According to a trademark lodgement with IP Australia, Holden might be dusting off a historic nameplate for one of their final, special editions of the Zeta-based VF II Commodore, the ‘Director’, last used in 1987.
While arch-rival Ford Falcon won’t see past 2016, Holden’s Commodore still has another year of duty left before it is replaced by an imported car wearing the same badge. Before that happens, they have a few special editions up their sleeve, based on the SS and the Calais – which is historically linked with the Director badge.
The original versions were part of Holden’s HDT arm,- the pre-HSV go-fast division headed by Australia’s most celebrated racing driver, Peter Brock. The Director was the controversial final model which broke the partnership between Brock and Holden. While the Director was Brock’s flagship, it featured a “Polariser” energy box with magic crystals and magnets- the dubious scientific merit of which led to a split between Brock and Holden.
A friend of the late Peter Brock, Peter Champion, acquired the rights to HDT and recently launched evocative styling kits for VE and VF Commodores, including the infamous Polariser itself.
According to Wheels, the VF Director, set to surface sometime between now and the closure of Holden’s Elizabeth plant in 2017, will be powered by an LS3 6.2L V8 and will add go-fast goodies from the SS-V Redline, Magnetic Ride Control and other extras including 20-inch wheels, but whether Holden has the intestinal fortitude to include the Polariser remains to be seen.
By Mitchell Jones