Revealed at the Sydney International Motor Show in 2004 was Holden’s retro rebirth concept for the Torana nameplate of the 1970s.
Codenamed XP54 using the combined title Experimental Prototype and Holden’s Studio 54 design centre, it displayed the absolute best of local innovation at the time led by legendary GM designer, Australian Mike Simcoe.
Finished just days before its unveiling at the Sydney International Motor Show under new design leader Tony Stolfo and fellow member Max Wolff, it was very late in the stages it was renamed the Torana TT36. Simcoe cringed at the use of this retro name when asked about it early during the design process as the target of the concept was to highlight Australia’s innovations to the world.
Being 200mm shorter than the VZ Commodore, the Torana TT36 boasted a longer wheelbase by 57mm enabling an interior the size comparable to a large sedan inside a medium sized body.
Inspired by General Motors’ Kappa chassis, the Holden uses a locally designed item featuring strong tubing lower down and a stiff double-walled driveshaft panel completed with a full-length, flly enclosed panel.
Pontiac’s Solstice sports car provided the front and rear suspensions, while a T56 six-speed directly sourced from Holden’s V8 Gen III line-up sends power to the rear wheels.
However it’s not a V8 sitting under the bonnet, but instead a twin-turbo version of Holden’s Alloytec 3.6-litre (TT36) HFV6 producing a claimed 280kw. Warner provided two of its KO4 turbochargers and an intercooler.
Featuring driver aids such as ABS, traction control, electronic brake assist, electronic brake distribution, corner brake control and electronic stability provided an insight into Holden’s future safety items.
It provided an eye catching appearance through its pumped out guards, LED-xenon headlights and an aggressive design sitting on 20” alloy wheels.
The interior featured high-tech gadgets including a touch screen infotainment hub controlling the occupant’s phone, a DVD, CD, SatNav, address book and other Bluetooth compatible features.
Although it was hoped to be put into production by the design team, it was knocked on the head though many of the styling cues were included on the VE Commodore released in 2006.
It was a case of what could have been!