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Motor shows are all about sights, but sometimes you get sounds as well. Holden claimed Melbourne Motor Show-star status last week with the surprise unveiling of a new concept car - the Coupe 60.
Design boss Tony Stolfo was the man charged with idling the one-of-a-kind machine down the car-catwalk after the big reveal. The Coupe 60 rolled gently up to the podium and the arena erupted with two quick blips of the throttle. The thunderous exhaust note of a 6.0-litre engine made this concept car seem real.
It's a big birthday year for Holden - the Coupe is officially celebrating 60 years since the company built the first 48-215 sedan at Fisherman's Bend, Melbourne. It's also 50 years since Holden Vehicle Operations started at Melbourne, 20 years since the formation of HSV, and 40 years since the launch of the first Holden Monaro, which makes the Coupe 60 something of a double-whammy celebration.
According to the Holden blurb accompanying the car, the Coupe 60 marks the "diamond anniversary of the first all-Australian car", as well as "providing a glimpse of Holden's future directions in design, engineering and emerging technologies".
Yeah, right. But what the Coupe 60 says to most people - including the Holden-flag-waving punters visiting the Melbourne show as you read this - is "New Monaro". At this stage, Holden says the Coupe 60 is a concept only.
But it's built on the VE Commodore platform - on exactly the same wheelbase measurement as the sedan - and should the carmaker decide to do it, there's little to stop the concept becoming production reality.
The design details aside, the only thing that might put a spoke in the factory works is the pillarless roof, which could present an engineering challenge for a production car. Get that sorted and you'd have a strong car to also provide the basis for a convertible.
The Coupe 60 is almost 60mm shorter than the VE sedan thanks to reduced overhangs, and 44mm lower because of that sleek roofline.
Some of the styling inspiration comes from V8 Supercars - the cabin has one-piece carbon fibre seats, the underbody is completely flat and the rear has an aerodynamic diffuser. The Coupe 60 rides on 21-inch wheels with semi-slick racing-style tyres.
Amid all the muscle-car excitement, you can even pretend the Coupe 60 is a little bit green. That thunderous 6.0-litre V8 is calibrated to run on E85 (85 per cent ethanol biofuel) and features active fuel management.
The car was created under Holden designer Peter Hughes, who says: "We were looking to mark the diamond anniversary with a car that captured the Holden DNA and took the VE to an exciting next step. Even in the early stages of VE development, we knew there was a sensational coupe waiting to get out and the 60th anniversary has given us the chance to explore that.
"With the Coupe 60 we think we have designed a car that has the potential to write another chapter in the book of Holden icons."
Moments after Holden's dry-ice-and-coloured-lights presentation of the Coupe 60 to the media, builders descended and started dismantling the massive launch structure, turning Holden's area from media launch centre to motor show display for the public days.
When the motor show glitz and glamour is long gone, it's likely that the Coupe 60 - aka the VE Monaro - will be back again.
