Holden's Hurricane V8 concept

by **014 Phil** » 28 Aug 2010, 00:43

How about the Holden Hurricane.

Unlike the GTR-X, which was scheduled for production, the Hurricane was purely a concept car.

by **001 Neville** » 28 Aug 2010, 00:46

Now THAT IS STUNNING!!

Would even pass by a Bitter for that! ... argh, what am I saying! :shock:

by **014 Phil** » 28 Aug 2010, 00:49

Remember seeing that one when it was unveilled too..... :oops:

Part of it's role was to publicise the new Holden V8.

by **002 Lindsay** » 28 Aug 2010, 16:30

Behave yourself Neville :shock:

by **014 Phil** » 28 Aug 2010, 21:46

In the '80s, Holden decided to 'freshen up' the appearance of the cars, and both were repainted silver.

Fortunately the GTR-X has been returned to its original livery. I haven't seen the Hurricane around for some time.

by **021 Chad** » 30 Aug 2010, 09:29

Wow you see the mechanicals sticking out the back of the far one, I can see a diff and some generous pipes, so it has to be an operational concept then?

Looks like it'll be a hoot to drive!

by **001 Neville** » 30 Aug 2010, 10:53

Found on the internet.....

Built to brand aerospace technology with their image, Holden of Australia commissioned this radical concept in the 1960s. At that time, Hurricane was one of the most expensive experimental cars, and helped the company sell one million cars from 1969 to 1974. Finding the ''feasibility of applying aerospace techniques and materials to the manufacture of future Holdens' was the companies' motivation for the project. However, this rhetoric held little weight, and only the production-worthy engine found its way into the road cars. With this engine, the Hurricane started a trend that would have 500,000 Holden's feature Australian-designed V8s.

What made the Hurricane special was elements that didn't make it to assembly lines: it's styling, electronics and engineering.

Probably the most experimental aspect of the Hurricane was it's styling. The low wedge shape was an upcoming trend for the period and was copied in previous years; the 1970 Bertone Stratos Concept, 1970 Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Speciale and 1972 Maserati Boomerang all share the Hurricane's lines.

Inside, Hurricane had an array of extraneous instrumentation to convince any onlookers that the driver car could pilot to moon. Of these, the most notable was a "retro-gps" system called Pathfinder. It used magnetic signals built within the road to alert the driver of upcoming turns. Other electronic amenities included digital instrumentation, a rear view camera, lifting seats and an automatically opening one piece door.

At the core, the Hurricane used a tubular space frame, supporting a new Holden V8 and covered in an impressive fiber glass body. The engine sat mid-ship in the chassis and was attached to a four speed transaxle. Very GT40. A distinct feature of the chassis was the oil-cooled disc brakes. Used on the front, these discs used oil, and oil coolers to dissipate heat.

In conclusion, the Holden Hurricane might be the most exciting car made in Australia. Its motor sport engineering, glorious styling and funky electronics complete a concept that can still impress forty years later.

I was doing ok with this until I saw that final pic with the canopy open

Futuristic, ok, - like the Jetsons cartoon (of the 70s for those not old enough to remember it). It is a concept I know .... but the doors could have been done so much better

by **020 Brad** » 30 Aug 2010, 11:17

I love it, even the door/s. Only problem with those, is when the battery goes flat or when the car rolls and catches on fire :shock:

Happens to people in earlier Lambos all the time, apparently.

Looks to be a functioning concept too, being on a test track and all, unless that was just part of the plan.

I wonder where it is now. First to find it gets a lollipop (and a look at an amazing concept vehicle from the 60's).

by **021 Chad** » 30 Aug 2010, 11:36

I find the door a bit concerning as if it's raining, you open the door to hop in, 1 second and everything inside is drenched. :roll:

Some designers really need to put more thought into practicality :wink:

by **014 Phil** » 30 Aug 2010, 21:52

Apparently is it currently undergoing restoration in a joint venture between the Holden museum in Echuca (privately owned) and Holden. There was no code available for the paint, so they've got it as close as possible.

As a concept that was never intended for production, I don't think they would have been too worried about practicality - in fact the more radical, the better.

It sure was a runner.....................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku36SNspcDk

by **021 Chad** » 31 Aug 2010, 10:59

Tail lights are awesome, check out the indicator!