Jamie

That'd be a good bet. BTW: Saw a new VE HSV in my local shopping centre car park. It was fitted with the same wheels that G8 show car was wearing. Apparently they are the standard wheel fitted to the VE HSV GTS.

There are some hints from people in the know that the initial Australian availability date is going to be dictated by external parts suppliers. Word is that the earliest we could see the VE Ute in Australia is late 3Q 2007, with 4Q 2007, and even 1Q 2008 being mentioned if there is a problem with suppliers.

There are also reported to be quite a few of the camouflaged VE Utes running around the Melbourne area.

Yeah, a blast from the past. April 1 to be precise.

Fittitng 14 mm diameter studs to a VB - VZ Commodore should be a straight forward job. A bit of drilling so the larger diameter stud would fit the early model hubs would be required. The only other issue would be the PCD (Pitch Circle Diameter). Using a 12x1.5 nut with a larger taper for the purposes of using a VE wheel on an earlier model Commodore is not advised, as there would be too much clearance between the wheel stud and the drilling in the rim. You would wind up with an extra millimetre clearance all around the stud. In theory it should work, provided the rim is correctly centre bore located on the hub. The problem would be to find a nut maker who would put his company on the line to cater for the (possibly) few who would need such a nut. The VZ and earlier commodores have a 5 x 120mm PCD stud layout, but I don't know if the VE uses the same PCD. Some people I know that have looked at the VE stud pattern say that it appears to be a smaller PCD, but as they haven't actually made any measurements, it may just be an optical illusion created by the bigger diameter studs on the VE.

The Drive Team, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15/12/06 Holden has told its dealers that the new VE model's wheels won't fit old Commodores. Holden VE Commodore: production line at the Elizabeth factory in Adelaide. When Holden introduced the all-new VE Commodore in August it changed some crucial dimensions of the wheel-locating system. This was done to avoid confusion on the production line (as the Holden factory will be building both new and old models for some time yet) and to cope with the new Commodore's extra weight, width and grip levels. Holden sent the following statement to Drive on Wednesday: "Fitting VE wheels onto a VZ [or earlier model Commodore] is not recommended or condoned by GM Holden as it raises some safety concerns as there are two major differences in the wheels." Holden said the VE Commodore has 14mm wheel studs and earlier Commodores have 12mm wheel studs. "If a VE wheel were fitted onto a VZ [or earlier model Commodore] there is a concern that there would not be enough bearing area under the retention nut on the aluminium wheel, which, worse case scenario, means the wheel could potentially fall off."

HYUNDAI GENESIS PREMIUM SPORTS SEDAN : SPECIFICATIONS * Configuration: Front engine rear-wheel-drive sports sedan * Wheelbase: 2935 mm / 115.6 inches * Overall length: 5005 mm / 197.0 inches * Overall width: 1863 mm / 73.3 inches * Overall height: 1490 mm / 58.7 inches * Track, f/r: 1575 mm / 62.0 inches, 1580 mm / 62.2 inches * Wheels: 20” multi-spoke alloy * Engine type: V8 * Estimated max power: Well over 300HP (+223kW) * Estimated max torque: Over 300 lb. ft. (+407Nm) * Displacement: 4,627 cc * Block material: High pressure die casting aluminium block * Cylinder head material: Aluminium * Valvetrain: Dual Over Head Camshafts (DOHC) per bank * Valve timing: Continuously variable * Variable induction system * Fuel delivery: Multi-port fuel injection * Bore & stroke: 92 x 87 * Estimated 0-60 mph (96km/h): well under 6.0 seconds * Top speed: 130 mph (209km/h) (restricted) * Recommended fuel: Unleaded petrol. * Transmission type: ZF 6-speed automatic with SHIFTRONIC manual control * Suspension: Front: multi-link (5-link) / Rear multi-link (5-link). * Stabilizer bar (front/rear): 26 mm/18 mm * Weight distribution front to rear: 53:47 * Brakes: Power-assisted 4-wheel disc with ABS,EBD & BA. * Front brake diameter (mm / in): 320 / 12.6 ventilated disc * Rear brake diameter (mm / in): 315 / 12.4 solid disc * Steering type: Speed-sensing rack-and-pinion * Steering ratio: 14.86 more details

This was his first attempt to tweak things with Beta level software. The VZ series Holdens are pretty conservatively tuned (not much advance, a rich fuel mix and hair trigger detonation detectors). This week he's supposed to be getting a 190kW/250HP VZ version to play with. The estimates are that with the next gen software and running on the available 98 RON octane fuel, 250 rw HP is an easy goal. The current VE series have 180kw/235HP as the base engine and 195kw/255HP optional.

A guy I know from another automotive forum works for a company that does dyno tuning. They just got a beta release of the software that allows them to custom modify the engine management code in Holden's Alloy Tech V6, otherwise known as GM's HFV6. To test the software, he decided to play with his wife's Commodore VZ Ute (fitted with a stock, base level 175kw/230 hp engine). Rolled onto the dyno, with its stock engine management settings, it produced 167 rear wheel HP running on 91 octane (that's 91 RON octane, roughly the same as 87 RON+MON/2 octane available in the US). He then proceeded to play with the software to change the fuel and ignition, and later tweaked the cam timing. By the time he stopped playing, still running on the same 91 octane fuel, the car was producing 191 rw hp. It was pretty much a smooth 15% power gain over the entire rev range. It is expected that when the final software is released with the full feature set enabled, it will allow them to gain more power. His wife loves the results, and reports that it's a lot smoother at the lower rpms, and no longer shakes at idle. red line is stock blue line is fuel and ignition changed only green line is cam timing adjusted to suit There is a down side to the HFV6. The general impression with these engines from people that are trying to re-work them for performance applications is that when it comes to getting big power, the heads will be the biggest problem. The ports are too small, and the castings are so thin, that opening the ports is not an option. It is generally considered that unless a new set of heads are produced, the older 3.8 litre Buick V6 has more tuning potential and will produce more power.

Link to a post in the CAMAROZ28.COM forum I know. It's not politically correct to laugh at the things done by the extremely drunk and/or mentally deficient, but I don't care. I'm having a good laugh at what this idiot has done to himself.

Interesting article looking at the hidden environmental impact of the Hybrids. Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage A quote from the article "Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius".

SeaMonkey 1.1.1 or 1.1.0 on my Windows machines, and SeaMonkey 1.0.x or 1.1.x on my Linux Machines. I'd been using the Mozilla Suite for quite a while. I started using Firefox back when it was called Firebird, but as it was developed, some of the ways it did things changed, and I didn't like the way it worked, so I switched back to the Mozilla Suite. When Mozilla was abandoned in Favor of Firefox, and another team created SeaMonkey out of the ashes of the abandoned Mozilla, I switched to the SeaMonkey Suite.

At about 6pm saturday night the Ute was travelling down a 50kmh zone (at an eyewitness estimated speed of between 150 and 200kmh). They have gone through one of Kalgoorlie's notorious spoon drains and launched into the air. Upon bouncing back to earth something broke and the driver lost control, jumped the curb and impacted the tree pictured. It has literally torn the ute in half , seperating fuel tank, rear firewall, tray, bumpers and tray liner. The owner of the ute is just 18 and hasn't had the car for long. He wasn't driving. An age unknown friend was, and witnesses say they both appeared to be drunk. Initial reports were that the owner was out of the ute yelling at his freind "Look what you have done to my ute, mate!". They both walked away unharmed ... but I bet they had headaches when they woke up on Sunday morning. On a few of the Australian automotive forums, there are already people asking about the condition, availability, and price of the LS1 engine and gearbox for their own projects.

More pictures here.

First Bugatti Veyron crash

Holden has announced that 600 jobs are to go at its plant in Adelaide's north. The company's general manager of manufacturing, Rod Keane, says it was a difficult decision but one which was made for two reasons. He says the increased efficiency of the Elizabeth plant after a $500 million investment by Holden and the phasing out of the VZ model Commodore has left Holden overstaffed. Mr Keane says by the end of the year the Elizabeth Plant will be operating at maximum efficiency, churning out 620 cars each day. More of the news item on the Australian Broadcasting Commission web site.

A lot of people in other forums are commenting about the tree not showing any damage. I suspect that there's another tree involved that isn't in any of the photographs. However, the crash is quite real. Here's details from one of the English language Luxembourg news services.

More pictures on the Audi RS6 Forum Things to be aware of: The car is an Audi RS6 Avant ABT, and was in pristine condition before the incident. The photos show the car exactly as it was after the crash (there was no cutting of moving of the vehicle done by the emergency response team). The driver called emergency services on his cellphone and got out unaided. The driver had only minor scratches, and after a couple of hours in hospital, came out with only a bandage on his little finger. And for the understatement of the day, "The police believe that excessive speed was a contributory factor in the accident".

Holden has been showing a bright red G8 to the Australian media (was on the evening news on all the channels I looked at). It was wearing standard Commodore 5 spoke alloys, there was no stitching on the dash, but the Pontiac emblem on the nose looked like the one on the Chicago show car. It pretty much looked like a standard LHD Commodore with Pontiac nose trim.

My wife took these on Tuesday at the farm house we are renting in Newfoundland ... of course, I'm currently back in Australia suffering through a heat wave. By the time I get back to Newfoundland, winter will be over, so after we buy our place there (and it'll be a few acres and will have a long driveway), I'll have time to buy a truck and fit it with a snow-plough blade and get a serious sized snow blower. Yes, that's a garage door under the house in the last photo. It's not quite as bad as it looks, as the driveway to the garage is in a cutting, and the yard to the right is 3 to 4 feet higher than the driveway, but it's still pretty deep. Even with all the snow, Newfoundland is so much better than the place we were at in Northern Manitoba, where they don't get as much snow, but temperatures below -40 degrees (and that's not the wind chill figure) are not uncommon.

Probably not smiling now ... Jason Huljich, left, and, right, his sister Rachel, and his sorry looking Maserati after its forklift fiasco. The plot outline: Lady parks brother's Maserati 3200 GT in a construction zone whilst brother overseas Builders decide to move Maserati with a forklift Maserati on forklift decides to fall from a height of 2 metres Maserati ends up on its roof Builder now facing possible charges This all happened in Sydney yesterday ... according to the following article from the Sydney Morning Herald, builders have been moving cars that way for a while now.Oh brother, your Maserati's mashed

No. You know you're in Canada when ... And the spoof on it from the folks at "This Hour Has 22 Minutes"

For those of you in the Detroit area, according to the MSN - Autos web site, the Holden EFIJY Concept will be at NAIAS. Here's the relevant information: Representing General Motors of Australia is the Holden EFIJY Concept, a modern interpretation of a 1953 FJ Holden. Its long, sweeping fibreglass body and deep purple paint reminds us of the CadZZilla, a one-off hotrod designed by Boyd Coddington for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, but it’s more modern and in many ways even more eye-catching. Under the hood is a supercharged 6.0-litre LS2 V8 engine mated to an automatic gearbox. So far it's been a hit to a certain breed of auto enthusiasts - the hotrod lover. In fact this factory-built special topped Hot Rod Magazine's Best of 2006 list, which means that it’s something special considering manufacturer-designed and built vehicles almost never make the cut. Hot Rod magazine's Top 10 Cars of 2006 and the HOT ROD of the YearArticle on the Efijy in the April 06 issue of Hot Rod magazine

For those that haven't seen it, it's basically an hour long commercial masquerading as a television program. I wasn't in Australia at the time, but I gather it was run on the Australian Channel Nine network as part of the official VE release. Late in August, somebody uploaded a six part copy of an off-air recording of the program to StreetFire.net. Links to the uploaded videos follow: Part 1/6 Part 2/6 Part 3/6 Part 4/6 Part 5/6 Part 6/6 The DVD of the program was released in Australia early in December.

I don't like heights either. I've been on some frightening roads in Colorado (Alpine Loop/Engineer's Pass/Cinnamon Pass/Ouray area) that were just a flat section carved into the side of a cliff.Even US550 (The Million-Dollar Highway) around the town of Ouray is pretty unsettling.