McLareN
10-03-2004, 12:09 PM
Another concept from Holden, the GTR-X.
Info:
THE GTR-X was another ambitious and inventive product of the GMH Advanced Styling and Research and Development sections.
While its knife-edged surfaces and aerodynamic form were largely inspired by the experimental Hurricane, the GTR-X represented a serious attempt to build a low-volume, high-visibility sports model using inexpensive tooling and stock parts.
At its announcement in August 1970, a month after the launch of the redoubtable Torana GTR XU-1, GMH said it was “breaking with tradition by giving the public an opportunity to see in advance a car which could be the basis of a limited production vehicle in the future ... the GTR-X has been built specifically to test design concepts and help assess the Australian market for a locally designed and manufactured two-seater sports car.”
Designers began the project in mid-1969, taking full advantage of the freedom afforded by fibreglass to create several styling proposals before finalising a full-sized clay model. The three prototypes that eventuated (only one complete vehicle survives today) were strikingly avant-garde.
Beneath its elongated, forward-opening hood was the high-performance 186S six-cylinder engine developed for the Torana XU-1. The GTR-X was fitted with four-wheel disc brakes. It would have been the first Australian car to boast this feature had the project not been shelved, after several projected launch date announcements, due to concerns about financial viability.
Holden GTR-X Concept #1:
Info:
THE GTR-X was another ambitious and inventive product of the GMH Advanced Styling and Research and Development sections.
While its knife-edged surfaces and aerodynamic form were largely inspired by the experimental Hurricane, the GTR-X represented a serious attempt to build a low-volume, high-visibility sports model using inexpensive tooling and stock parts.
At its announcement in August 1970, a month after the launch of the redoubtable Torana GTR XU-1, GMH said it was “breaking with tradition by giving the public an opportunity to see in advance a car which could be the basis of a limited production vehicle in the future ... the GTR-X has been built specifically to test design concepts and help assess the Australian market for a locally designed and manufactured two-seater sports car.”
Designers began the project in mid-1969, taking full advantage of the freedom afforded by fibreglass to create several styling proposals before finalising a full-sized clay model. The three prototypes that eventuated (only one complete vehicle survives today) were strikingly avant-garde.
Beneath its elongated, forward-opening hood was the high-performance 186S six-cylinder engine developed for the Torana XU-1. The GTR-X was fitted with four-wheel disc brakes. It would have been the first Australian car to boast this feature had the project not been shelved, after several projected launch date announcements, due to concerns about financial viability.
Holden GTR-X Concept #1: