Special Holden Commodore trio confirmed

HOLDEN has put out the call to Australian-built Commodore fans with a new page on its website that is inviting customers to register interest in a trio of special limited edition cars, ahead of their arrival in January.

No information other than an obscure image has been provided on the page, but it is known that the three variants will be based on the car-maker’s Calais V, SS-V Redline sedan and Ute and are expected to have a number of exclusive enhancements.

The single website image is hinting that one of the specials will be dressed up in a red and black theme courtesy of a blurred view of a red-lipped black alloy wheel and matching front bumper highlight, while a second vehicle sports a black vent on a white bonnet in the foreground.

In acknowledgement of the model’s 38-year run, Holden’s website is spruiking the variants with the words “One iconic nameplate. Three limited editions”.

It is possible customers will be charged a premium over the standard vehicle, which is priced at $58,690 before on-road costs for the SS-V Redline sedan and $50,990 for its Ute equivalent, while a Calais V starts at $57,990.

Holden has not confirmed if the special edition modifications will be limited to aesthetic tweaks or if they will bring extra equipment or a tune up for increased performance.

Production numbers have not been confirmed for any of the three at this stage, but it is understood that the availability will be very limited and interested parties are advised to get in early.

Names are also still under wraps, but some speculative reports and hearsay predicts the revival of some significant monikers from Holden’s past.

If true, the Director nameplate would resurrect a name not seen since the mid-1980s when the extremely limited variant was offered, albeit under the Holden Dealer Team (HDT) banner, while the return of the Magnum badge would end a 33-year hiatus.

The car-maker has already started the series of Commodore send-off special treatments ahead of the locally-made model’s end next year, including a V8 upgrade from 6.0-litre to 6.2 litres – previously the preserve of the Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) range – and an employee-only limited model dubbed Reserve.

HSV has started its own set of Commodore-honouring specials with all variants except the Grange now fitted with the supercharged LSA 6.2-litre V8 as well as a number of specials including the SV, SV Black and Track Edition.

Rumours say HSV is planning a big send off for the locally-built Commodore which provides the basis for its entire range, with a mighty GTS-R and Final Edition reportedly in the works.

The Commodore name will be retained when the European-sourced vehicle arrives to coincide with the end of Australian Holden production next year.