander & Jason Bargwanna (Holden)1999: Greg Murphy & Steven Richards (Holden)1998: Jason Bright & Steven Richards (Ford)1997: Larry Perkins & Russell Ingall (Holden)1996: Craig Lowndes & Greg Murphy (Holden)Most wins9: Peter Brock7: Jim Richards6: Larry Perkins5: Mark Skaife4: Allan Moffatt, Greg MurphyAAP

Australia has injected excitement into the Paris Motor Show with one of the most outrageous concept cars in the French capital.The Chevrolet WTCC Ultra Concept Car is the work of talented young GM Holden designers Ewan Kingsbury and Breony Crittenden, who stood beside their creation in Paris this week as it was revealed to the world.And there is more to the outrageous new coupe than just a potential motorsport program. The Chevrolet-badged newcomer will probably become the next Holden Viva.It was displayed in Paris with a turbo-diesel engine and stripping away the pumped-out bodywork reveals a good-looking coupe that could easily be turned into a South Korean production car.It is also a fully operational car, not just a plastic body dropped over a set of wheels.The WTCC racer is the latest work from a Holden team that has won a worldwide reputation for its talent and commitment on a range of concept and production cars stretching back to the Suzuki-based Cruze and including the latest Efijy show stopper, VE Commodore and the conversion work on the production model of the Chevrolet Camaro.Kingsbury was the lead designer on the body of the new Chevrolet and Crittenden did the cabin, renewing a partnership that saw them working together on the Torana concept car that was produced in Australia and is still the model for a mid-sized future car stretched out of the VE Commodore mechanical package.The Australian connection on the WTCC car includes designer Max Wolff, who developed the original concept and early design work in South Korea, and the design department workers at Fishermans Bend, who produced the scale and full-sized clay models for the car.The interior was done in Melbourne by a digital sculpting team working entirely on computers.They were not in Paris this week, but the last big international motor show this year was flooded by Australians touting the cars that will be coming Down Under in the next few years.Australians led the work on the WTCC Ultra but Peter Bramberger, design manager at GM Holden, says the car is the most global project undertaken by General Motors."The way the WTCC Ultra took shape is indicative of Chevrolet's international alignment and intentions as a brand," Bramberger says.Apart from the Australian and South Korean input, the WTCC Ultra includes model work in India, technical input from Chevrolet's race team in Britain and a final construction team in Japan, which also builds the Daewoo T2X and S3X four-wheel-drive concepts.And the project was co-ordinated from the United States by GM's global design chief, Ed Welburn.But it is Kingsbury and Crittenden who know the most about the car and what it means."A car's proportions are the biggest factor in its appearance, so all the early work concentrated on this area. Correct proportions are vital, they can make a car look fast even when it's standing still," Kingsbury says."The intention was to give the concept a fresh, exciting and aggressive combination of surfacing and graphics. All the lines on the car accelerate rearward of the front door, to give the car more speed, and keep the visual weight in the correct position."The work on the interior was matched to that concept.Crittendon notes, "We opted for raw dark surfaces by using unpolished metal or matte carbon fibre inserts. By doing this, we kept a little secretive about the material, and called this design principle the 'stealth them'."

They include his six-lap winning margin at Bathurst in 1979, on the day he slam-dunked his superiority by setting the fastest lap of the race on his last lap.And his first Bathurst win, driving single-handed for 500 miles in a giant-killing Holden Torana XU1.And what about the two-hour queue of fans at Bathurst, waiting patiently for a word and an autograph the year of his first (second and third) retirement race?Many of the Brocky stories have passed into folklore. Such as fans getting his autograph on their body and then having a tattoo put over the top of his signature ...There are countless youngsters named Brock by parents who loved the man. Some of us were lucky enough to spend more time with Brocky, and Peter in private, and so the memories are even more special.Here are a few of mine:THRILL RIDESRiding with Brocky was always something to remember. He was brilliant at the Holden proving ground in a V8 Commodore rally car, holding the car in massive sideways drifts as he calmly chatted about a bunch of stuff I can't remember. My brain was overloaded and as frozen by his skill as a kangaroo in a set of headlights.He was totally relaxed as we headed out of the pits at Phillip Island in his Ford Sierra race car, even though my side of the ride was on a piece of foam without a seat belt or even a seat.He was incredibly focussed as he blitzed Sandown in the same Sierra, after asking what lap time Dick Johnson had done in an earlier passenger ride. Brock was so committed to beating the mark that he fired us on to the track before I had time to grab a helmet. And, yes, he went quicker. But only after we slip-streamed past Allan Moffat at the top of the back straight.The last time I took a track lap was at Bathurst in 2002. Mount Panorama was damp, we were on slicks, and Brock's black eyes were flashing like a pair of precious pearls. Then we ran off the road coming into The Chase. It was never a drama but Brocky was annoyed."Bugger," he joked. "As soon as I realised we were going on to the grass I knew you had your story."MONEYBrock never spoke about money. And often didn't have his wallet with him but he lit up when we published a story which said he was earning $1 million a year.I was called into the presence of Peter Perfect for a severe dressing down.Once he had calmed down, it emerged that he was really worried about the Tax Department reading the story and chasing him for more money.After all, he had been through a long, tough fight with the cash men in Canberra after the collapse of his Holden Dealer Team operation that was only resolved many years later.A few months later, Brocky was smiling again when I asked him about the $1 million man tag. "So, did we get it right?" I asked. "Actually, you were about $200,000 light," he said laughing.LUCKUntil last Friday, Brock had barely stubbed a toe during his race career. He walked away from some big hits and was only really injured twice, once while driving Bob Jane's Chevrolet Monza sports sedan in Adelaide and more recently when he raced a go-kart in a fun run in Darwin.But there was much more to his luck."Brock never made a mistake," says his friend and rally co-driver, journalist Wayne Webster. "He never took the wrong road, it was always my fault."He never crashed when we competed in the Australian Safari. I had told him the wrong thing."LIFE ADVICEYou could always rely on Brock for an inspiring note alongside his signature. Something along the lines of "Live your dream". But, privately, he could deliver amazing insights.There were many times when Brock was involved in a difficult story, from his troubles with the Tax Department to his Bathurst comebacks and even the split from Beverley.His attitude was simple, like the time I called to ask about that Bathurst comeback. "Please don't ask me today. I don't want to have to lie to you," Brock said.And when things got messy with his life partner? "You have to do what you have to do. I understand," he said.CO-DRIVERSOne-time Bathurst winner Tomas Mezera shared a Commodore with Peter Perfect at Mount Panorama and learned all about the legend."Brock ruined my career," Mezera jokes. "He came in at Bathurst and gave me the car and it was like a pachinko parlour in Japan. All the lights were on and flashing. It was stuffed."But Brock told everyone on TV that 'Tomas broke the car' and they believed him. The bugger. But no one thought that Peter Brock could do anything wrong."THE POLARIZERA tiny device cost Brock his Holden Dealer Team business and drove a wedge into his relationship with Holden.It was called the Energy Polarizer and was developed in partnership with his friend Ric Dowker to align the energy fields in a car. The theory was that it would make any car drive better.I sampled a car in 1986 and agreed. I even wrote in a story that I thought the Polarizer worked.Most people though it was bunk and Brock was driven into the wilderness, while Dowker was branded as "Doctor Feelgood" and the man who brought Brock down.But Brock bounced back, he and Dowker remained best friends, and he privately stayed committed to the Polarizer."How do we prove it works? They haven't invented the machine yet to prove it works," Brock said, just last year.SAFETY Brock knew that motor racing was dangerous. He also believed he could not be hurt in a car, and had no real fear of death.Which is perhaps why his ideas on an upgrade for Mount Panorama were not what the officials were expecting when they called to consult him."I told them to get big billets of aluminium, then sharpen them like pencils," he said."Then I told them to install them in the wall where you come over Skyline. That would get people thinking. You have to have consequences in motor racing."NICKNAMESIn Brock's world, all the significant people had some sort of nickname. Beverley became "Bevo" and his public relations man Tim Pemberton became "Plastic" (something to do with his ability to withstand heat).Neil Burns was "Part" because of he was prematurely bald and had the world's lowest hair parting.John Harvey was "Slug" because he was from Sydney, which Brock called "slug city", and Grant Steers was "The Spear" because he had a pointed head but also because he was the Mister Fixit for Brock at Holden.THE LAST STARTWhen Brock went to Bathurst in 2004 to drive for the Holden Racing Team he was past it. He had not driven a V8 Supercar for too long, he was getting old, and his heart was not in the racing.No one said it, no one wanted to believe it, but the stopwatch does not lie. Still, Brocky was as popular as ever and in huge demand from his fans, who were dreaming of a miracle 10th win at the Mountain.HRT had imported crack British racer Jason Plato and he was chosen to start the race, to keep Brock out of the early rough-house racing. But he hit the wall and then was hit by John Cleland, who upended his Falcon over the top of the 05 Commodore.Brock was still in the pits, wearing his fireproof suit and looking like the legend. Now he did not have to race, or have his incredible reputation tarnished by a sub-Brock result."It's amazing how the universe looks after these things, isn't it," Brock told me, with just the touch of a smile. 

From the background to the limelight, cars have been a vital ingredient in Australian television – be it Ted Bullpitt's obsession with his Kingswood, to Kath's "beep beep Barina".The Wiggles would be lost without their Big Red Car - and how would Australia's best on-screen detectives have caught their criminals without their trusty Fords and Holdens in shows such as Division 4, Homicide, Matlock or Blue Heelers.Cars have also been involved in the invention of new technology, with Channel Seven pioneering the Racecam, a camera mounted inside race cars that lets viewers see their driving heroes in action.It ranged from the lively connection to the camera from Sydney car dealer and driver Peter Williamson and the whimsical Dick Johnson to others such as Bob Morris, who wasn't quite as excited over the technology.Four-wheel drives have allowed the Bush Tucker Man, Russell Coight and Malcolm Douglas to explore nature, bringing the outdoors to our living rooms.Outback automotive ingenuity starred in Bush Mechanics.And it was cars that came to the rescue when Seven experienced a power outage during filming for the first show, with car headlights used to light the set.Now take a walk down memory lane as CARSguide brings you the best, the worst, the coolest and the daggiest cars of Australian television.Kingswood Country"Not the Kingswood" were the words made famous by Ted Bullpitt as he spoke of his pride and joy, never allowing his son or son-in-law to drive his beloved Holden car.The Leyland BrothersIt was a Toyota LandCruiser that allowed Mike and Mal to "travel all over the countryside, ask the Leyland brothers", as they brought the delights of Australia to television - a forerunner to today's travel shows such as Getaway and The Great Outdoors.Beyond TomorrowA show exploring new and upcoming technology, Beyond Tomorrow has shown off some of the fastest and most impressive cars, from the Lotus Exige to the Koenigsegg CCX and concept cars such as the Holden EFIJY.BathurstThe top race car drivers and the best cars are brought to the small screen in an annual ritual. Highlights have included the Australian innovation of Racecam, which put cameras inside speeding cars; Dick Johnson's famous tangle with a rock and the resulting crash in 1980 that led to an impromptu fund-raising telethon; Peter Brock's teammate Doug Chivas running out of petrol and pushing his car in 1973, and the 1977 Ford 1-2 finish captured by Channel Seven's chopper.SkippySonny and Skippy, his clever pet kangaroo, were the undoubted stars of the show, but who can forget Tony Bonner's knockabout ranger character and his tough-as-teak XR Ford station wagon kicking up clouds of dust as he made his daily runarounds?The SullivansSet during Word War II, this story followed the Sullivan family - and it was an old Ford that was their vehicle of choice.Comedy CompanyGlen Robbins' character Uncle Arthur, one of the stars of this Channel Ten sketch show, relied on an Austin A70 for transportation.The WigglesThose skivvy-wearing, finger-pointing Wiggles travel in class as they bundle into their Big Red Car.Kath & KimThe "beep beep Barina" took foxy Kath on all of her journeys, especially her shopping trips to the Fountain Gate shopping centre.The Aunty Jack ShowThe star of this comedy series, which aired in the early 1970s, was a motorcycle riding, transvestite boxer. And it wasn't just any old motorcycle but a Harley Davidson that everyone's favourite aunty rode.Mother And SonA divorced son, a peculiar mother and a Morris Minor. Mother and Son was a classic Australian comedy and the quaint and quirky British car matched the characters.The Bush Tucker ManIn his trusty, rugged Land Rover, Australian Army bush survival expert Les Hiddins went right off the beaten track to bring the Outback and its host of hidden, free culinary delights to city slickers' lounge rooms.TorquePeter Wherrett's pioneering ABC car show broke new ground by bringing car tests and new products to our screens in the '70s. No other Australian car shows have reached the same heights. However, Jeremy Clarkson and his BBC Top Gear show have followed the theme and taken car shows to a new level.Sylvania WatersIn what was essentially Australia's first reality television show, this documentary followed Noeline Baker and Laurie Donaher and their family. The Donahers were already a motor-racing family, with starts at Bathurst in a Holden Commodore and in historic touring car racing in a classic Ford Mustang.HomicideShot in Melbourne, Homicide used Falcon XPs and XRs as police cars. It ran for a decade from the mid-'60s to the mid-'70s and was one of the most popular and influential programs of the time, winning 11 Logies.Matlock PoliceNot so much a car as the star (Valiants filled the car role) - instead it was the police bike Paul Cronin's character rode that is synonymous with this '70s cop show.A Country PracticeFew star TV cars have ever lived beyond the small screen, but the red Falcon ute used in Wandin Valley has survived. Now restored, it is a regular at Sydney car shows.Peking To ParisThe car hit of 2006 saw five ancient machines recreate an historic car race. The three-wheeled Contal was the star.All-Aussie AdventuresAnother persona of comedian Glenn Robbins. In this hilarious show, inept would-be larrikin adventurer Russell Coight, the man who is a danger to anyone (or anything) he meets, gets around the outback, somehow, in a rugged-looking Toyota LandCruiser.Acropolis NowIt was hotted-up Valiants and Monaros, mag wheels and fluffy dice all round in this Greek Australian comedy set around a restaurant in Melbourne.Great commercialsAnd love them or hate them, there have also been some great car ads on Aussie TV. They include: the Yellow Pages Goggomobile ad (gee-oh, gee-gee-oh), Honda's award-winning Cog ad where an Accord performs piece by piece, GMH's "Football, Meat Pies, Kangaroos and Holden cars", Valiant's "Hey Charger" campaign, and the catchy "Go well, go Shell" jingle are among them.

Petrol-electric cars would become an everyday sight here by 2015, Dr Andreas Truckenbrodt said, with Australia likely to follow American buying patterns rather than European. However, Dr Truckenbrodt, who was here to review the two-year trial of fuel cell buses in Perth, reversed years of predictions by DaimlerChrysler by saying hydrogen power would be limited to niche vehicles."Your repertoire of vehicle sizes and driving styles is closer to North America than Europe," he said. "Europe will be overwhelmingly diesel, but the open question is Japan."Forecasts pointed to the US vehicle market being 65 per cent petrol, 25 per cent hybrid and 10 per cent diesel in 2015, he said.Europe would remain at 50 per cent diesel with hybrids taking a smaller bite from the sales of petrol cars.DaimlerChrysler, BMW and General Motors are jointly developing a new type of hybrid transmission that promises greater efficiency than existing designs.The "dual mode" system would appear in US showrooms next year in large SUVs from Chevrolet and Dodge. Later versions would be offered in Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz passenger cars. The system could be engineered for front or rear-drive, Dr Truckenbrodt said.GM's version has been designed to fit in the casing of the long-serving four-speed automatic used in the VE Commodore - a significant step in making a hybrid version of the car feasible. This year Holden received $48 million from the federal Government to investigate building a petrol-electric version of its large sedan.Dr Truckenbrodt, DaimlerChrysler's executive director on the $1.3 billion Detroit-based project, said hybrids were one of many options the company was examining in response to oil shortages and greenhouse concerns. "It's becoming clear there is no single solution which will be the silver bullet," he said.Previously, DaimlerChrysler had predicted offering hydrogen fuel-cell powered Mercedes-Benz cars by 2010 but Dr Truckenbrodt said the problems of hydrogen storage and infrastructure had proved more difficult than designing viable fuel cell engines."This is not a problem just for DaimlerChrysler but for the whole industry," he said.He predicted fuel cell vehicles would be confined to small niches such as urban buses and delivery vans. "It is not the case that the next 20 years will see the replacement of the internal combustion engine," he said.With petrol and diesel engines here to stay, hybrid technology was the best way of increasing their efficiency and lowering emissions. But future hybrids had to show more improvement in fuel consumption than early designs had done, he said. Trendsetters had bought the first generation of hybrids as environmental statements, but mainstream buyers would consider them only if they significantly cut fuel bills while retaining the feel of a conventional vehicle."More and more customers are buying hybrids because they want to see the payoff," he said. "We're confident the dual mode system will have less distance between its certification (fuel consumption) numbers and real world numbers."DaimlerChrysler would apply the new hybrid system to diesel engines, but Dr Truckenbrodt said combining technologies would make the vehicles very expensive.