19 2003 Ford Territory
An instant success, the Territory was the right vehicle at the right time for Ford Australia. With the market rejecting MPV-style vehicles in favour of lumbering 7-seat 4x4s, the time was right for a more car-like alternative when the Territory was introduced in 2003. It was designed to encompass the best attributes of a sedan, people-mover and 4x4, and really hit the mark, winning numerous awards including sales leadership.
Without visual cues you would not realise you are driving a sedan, it feels agile and light on its feet, is quiet and supremely smooth. The Territory is truly a world-class vehicle - the new front suspension for the current BMW X5 is very similar to the Territory. The inline 4.0L 6cyl engine provides excellent performance with strong low-rpm torque and quite reasonable fuel economy. There is also a turbocharged version available if you are in a hurry – with a few modifications it will run the quarter mile in the 11 second bracket, which is not hanging around for a 2 tonne, 7 seater!
http://www.autoweb.com.au/cms/A_101280/newsarticle.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8qj7j9jNy8
20 2004 HSV Coupe 4
This 360hp V8 all-wheel drive coupe was the most extraordinary product of Holden’s golden period early this decade under the leadership of General Manager Peter Hanenberger. The success of the 1997 VT Commodore and its influence within GM empire brought Holden the resources to really open up with an astonishing, if ultimately unsustainable, number of variants on the Commodore platform.
The mere 100 examples of the Coupe4 produced is representative – it encompassed both the mix-and-match body and mechanicals that were a feature of the range, yet like other variants there was no way the development costs could be recouped even with its towering $90,000 price tag, 50% more than a “normal” Monaro’s $60k.
A surprise coupe concept car at the 1998 Sydney Motor Show led to the production of the Monaro, which found success with exports overseas, in particular to the US as the Pontiac GTO. The Adventra crossover SUV was the source for the AWD driveline used in the Coupe4, although modifications were needed for the lower ride height. The Coupe4 was based on the Pontiac GTO body with the revised fuel tank location, incorporated the Adventra front floorpan to accommodate the AWD hardware, and featured some hand-worked modifications to the wheel arches to accept the flares needed to cover the large wheels and tyres.
Launch:
http://www.webwombat.com.au/motoring...sv-coupe-4.htm
Used car review:
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...rticleID=43724