(by Dan Minick) I shot these this past week, and thought I’d share. To you Aussies, this might seem like a nice find, but… it wasn’t shot in Melbourne, or Sydney. This was taken in Manhattan, Kansas. Since it’s LHD, My hunch is that it’s really a Chevrolet SS, with some good rebadging going on. Grille, wheel center caps, steering wheel logo, etc. Perhaps the Holden/Chevy experts can find the detail that gives it away.
Love it! I’d do exactly the same thing if I had a SS or a G8 or GTO. Considering the abysmal lack of marketing Chevrolet has done for the SS since it’s debut you may as well give it the identity it deserves.
It’s hard to do with the Pontiacs because you have to replace the entire front fascia. It’s done occasionally but the cost of importing the bumper is a real barrier for most.
For what it’s worth, there was a time when you could option your SS with the Holden parts right on Chevy’s website. It’s definitely a box I would check when ordering one.
There was a limited edition of the Commodore that had the Pontiac fascia, so a technically correct if not instantly recognisable version could be done just with badges.
As for accuracy of the conversion, the black grille surrounds seem to be only on 2017 SSV Black edition, which also has black version of these wheels. There was a 2016 Commodore SS Black edition which had different wheels. There is also a different green colour but the change of model year for US versus Australian production may not have happened at the same time.
Here in Las Vegas a parent at my sons school did this exact re-badge with a white SS. Looks really cool and stands out over the rental car styling of the regular car.
You could order them from the factory and have them leave the Holden badges on: http://jalopnik.com/lazy-geniuses-at-gm-leave-holden-logos-on-chevy-ss-opti-1663688169
That’s just the mudflaps, not the badging of the whole car.
There was some parts ordering going on. A few weeks ago I was passed by a Holden badged Chevrolet SS; both did a good job with the modifications.
LOL, I see plenty of Holdens wearing Chev bowties and a few actual export Chevys that have strayed it seems the identity crisis is spreading to the home of Chevrolet. Its kinda fun identifying the Vauxhalls that are rebadged Holden over here the Aussies simply didnt realise it goes on but Holden has been rebadging stuff since the late 60s.
Not since the late 1960s it wasn’t. More like mid ’80s. And, yes there are plenty of
Holdens wearing Chevrolet bowties. I’ve seen a Barina rebadged back to an Opel Corsa.
You must have forgotten the Toranas, a RHD Barina goes back to a Vauxhall Corsa., I saw a Vauxhall diesel Combo van recently the same van sold here with Holden badges new someone must have brought this one over when they emigrated.
Bryce, the HB Torana was virtually identical to the HB Viva. But it was no mere rebadge job. Holden did the 4 door version in Australia, and the 6 cylinder and later the 8s moved well away from Vauxhalls. The Barina? Yes. That was in the late 1980s.
Sorry but the Torana six was also built in Korea by Daewoo in stationwagon form with a Opel four banger and badged Chevrolet 1700 it too had the fourdoor body that Holden also used. The HB Torana differed by having round headlights other than that it was a Viva, the Viva came in two door, four door and three door wagon.
Yup! Definitely a Chevy SS with a Holden badge conversion like this one. I’d do the same if I had one and here’s a good review of it by my friend Tedward!
People in Australia must think it’s funny that Amercians regard Holden is a more prestigious brand than Chevrolet
Well, when I lived in Australia I found it weird that people stuck Chevy bowties on Holden utes. This was before the SS.
Some of them were treated to Pontiac G8 front ends, but at least that was a minor restyle.
Often accompanied by a Chevrolet V8 which was an option on Holdens until 75. now Holdens just use a Chev V8 anyway.
As I’ve been saying for years, Chevy really needs to do away with the gold-colored bowie. Just do a silver outline and make the badge larger like most manufacturers. The gold color just looks cheap and doesn’t contrast well with most paint colors. I’ve come to associate it with a symbol for fleet cars.
Agreed. It’s not even gold, it looks almost beige in most lights
They should have kept it blue or gold based on the car color like it used to be
On the advertisments if the bowtie is gold it’s just for the normal cars. If it’s red then it’s for the performance cars. If it really matters there are a bunch of decals you can use to cover it. The Texas flag and camouflage were popular around my old domicle.
I think it’s just about standing out and personalization, not necessarily what is and isn’t more prestigious. People want to have something different, thus the JDM and KDM rebadging craze and this reverse rebadging of GM Holdens on both sides of the Pacific.
So when some Opels privately converted to Vauxhalls…as well as when an Opel Omega-B Estate Wagon wears the (Cadillac) Catera grille+badge…respectively. 🙂
Saw one…unfortunatelly in motion. No pics could be taken.
Also available as the Vauxhall VXR8 in the UK (so not quite all Vauxhalls are Opels as yet…)
The smaller VXR Vauxhalls are in NZ wearing Holden badges the cloning goes in both directions.
I wonder how many VXR8’s they actually sell, between C2-driven road tax and fuel they must be horrifically expensive to run.
I strip off all the badges I can and thought about replacing the Acura TSX beak for a European Honda, but I’m just too cheap to play that game.
I have seen a number of TSX’s rebadged and renosed as Hondas here in CT. The other day I parked next to a Acura RSX rebadged as a Honda Integra. Still had the Acura steering wheel thou.
I rebadged my ’15 Honda Fit as a Jazz, which included replacing the taillights and rear bumper cover with the JDM parts. Replacing the front bumper cover involved more work so I didn’t do that, but it turns out that the AUS market Jazz has the long nose (USDM) and short rear (JDM), so that’s effectively what I ended up with – an AUSDM Jazz. Well, other than the left-hand drive…
These re-badge jobs used to be fairly common in the Korean market on Daewoos.
I say used to, because this was before Daewoo became Chevy here officially.
I think buyers actually had a choice, AFAIR. The most common used to be Chevy conversions, but I’ve seen Holden and Vauxhall badges too. Less common now, although still being done. My apartment parking lot used to have a Cruze with Holden badging.
Another one sometimes seen is the Alpheon (KDM Buick Lacrosse) converted back to it’s proper Buick badging. I don’t know why they didn’t just do that from the start. The car was a flop anyway, just as every GM attempt at cracking the high-end market has been.
The Impala seems to be getting some traction, though.
Looks nice, there was a properly badged Opel Astra on craigslist here a few months back. It was sorely tempting, but the Kadett B is still soldiering on in fantastic form. I was in a Saturn dealership when the Sky was debuting and I told the salesguy that I would buy one on the spot if he could order me one in Opel GT livery. Couldn’t be done even though they came out of the same factory.
I’m thinking by the opposite way. I’d rather source Saturn Astra features to my Opel Astra “H” Series. Yes, you’re right. Both of them had been assembled in GM’s former Belgium plant.
It’s a 2016 Chevrolet SS in Jungle Green Metallic. Rebadged as a Holden, including blacked out trim from the original Chevy chrome bits.
I love that green! I think you could even order Holden badging on the wheels for the SS?
Yep!
Wait… You were the one buying an SS or am I wrong???
Lol, makes a nice change from the myriad Commodores over here with Chev bowties, not to mention the number of Colorados with Chev badging too…
There is actually a company here in Denver that churns Holden Utes out for the US market using a mishmash of Leftover Pontiac parts, combined with imported Holden vehicles.
http://www.lefthandutes.com
I wouldn’t be surprised if this particular vehicle was graced by their mechanics hands.
This is not the first time I’ve heard about an owner Holden-izing an SS. Take a look at this YouTube video, for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XopIjg0ypAQ
Rather amusing from down under viewpoint, the idea of a Commodore and “prestige”. Amongst the many, many reasons why the industry here is now closing is the disappearance of the requirement that govt fleets must buy local cars (or local companies feeling the loyal need to), for only about 15% of buyers ever used their own money for a new Commodore or Ford Falcon. Affluence has greatly expanded here in the last 20 years, as has badge-snobbery, so user-choser fleet leasers simply don’t choose these. They largely choose posher-badged SUV’s, as does just about everywhere else in the world, it seems. The small number who still actually buy them don’t buy the basic 6 cylinder, but the SS-type ones, reinforcing a stereotype (deserved or not) that these are “Boganmobiles”. (For “bogan”, think perhaps suburban redneck?) Thus the cars have a kind-of exaggerated, slightly rough, beer-drinkin’ “Ozzie” association. Put it this way; you won’t find one in the exxy leafy green suburbs, (which, due to the affluence boom mentioned, most of us can’t possibly afford now anyway. And to think we were once proudly one of the most economically equal societies, but I am now digressing on a digression). I hasten to add that the SS itself is a bloody good car, but the idea of enhancing a car by adding Holden badges does look vaguely hilarious from here.
Yet, here in the States, most folk think the SS in stock Chevy-badge form is some sort of Malibu or Impala (until they hear the engine)… Holden is not a familiar name (nor is the lion logo), which gives it a bit of an exotic difference. At least until the same folks that called it a Malibu ask where you got your Peugeot. (c:
Haha! I love your last line. In the big scheme, the car does indeed have a blandness about it, though, personally, I rather like the appearance. As others here have mentioned, Holdens here get re-badged with the Chev ID. One reason is that, once upon an old economy, V8 Chevvys sat large and unique at the top of a what was, 90%, a gaspy 6 cylinder GM Holden range,and as such they were the cars toffs and govt ministers (Secretaries) rode in. Yes, behold the Chevrolet as a status symbol. The wonderful “where’d you get your Peugeot” question that you posit has a particularly delicious irony here, because the ownership of Pugs – of any French car – has long marked one as a lemonade-sipping wanker who has no idea. For the record, I’ve had 4. French cars, natch. (A random thought: do the French ever re-badge their own as, I dunno, an Austin…?)
The 1st Chevy as a Holden.
This is not a real Holden. Chevrolet was developing the Corvair at the time. In an attempt to keep it a secret here in the U.S. these “test mules” were given the Holden name to throw people off. All early Corvair under the skin.
Bob G
The gold Bowtie wouldn’t be so bad if the glue holding the insert in the frame didn’t fail as frequently as it does, leaving the plasti-chrome outline with bits of glue where the gold used to be…
If they can’t get something simple like an emblem right, what other crap did GM cheap-out on that we can’t see?!?
Just look at the VIN. It will tell you (first character) where it was built. As Chevy didn’t import Holdens into the USA (that was the Pontiac Division’s doing, as most all their last vehicles were re-badged Holdens with RWD) you should be able to figure it out.
The more I think about it, the driver’s airbag cover should tell the tale too…unless the owner was REALLY determined to hide the Chevy roots.
My ’17 SS got rebadged to Holden within about six weeks, including the airbag, which is available from several suppliers (shipping is high, tho). The only remaining tell-tale besides the VIN is the splash screen on the radio, which still displays a spinning bow tie. There’s a guy who does reprogramming on these as well, replacing with the red Holden splash.