vectra is quite a big car. bigger inside than 3-series and headnig towards 5-series, but slightly narrower.
hence, it's so bloody expensive that, for all its qualities, it's not selling here or in europe.
anyway, this twin turbo V6 is 375 horsepower. why would you want a V8?
i wouldn't think there'd be room for a V8 in it, to be honest. it's not the block, so much, as the ancilleries, that'd stop it.
but given that holden has brewed up a unique platform (bear in mind, though, that while the car is engineered to the point of being a driveable test mule, it has not yet been engineered to meet regulatory crash requirements for Australia, North America or Europe. Did anybody say "China"??), it's not inconceivable that slight tweaks to it could see a V8 inside it.
my guess, though, is that, philosophically, a V8 would be seen to be defeating the purpose of a lightweight, high-tech, rear-drive, prestige small-to-midsizer.
It's probably easier for Americans and Europeans to get their heads around this sort of car, because Australians can get hung up on the Torana name (it's an Australian car from the seventies, made legendary in local touring car racing). It wasn't going to be called Torana, but everybody who saw the dimensions immediately christened it anyway.
If it gets built - and a business case is m-i-l-e-s away from being feasible - it'll be because of North American, Asia-Pacific or European interest and/or capacity. It will never be built on potential Australian volumes alone.
And herein lie the problems with that scenario:

Europe: Seems the most logical place, on the surface. the car fits within the context of Europe's most popular size of car, within the framework of people wanting more prestige within a given set of size parameters, because the road networks where they live (eg, inner cities) can't support bigger bodies.
the downside is that GM doesn't have a prestige brand in Europe capable of pulling it off. Neither Opel nor Vauxhall have prestige connotations, and they have a vested interest in maintaining, not cannibalising, Vectra sales. Saab is a shot duck, and it's traditions are, anyway, in front-drive.
Which leaves ummm, the Fiat Group, and the "put" option is still being argued about in European courts. Shame of it is that it might just be the car to save Alfa Romeo from self destruction...

Asia Pacific: Again, brand selection is an issue, and it's probably the right size for a lot of those markets. Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong would be wealthy enough, china is getting there. Koreans rarely buy anything not made there, indonesia is a mess, India has perhaps more potential than anywhere but China (and has the advantage of not requiring joint-venture manufacturing, where the local end of the jv then steals all the ideas...) and Japan is another NIMBY (not in my back yard) country.

North America: any number of plants with capacity to build it and export back to oz if necessary. but which brand? A smaller Caddy to fit beneath CTS to help push it into europe (and australia) as a brand with a few product streams that are logical?
Pontiac has some logic, as well, because at least some american owners will be relating australian-spec interiors with the brand.
but there'd be better qualified people than me to discuss the potential success, and who that'd be best with, of a premium rear drive C-class small-to mid car.

 

isn't the HFV6 thats going in it... thats only a 60deg Vee , the ls1/2 is 90 degree, plus all the surroundings(coil packs, air boxes, radiator and pullies), its gonna be tough fit..

as good as the v6 is... I was hoping for an "SLR" sedan and "A9X" size coupe, that could be shared as a camaro sized platform.

I realise the vectra has grown a bit on recent models, but is the size of this car really in the same proportions as the torana was to the kingsy?


I can see where the car has to be successful on a global level to be feasable , especially if its not gonna be just an existing platform, and needs engineering.

 

Where's the Camaro? Not one ounce of Z dna in this attempt....

 

and a pic from the show.

Torana front
http://www.markpakula.com/aims04/images/DSC_1421.jpg

alot more pics available from here.

 

I agree, barely a helix.

 

A number of reasons.

#1. Camaro without V8 is no Camaro.
#2. V8 gives ~ 400 HP in a naturally aspirated form.
#3. It sounds really good
#4. V8 provides modification capabilities of high HP/TQ but still being naturally aspirated.

 

If the 5th gen looked at all like this Torana, I'd be all over it like a fat man on a jelly donut. That is one hot looking car and it has a lot of potential! All it needs is two more cylinders and an SS or Z28 badge on the side.

 

 

No V8. No Camaro.

After reading through the entire thread on cheersandgears with all the additional information on what the Torana really could be... I'm beginning to think this whole "Torana/Kappa is the base for the next Camaro" theory is nothing more than a red herring to throw everyone off the Zeta based Camaro.

I'm not convinced that the Zeta architecture cannot be tweaked to fit Ponycar proportions. Historically if you try to shoehorn a V8 into a chassis designed for a smaller engine, you end up with something like a Chevy II/Nova or Ford Falcon/Mustang. (I'm talking 1st generation circa 1963-65 here folks.) Is that what we want for a new Camaro? The current GTO is fairly close to Ponycar proportions as it is. If the Zeta architecture is good enough for the next GTO, I cannot see how/why it cannot also be used for Camaro. (Don't give me any more of this GTO or Velite is too big to be Camaro crap either, because I'm not buying it!) I'm an engineer, so I want to hear factual technical reasons on why it’s not feasible.

The Torana is a cool looking concept, but that is all it is at this point. Based on what I've now read, I'd say in its present form it’s just as production feasible as the Chevy SS concept. And I see nothing Camaro-like in it.

Look up: Red herring; smokescreen; rouse... We were too close to the truth before and that made GM nervous.

 

Maybe this should be a separate thread or new poll, but how many would be willing to wait an extra year or 2 for a Kappa based Camaro (assuming that a Camaro is scheduled for 2007 off the Zeta)?

No news, just curious.

 

If it's a better platform for the car...I'd rather wait. The next Camaro will be riding on it's next platform..ummm...nearly forever. It's more important for me that it's done right.

With that said...IF this new architecture materializes....I'm not so sure that a Camaro would actually be delayed. Who knows! We may even see it sooner!

 

I have both: faith and time.

TS

 

Size specs.

Torana:
Length = 183.18 inches
Width = 70.86 inches
height = 58.03 inches


GTO:
Length = 189.8 inches
Width = 72.5 inches
height = 54.9 inches

G6:
Length = 189.00 inches
Width = 70.6 inches
height = 57.10 inches

Sunfire:
Length = 182.00 inches
Width = 68.40 inches
height = 53.00 inches

 

Since we're talking potential ponycars, you should include the Mustang specs as well. As I said before, the GTO is damn near close to the current Mustang, and inspite of its heritage, should be considered a ponycar.

 

But what if the Torana TT36 is on a hodge-podge chassis, just like the Chevy SS and Opel Insignia are? What if it's neither Kappa nor Zeta, nor something in between?

Everyone is getting all worked up over a concept that will never see production in its current form.

Again: red herring, smokescreen, etc...