General Motors’ Australian Holden operation will surely want US-based company ‘car czar’ Bob Lutz to take time out from temporarily running GM Europe to consider a prototype that could be an ideal 21st century replacement for the old car-based Chevrolet El Camino pickup once built in the US.
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However, although it stressed its ability to quickly create niche vehicles, Holden made no mention of North America when announcing that the SST would be shown at the Melbourne International Motor Show in late February. The vehicle is based on the cab-chassis One Tonner Holden truck line sold Down Under.
Holden describes the SST as “a sports/recreational street machine that should hold plenty of appeal for the ‘boys with toys’ brigade”. The 225kW V8 SST step side custom pickup surely has the potential to at least be considered in Detroit as a second niche model to follow the Holden-built Pontiac GTO coupe to North America, and appears to have the specifications of a modern successor to the El Camino.
Meanwhile, with an eye on the Australian home market, Holden will be seeking feedback from Melbourne showgoers. If it gets the production green light, the SST One Tonner would carry Holden By Design badging and join an increasingly diverse Commodore-based model range recently widened with a four-door double-cab pickup and all-wheel drive station wagon.
The show car has 19-inch five-spoke alloys, 275/35 low profile tyres and four-pot Harrop brakes. Front wheels are 18-inch and the reinforced step side is fully functional. Cab design cues are taken from the sporty Commodore SS sedan line and the rear facia is similar to that used on the Ute (utility or pickup truck) version.
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By GlobalDataThe tailgate has Holden’s lion logo stamped in and the deep tray, finished in heavy-duty aluminium propeller plate, is equipped with storage compartments. The functional step allows easy access to tie loads to one of six integrated tie-down points.
Despite all the show, Holden claims the SST remains a workhorse at heart, thanks to a torque arm chassis frame that gives it “serious” (though unspecified) load carrying capability.
The prototype is painted in a brilliant electric blue with violet mica finish – appropriately named Ego – that is also reflected in glossy, colour-keyed cockpit and console surrounds in the SS-like cabin , which is trimmed in anthracite leather.
Holden’s head of performance products and racing, Kelly Brauer, said the SST project was another great example of Holden’s capacity to offer market-responsive niche vehicles with a performance edge.
“In this case, we used the One Tonner as a blank canvas, if you like, to show that you can take a light commercial vehicle and do whatever imagination dictates,” Kelly said.
The project was completed in just under two months and the custom body was created using advanced composite panel technology, which lends itself to the lightweight tooling and flexible manufacturing processes that are required for cost-effective low volume production.
