The Holden
Commodore has been a mainstay of Australian police motor pools for decades. In
fact GM’s been supplying Commodores to the South Australian police for 70 years
now.
Then comes along
the Kia Stinger, thinking it can muscle in on Holden’s territory now that the
Commodore’s being shipped in from overseas on a front-drive platform with four
or eight cylinders, instead of manufactured locally with a rear-driving V8. But
Holden will not go gentle into that good night. At least not without its lights
flashing and sirens blazing.
Holden is preparing
to supply more than a hundred new ZB-generation Commodores to the South
Australian police, which has been using Commodores since 1948. The new ZB
Commodore is based closely on the Opel Insignia, built in Germany. For official
duty, the South Australian PD has chosen the top 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6,
sending its 306 hp and 382 Nm of torque to all four
wheels. Which may not be quite as robust as the small-block V8 in the previous
VF Commodore, but such are the times in which
we live when muscle sedans have become an endangered species.
