Lotus position

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

Holden caught the motoring world on the hop when it unveiled the Commodore coupe at the Sydney Motor Show 18 months ago.

It will catch a few people unawares again next week when it takes the wraps off the mid-engined Opel Speedster in Melbourne.

Holden Australia is flying in a Speedster from Europe, where the production model was unveiled at this week's Geneva Motor Show.

The two-seater Speedster is based on the lickety-split Lotus Elise and will go into production in June at the Lotus plant near Norwich, England.

It will be badged an Opel in Europe, Vauxhall in Britain and Holden in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Production is likely to be limited to 3000 cars a year.

There will be few comforts. "The Speedster is the natural conclusion of our philosophy of creating an unadulterated sports car," said Dr Doris Bernhardt, who headed development in Germany.

"Every decision hinged on the same question: Will this make the Speedster a more dynamic drive?

"As a result, the two-seater has a roll-over bar, anti-lock ABS brakes, a driver-side airbag and seatbelt pre-tensioners as a matter of course.

"But it is unburdened by conveniences like power steering, air-conditioning, seat warmers or central locking - features that would add weight and clash with its uncompromising character."

Holden Australia will use the Melbourne show car to gauge potential sales, as it did with the prototype Commodore coupe.

But industry insiders across the Tasman are already saying the Speedster's appearance Down Under later this year is a sure thing, a better bet than Australia winning one-dayers.

Opel and Holden are owned by American giant General Motors. GM wants to use Opel to gain a bigger share of the Asia-Pacific market.

The Speedster would allow Holden to enter for the first time the Asia-Pacific two-seater market, one that Mazda has dominated with the MX-5.

The only hitch is price. A limited-edition European vehicle like the Speedster - especially with its Lotus link - will be more expensive than a similar special from Japan.

Therefore it is likely to cost more than the Mazda MX-5, which starts at about $40,000, and less than the $73,000 Lotus Elise. Lotus is a supercar; Holden is mainstream. The price would have to reflect that.

The lightweight Speedster - 850kg kerb weight - is powered by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine delivering 108kW at 5800 rpm and 203Nm of pulling power, 90 per cent of which is available from 1800 rpm.

The engine is an aluminium version of the unit fitted to the latest model Holden Vectra and is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. It gives the Speedster a top speed of about 220 km/h and a zero to 100 km/h sprint time of under six seconds.

What you see is what you get in the interior, the dominating feature of which is the aluminium chassis. Instruments are kept to a bare minimum - a rev counter, speedometer, LCD display, leather steering wheel, aluminium gear knob and starter button.

The fold-away roof fits behind the seats and the 206-litre boot, which is at the rear behind the engine, can carry "weekend luggage for two," says Opel.

The chassis is a unique bonded aluminium with composite body panels, near-identical to that of the Elise.

The bonding specialist, Hydro Raufoss Automotive, opened a factory in Britain and moved production from Scandanavia to prepare for the extra workload in June.

The suspension is a double-wishbone setup and the car sits on 17-inch wheels. Opel says the Speedster's low centre of gravity gives it exceptional cornering ability, further improved by the car's wide track - 1450mm at the front and 1488mm at the rear.

Another car Holden New Zealand especially wants to get hold of is the Astra coupe. It goes on sale in Europe next week and is expected to be available here later in the year.

The coupe will give the four-cylinder Astra range a whole new image. It is being built by Bertone, at the Italian coachbuilder's new plant near Turin.

It is longer and lower than the Astra hatchback but its wheelbase and width is identical. Its low profile gives it a aerodynamic CD factor 0f 0.28, as good as it gets.

Holden says the frameless doors and black B-pillars were designed to emphasise the car's sporting character, by creating an impression of a single, one-piece window section.

Europeans will have the choice of three four-cylinder engines - a 1.8-litre developing 85kW, a 2.2-litre producing 108kW, and a turbocharged 2-litre unit pumping out 140kW and 250Nm of pulling power at 2000 rpm.

The coupe will come with state-of-the-art safety equipment, including dual airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes, traction control and an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP).