WHEN you think of Holden you generally think of its staple diet cars, the Monaro, Torana and Commodore and their various models and iterations.
But Holden came up with some very cool concept cars over its time, and its Hurricane of the late 1960s was a notable example.
Regarded as one of the most advanced cars of its time, Holden’s two-door concept may not have been released as a mass produced model, but gave the engineering team a chance to investigate future developments.
Described as a research vehicle, the Hurricane allowed the design and engineering sectors to delve into styling trends, propulsion systems as well as long range developments.
Powered by a mid-mounted Holden 253 cubic inch V8 producing a stated 193kW mated to a four-speed transaxle manual transmission, the Hurricane’s innovations included the eye-catching hydraulic powered canopy also encapsulating the front guards to allow drivers to enter; the seats elevated and tilted, and the exterior featured a distinct bronze hue.
Safety was front of mind with the installation of inertia reel seatbelts, tilt steering column and adjustable pedals to ensure the car not only was fast, but advanced in this area.
Further concepts included the Pathfinder, which used magnetic signals built into the road to guide the driver, digital instrument display, Comfortron automatic temperature control air conditioning, an auto-seek radio and rear-view camera.
The latter used a wide-angle camera situated in the rear bumper partnered with a closed circuit television screen in the centre console, an innovation not utilised for many years into the future.
Codenamed RD001, the Hurricane was revealed to shocked and enthusiastic attendees of the Melbourne Motor Show in 1969 but was always destined to be a concept. A variety of these innovative ideas are now commonplace more than 50 years on in the market.
Of course, Holden’s next concept, the Torana GTR-X, appeared destined for the showroom, but it wasn’t to be.
As for the Hurricane, a loyal group of Holden designers started restoring the concept car in 2007 after it had been tucked away at the brand’s training centre for decades.
The finished result was shown off at Motorclassica in 2011, which ironically was held at the very same Melbourne Exhibition Building where it was first revealed in 1969.
This story also appears on the Repco Garage website.
Check out the 2011 restoration of the Holden Hurricane here:
