Six-pot power play

By ALASTAIR SLOANE


The so-called "power war" between Holden and Ford moves up a gear with the Torana study, a mid-sized hatchback concept named after the car Holden stopped building in 1979.

The hot pink four-door, dubbed the "Torana TT36" and unveiled at the Sydney motor show, shows that Holden and its parent General Motors are still toying with the idea of a mid-sized rear-drive rival to BMW's 3-Series.

But the hand-built, twin-turbo version of Holden's new 3.6-litre Alloytec 190kW (255bhp) V6 Commodore engine under the bonnet shows also that Holden is mounting a six-cylinder power play to rival Ford.

The experimental engine produces 280kW (375bhp) and around 480Nm of torque - most of it available from just 1600rpm - and points to the development potential of the new Australian-built V6 engine in future Commodore models.

It is a reminder to Ford and its Falcon XR6 Turbo engine, which uses a boosted 4-litre straight-six producing 240kW (320bhp) and 450Nm of torque, that Holden is hovering. But an hour or so after it revealed the TT36 concept, Ford's go-fast arm, Ford Performance Vehicles, took the power war up another notch with the road-ready F6 Typhoon.

The Falcon-based Typhoon uses a revised version of the XR6 engine, heavily reworked by high-performance outfit Prodrive to produce 270kW (362bhp) and 550Nm. The engine features a 50 per cent larger intercooler and more efficient induction system, which increases turbo boost pressure by 50 per cent to 0.64bar.

It also features revised internal parts, including high-strength valve springs and heavy-duty conrods, as well as a special oil cooler.

To cope with 550Nm - the highest torque output of any Australian-built production engine - the F6 Typhoon uses a twin-plate clutch built by British specialist AP Racing and mated to a revised version of the six-speed Tremec T56 manual gearbox.

FPV managing director David Flint said: "The F6 Typhoon is the next vehicle to deliver on our promise of creating a family of high-performance vehicles that appeal to a broader community of sports car enthusiasts.

"This car proves that FPV is a leader and not a follower. The F6 Typhoon is unrivalled in this marketplace and takes our commitment to the local high-performance car segment to a new level. We believe the F6 Typhoon fits in to our existing range perfectly." Ford's new performance sedan goes on sale in Australia this month, priced at A$58,950.

But it will cost more than the exchange equivalent of $63,300 when it goes on sale in New Zealand in the New Year. The price should be available by December.

The Torana TT36 project was originally codenamed XP54, reflecting the acronym "eXperimental Project" and coded 54 in recognition of Holden's so-called Studio 54 design workshops in Melbourne.

Holden managing director Denny Mooney said the TT36 - twin-turbo 3.6 - represented a revolution in concept car design at Holden. "All recent show cars have been based on our Commodore V-car platform," he said.

"Torana TT36, on the other hand, shares many basic structural elements with the latest GM sports concepts and much of its chassis componentry is sourced directly from GM.

"It is the first Holden show car to merge Australian design and engineering expertise with GM technical resources. Quite simply, for us it is a 'game changer' in automotive design and production. Naming the concept car was easy. We knew many fans would immediately call it Torana because it is a high-powered, mid-size, rear-wheel-drive hot hatch."

Design director Tony Stolfo said the concept's aggressive, sports-oriented front end recalled its hard-charging Torana heritage while speaking the design language of the here and now.

"It also displays some of the key proportion we'll see in future cars generally: front wheels forward, minimal overhang, high belt lines and a high deck. All these elements create strength and purpose and deliver expressive contemporary styling."

The car's interior, with its soft-feel textures, white leather seats, LED lighting effects, and touch-pad technology, is described by its designers as "nu luxury".

"The TT36 may be simply for show," said Stolfo, "but it's not outrageous technology. We consider that something very close to this concept could be practically achievable in the not-too-distant future."

Holden launched the original two-door Torana HB in 1967.

It was based on the British Vauxhall Viva HB and powered by a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine. But it struggled to live up to the Torana name, an Aboriginal word meaning "to fly". Later models did, however.

The Torana regarded as the first real "Australian" example was the LC of 1969. It introduced traditional six-cylinder Holden power to the range and spawned the icon Torana models, the GTR and GTR X-U1. The Torana UC of 1978 was the last of the line.