Holden Monaro launch in UK

[Matra et Alpine]

Just found out that the Holden Monaro is going to be launched in the UK at the Knockhill race track.

My driver was up today arranging track time for post-historic rally and kit-cars and was told the track-time is reduced as Vauxhall will be doing demontration laps in a Monaro and allowing potential customers to test drive it.

Going to local Vauxhall delaer tomorrow and convince them I'm interested in buying to see if I can get a shot in it

There is seemingly going to be a Mitsubishi launch and one other manufacturer
Sounds like it'll be a good weekend if the weather's fair.

I'll take and post pictures - 14th April .......

[fpv_gtho]

Well i've heard that alot of people in the UK are praising the car for its speed and handling, and so far the only negative issue about the car coming forward is its bad fuel economy, but that may have been enhanced by the high cost of fuel in the UK. Well have fun on that test drive, convincing the salesperson im interested in buying a car is something me and my dad have always wanted to do at the local FPV dealer with the Falcon GT but we haven't exactly found the time to do so

[crisis]

Originally Posted by Matra et Alpine

Just found out that the Holden Monaro is going to be launched in the UK at the Knockhill race track.

My driver was up today arranging track time for post-historic rally and kit-cars and was told the track-time is reduced as Vauxhall will be doing demontration laps in a Monaro and allowing potential customers to test drive it.

Going to local Vauxhall delaer tomorrow and convince them I'm interested in buying to see if I can get a shot in it

There is seemingly going to be a Mitsubishi launch and one other manufacturer
Sounds like it'll be a good weekend if the weather's fair.

I'll take and post pictures - 14th April .......

Hope its a manual. Dont be gentle . Youll stall it. Couple of blips on the throttle and you know the drill.

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by crisis

Hope its a manual. Dont be gentle . Youll stall it. Couple of blips on the throttle and you know the drill.

Sod that, it won't be MY car....

5000 revs , dump the clutch and try to keep it on the black bit

[Falcon500]

Funny i thought i posted in here 2 nights ago...
Well anyways the car would be incredibly expensive to register on the UK's roads wouldent it?...unless the rules no longer punish large bore sizes.
And im curious what do you think of the car matra...ive heard plenty of americans refer to it as a sucked carmal or just its as ugly as sin...but i never heard much of what the euros/UK think of it?

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by Falcon500

Funny i thought i posted in here 2 nights ago...
Well anyways the car would be incredibly expensive to register on the UK's roads wouldent it?...unless the rules no longer punish large bore sizes.

there is still a tax break for engine size but it's not huge.
Up to 1600cc is 110 GBP and bigger is 165.
New cars are based on emissions with a range from 55 GBP to 165.
So the difference isn't worth considering with the Monaro - as they say if you can afford the car the road tax is irrelevant

And im curious what do you think of the car matra...ive heard plenty of americans refer to it as a sucked carmal or just its as ugly as sin...but i never heard much of what the euros/UK think of it?

Well we're all different over here
Personally I like it, but I like it because it DOES look like an Australian muscle car
Wouldn't buy the car though as my preferences on all the other things on a car aren't met by the Monaro

[Falcon500]

Well if i keep working with commos i might one day own a monaro...new cars cost price and used at invoice price (during my oriantation i said there are benfits here? made me realise how atrocious it was at the bmw dealership) it might have the wrong badge but its only minor details...
Ahh so the road tax laws hace changed...my old man when he used to be very up to date with cars knew how the pommy rules went...he lost intrest in new cars in about 1982.....And good point of that last one...if you cant afford to keep it dont get it.
Well it can look good i sawa silver GTO with 18s largish spoiler and manaul..which i liked very much...
So what does the car lack in your honest opion...im assuming hndeling maybey? too heavy their my guesses...

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by Falcon500

Ahh so the road tax laws hace changed...my old man when he used to be very up to date with cars knew how the pommy rules went

Not sure if he's thinking way back when there was luxury tax on some cars - I think. Even I"m not THAT old
The tax break on engine size is a relatively new thing.

So what does the car lack in your honest opion...im assuming hndeling maybey? too heavy their my guesses...

Too heavy, too big. My preferred roads are on track and the wee twisties through the highlands. There are some roads I think the Monaro would have both wheels in the ditch either side of the road
Of course I'm not telling the salesman that !!!!
I saw the car on Top Gear and they certainly were having fun with it and weren't too negative about the whole package.

[fpv_gtho]

Peter Brock has been pretty competitive in his Monaro in recent Targa Tasmania events here, so i think if you did happen to buy such a car you could get used to its dimensions and learn to exploit them

[Falcon500]

Well hes 50 odd....I nearly fell over when i saw a pic i took of him when i was 4...his hair still had colour
Well theyd be very stable...something i REALLY like...i get sick of being pushed around by and incredibly stong wind....or when a truck gos screaming by While i wont say its agile it can hold its own on twisty bits and you could very easily unload a boot load of hp on the straights....And the funny thing for something its sie its only a 4 seater....but granted theirs plenty of room for everyone to be happy...

[fpv_gtho]

well holden couldve made it a 5 seater but i think it being a 4 seater gives it more sports appeal. the only thing really stopping you from cramming 5 people in there would only be the 2 rear seatbelts on the legal side of things, the uncomfort of sitting 3 wide on a bench thats shaped as 2 buckets and i guess there would be a somewhat lack of headroom from the raked roof

[Falcon500]

Thats easy its like in my mates celica suqaze someone small like jess in the middle and if (when) she complains play a merry game of corners

[fpv_gtho]

thats what ends up happening when my dads landcruiser gets packed to the brim with 8 people, the 3 stuck on the rear bench just tumble over each other except the problems start coming in when you headbut the roof over speedhumps (and with the way my dad goes over speedhumps you'd penetrate a brick wall) and around corners the 2 on the outside hurt their arse on the metal rods that the seats swivel on and fold up to the sides on

[Falcon500]

Well the good thing about playing corners is you mercilously crush the complainer....very easy task to do when the complainer is less then half your body weight and a head height shorter.....
Im sure glad i never sat in the back of my mates celica...damn squashy back there....And hes a blooper of a driver too...

[fpv_gtho]

well i cant imagine 3 wide in the back of a celica being comfortable so i guess for the better part of it it would just be shoulders and heads colliding, in the landcruiser at least theres a little bit of arse slide in there. well i guess if you didnt have a shocker of a driver, you'd have someone like my dad who realises your playing corners so he takes the corners harder and sharper and at times tries to jump the kerbs