Bigger banger arrives in town

By Alastair Sloane

This is the first picture of the VTII Commodore SS, the facelifted sports variant from Holden. The SS was in the first shipment of updated VTII Commodores to land in Auckland last week.

The SS uses the new 5.7-litre Generation III V8, an American-made motor which produces 220kW and 446Nm of pulling power. It delivers 23 per cent more power and 11.5 per cent more torque than the engine it replaces, the Australian-made 5-litre V8.

Meanwhile, Holden is looking at another important equipment replacement, this time an Australian-made automatic gearbox to replace an American-built one. Holden has fitted the BTR four-speed transmission to a handful of vehicles for evaluation as part of a drive to cut the cost of building the Commodore.

The BTR is built in Albury, New South Wales, and is the same gearbox as that used in the AU Ford Falcon, the Holden Commodore's great rival.