In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the original 1951 Holden Ute, General Motors’ Australian subsidiary is planning several special edition models this year starting with the revival of the Thunder nameplate for the VE Series II Ute line-up. The Thunder package is offered on the SV6 and SS models and offers customers some additional equipment and bespoke styling cues, worth around $3,000 if ordered separately.
Each Thunder model comes equipped with new charcoal-finished 19-inch alloy wheels, satellite navigation, leather seat bolsters and Thunder badges. The SV6 is powered by a 3.6-liter V6 SIDI engine delivering 210kW (282HP), while the SS V8, which landed in our garage recently for a test review, gets a 6.0-liter V8 churning out 260kW to 270kW (349HP – 362HP), depending on the transmission. Both Ute models come standard with a six-speed manual transmission and optional six-speed automatic.
“Over 60 years of production, the Holden ute has evolved from typical tradesman’s transport to two-door sports machine with a practical edge – that’s epitomized by the Thunder range,” said Holden Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales John Elsworth
“It is a really bold, tough looking ute which we think will appeal to many of our traditional sports ute. We’re expecting it to be an absolute winner in our showrooms.”
The Thunder Ute goes on sale in Australia next week with prices starting from AUS$34,990 for the SV6 manual and AUS$39,900 for the V8-powered SS manual.
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