1963 Pontiac Laurentian Reviews

The iconic Aston Martin DB5 piloted by James Bond in 1964's Goldfinger has been declared the greatest movie car of all time, according to a new UK survey.

The Hoff's KITT for saleBased on a 1982 Pontiac Firebird, KITT was the car sidekick everybody wanted to roll with. And somebody will get a chance to do just that with the one owned by The Hoff.Holden Commodore sales surge puts it in fourth positionThe Holden Commodore has made a surprising recovery in the March sales race with a staggering 85 per cent sales increase compared with the same month the prior year -- narrowly missing a place on the podium as the nation's fourth most popular car. Preliminary figures show it was the Commodore's third-best monthly sales tally since the new VF model went on sale 10 months ago, as the Holden brand overall posted a 19 per cent sales surge.BMW M3 and M4 | videoBMW shows off the coming M3 sedan and M4 convertible -- arriving in Australia in June -- with some action footage.Mazda joins the demo derby, moving masses of 'dealer demonstrator' carsThe Mazda3 may be Australia's top-selling car so far this year according to official sales data -- but a special investigation by Carsguide has unearthed the industry secret that is driving its sales. A staggering one-third of Mazda3s sold in January and February were so-called “dealer demonstrator” models -- more than four times the industry average for “demo” vehicle sales, which is 7 per cent.Road safety expert slams 'revenue raising' speed finesA leading road safety expert has called for all revenue from speeding fines to go directly into building safer roads -- and warned the government's constant focus on speed is blinding us to other causes of car crashes. The national road toll fell to its lowest level in 89 years in 2013 but more than 200,000 people are expected to be injured on Australian roads between now and 2020. Injury rates are not falling as dramatically and are a bigger financial burden on the community because of the ongoing medical treatment.PlusRenault Kangoo stands up to crash test 2014 Toyota HiAce | new car sales price2014 Nissan X-Trail pricing and specifications 

There's a traditional warning that actors should never work with children or animals -- both having screen appeal that lets them upstage any adult cast members in their vicinity.That should probably apply to some cars too. And the Knight Industries Two Thousand, KITT that appeared with David Hasselhoff in the hit 1980s TV show Knight Rider is a good example of how the car can outshine the star.Based on a 1982 Pontiac Firebird, KITT was the car sidekick everybody wanted to roll with. And somebody will get a chance to do just that with the one owned by The Hoff. This car didn't ever appear in the show, but was created from a 1986 Firebird by by Jennifer Catano -- a hardcore fan who goes by the handle IHeartKITT on Twitter. She presented the car as a homage to Hasselhoff, who has appeared with it at several promotional events.It's up for action at Julien's Live in the US, with a starting bid of $15,000 and an estimated final price between $30,000 to $50,000. What will you get for the money? The signature yoked steering wheel, grille lights and scissor doors, plus an inbuilt soundboard with more than 4000 of KITT's voice clips from the show.Unfortunately, as our friends at Motor Authority have noted, there is no Turbo Boost function.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

...because I'm invariably asked "and what car do you own?"Right now I have a 1988 Pontiac Formula Firebird. Until recently I also had a 1961 Pontiac Laurentian and a 1964 Pontiac Parisienne. They have now gone to other owners who will enjoy the excitement of negotiating suburban streets in those drum braked, two by six metre land yachts.The Formula Firebird was the cheap version of the Trans Am, and I can tell you the emphasis was very much on cheap and not on the Trans. This is a poverty pack vehicle all the way-manual windows, manual seat adjustment, a simple AM/FM radio/cassette and the base level 5.0-litre V8 with the throttle body "injection "(a smart name for what is really a carburettor).The motor pumps out a miserable 127kW and despite the lack of horsepower the fuel consumption is epic. A good day gets me 15 litres/100km on premium unleaded.  So why a Firebird? It's all about the styling!The sleek, low slung shape is classic 'pony car': an ultra long hood and short rear deck. It makes for drop dead looks. The car stands a mere 1.2 metres off the ground and the windscreen is raked back at an aggressive 62 degrees.You do not open the door and get into a Firebird. Rather, you lower yourself down into the velour seat. It is a practised art. The back "seat "is two small cushions with the transmission tunnel serving as the arm rest. I said this car is low!Being 24 years and 160,000km old it does need attention every so often. There's no rust and the lack of power accessories cuts down on potential electrical and mechanical problems, but it's the small things, like switches and interior trim pieces, which are fiddly to replace.I have it serviced every three to four months if only as insurance against a major mechanical failure.I drive it like it almost every day. It goes out in the rain and to supermarket cars parks. GM made nearly one million of Firebird/Comaros in 10 years, so spares are not a problem.What's it worth? Not much really, but who cares? It is bright red and a lot of fun. And those drop dead looks!David Burrell is the editor of www.retroautos.com.au 

For the first time, Holden's chairman and managing director, Mike Devereux, reveals the pain of the Global Financial Crisis and how it ripped away Holden's vital 50,000-car Pontiac G8 export contract "literally overnight"."The last 18 months were the toughest in history," he says.But he says his company has done an amazing turnaround.It will early next year announce a multi-million dollar profit for 2010 - its first annual positive-figure posting for five years.It has put its employees back to full-time work after a job-sharing program. It has recently added 165 staff to its Adelaide plant and more may come if Holden can wrest a substantial US police vehicle contract.It has five of its staff on international assignment in other parts of the GM world for every one from other countries working in Australia.Holden has financially embarked on a venture to produce ethanol fuel from household waste as it expands its alternative fuel models, and within 18 months will launch 10 new or refreshed models.Pivotal to the turnaround has been Holden's role in the design and creation of new vehicles."Look at the car they chose to rev-in the day's trading when GM went public last month - Chevrolet Camaro," Devereux says."The quintessential, all-American muscle car and hero of movies like Transformers. A car designed and engineered by the (Holden) team, tested at Lang Lang and made in Oshawa, Ontario in Canada."Welcome to the new GM, where one of the most loved American cars of all time can be designed and built by two members of the Commonwealth - and they can do it better than anyone else in the world. The all-American, Australian-designed, Canadian-built car."Devereux says this ability by Holden to adapt to niche, international market needs led to its bid for manufacture of the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicles (PPVs). It eases some of the pain caused by the loss of the Pontiac G8 program."Chevrolet is in the middle of a 20-city ride and drive test program," he says of the trial long wheelbase models built in Australia and sent to the US. "Five of the 20 cities have been completed. We know we have the superior product ... and expect results in the first quarter."Concurrently, Holden is building pilot vehicles for police authorities in nine US states that have accepted its tender for a "detective" version of the Caprice. Production starts next month."We're not in a position to disclose the number of orders in the system at this time but we're confident the orders will continue to ramp up in the new year," Devereux says.He says the company is as much a net exporter of talent and software as it is of vehicle hardware.But aside from being known as a leader in rear-wheel drive cars, Devereux says Holden is working on the future."EN-V (Electric Networked-Vehicle) is Holden's space-age vision for the future of city motoring and was showcased at this year's International Expo in Shanghai," he says."It's an all-electric, zero-emissions, self-driving, two-wheel concept vehicle designed to help overcome big city issues like traffic congestion, parking availability and air quality. EN-V highlighted the advanced design capabilities of Australian car designers - but it also showed Holden is developing the showroom of the future - and that showroom will have something for everyone."

A small after-tax profit of $12.8 million was overwhelmed last year by net losses of $210.6 million because of the axing of the Holden-built Pontiac export program. These losses also included a series of special, one-off charges totalling $223.4 million, mostly because of the cancellation of the export program. The special charges stemmed mainly from the closure of the Family II engine plant in Melbourne.Last year's loss is significantly more than the $70.2 million loss posted in 2008. GM-Holden's chief financial officer, Mark Bernhard, said the result was disappointing but a by-product of one of the most severe economic downturns in recent memory."This had a substantial impact on both our domestic and export sales," he said. "Much of our loss was incurred as a result of GM's decision to discontinue the Pontiac brand in North America."High-volume exports of the Pontiac G8 ended last April, impacting the company's build numbers. The company built 67,000 vehicles last year, significantly down from the 119,000 built in 2008. It exported 88,000 engines, compared to 136,000 in 2008.Bernhard said other key Holden export markets were also hit by the global economic downturn, which led to a dramatic decline in demand for locally built cars from Holden's overseas customers."At a local level, despite producing Australia's top-selling car, the Commodore, our domestic market was also impacted," he said. These factors resulted in revenue declining from $5.8 billion in 2008 to $3.8 billion in 2009. However, Bernhard said as the health of the world economy started to improve in the second half of the year, so too did Holden's finances."At this time that we started to witness the benefits of some of the more difficult restructuring decisions made during the year to ensure we were operating on a leaner, more efficient base," he said. "This contributed to the company's positive operating cash flow of $289.8 million."Bernhard is confident Holden will return to a profit soon, particularly with local production of the Cruze small car starting in Adelaide early next year. "While we've had a good start to the year, I'm not in a position to declare victory just yet," he said.

Was it "Big Bopper" - the '79 XB Falcon from Mad Max, or Steve McQueen's '68 Mustang GT in Bullitt. Or could it be the '64 Aston Martin DB5 driven by Bond in Goldfinger. How about the Mini Coopers of 1969 in the Italian Job? Or, does the '77 Pontiac Trans Am from Smokey and The Bandit top your list?Take our poll below to tell us what you think, or leave a comment if your top pick is not listed.But if the Oscars gave out awards to cars instead of stars, Audi would probably get the most nominations. During the past few years, Audis have featured in all the Transporter movies, Ronin, I Robot, Mission Impossible 2, About a Boy, Legally Blonde 2, Hitman, The Matrix 2, Iron Man and now its sequel.In the first Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr plays Tony Stark (a.k.a 'Iron Man'). His workshop houses a 1932 Ford Flathead roadster, a 1967 Shelby Cobra, a Saleen S7, a prototype Tesla Roadster and a 2008 Audi R8.Supporting roles were played by the S5 sports sedan driven by American secret service agents and a Q7 SUV which is literally held up by Iron Man, who saves the family inside from the enemy. For the Australian premiere, Downey Jr arrived in a silver R8. In Iron Man 2 he drives an Audi R8 Spyder and his secretary, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), drives an A8 TDI.Audi Australia corporate communications general manager Anna Burgdorf could not confirm whether any payment was made for the placement. However, she could confirm that the super-sport R8 V10 Spyder will arrive here towards the end of the year.The R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro features a lightweight-cloth top that opens automatically in about 19 seconds. Its V10 engine produces 386kW of power and launches the open-top two-seater to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds on its way to a top speed of 313km/h.Product placement of cars is not new to the sliver screen. Most critics believe it started with Bond films, notably the Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger, in 1964. Aston returned in 1965 for Thunderball and was replaced by the DBS for 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service.Other companies then got into the act of pushing their vehicles on to the Bond screen with the highlights being the amphibious Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me and the launch of the BMW Z3 Roadster in GoldenEye. Even a pre-production Aston Martin DBS scored a role in Casino Royale, and scored a Guinness record for "the most cannon rolls in a car at the same time" - seven - for its very brief appearance.Iron Man 2 begins screening in Australia on April 29.

Paul Holter, 54, of North Arm on the Sunshine Coast got his nickname from years of converting American cars, mainly Pontiacs, to right-hand drive.Over the years he claims he has restored, converted, traded and owned as many as 600 cars and now has a dozen in his backyard and shed as well as a few restoration projects belonging to mates.  "I've been collecting cars all my life," he says  "When I got married 35 years ago my wife threatened that if I got any more cars she would leave me. She's still here."Holter got his first car when he was 11 years old.  "My dad bought a Mk V Jag and sold off the tyres and battery and gave me the rest," he says.  "I sold it and bought a '48 Ford Prefect for $40."His daily drivers are a 2005 CVZ Monaro, a 2007 Holden Rodeo and a 2008 Honda Civic, while his collectible cars include a 1976 Chrysler VK Valiant Hemi, a 1968 Pontiac Firebird Convertible, a 1959 Plymouth Suburban sports wagon, a 1960 Pontiac Ventura, a 1962 S Series Chrysler Valiant and a 1983 Pontiac Trans Am race car.He bought the Trans Am for $2000 and converted it into a race car by pulling out the 305 Chevy engine and four-speed auto box and replacing them with a Gen III Commodore 5.7-litre V8, six-speed Tremec gearbox and adding GT-R Skyline rear suspension and brakes.  He claims it gets about 350hp (260kW) at the rear wheels and propelled him to 77th out of 185 cars at last year's Noosa Hillclimb.His current project is the Plymouth he bought for $8500 two years ago. It features nine seats, including a rear-facing row in the back.  He's leaving it in left-hand drive, but is replacing the engine with a 440 V8 he bought online.  "I don't know what it will all cost," he says. "I'd prefer not to know as it could get expensive."It's all the little bits and pieces you have to buy that add up."  Over the past six years he has spent up to $40,000 in a loving restoration of the Ventura he bought for $11,000 and plans to spend about $30,000 _ "or something stupid like that" _ on the S Series Valiant.  "When you do it a bit at a time it doesn't seem so expensive," he says.He plans to fuel-inject and turbo-charge the Valiant's 225 slant-six engine.  "It's rated at 145bhp (108kW), but I reckon I can get it up to the middle 300s," he says.  "I do all my own mechanical work, but I get interiors, paint and body done by experts."Holter is a qualified train driver who moved from Victoria to Queensland 21 years ago and started his right-hand-drive conversion business.  He also had a business importing Nissan Laurel four-door, rear-wheel-drive pillarless sedans but found compliance laws kept changing too often. He bought an Autobarn franchise six years ago and another a year later.Business must be good because Holter has been able to indulge his interest in American cars, travelling several times to the US to buy cars and ship them home for conversion and restoration.And Holter is always looking toward his next project.  He's currently considering trading his Firebird for a Grand Prix and he's always had a soft spot for a Valiant Charger although he reckons they cost too much these days, some fetching as much as $300,000.

Yes, Craig Lowndes is back in racing red in 2010, but Mark Reuss is not going to a top-10 job at new GM in the USA.But the Reuss news, like the signing of Triple Eight and Lowndes, is good news.In fact, the outgoing president of the red team has been promoted to a top-five job at GM from next month. He becomes the worldwide head of product development, a job which effectively makes him the replacement for the heroic Bob Lutz in the GM engineering world.That's great news for Reuss, but potentially even better news for Commodore exports.The US sales plan for the VE Commodore was originally put in place by another former Holden head, Denny Mooney. He helped sell the Holden into America as a Buick, partly off the back of the Monaro experience in America.The latest G8 Pontiac is officially dead at the end of the year, even if there are hopes of small-scale Commodore exports for police use, but that could change with Reuss in the top product job.He is well aware of the car's strengths and has said privately for some time that is hopeful of some sort of new deal, with most people assuming it would be through the Chevrolet sales channel.We'll have to wait, but the signs are positive.But things are not so good for Mooney, who took early retirement last week as part of the GM corporate re-shuffle. He is promising to be back and, at 53, still has plenty of good years to contribute somewhere in the motoring world.

Media reports in the US have new GM's vice-chairman and senior advisor Bob Lutz saying the car would find its way into Chevrolet showrooms under the Caprice name, saying it was ‘kind of too good to waste’. "The last time we looked at the G8, we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz says. Mr Lutz, formerly the vice-chairman for Global Product Development, is a firm Holden fan and was instrumental in taking the reborn Holden Monaro to the US as the Pontiac GTO and the VE Commodore to the US as the G8. The 77-year-old will be part of GM's global design and product initiatives but is planning to retire at the end of the year. In the restructuring proceedings GM CEO Fritz Henderson has denied the G8 would survive — stating he's not a fan of rebadging — but export agreements and the fact the Commodore is already sold as a Chevrolet in other export markets were reasons, Lutz said, for the Holden-sourced car to continue. Holden spokesman Scott Whiffin says there is a lot going on at the new GM but they are unable to say anything more about any US exports. "There's obviously a heck of a lot of activity underway in GM in the US at the moment, but we're not in a position to add to Bob's comments at this stage. We can't say anything more about it," he said. Holden has also received good news from China, with reports of increased engine export from GM Holden to China could grow by 400 per cent over the next four years. The company's Melbourne engine plant could go from building 6000 engines for Chinese export to 20,000 over the next four years, according to federal Industry Minister Kim Carr. Senator Carr, visiting China with federal Trade Minister Simon Crean, says there have been discussions with General Motors and their Chinese joint venture partners about an increase in engine exports. "Engine exports from General Motors plants in Port Melbourne are likely to increase by 400 per cent over the next four years to move from a present 6000 volume through to a 20,000 over a four-year period," he says. The minister believes the potential for increased engine exports shows there are opportunities for the Australian industry in China. Holden's Jonathan Rose says the company anticipates an increase in V6 engine exports, particularly to the key Chinese market in coming years. "That's obviously contingent on future model programs in China. "It's very pleasing to be recognised overseas for our technical capabilities and having Shanghai GM being enthusiastic about the opportunity with senior Australian Government Ministers," he says.